Book of Common Prayer
(A special psalm by David.)
The Best Choice
1 Protect me, Lord God!
I run to you for safety,
2 and I have said,
“Only you are my Lord!
Every good thing I have
is a gift from you.”
3 Your people are wonderful,
and they make me happy,[a]
4 but worshipers of other gods
will have much sorrow.[b]
I refuse to offer sacrifices
of blood to those gods
or worship in their name.
5 You, Lord, are all I want!
You are my choice,
and you keep me safe.
6 You make my life pleasant,
and my future is bright.
7 I praise you, Lord,
for being my guide.
Even in the darkest night,
your teachings fill my mind.
8 (A) I will always look to you,
as you stand beside me
and protect me from fear.
9 With all my heart,
I will celebrate,
and I can safely rest.
10 (B) I am your chosen one.
You won't leave me in the grave
or let my body decay.
11 You have shown me
the path to life,
and you make me glad
by being near to me.
Sitting at your right side,[c]
I will always be joyful.
(A prayer by David.)
The Prayer of an Innocent Person
1 I am innocent, Lord!
Won't you listen as I pray
and beg for help?
I am honest!
Please hear my prayer.
2 Only you can say
that I am innocent,
because only your eyes
can see the truth.
3 You know my heart,
and even during the night
you have tested me
and found me innocent.
I have made up my mind
never to tell a lie.
4 I don't do like others.
I obey your teachings
and am not cruel.
5 I have followed you,
without ever stumbling.
6 I pray to you, God,
because you will help me.
Listen and answer my prayer!
7 Show your wonderful love.
Your mighty arm protects those
who run to you for safety
from their enemies.
8 Protect me as you would
your very own eyes;
hide me in the shadow
of your wings.
9 Don't let my brutal enemies
attack from all sides
and kill me.
10 They refuse to show mercy,
and they keep bragging.
11 They have caught up with me!
My enemies are everywhere,
eagerly hoping to smear me
in the dirt.
12 They are like hungry lions
hunting for food,
or like young lions
hiding in ambush.
13 Do something, Lord!
Attack and defeat them.
Take your sword and save me
from those evil people.
14 Use your powerful arm
and rescue me
from the hands of mere humans
whose world won't last.[d]
You provide food
for those you love.
Their children have plenty,
and their grandchildren
will have more than enough.
15 I am innocent, Lord,
and I will see your face!
When I awake, all I want
is to see you as you are.
(A psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “A Deer at Dawn.”)
Suffering and Praise
1 (A) My God, my God, why have you
deserted me?
Why are you so far away?
Won't you listen to my groans
and come to my rescue?
2 I cry out day and night,
but you don't answer,
and I can never rest.
3 Yet you are the holy God,
ruling from your throne
and praised by Israel.
4 (B) Our ancestors trusted you,
and you rescued them.
5 When they cried out for help,
you saved them,
and you did not let them down
when they depended on you.
6 But I am merely a worm,
far less than human,
and I am hated and rejected
by people everywhere.
7 (C) Everyone who sees me
makes fun and sneers.
They shake their heads,
8 (D) and say, “Trust the Lord!
If you are his favorite,
let him protect you
and keep you safe.”
9 You, Lord, brought me
safely through birth,
and you protected me
when I was a baby
at my mother's breast.
10 From the day I was born,
I have been in your care,
and from the time of my birth,
you have been my God.
11 Don't stay far off
when I am in trouble
with no one to help me.
12 Enemies are all around
like a herd of wild bulls.
Powerful bulls from Bashan[a]
are everywhere.
13 My enemies are like lions
roaring and attacking
with jaws open wide.
14 I have no more strength
than a few drops of water.
All my bones are out of joint;
my heart is like melted wax.
15 My strength has dried up
like a broken clay pot,
and my tongue sticks
to the roof of my mouth.
You, God, have left me
to die in the dirt.
16 Brutal enemies attack me
like a pack of dogs,
tearing at[b] my hands
and my feet.
17 I can count all my bones,
and my enemies just stare
and sneer at me.
18 (E) They took my clothes
and gambled for them.
