Book of Common Prayer
Worship and Obey the Lord
1 Sing joyful songs to the Lord!
Praise the mighty rock[a]
where we are safe.
2 Come to worship him
with thankful hearts
and songs of praise.
3 The Lord is the greatest God,
king over all other gods.
4 He holds the deepest part
of the earth in his hands,
and the mountain peaks
also belong to him.
5 The ocean is the Lord's
because he made it,
and with his own hands
he formed the dry land.
6 Bow down and worship
the Lord our Creator!
7 (A)(B) The Lord is our God,
and we are his people,
the sheep he takes care of
in his own pasture.
Listen to God's voice today!
8 (C) Don't be stubborn and rebel
as your ancestors did
at Meribah and Massah[b]
out in the desert.
9 For forty years
they tested God and saw
the things he did.
10 Then God got tired of them
and said,
“You never show good sense,
and you don't understand
what I want you to do.”
11 (D) In his anger, God told them,
“You people will never enter
my place of rest.”
(By David for the music leader. To the tune “Lilies.”)
God Can Be Trusted
1 Save me, God!
I am about to drown.
2 I am sinking deep in the mud,
and my feet are slipping.
I am about to be swept under
by a mighty flood.
3 I am worn out from crying,
and my throat is dry.
I have waited for you
till my eyes are blurred.
4 (A) There are more people
who hate me for no reason
than there are hairs
on my head.
Many terrible enemies
want to destroy me, God.
Am I supposed to give back
something I didn't steal?
5 You know my foolish sins.
Not one is hidden from you.
6 Lord God All-Powerful,
ruler of Israel,
don't let me embarrass anyone
who trusts and worships you.
7 It is for your sake alone
that I am insulted
and blush with shame.
8 I am like a stranger
to my relatives
and like a foreigner
to my own family.
9 (B) My love for your house
burns in me like a fire,
and when others insult you,
they insulted me as well.
10 I cried and went without food,[a]
but they still insulted me.
11 They sneered at me
for wearing sackcloth[b]
to show my sorrow.
12 Rulers and judges gossip
about me,
and drunkards make up songs
to mock me.
13 But I pray to you, Lord.
So when the time is right,
answer me and help me
with your wonderful love.
14 Don't let me sink in the mud,
but save me from my enemies
and from the deep water.
15 Don't let me be
swept away by a flood
or drowned in the ocean
or swallowed by death.
16 Answer me, Lord!
You are kind and good.
Pay attention to me!
You are truly merciful.
17 Don't turn away from me.
I am your servant,
and I am in trouble.
Please hurry and help!
18 Come and save me
from my enemies.
19 You know how I am insulted,
mocked, and disgraced;
you know every one
of my enemies.
20 I am crushed by insults,
and I feel sick.
I had hoped for mercy and pity,
but there was none.
21 (C) Enemies poisoned my food,
and when I was thirsty,
they gave me vinegar.
22 (D) Make their table a trap
for them and their friends.
23 Blind them with darkness
and make them tremble.
24 Show them how angry you are!
Be furious and catch them.
25 (E) Destroy their camp
and don't let anyone live
in their tents.
26 They cause trouble for people
you have already punished;
their gossip hurts those
you have wounded.
27 Make them guiltier than ever
and don't forgive them.
28 (F) Wipe their names from the book
of the living;
remove them from the list
of the innocent.
29 I am mistreated and in pain.
Protect me, God,
and keep me safe!
30 I will praise the Lord God
with a song
and a thankful heart.
31 This will please the Lord
better than offering an ox
or a full-grown bull.
32 When those in need see this,
they will be happy,
and the Lord's worshipers
will be encouraged.
33 The Lord will listen
when the homeless cry out,
and he will never forget
his people in prison.
34 Heaven and earth
will praise our God,
and so will the oceans
and everything in them.
35 God will rescue Jerusalem,
and he will rebuild
the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
on their own land,
36 and when the time comes,
their children will inherit
the land.
Then everyone who loves God
will also settle there.
BOOK III
(Psalms 73–89)
(A psalm by Asaph.)
God Is Good
1 God is truly good to Israel,[a]
especially to everyone
with a pure heart.
2 But I almost stumbled and fell,
3 because it made me jealous
to see proud and evil people
and to watch them prosper.
4 They never have to suffer,[b]
they stay healthy,
5 and they don't have troubles
like everyone else.
6 Their pride is like a necklace,
and they commit sin more often
than they dress themselves.
7 Their eyes bulge with fat,
and their minds are flooded
with foolish thoughts.
8 They sneer and say cruel things,
and because of their pride,
they make violent threats.
9 They dare to speak against God
and to order others around.
10 God will bring his people back,
and they will drink the water
he so freely gives.[c]
11 Only evil people would say,
“God Most High cannot
know everything!”
12 Yet all goes well for them,
and they live in peace.
13 What good did it do me
to keep my thoughts pure
and refuse to do wrong?
14 I am sick all day,
and I am punished
each morning.
15 If I had said evil things,
I would not have been loyal
to your people.
16 It was hard for me
to understand all this!
17 Then I went to your temple,
and there I understood
what will happen
to my enemies.
18 You will make them stumble,
never to get up again.
19 They will be terrified,
suddenly swept away
and no longer there.
