Book of Common Prayer
BOOK ONE
Psalms 1–41
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly
1 Blessed (A)is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
(B)Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But (C)his delight is in the law of the Lord,
(D)And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
(E)Planted by the [c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall (F)prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are (G)like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For (H)the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom(I)
2 Why (J)do the [d]nations [e]rage,
And the people plot a [f]vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the (K)rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His (L)Anointed,[g] saying,
3 “Let (M)us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens (N)shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have [h]set My King
[i]On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the [j]decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
(O)‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 (P)You shall [k]break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 [l]Kiss the Son, lest [m]He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When (Q)His wrath is kindled but a little.
(R)Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
The Lord Helps His Troubled People
A Psalm of David (S)when he fled from Absalom his son.
3 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah
3 But You, O Lord, are (T)a shield [n]for me,
My glory and (U)the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And (V)He heard me from His (W)holy hill. Selah
5 (X)I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
6 (Y)I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
(Z)For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 (AA)Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
The Safety of the Faithful
To the [o]Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
[p]Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
3 But know that (AB)the Lord has [q]set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 (AC)Be[r] angry, and do not sin.
(AD)Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer (AE)the sacrifices of righteousness,
And (AF)put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
(AG)Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put (AH)gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 (AI)I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
(AJ)For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies
A (A)Meditation[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord (B)concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.
7 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
(C)Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me,
2 (D)Lest they tear me like a lion,
(E)Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, (F)if I have done this:
If there is (G)iniquity in my hands,
4 If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or (H)have plundered my enemy without cause,
5 Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah
6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
(I)Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
(J)Rise up [b]for me to the judgment You have commanded!
7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
8 The Lord shall judge the peoples;
(K)Judge me, O Lord, (L)according to my righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.
9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
(M)For the righteous God tests the hearts and [c]minds.
10 [d]My defense is of God,
Who saves the (N)upright in heart.
11 God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he does not turn back,
He will (O)sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
13 He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
14 (P)Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit and dug it out,
(Q)And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 (R)His trouble shall return upon his own head,
And his violent dealing shall come down on [e]his own crown.
17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers (A)of Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:
11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your (B)sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.
12 “When you come (C)to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more (D)futile[a] sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and (E)the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your (F)New Moons and your (G)appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 (H)When you [b]spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
(I)Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of [c]blood.
16 “Wash(J) yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
(K)Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke [d]the oppressor;
[e]Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, and let us (L)reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
(M)They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
(N)For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Greeting
1 Paul, (A)Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the (B)Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace [a]from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Their Good Example
2 (C)We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing (D)your work of faith, (E)labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, (F)your election by God. 5 For (G)our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, (H)and in the Holy Spirit (I)and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.
6 And (J)you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, (K)with joy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord (L)has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also (M)in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us (N)what manner of entry we had to you, (O)and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and (P)to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us (Q)from the wrath to come.
Jesus’ Authority Questioned(A)
20 Now (B)it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him 2 and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, (C)by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?”
3 But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: 4 The (D)baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?”
5 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why [a]then did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, (E)for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it was from.
8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.