Book of Common Prayer
33 He turned rivers into a desert.
He turned flowing springs into thirsty ground.
34 He turned land that produced crops into a salty land where nothing could grow.
He did it because the people who lived there were evil.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water.
He turned the dry and cracked ground into flowing springs.
36 He brought hungry people there to live.
They built a city where they could make their homes.
37 They planted fields and vineyards
that produced large crops.
38 He blessed the people, and they greatly increased their numbers.
He kept their herds from getting smaller.
39 Then the number of God’s people got smaller.
They were made humble by trouble, suffering and sorrow.
40 The God who looks down on proud nobles
made them wander in a desert where no one lives.
41 But he lifted needy people out of their suffering.
He made their families increase like flocks of sheep.
42 Honest people see it and are filled with joy.
But no one who is evil has anything to say.
43 Let those who are wise pay attention to these things.
Let them think about the loving deeds of the Lord.
A song. A psalm of David.
108 God, my heart feels secure.
I will sing and make music to you with all my heart.
2 Harp and lyre, wake up!
I want to sing and make music before the sun rises.
3 Lord, I will praise you among the nations.
I will sing about you among the people of the earth.
4 Great is your love. It is higher than the heavens.
Your truth reaches to the skies.
5 God, may you be honored above the heavens.
Let your glory be over the whole earth.
6 Save us. Help us with your powerful right hand,
so that those you love may be saved.
7 God has spoken from his temple.
He has said, “I will win the battle.
Then I will divide up the land around Shechem.
I will divide up the Valley of Sukkoth.
8 Gilead belongs to me, and so does the land of Manasseh.
Ephraim is the strongest tribe. It is like a helmet for my head.
Judah is the royal tribe. It is like a ruler’s scepter.
9 Moab serves me like one who washes my feet.
I toss my sandal on Edom to show that I own it.
I shout to Philistia that I have won the battle.”
10 Who will bring me to the city that has high walls around it?
Who will lead me to the land of Edom?
11 God, isn’t it you, even though you have now turned away from us?
Isn’t it you, even though you don’t lead our armies into battle anymore?
12 Help us against our enemies.
The help people give doesn’t amount to anything.
13 With your help we will win the battle.
You will walk all over our enemies.
33 You who are godly, sing with joy to the Lord.
It is right for honest people to praise him.
2 With the harp, praise the Lord.
With the lyre that has ten strings, make music to him.
3 Sing a new song to him.
Play with skill, and shout with joy.
4 What the Lord says is right and true.
He is faithful in everything he does.
5 The Lord loves what is right and fair.
The earth is full of his faithful love.
6 The heavens were made when the Lord commanded it to happen.
All the stars were created by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers together the waters of the sea.
He puts the oceans in their places.
8 Let the whole earth have respect for the Lord.
Let all the people in the world honor him.
9 He spoke, and the world came into being.
He commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord blocks the sinful plans of the nations.
He keeps them from doing what they want to do.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever.
What he wants to do will last for all time.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.
Blessed are the people he chose to be his own.
13 From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees everyone.
14 From his throne he watches
all those who live on the earth.
15 He creates the hearts of all people.
He is aware of everything they do.
16 A king isn’t saved just because his army is big.
A soldier doesn’t escape just because he is very strong.
17 People can’t trust a horse to save them either.
Though it is very strong, it can’t save them.
18 But the Lord looks with favor on those who respect him.
He watches over those who put their hope in his faithful love.
19 He watches over them to save them from death.
He wants to keep them alive when there is no food in the land.
20 We wait in hope for the Lord.
He helps us. He is like a shield that keeps us safe.
21 Our hearts are full of joy because of him.
We trust in him, because he is holy.
22 Lord, may your faithful love be with us.
We put our hope in you.
Prophets Who Tell Lies
9 Here is my message about the prophets.
My heart is broken inside me.
All my bones tremble with fear.
I am like a man who is drunk.
I am like a strong man who has had too much wine.
That’s what the Lord’s holy words
have done to me.
10 The land is full of people
who aren’t faithful to the Lord.
Now the land is under his curse.
And that’s why it is thirsty for water.
That’s why the desert grasslands are dry.
The prophets are leading sinful lives.
They don’t use their power in the right way.
11 “Prophets and priests alike are ungodly,”
announces the Lord.
“Even in my temple I find them sinning.
12 So their path will become slippery.
They will be thrown out into darkness.
There they will fall.
I will bring trouble on them
when the time to punish them comes,”
announces the Lord.
13 “Among the prophets of Samaria
I saw something I can’t stand.
They were prophesying in the name of Baal.
They were leading my people Israel astray.
14 I have also seen something horrible among Jerusalem’s prophets.
They are not faithful to me.
They are not living by the truth.
They strengthen the hands of those who do evil.
So not one of them turns from their sinful ways.
All of them are like the people of Sodom to me.
They are just like the people of Gomorrah.”
15 So the Lord who rules over all speaks about the prophets. He says,
“I will make them eat bitter food.
I will make them drink poisoned water.
The prophets of Jerusalem have spread
their ungodly ways all through the land.”
Paul Mourns for Israel
9 I speak the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My mind tells me that what I say is true. It is guided by the Holy Spirit. 2 My heart is full of sorrow. My sadness never ends. 3 I am so concerned about my people, who are members of my own race. I am ready to be cursed, if that would help them. I am even willing to be separated from Christ. 4 They are the people of Israel. They have been adopted as God’s children. God’s glory belongs to them. So do the covenants. They received the law. They were taught to worship in the temple. They were given the promises. 5 The founders of our nation belong to them. The Messiah comes from their family line. He is God over all. May he always be praised! Amen.
God’s Free Choice
6 I do not mean that God’s word has failed. Not everyone in the family line of Israel really belongs to Israel. 7 Not everyone in Abraham’s family line is really his child. Not at all! Scripture says, “Your family line will continue through Isaac.” (Genesis 21:12) 8 In other words, God’s children are not just in the family line of Abraham. Instead, they are the children God promised to him. They are the ones considered to be Abraham’s children. 9 God promised, “I will return at the appointed time. Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:10,14)
10 And that’s not all. Rebekah’s children were born at the same time by the same father. He was our father Isaac. 11 Here is what happened. Rebekah’s twins had not even been born. They hadn’t done anything good or bad yet. So they show that God’s purpose is based firmly on his free choice. 12 It was not because of anything they did but because of God’s choice. So Rebekah was told, “The older son will serve the younger one.” (Genesis 25:23) 13 It is written, “I chose Jacob instead of Esau.” (Malachi 1:2,3)
14 What should we say then? Is God unfair? Not at all! 15 He said to Moses,
“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.
I will show love to those I love.” (Exodus 33:19)
16 So it doesn’t depend on what people want or what they do. It depends on God’s mercy. 17 In Scripture, God says to Pharaoh, “I had a special reason for making you king. I decided to use you to show my power. I wanted my name to become known everywhere on earth.” (Exodus 9:16) 18 So God does what he wants to do. He shows mercy to one person and makes another stubborn.
Many Disciples Leave Jesus
60 Jesus’ disciples heard this. Many of them said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about his teaching. So he said to them, “Does this upset you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before? 63 The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit. They give life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe. And he had known who was going to hand him over to his enemies. 65 So he continued speaking. He said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father helps them.”
66 From this time on, many of his disciples turned back. They no longer followed him.
67 “You don’t want to leave also, do you?” Jesus asked the 12 disciples.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, who can we go to? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70 Then Jesus replied, “Didn’t I choose you, the 12 disciples? But one of you is a devil!” 71 He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the 12 disciples. But later he was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.
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