20 They will disappear, Lord,
despised like a bad dream
the morning after.
21 Once I was bitter
and brokenhearted.
22 I was stupid and ignorant,
and I treated you
as a wild animal would.
23 But I never really left you,
and you hold my right hand.
24 Your advice has been my guide,
and later you will welcome me
in glory.[d]
25 In heaven I have only you,
and on this earth
you are all I want.
26 My body and mind may fail,
but you are my strength
and my choice forever.
27 All-Powerful Lord God,
those who stay far from you
will be lost,
and you will destroy those
who are unfaithful.
28 It is good for me
to be near you.
I choose you as my protector,
and I will tell about
your wonderful deeds.
Is Anyone Honest and Faithful?
The Lord said to me:
5 “Search Jerusalem
for honest people
who try to be faithful.
If you can find even one,
I'll forgive the whole city.
2 Everyone breaks promises
made in my name.”
3 I answered, “I know
that you look for truth.
You punished your people
for their lies,
but in spite of the pain,
they became more stubborn
and refused to turn back
to you.”
4 Then I thought to myself,
“These common people
act like fools,
and they have never learned
what the Lord their God
demands of them.
5 So I'll go and talk to the leaders.
They know what God demands.”
But even they had decided
not to obey the Lord.
6 The people have rebelled
and rejected the Lord
too many times.
So enemies will attack
like lions from the forest
or wolves from the desert.
Those enemies will watch
the towns of Judah,
and like leopards
they will tear to pieces
whoever goes outside.
Enemies Will Punish Judah
The Lord said:
7 People of Judah,
how can I forgive you?
I gave you everything,
but you abandoned me
and worshiped idols.
You men go to prostitutes
and are unfaithful
to your wives.
8 You are no better than animals,
and you always want sex
with someone else's wife.
9 Why shouldn't I punish
the people of Judah?
25 Being circumcised is worthwhile, if you obey the Law. But if you don't obey the Law, you are no better off than people who are not circumcised. 26 In fact, if they obey the Law, they are as good as anyone who is circumcised. 27 So everyone who obeys the Law, but has never been circumcised, will condemn you. Even though you are circumcised and have the Law, you still don't obey its teachings.
28 Just because you live like a Jew and are circumcised doesn't make you a real Jew. 29 (A) To be a real Jew you must obey the Law. True circumcision is something that happens deep in your heart, not something done to your body. And besides, you should want praise from God and not from humans.
3 What good is it to be a Jew? What good is it to be circumcised? 2 It is good in a lot of ways! First of all, God's messages were spoken to the Jews. 3 It is true that some of them did not believe the message. But does this mean that God cannot be trusted, just because they did not have faith? 4 (B) No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God,
“Your words
will be proven true,
and in court
you will win your case.”
5 If our evil deeds show how right God is, then what can we say? Is it wrong for God to become angry and punish us? What a foolish thing to ask. 6 But the answer is, “No.” Otherwise, how could God judge the world? 7 Since your lies bring great honor to God by showing how truthful he is, you may ask why God still says you are a sinner. 8 You might as well say, “Let's do something evil, so that something good will come of it!” Some people even claim that we are saying this. But God is fair and will judge them as well.
No One Is Good
9 What does all this mean? Does it mean that we Jews are better off[a] than the Gentiles? No, it doesn't! Jews, as well as Gentiles, are ruled by sin, just as I have said. 10 (C) The Scriptures tell us,
“No one is acceptable to God!
11 Not one of them understands
or even searches for God.
12 They have all turned away
and are worthless.
There isn't one person
who does right.
13 (D) Their words are like
an open pit,
and their tongues are good
only for telling lies.
Each word is as deadly
as the fangs of a snake,
14 (E) and they say nothing
but bitter curses.
15 (F) These people quickly
become violent.
16 Wherever they go,
they leave ruin
and destruction.
17 They don't know how
to live in peace.
18 (G) They don't even fear God.”
30 I cannot do anything on my own. The Father sent me, and he is the one who told me how to judge. I judge with fairness, because I obey him, and I don't just try to please myself.
Witnesses to Jesus
31 If I speak for myself, there is no way to prove I am telling the truth. 32 But there is someone else who speaks for me, and I know what he says is true. 33 (A) You sent messengers to John, and he told them the truth. 34 I don't depend on what people say about me, but I tell you these things so that you may be saved. 35 (B) John was a lamp that gave a lot of light, and you were glad to enjoy his light for a while.
36 But something more important than John speaks for me. I mean the things that the Father has given me to do! All of these speak for me and prove that the Father sent me.
37 (C) The Father who sent me also speaks for me, but you have never heard his voice or seen him face to face. 38 You have not believed his message, because you refused to have faith in the one he sent.
39 (D) You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me, 40 but you refuse to come to me for eternal life.
41 I don't care about human praise, 42 but I do know that none of you love God. 43 I have come with my Father's authority, and you have not welcomed me. But you will welcome people who come on their own. 44 How could you possibly believe? You like to have your friends praise you, and you don't care about praise that the only God can give!
45 Don't think that I will be the one to accuse you to the Father. You have put your hope in Moses, yet he is the very one who will accuse you. 46 Moses wrote about me, and if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me. 47 But if you don't believe what Moses wrote, how can you believe what I say?
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