Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 1
The Two Ways
1 How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked
or stand in the pathway with sinners
or sit in the company of mockers!(A)
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.(B)
3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams[a]
that bears its fruit in its season,(C)
and its leaf does not wither.(D)
Whatever he does prospers.(E)
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.(F)
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,(G)
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Psalm 2
Coronation of the Son
1 Why(J) do the nations rage(K)
and the peoples plot in vain?(L)
2 The kings of the earth take their stand,(M)
and the rulers conspire together
against the Lord and his Anointed One:[b](N)
3 “Let’s tear off their chains
and throw their ropes off of us.”(O)
4 The one enthroned[c] in heaven laughs;
the Lord ridicules them.(P)
5 Then he speaks to them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath:(Q)
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”(R)
7 I will declare the Lord’s decree.
He said to me, “You are my Son;[d]
today I have become your Father.(S)
8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance
and the ends of the earth your possession.(T)
9 You will break them with an iron scepter;
you will shatter them like pottery.”(U)
10 So now, kings, be wise;
receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe
and rejoice with trembling.(V)
12 Pay homage to[e] the Son or he will be angry
and you will perish in your rebellion,[f](W)
for his anger may ignite at any moment.(X)
All who take refuge in him are happy.(Y)
Psalm 3
Confidence in Troubled Times
A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.(Z)
1 Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.(AA)
2 Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.”(AB)Selah
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,(AC)
my glory,(AD) and the one who lifts up my head.(AE)
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.(AF)Selah
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.(AG)
6 I will not be afraid of thousands of people
who have taken their stand against me on every side.(AH)
7 Rise up, Lord!(AI)
Save me, my God!
You strike all my enemies on the cheek;(AJ)
you break the teeth of the wicked.(AK)
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;(AL)
may your blessing be on your people.(AM)Selah
Psalm 4
A Night Prayer
For the choir director: with stringed instruments.(AN) A psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call,
God, who vindicates me.[g](AO)
You freed me from affliction;(AP)
be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, exalted ones,[h] will my honor be insulted?(AQ)
How long will you love what is worthless(AR)
and pursue a lie? Selah
3 Know that the Lord has set apart
the faithful for himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to him.
4 Be angry[i] and do not sin;(AS)
reflect in your heart while on your bed and be silent.(AT) Selah
5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness[j](AU)
and trust in the Lord.(AV)
6 Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good?”
Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord.(AW)
Psalm 7
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
1 Lord my God, I seek refuge in you;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,(B)
2 or they[a] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.(C)
3 Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[b] my adversary without cause,(F)
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)Selah
6 Rise up, Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;(I)
awake for me;[c](J)
you have ordained a judgment.(K)
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around you;(L)
take your seat on high over it.(M)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.(O)
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,(P)
but establish the righteous.(Q)
The one who examines the thoughts and emotions[d]
is a righteous God.(R)
10 My shield is with God,(S)
who saves the upright in heart.(T)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows his wrath every day.(U)
12 If anyone does not repent,
he will sharpen his sword;(V)
he has strung his bow and made it ready.(W)
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he tips his arrows with fire.(X)
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.(Y)
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.(Z)
16 His trouble comes back on his own head;
his own violence comes down on top of his head.(AA)
17 I will thank the Lord for his righteousness;
I will sing about the name of the Lord Most High.(AB)
Daniel’s Captivity in Babylon
1 In the third year of the reign of King Jehoiakim(A) of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar[a](B) of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. 2 The Lord handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God.(C) Nebuchadnezzar carried them to the land of Babylon,[b](D) to the house of his god,[c] and put the vessels in the treasury of his god.
3 The king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the Israelites from the royal family(E) and from the nobility— 4 young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom,(F) knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace.(G) He was to teach them the Chaldean language(H) and literature. 5 The king assigned them daily provisions from the royal food and from the wine that he drank.(I) They were to be trained for three years, and at the end of that time they were to attend the king.[d](J) 6 Among them, from the Judahites, were Daniel,(K) Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7 The chief eunuch gave them names; he gave the name Belteshazzar to Daniel, Shadrach to Hananiah, Meshach to Mishael, and Abednego to Azariah.(L)
Faithfulness in Babylon
8 Daniel determined that he would not defile himself with the king’s food(M) or with the wine he drank. So he asked permission from the chief eunuch not to defile himself.(N) 9 God had granted Daniel kindness and compassion from the chief eunuch,(O) 10 yet he said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and drink. What if he sees your faces looking thinner than the other young men your age? You would endanger my life[e] with the king.”
11 So Daniel said to the guard whom the chief eunuch had assigned to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then examine our appearance and the appearance of the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with your servants based on what you see.” 14 He agreed with them about this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days they looked better and healthier[f] than all the young men who were eating the king’s food.(P) 16 So the guard continued to remove their food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables.
Faithfulness Rewarded
17 God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding(Q) in every kind of literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams(R) of every kind. 18 At the end of the time that the king had said to present them, the chief eunuch presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king interviewed them, and among all of them, no one was found equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.(S) So they began to attend the king. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times[g](T) better than all the magicians and mediums(U) in his entire kingdom. 21 Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.(V)
Prologue: Our Declaration
1 What was from the beginning,(A) what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have observed and have touched with our hands, concerning the word(B) of life— 2 that life was revealed,(C) and we have seen it and we testify and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us(D)— 3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship(E) with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father(F) and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We are writing these things[a] so that our[b] joy(G) may be complete.
Fellowship with God
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light,(H) and there is absolutely no darkness in him.(I) 6 If we say, “We have fellowship(J) with him,” and yet we walk in darkness,(K) we are lying and are not practicing the truth.(L) 7 If we walk in the light(M) as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus(N) his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say, “We have no sin,”(O) we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive(P) us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar, and his word(Q) is not in us.(R)
Jesus Prays for Himself
17 Jesus spoke these things, looked up to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so that the Son(A) may glorify you,(B) 2 since you gave him authority over all people,[a](C) so that he may give eternal life(D) to everyone you have given him.(E) 3 This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only(F) true(G) God, and the one you have sent(H) —Jesus Christ.(I) 4 I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father,(J) glorify me in your presence with that glory(K) I had with you before the world existed.(L)
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed your name(M) to the people you gave me(N) from the world.(O) They were yours, you gave them to me,(P) and they have kept your word.(Q) 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, 8 because I have given them the words you gave me.(R) They have received them and have known for certain that I came from you.(S) They have believed that you sent me.
9 “I pray[b] for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me,(T) because they are yours. 10 Everything I have is yours, and everything you have is mine,(U) and I am glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you.(V) Holy(W) Father, protect[c] them by your name(X) that you have given me, so that they may be one(Y) as we are(Z) one.
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