Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 37
Instruction in Wisdom
Of David.
1 Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.(A)
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.(B)
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.[a](D)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.(E)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act,(F)
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.(G)
7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;(H)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the person who carries out evil plans.(I)
8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.(J)
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.(K)
10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.(L)
11 But the humble will inherit the land(M)
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.(N)
12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.(O)
13 The Lord laughs at him(P)
because he sees that his day is coming.(Q)
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the[b] bow
to bring down the poor and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.(R)
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.(S)
16 The little that the righteous person has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.(T)
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,(U)
but the Lord supports the righteous.(V)
18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.(W)
19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.(X)
20 But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.(Y)
21 The wicked person borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.(Z)
22 Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be destroyed.(AA)
23 A person’s steps are established by the Lord,
and he takes pleasure in his way.(AB)
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord supports him with his hand.(AC)
25 I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.(AD)
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.(AE)
27 Turn away from evil, do what is good,
and settle permanently.(AF)
28 For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon his faithful ones.(AG)
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.(AH)
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.(AI)
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.(AJ)
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.(AK)
32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and intends to kill him;(AL)
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.(AM)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.(AN)
35 I have seen a wicked, violent person
well-rooted,[c] like a flourishing native tree.(AO)
36 Then I[d] passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.(AP)
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;(A)
there is no God but me.(B)
I will strengthen[a] you,
though you do not know me,
6 so that all may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
that there is no one but me.(C)
I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,(D)
I make success and create disaster;(E)
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
8 “Heavens, sprinkle from above,
and let the skies shower righteousness.(F)
Let the earth open up
so that salvation will sprout
and righteousness will spring up with it.(G)
I, the Lord, have created it.
9 “Woe to the one who argues with his Maker—
one clay pot among many.[b]
Does clay say to the one forming it,
‘What are you making?’ (H)
Or does your work say,
‘He has no hands’?[c]
10 Woe to the one who says to his father,
‘What are you fathering?’
or to his mother,[d]
‘What are you giving birth to?’”
11 This is what the Lord,
the Holy One of Israel(I) and its Maker, says:
“Ask me what is to happen to[e] my sons,(J)
and instruct me about the work of my hands.(K)
12 I made the earth,
and created humans on it.
It was my hands that stretched out the heavens,(L)
and I commanded everything in them.
13 I have stirred him up in righteousness,(M)
and will level all roads for him.
He will rebuild my city,(N)
and set my exiles free,(O)
not for a price or a bribe,”
says the Lord of Armies.
God Alone Is the Savior
14 This is what the Lord says:
Consistency in the Christian Life
15 Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— 16 making the most of the time,[a](A) because the days are evil. 17 So don’t be foolish, but understand(B) what the Lord’s will(C) is. 18 And don’t get drunk(D) with wine,(E) which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:(F) 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.(G)
Wives and Husbands
22 Wives,(H) submit[b](I) to your husbands(J) as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife(K) as Christ is the head(L) of the church. He is the Savior of the body.(M) 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives,(N) just as Christ loved(O) the church and gave himself(P) for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[c] her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.(Q) 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body.[d] 31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,(R) and the two will become one flesh.[e](S) 32 This mystery(T) is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.
Using Your Light
21 He(A) also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?(B) Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?(C) 22 For there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed,(D) and nothing concealed that will not be brought to light. 23 If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen.”(E) 24 And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure(F) you use,(G) it will be measured to you—and more will be added(H) to you. 25 For whoever has, more will be given to him, and whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”(I)
The Parable of the Growing Seed
26 “The kingdom of God(J) is like this,” he said. “A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps(K) and rises(L) night(M) and day; the seed sprouts and grows, although he doesn’t know how. 28 The soil produces a crop(N) by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the full grain(O) on the head. 29 As soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle,(P) because the harvest(Q) has come.”
The Parable of the Mustard Seed
30 And(R) he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God,(S) or what parable(T) can we use to describe it? 31 It’s like a mustard seed(U) that, when sown upon the soil, is the smallest of all the seeds on the ground. 32 And when sown,(V) it comes up and grows taller than all the garden plants,(W) and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky(X) can nest in its shade.”
Using Parables
33 He was speaking the word(Y) to them with many parables(Z) like these, as they were able to understand.(AA) 34 He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, he explained everything to his own disciples.(AB)
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