19 Don't stay far away, Lord!
My strength comes from you,
so hurry and help.
20 Rescue me from enemy swords
and save me from those dogs.
21 Don't let lions eat me.
You rescued me from the horns
of wild bulls,
22 (F) and when your people meet,
I will praise you, Lord.
23 All who worship the Lord,
now praise him!
You belong to Jacob's family
and to the people of Israel,
so fear and honor the Lord!
24 The Lord doesn't hate
or despise the helpless
in all of their troubles.
When I cried out, he listened
and did not turn away.
25 When your people meet,
you will fill my heart
with your praises, Lord,
and everyone will see me
keep my promises to you.
26 The poor will eat and be full,
and all who worship you
will be thankful
and live in hope.
27 Everyone on this earth
will remember you, Lord.
People all over the world
will turn and worship you,
28 because you are in control,
the ruler of all nations.
29 All who are rich
and have more than enough
will bow down to you, Lord.
Even those who are dying
and almost in the grave
will come and bow down.
30 In the future, everyone
will worship and learn
about you, our Lord.
31 People not yet born
will be told,
“The Lord has saved us!”
8 Jerusalem and Judah,
you rebelled against
your glorious Lord—
your words and your actions,
made you stumble and fall.
9 The look on your faces shows
that you are sinful as Sodom,
and you don't try to hide it.
You are in for trouble,
and you have brought it all
on yourselves.
The Wrong Kind of Leaders
10 Tell those who obey God,
“You're very fortunate—
you will be rewarded
for what you have done.”
11 Tell those who disobey,
“You're in big trouble—
what you did to others
will come back to you.”
12 Though you are God's people,
you are ruled and abused
by women and children.
You are confused by leaders
who guide you
down the wrong path.
13 The Lord is ready to accuse
and judge all nations.
14 He will even judge
you rulers and leaders
of his own nation.
You destroyed his vineyard[a]
and filled your houses
by robbing the poor.
15 The Lord All-Powerful says,
“You have crushed my people
and rubbed in the dirt
the faces of the poor.”
A Life That Pleases God
4 Finally, my dear friends, since you belong to the Lord Jesus, we beg and urge you to live as we taught you. Then you will please God. You are already living that way, but try even harder. 2 Remember the instructions we gave you as followers of the Lord Jesus. 3 God wants you to be holy, so don't be immoral in matters of sex. 4 Respect and honor your wife.[a] 5 Don't be a slave of your desires or live like people who don't know God. 6 You must not cheat any of the Lord's followers in matters of sex.[b] Remember, we warned you that he punishes everyone who does such things. 7 God didn't choose you to be filthy, but to be pure. 8 So if you don't obey these rules, you are not really disobeying us. Instead, you are disobeying God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
9 We don't have to write you about the need to love each other. God has taught you to do this, 10 and you already have shown your love for all his people in Macedonia. But, my dear friends, we ask you to do even more. 11 Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do. 12 (A) Then you will be respected by people who are not followers of the Lord, and you won't have to depend on anyone.
About David's Son
(Matthew 22.41-46; Mark 12.35-37)
41 Jesus asked, “Why do people say that the Messiah will be the son of King David?[a] 42 (A) In the book of Psalms, David himself says,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit at my right side[b]
43 until I make your enemies
into a footstool for you.’
44 David spoke of the Messiah as his Lord, so how can the Messiah be his son?”
Jesus and the Teachers of the Law of Moses
(Matthew 23.1-36; Mark 12.38-40; Luke 11.37-54)
45 While everyone was listening to Jesus, he said to his disciples:
46 Guard against the teachers of the Law of Moses! They love to walk around in long robes, and they like to be greeted in the market. They want the front seats in the synagogues and the best seats at banquets. 47 But they cheat widows out of their homes and then pray long prayers just to show off. These teachers will be punished most of all.
A Widow's Offering
(Mark 12.41-44)
21 Jesus looked up and saw some rich people tossing their gifts into the offering box. 2 He also saw a poor widow putting in a few cents. 3 And he said, “I tell you that this poor woman has put in more than all the others. 4 Everyone else gave what they didn't need. But she is very poor and gave everything she had.”
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