Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 119[a]
א (Alef)
119 How blessed are those whose actions are blameless,[b]
who obey[c] the law of the Lord.
2 How blessed are those who observe his rules,
and seek him with all their heart,
3 who, moreover, do no wrong,
but follow in his footsteps.[d]
4 You demand that your precepts
be carefully kept.[e]
5 If only I were predisposed[f]
to keep your statutes.
6 Then I would not be ashamed,
if[g] I were focused on[h] all your commands.
7 I will give you sincere thanks,[i]
when I learn your just regulations.
8 I will keep your statutes.
Do not completely abandon me.[j]
ב (Bet)
9 How can a young person[k] maintain a pure life?[l]
By guarding it according to your instructions.[m]
10 With all my heart I seek you.
Do not allow me to stray from your commands.
11 In my heart I store up[n] your words,[o]
so I might not sin against you.
12 You deserve praise,[p] O Lord.
Teach me your statutes.
13 With my lips I proclaim
all the regulations you have revealed.[q]
14 I rejoice in the lifestyle prescribed by your rules[r]
as if[s] they were riches of all kinds.[t]
15 I will meditate on[u] your precepts
and focus on[v] your behavior.[w]
16 I find delight[x] in your statutes;
I do not forget your instructions.[y]
ג (Gimel)
17 Be kind to your servant.
Then I will live[z] and keep[aa] your instructions.[ab]
18 Open[ac] my eyes so I can truly see[ad]
the marvelous things in your law.
19 I am a resident foreigner in this land.[ae]
Do not hide your commands from me.
20 I desperately long to know[af]
your regulations at all times.
21 You reprimand arrogant people.
Those who stray from your commands are doomed.[ag]
22 Spare me[ah] shame and humiliation,
for I observe your rules.
23 Though rulers plot and slander me,[ai]
your servant meditates on your statutes.
24 Yes, I find delight in your rules;
they give me guidance.[aj]
Psalm 12[a]
For the music director, according to the sheminith style;[b] a psalm of David.
12 Deliver, Lord!
For the godly[c] have disappeared;[d]
people of integrity[e] have vanished.[f]
2 People lie to one another;[g]
they flatter and deceive.[h]
3 May the Lord cut off[i] all flattering lips,
and the tongue that boasts![j]
4 They say,[k] “We speak persuasively;[l]
we know how to flatter and boast.[m]
Who is our master?”[n]
5 “Because of the violence done to the oppressed,[o]
because of the painful cries[p] of the needy,
I will spring into action,”[q] says the Lord.
“I will provide the safety they so desperately desire.”[r]
6 The Lord’s words are absolutely reliable.[s]
They are as untainted as silver purified in a furnace on the ground,
where it is thoroughly refined.[t]
7 You, Lord, will protect them;[u]
you will continually shelter each one from these evil people,[v]
8 for the wicked seem to be everywhere,[w]
when people promote evil.[x]
Psalm 13[y]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
13 How long, Lord, will you continue to ignore me?[z]
How long will you pay no attention to me?[aa]
2 How long must I worry,[ab]
and suffer in broad daylight?[ac]
How long will my enemy gloat over me?[ad]
3 Look at me![ae] Answer me, O Lord my God!
Revive me,[af] or else I will die.[ag]
4 Then[ah] my enemy will say, “I have defeated him.”
Then[ai] my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I[aj] trust in your faithfulness.
May I rejoice because of your deliverance.[ak]
6 I will sing praises[al] to the Lord
when he vindicates me.[am]
Psalm 14[an]
For the music director, by David.
14 Fools say to themselves,[ao] “There is no God.”[ap]
They sin and commit evil deeds;[aq]
none of them does what is right.[ar]
2 The Lord looks down from heaven[as] at the human race,[at]
to see if there is anyone who is wise[au] and seeks God.[av]
3 Everyone rejects God;[aw]
they are all morally corrupt.[ax]
None of them does what is right,[ay]
not even one.
4 All those who behave wickedly[az] do not understand—[ba]
those who devour my people as if they were eating bread,
and do not call out to the Lord.
5 They are absolutely terrified,[bb]
for God defends the godly.[bc]
6 You want to humiliate the oppressed,[bd]
even though[be] the Lord is their[bf] shelter.
7 I wish the deliverance[bg] of Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the well-being of his people,[bh]
may Jacob rejoice,[bi]
may Israel be happy![bj]
The Future Glory of Jerusalem
2 Here is the message about Judah and Jerusalem that was revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz.[a]
2 In future days[b]
the mountain of the Lord’s temple will endure[c]
as the most important of mountains,
and will be the most prominent of hills.[d]
All the nations will stream to it;
3 many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain,
to the temple of the God of Jacob,
so[e] he can teach us his requirements,[f]
and[g] we can follow his standards.”[h]
For Zion will be the center for moral instruction;[i]
the Lord’s message will issue from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge disputes between nations;
he will settle cases for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares,[j]
and their spears into pruning hooks.[k]
Nations will not take up the sword against other nations,
and they will no longer train for war.
5 O descendants[l] of Jacob,
come, let us walk in the Lord’s guiding light.[m]
The Lord’s Day of Judgment
6 Indeed, O Lord,[n] you have abandoned your people,
the descendants of Jacob.
For diviners from the east are everywhere;[o]
they consult omen readers like the Philistines do.[p]
Plenty of foreigners are around.[q]
7 Their land is full of gold and silver;
there is no end to their wealth.[r]
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end to their chariots.[s]
8 Their land is full of worthless idols;
they worship[t] the product of their own hands,
what their own fingers have fashioned.
9 Men bow down to them in homage,
they lie flat on the ground in worship.[u]
Don’t spare them![v]
10 Go up into the rocky cliffs,
hide in the ground.
Get away from the dreadful judgment of the Lord,[w]
from his royal splendor!
11 Proud men will be brought low,
arrogant men will be humiliated;[x]
the Lord alone will be exalted[y]
in that day.
13 And so[a] we too constantly thank God that when you received God’s message that you heard from us,[b] you accepted it not as a human message,[c] but as it truly is, God’s message, which is at work among you who believe. 14 For you became imitators, brothers and sisters,[d] of God’s churches in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, because you too suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they in fact did from the Jews, 15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets[e] and persecuted us severely.[f] They are displeasing to God and are opposed to all people, 16 because they hinder us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. Thus they constantly fill up their measure of sins,[g] but wrath[h] has come upon them completely.[i]
Forced Absence from Thessalonica
17 But when we were separated from you, brothers and sisters,[j] for a short time (in presence, not in affection)[k] we became all the more fervent in our great desire[l] to see you in person.[m] 18 For we wanted to come to you (I, Paul, in fact tried again and again)[n] but Satan thwarted us. 19 For who is our hope or joy or crown to boast of[o] before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not of course you? 20 For you are our glory and joy!
19 Then[a] the experts in the law[b] and the chief priests wanted to arrest[c] him that very hour, because they realized he had told this parable against them. But[d] they were afraid of the people.
Paying Taxes to Caesar
20 Then[e] they watched him carefully and sent spies who pretended to be sincere.[f] They wanted to take advantage of what he might say[g] so that they could deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction[h] of the governor. 21 Thus[i] they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach correctly,[j] and show no partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.[k] 22 Is it right[l] for us to pay the tribute tax[m] to Caesar[n] or not?” 23 But Jesus[o] perceived their deceit[p] and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius.[q] Whose image[r] and inscription are on it?”[s] They said, “Caesar’s.” 25 So[t] he said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”[u] 26 Thus[v] they were unable in the presence of the people to trap[w] him with his own words.[x] And stunned[y] by his answer, they fell silent.
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