Book of Common Prayer
Do Not Hide Your Face from Me
A Prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and [a]pours out his complaint before Yahweh.
102 (A)O Yahweh, hear my prayer!
And let my cry for help (B)come to You.
2 (C)Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;
(D)Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call (E)answer me quickly.
3 For my days (F)have [b]vanished in smoke,
And my (G)bones have been scorched like a hearth.
4 My heart (H)has been stricken like [c]grass and it has (I)dried up,
Indeed, I (J)forget to eat my bread.
5 Because of the sound of my groaning
My (K)bones [d]cling to my flesh.
6 I resemble a (L)pelican of the wilderness;
I have become like an owl of the waste places.
7 I (M)lie awake,
I have become like a lonely bird on a roof.
8 My enemies (N)have reproached me all day long;
Those who [e](O)ridicule me (P)swear against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread
And (Q)mixed my drinks with weeping
10 (R)Because of Your indignation and Your wrath,
For You have (S)lifted me up and cast me away.
11 My days are like an (T)outstretched shadow,
And as for me, I (U)dry up like [f]grass.
12 But You, O Yahweh, [g](V)abide forever,
And the (W)remembrance of Your name [h]from generation to generation.
13 You will (X)arise and have (Y)compassion on Zion—
For (Z)it is time to be gracious to it,
For the (AA)appointed time has come.
14 For Your slaves [i]find pleasure in its stones
And show grace to its dust—
15 [j]So the [k](AB)nations will fear the name of Yahweh
And (AC)all the kings of the earth Your glory.
16 For Yahweh has (AD)built up Zion;
He has (AE)appeared in His glory.
17 He has (AF)turned toward the prayer of the [l]destitute
And has not despised their prayer.
18 [m]This will be (AG)written for the (AH)generation to come,
And (AI)a people yet to be created will praise Yah.
19 For He (AJ)looked down from His holy height;
(AK)From heaven Yahweh gazed [n]upon the earth,
20 To hear the (AL)groaning of the prisoner,
To (AM)set free [o]those who were doomed to death,
21 To (AN)recount the name of Yahweh in Zion
And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 When (AO)the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve Yahweh.
23 He has afflicted my strength in the way;
He has (AP)shortened my days.
24 I say, “O my God, (AQ)do not take me away in the [p]midst of my days,
Your (AR)years are from generation to all generations.
25 Of old You (AS)founded the earth,
And the (AT)heavens are the work of Your hands.
26 [q]Even they will (AU)perish, but You will remain;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.
27 But You are [r](AV)the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
28 The (AW)children of Your slaves will dwell securely,
And their (AX)seed will be established before You.”
BOOK 5
Yahweh Saves in Times of Trouble
107 Oh (A)give thanks to Yahweh, for (B)He is good,
For His lovingkindness endures forever.
2 Let (C)the redeemed of Yahweh say so,
Whom He has (D)redeemed from the hand of the adversary
3 And (E)gathered from the lands,
From the east and from the west,
From the north and from the [a]south.
4 They (F)wandered in the wilderness along the way of the wasteland;
They did not find an inhabited (G)city.
5 Hungry [b]and thirsty,
Their (H)soul fainted within them.
6 Then they (I)cried out to Yahweh in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 He led them by a [c](J)straight way,
To go to (K)an inhabited city.
8 (L)Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness,
And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
9 For He has (M)satisfied the [d]thirsty soul,
And the (N)hungry soul He has filled with what is good.
10 There were those who (O)inhabited darkness and the shadow of death,
(P)Prisoners in affliction and irons,
11 Because they had (Q)rebelled against the words of God
And (R)spurned the (S)counsel of the Most High.
12 So He subdued their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was (T)none to help.
13 Then they (U)cried out to Yahweh in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He (V)brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And (W)broke their bands apart.
15 (X)Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness,
And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
16 For He has (Y)shattered the doors of bronze
And cut through the bars of iron.
17 [e]Ignorant fools, because of their way of transgression,
And (Z)because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their (AA)soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they (AB)reached the (AC)gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to Yahweh in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He (AD)sent His word and (AE)healed them,
And (AF)provided them escape from their [f]destructions.
21 (AG)Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness,
And for His wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
22 Let them also offer (AH)sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And (AI)recount His works with joyful singing.
23 Those who (AJ)go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on many waters;
24 They have seen the works of Yahweh,
And His wondrous deeds in the deep.
25 He (AK)spoke and set up a (AL)stormy wind,
Which (AM)raised up the waves [g]of the sea.
26 They went up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul (AN)melted away in the [h]calamity.
27 They staggered and (AO)swayed like a drunken man,
And all their wisdom was swallowed up.
28 Then they cried to Yahweh in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He (AP)caused the storm to stand still,
So that its waves were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He led them to their desired haven.
31 (AQ)Let them give thanks to Yahweh for His lovingkindness,
And for His (AR)wondrous deeds to the sons of men!
32 Let them (AS)exalt Him also (AT)in the assembly of the people,
And (AU)praise Him at the seat of the elders.
The Messenger and the Lord
3 “(A)Behold, I am going to send (B)My [a]messenger, and he will [b](C)prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; [c]and the [d](D)messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says Yahweh of hosts. 2 “But who can (E)endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a (F)smelter’s fire and like [e]fullers’ soap. 3 And He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will (G)purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may (H)present to Yahweh [f]offerings in righteousness. 4 Then the [g]offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be (I)pleasing to Yahweh as in the (J)ancient days and as in former years.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the (K)sorcerers and against the (L)adulterers and against those who (M)swear falsely and against those who oppress the (N)wage earner in his wages, the (O)widow and the [h]orphan, and those who turn aside the (P)sojourner and do not [i]fear Me,” says Yahweh of hosts. 6 “For [j]I, Yahweh, (Q)do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, [k]are not consumed.
You Have Robbed God
7 “From the (R)days of your fathers you have turned aside from My statutes and have not kept them. (S)Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8 “Will a man [l]rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In (T)tithes and [m]contributions. 9 You are (U)cursed with a curse, for you are [n]robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 (V)Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be [o]food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not (W)open for you the windows of heaven and (X)empty out for you a blessing until [p](Y)it is beyond enough. 11 Then I will rebuke the (Z)devourer for you so that it will not corrupt the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field [q]fail to bear,” says Yahweh of hosts. 12 “(AA)So all the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a (AB)delightful land,” says Yahweh of hosts.
Patience and Perseverance
7 Therefore be patient, (A)brothers, (B)until the coming of the Lord. Behold, (C)the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the soil, being patient about it, until [a]it receives (D)the early and late rains. 8 (E)You too be patient; (F)strengthen your hearts, for (G)the coming of the Lord is (H)at hand. 9 (I)Do not groan, (J)brothers, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. Behold, (K)the Judge is standing [b](L)right at the [c]door. 10 As an example, (M)brothers, of suffering and patience, take (N)the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we count those (O)blessed who persevere. You have heard of (P)the [d]perseverance of Job and have seen (Q)the [e]outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that (R)the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.
12 But above all, (S)my brothers, (T)do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let [f]your yes be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.
Parables on Prayer
18 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they (A)ought to pray and not to (B)lose heart, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a certain judge who did not fear God and did not (C)respect man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice from my opponent.’ 4 And for a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God nor (D)respect man, 5 yet (E)because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice, lest by continually coming she [a](F)wears me out.’” 6 And (G)the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge *said. 7 Now, will God not (H)bring about justice for His (I)elect who cry to Him day and night, [b]and will He (J)delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, (K)will He find that faith on the earth?”
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