Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 140[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
140 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men.[b]
Protect me from violent men,[c]
2 who plan ways to harm me.[d]
All day long they stir up conflict.[e]
3 Their tongues wound like a serpent;[f]
a viper’s[g] venom is behind[h] their lips. (Selah)
4 O Lord, shelter me from the power[i] of the wicked.
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over.[j]
5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men[k] spread a net by the path.
They set traps for me. (Selah)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy.
7 O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,[l]
you shield[m] my head in the day of battle.
8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way.[n]
Do not allow their[o] plan to succeed when they attack.[p] (Selah)
9 As for the heads of those who surround me—
may the harm done by[q] their lips overwhelm them.
10 May he rain down[r] fiery coals upon them.
May he throw them into the fire.
From bottomless pits they will not escape.[s]
11 A slanderer[t] will not endure on[u] the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.[v]
12 I know[w] that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor.[x]
13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
Psalm 142[a]
A well-written song[b] by David, when he was in the cave;[c] a prayer.
142 To the Lord I cry out;[d]
to the Lord I plead for mercy.[e]
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about[f] my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,[g]
you watch my footsteps.[h]
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.[i]
I have nowhere to run;[j]
no one is concerned about my life.[k]
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security[l] in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.[m]
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me[n] from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,[o]
for you will vindicate me.[p]
Psalm 141[a]
A psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me.
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you.
2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering.[b]
3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth.
Protect the opening[c] of my lips.[d]
4 Do not let me have evil desires,[e]
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly.[f]
I will not eat their delicacies.[g]
5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me.
May my head not refuse[h] choice oil.[i]
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.[j]
6 They will be thrown over the side of a cliff by their judges.[k]
They[l] will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,[m]
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 Surely I am looking to you,[n] O Sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger.[o]
9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set.[p]
10 Let the wicked fall[q] into their[r] own nets,
while I escape.[s]
Psalm 143[a]
A psalm of David.
143 O Lord, hear my prayer.
Pay attention to my plea for help.
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me.
2 Do not sit in judgment on[b] your servant,
for no one alive is innocent before you.[c]
3 Certainly[d] my enemies[e] chase me.
They smash me into the ground.[f]
They force me to live[g] in dark regions,[h]
like those who have been dead for ages.
4 My strength leaves me;[i]
I am absolutely shocked.[j]
5 I recall the old days.[k]
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments.[l]
6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer;[m]
my soul thirsts for you in a parched[n] land.[o] (Selah)
7 Answer me quickly, Lord.
My strength is fading.[p]
Do not reject me,[q]
or I will join[r] those descending into the grave.[s]
8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning,[t]
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,[u]
because I long for you.[v]
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord.
I run to you for protection.[w]
10 Teach me to do what pleases you,[x]
for you are my God.
May your kind presence[y]
lead me[z] into a level land.[aa]
11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation,[ab] revive me.[ac]
Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble.[ad]
12 As a demonstration of your loyal love,[ae] destroy my enemies.
Annihilate[af] all who threaten my life,[ag]
for I am your servant.
The Sovereignty of the Lord
14 A day of the Lord[a] is about to come when your possessions[b] will be divided as plunder in your midst. 2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to wage war; the city will be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away.[c]
3 Then the Lord will go to battle[d] and fight against those nations, just as he fought battles in ancient days.[e] 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives that lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half southward.[f] 5 Then you will escape[g] through my mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal.[h] Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah[i] of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come with all his holy ones with him. 6 On that day there will be no light—the sources of light in the heavens will congeal.[j] 7 It will happen in one day—a day known to the Lord—not in the day or the night, but in the evening there will be light.[k] 8 Moreover, on that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem,[l] half of them to the eastern sea[m] and half of them to the western sea;[n] it will happen both in summer and in winter.
9 The Lord will then be king over all the earth. In that day the Lord will be seen as one with a single name.[o] 10 All the land will change[p] and become like the rift valley[q] from Geba to Rimmon,[r] south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be raised up and will stay in its own place from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate[s] and on to the Corner Gate,[t] and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses.[u] 11 And people will settle there, and there will no longer be the threat of divine extermination—Jerusalem will dwell in security.
Exhortation to Mutual Acceptance
7 Receive one another, then, just as Christ also received you, to God’s glory. 8 For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised[a] on behalf of God’s truth to confirm the promises made to the fathers,[b] 9 and thus the Gentiles glorify God for his mercy.[c] As it is written, “Because of this I will confess you among the Gentiles, and I will sing praises to your name.”[d] 10 And again it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”[e] 11 And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.”[f] 12 And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, and the one who rises to rule over the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope.”[g] 13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe in him,[h] so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Triumphal Entry
28 After Jesus[a] had said this, he continued on ahead,[b] going up to Jerusalem.[c] 29 Now[d] when he approached Bethphage[e] and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives,[f] he sent two of the disciples, 30 telling them,[g] “Go to the village ahead of you.[h] When[i] you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden.[j] Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs[k] it.’” 32 So those who were sent ahead found[l] it exactly[m] as he had told them. 33 As[n] they were untying the colt, its owners asked them,[o] “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 Then[p] they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks[q] on the colt,[r] and had Jesus get on[s] it. 36 As[t] he rode along, they[u] spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he approached the road leading down from[v] the Mount of Olives,[w] the whole crowd of his[x] disciples began to rejoice[y] and praise[z] God with a loud voice for all the mighty works[aa] they had seen:[ab] 38 “Blessed is the king[ac] who comes in the name of the Lord![ad] Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 But[ae] some of the Pharisees[af] in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”[ag] 40 He answered,[ah] “I tell you, if they[ai] keep silent, the very stones[aj] will cry out!”
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