Book of Common Prayer
(A psalm by David for the music leader.)
A Prayer for Protection
1 I come to you, Lord,
for protection.
Don't let me be ashamed.
Do as you have promised
and rescue me.
2 Listen to my prayer
and hurry to save me.
Be my mighty rock[a]
and the fortress
where I am safe.
3 You, Lord God,
are my mighty rock
and my fortress.
Lead me and guide me,
so that your name
will be honored.
4 Protect me from hidden traps
and keep me safe.
5 (A) You are faithful,
and I trust you
because you rescued me.
6 I hate the worshipers
of worthless idols,
but I trust you, Lord.
7 I celebrate and shout
because you are kind.
You saw all my suffering,
and you cared for me.
8 You kept me from the hands
of my enemies,
and you set me free.
9 Have pity, Lord!
I am hurting and almost blind.
My whole body aches.
10 I have known only sorrow
all my life long, and I suffer
year after year.
I am weak from sin,
and my bones are limp.
11 My enemies insult me.
Neighbors are even worse,
and I disgust my friends.
People meet me on the street,
and they turn and run.
12 I am completely forgotten
like someone dead.
I am merely a broken dish.
13 I hear the crowds whisper,
“Everyone is afraid!”
They are plotting and scheming
to murder me.
14 But I trust you, Lord,
and I claim you as my God.
15 My life is in your hands.
Save me from enemies
who hunt me down.
16 Smile on me, your servant.
Have pity and rescue me.
17 I pray only to you.
Don't disappoint me.
Disappoint my cruel enemies
until they lie silent
in their graves.
18 Silence those proud liars!
Make them stop bragging
and insulting your people.
19 You are wonderful,
and while everyone watches,
you store up blessings for all
who honor and trust you.
20 You are their shelter
from harmful plots,
and you are their protection
from vicious gossip.
21 I will praise you, Lord,
for showing great kindness
when I was like a city
under attack.
22 I was terrified and thought,
“They've chased me
far away from you!”
But you answered my prayer
when I shouted for help.
23 (B) All who belong to the Lord,
show how you love him.
The Lord protects the faithful,
but he severely punishes
everyone who is proud.
24 All who trust the Lord,
be cheerful and strong.
(A psalm by David.)
A Prayer for Protection from Enemies
1 Fight my enemies, Lord!
Attack my attackers!
2 Shield me and help me.
3 Aim your spear at everyone
who hunts me down,
but promise to save me.
4 Let all who want to kill me
be disgraced
and put to shame.
Chase away and confuse
all who plan to harm me.
5 Send your angel after them
and let them be like straw
in the wind.
6 Make them run in the dark
on a slippery road,
as your angel chases them.
7 I did them no harm,
but they hid a net
to trap me,
and they dug a deep pit
to catch and kill me.
8 (A) Surprise them with disaster!
Trap them in their own nets
and let them fall and rot
in the pits they have dug.
9 I will celebrate and be joyful
because you, Lord,
have saved me.
10 Every bone in my body
will shout:
“No one is like the Lord!”
You protect the helpless
from those in power;
you save the poor and needy
from those who hurt them.
11 Liars accuse me of crimes
I know nothing about.
12 They repay evil for good,
and I feel all alone.
13 When they were sick,
I wore sackcloth[a]
and went without food.[b]
I truly prayed for them,[c]
14 as I would for a friend
or a relative.
I was in sorrow and mourned,
as I would for my mother.
15 I have stumbled,
and worthless liars
I don't even know
surround me and sneer.
16 Worthless people make fun[d]
and never stop laughing.
17 But all you do is watch!
When will you do something?
Save me from the attack
of those vicious lions.
18 And when your people meet,
I will praise you
and thank you, Lord,
in front of them all.
19 (B) Don't let my brutal enemies
be glad because of me.
They hate me for no reason.
Don't let them wink
behind my back.
20 They say hurtful things,
and they lie to people
who want to live in peace.
21 They are quick to accuse me.
They say, “You did it!
We saw you ourselves.”
22 You see everything, Lord!
Please don't keep silent
or stay so far away.
23 Fight to defend me, Lord God,
24 and prove that I am right
by your standards.
Don't let them laugh at me
25 or say to each other,
“Now we've got what we want!
We'll gobble him up!”
