Book of Common Prayer
ק QOPH
145 I cry out with my whole heart;
Hear me, O Lord!
I will keep Your statutes.
146 I cry out to You;
Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies.
147 (A)I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
148 (B)My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.
149 Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness;
O Lord, revive me according to Your justice.
150 They draw near who follow after wickedness;
They are far from Your law.
151 You are (C)near, O Lord,
And all Your commandments are truth.
152 Concerning Your testimonies,
I have known of old that You have founded them (D)forever.
ר RESH
153 (E)Consider my affliction and deliver me,
For I do not forget Your law.
154 (F)Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word.
155 Salvation is far from the wicked,
For they do not seek Your statutes.
156 [a]Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord;
Revive me according to Your judgments.
157 Many are my persecutors and my enemies,
Yet I do not (G)turn from Your testimonies.
158 I see the treacherous, and (H)am disgusted,
Because they do not keep Your word.
159 Consider how I love Your precepts;
Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.
160 The entirety of Your word is truth,
And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
ש SHIN
161 (I)Princes persecute me without a cause,
But my heart stands in awe of Your word.
162 I rejoice at Your word
As one who finds great treasure.
163 I hate and abhor lying,
But I love Your law.
164 Seven times a day I praise You,
Because of Your righteous judgments.
165 (J)Great peace have those who love Your law,
And [b]nothing causes them to stumble.
166 (K)Lord, I hope for Your salvation,
And I do Your commandments.
167 My soul keeps Your testimonies,
And I love them exceedingly.
168 I keep Your precepts and Your testimonies,
(L)For all my ways are before You.
ת TAU
169 Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
(M)Give me understanding according to Your word.
170 Let my [c]supplication come before You;
Deliver me according to Your word.
171 (N)My lips shall utter praise,
For You teach me Your statutes.
172 My tongue shall speak of Your word,
For all Your commandments are righteousness.
173 Let Your hand become my help,
For (O)I have chosen Your precepts.
174 (P)I long for Your salvation, O Lord,
And (Q)Your law is my delight.
175 Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;
And let Your judgments help me.
176 (R)I have gone astray like a lost sheep;
Seek Your servant,
For I do not forget Your commandments.
Blessings of Those Who Fear the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
128 Blessed (A)is every one who fears the Lord,
Who walks in His ways.
2 (B)When you eat the [a]labor of your hands,
You shall be happy, and it shall be (C)well with you.
3 Your wife shall be (D)like a fruitful vine
In the very heart of your house,
Your (E)children (F)like olive plants
All around your table.
4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed
Who fears the Lord.
5 (G)The Lord bless you out of Zion,
And may you see the good of Jerusalem
All the days of your life.
6 Yes, may you (H)see your children’s children.
(I)Peace be upon Israel!
Song of Victory over Zion’s Enemies
A Song of Ascents.
129 “Many a time they have (J)afflicted[b] me from (K)my youth,”
(L)Let Israel now say—
2 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth;
Yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed on my back;
They made their furrows long.”
4 The Lord is righteous;
He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked.
5 Let all those who hate Zion
Be put to shame and turned back.
6 Let them be as the (M)grass on the housetops,
Which withers before it grows up,
7 With which the reaper does not fill his hand,
Nor he who binds sheaves, his [c]arms.
8 Neither let those who pass by them say,
(N)“The blessing of the Lord be upon you;
We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
Waiting for the Redemption of the Lord
A Song of Ascents.
130 Out (O)of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice!
Let Your ears be attentive
To the voice of my supplications.
3 (P)If You, Lord, should [d]mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could (Q)stand?
4 But there is (R)forgiveness with You,
That (S)You may be feared.
Samuel’s Address at Saul’s Coronation
12 Now Samuel said to all Israel: “Indeed I have [a]heeded (A)your voice in all that you said to me, and (B)have made a king over you. 2 And now here is the king, (C)walking before you; (D)and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3 Here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before (E)His anointed: (F)Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any (G)bribe with which to (H)blind my eyes? I will restore it to you.”
4 And they said, (I)“You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man’s hand.”
5 Then he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, (J)that you have not found anything (K)in my hand.”
And they answered, “He is witness.”
6 Then Samuel said to the people, (L)“It is the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.
16 “Now therefore, (A)stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes: 17 Is today not the (B)wheat harvest? (C)I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and (D)rain, that you may perceive and see that (E)your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves.”
18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and (F)all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
19 And all the people said to Samuel, (G)“Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves.”
20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; (H)yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. 21 And (I)do not turn aside; (J)for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. 22 For (K)the Lord will not forsake (L)His people, (M)for His great name’s sake, because (N)it has pleased the Lord to make you His people. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord (O)in ceasing to pray for you; but (P)I will teach you the (Q)good and the right way. 24 (R)Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for (S)consider what (T)great things He has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, (U)you shall be swept away, (V)both you and your king.”
The Sorcerer’s Sin
14 Now when the (A)apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them (B)that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For (C)as yet He had fallen upon none of them. (D)They had only been baptized in (E)the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then (F)they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”
20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because (G)you thought that (H)the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your (I)heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God (J)if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are (K)poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
24 Then Simon answered and said, (L)“Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.”
25 So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate(A)
23 Then (B)the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to (C)Pilate. 2 And they began to (D)accuse Him, saying, “We found this fellow (E)perverting [a]the nation, and (F)forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying (G)that He Himself is Christ, a King.”
3 (H)Then Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
He answered him and said, “It is as you say.”
4 So Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, (I)“I find no fault in this Man.”
5 But they were the more fierce, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from (J)Galilee to this place.”
Jesus Faces Herod
6 When Pilate heard [b]of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. 7 And as soon as he knew that He belonged to (K)Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, (L)he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because (M)he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. 9 Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him (N)nothing. 10 And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him. 11 (O)Then Herod, with his [c]men of war, treated Him with contempt and mocked Him, arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. 12 That very day (P)Pilate and Herod became friends with each other, for previously they had been at enmity with each other.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.