26 Disappoint and confuse
all who are glad
to see me in trouble;
disgrace and embarrass
my proud enemies who say to me,
“You are nothing!”
27 Let all who want me to win
be happy and joyful.
From now on let them say,
“The Lord is wonderful!
God is glad when all goes well
for his servant.”
28 Then I will shout all day,
“Praise the Lord God!
He did what was right.”
A Son Named Immanuel
10 Once again the Lord God spoke to King Ahaz. This time he said, 11 “Ask me for proof that my promise will come true. Ask for something to happen deep in the world of the dead or high in the heavens above.”
12 “No, Lord,” Ahaz answered. “I won't test you!”
13 Then I said:
Listen, every one of you in the royal family of David. You have already tried my patience. Now you are trying God's patience by refusing to ask for proof. 14 (A) But the Lord will still give you proof. A virgin[a] is pregnant; she will have a son and will name him Immanuel.[b] 15-16 Even before the boy is old enough to know how to choose between right and wrong, he will eat yogurt and honey,[c] and the countries of the two kings you fear will be destroyed. 17 But the Lord will make more trouble for your people and your kingdom than any of you have known since Israel broke away from Judah. He will even bring the king of Assyria to attack you.
The Threat of an Invasion
18 When that time comes, the Lord will whistle, and armies will come from Egypt like flies and from Assyria like bees. 19 They will settle everywhere—in the deep valleys and between the rocks, on every thornbush and all over the pastureland.
20 The Lord will pay the king of Assyria to bring a razor from across the Euphrates River and shave your head and every hair on your body, including your beard.[d]
21 Anyone who is able to save only one young cow and two sheep, 22 will have enough milk to make yogurt. In fact, everyone left in the land will eat yogurt and honey.[e]
23 Vineyards that had 1,000 vines and were worth 1,000 pieces of silver will turn into thorn patches. 24 You will go there to hunt with your bow and arrows, because the whole country will be covered with thornbushes. 25 The hills where you once planted crops will be overgrown with thorns and thistles. You will be afraid to go there, and your cattle, sheep, and goats will be turned loose on those hills.
Be Faithful
13 My friends, the Lord loves you, and it is only natural for us to thank God for you. God chose you to be the first ones to be saved.[a] His Spirit made you holy, and you put your faith in the truth. 14 God used our preaching as his way of inviting you to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15 My friends, this is why you must remain faithful and follow closely what we taught you in person and by our letters.
16 God our Father loves us. He treats us with undeserved grace and has given us eternal comfort and a wonderful hope. We pray that our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father 17 will encourage you and help you always to do and say the right thing.
Pray for Us
3 Finally, our friends, please pray for us. This will help the message about the Lord to spread quickly, and others will respect it, just as you do. 2 Pray that we may be kept safe from worthless and evil people. After all, not everyone has faith. 3 But the Lord can be trusted to make you strong and protect you from harm. 4 He has made us sure that you are obeying what we taught you and that you will keep on obeying. 5 I pray that the Lord will guide you to be as loving as God and as patient as Christ.
The Lord's Supper
(Matthew 26.26-30; Mark 14.22-26; 1 Corinthians 11.23-25)
14 When the time came for Jesus and the apostles to eat, 15 he said to them, “I have very much wanted to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. 16 I tell you I will not eat another Passover meal until it is finally eaten in God's kingdom.”
17 Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles, “Take this wine and share it with each other. 18 I tell you that I will not drink any more wine until God's kingdom comes.”
19 Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!”
20 (A) After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, “This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God makes his new agreement. 21 (B) The one who will betray me is here at the table with me! 22 The Son of Man will die in the way that has been decided for him, but it will be terrible for the one who betrays him!”
23 Then the apostles started arguing about who would ever do such a thing.
An Argument about Greatness
24 (C) The apostles got into an argument about which one of them was the greatest. 25 (D) So Jesus told them:
Foreign kings order their people around, and powerful rulers call themselves everyone's friends.[a] 26 (E) But don't be like them. The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should be like a servant. 27 (F) Who do people think is the greatest, a person who is served or one who serves? Isn't it the one who is served? But I have been with you as a servant.
28 You have stayed with me in all my troubles. 29 So I will give you the right to rule as kings, just as my Father has given me the right to rule as a king. 30 (G) You will eat and drink with me in my kingdom, and you will each sit on a throne to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
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