Book of Common Prayer
The Psalmist’s Profession of Uprightness.
A Psalm of David.
101 I will (A)sing of lovingkindness and [a]justice,
To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will [b](B)give heed to the [c]blameless way.
When will You come to me?
I will walk within my house in the [d](C)integrity of my heart.
3 I will set no (D)worthless thing before my eyes;
I hate the [e]work of those who (E)fall away;
It shall not fasten its grip on me.
4 A (F)perverse heart shall depart from me;
I will know no evil.
5 Whoever secretly (G)slanders his neighbor, him I will [f]destroy;
No one who has a (H)haughty look and an arrogant heart will I endure.
6 My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me;
He who walks in a [g](I)blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
7 He who (J)practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood (K)shall not [h]maintain his position before me.
8 (L)Every morning I will [i](M)destroy all the wicked of the land,
So as to (N)cut off from the (O)city of the Lord all those who do iniquity.
Vengeance Invoked upon Adversaries.
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
109 O (A)God of my praise,
(B)Do not be silent!
2 For they have opened the [a]wicked and (C)deceitful mouth against me;
They have spoken [b]against me with a (D)lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me (E)without cause.
4 In return (F)for my love they act as my accusers;
But (G)I am in prayer.
5 Thus they have [c](H)repaid me evil for good
And (I)hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked man over him,
And let an [d](J)accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, let him (K)come forth guilty,
And let his (L)prayer become sin.
8 Let (M)his days be few;
Let (N)another take his office.
9 Let his (O)children be fatherless
And his (P)wife a widow.
10 Let his (Q)children wander about and beg;
And let them (R)seek sustenance [e]far from their ruined homes.
11 Let (S)the creditor [f]seize all that he has,
And let (T)strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 Let there be none to [g](U)extend lovingkindness to him,
Nor (V)any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 Let his (W)posterity be [h]cut off;
In a following generation let their (X)name be blotted out.
14 Let (Y)the iniquity of his fathers be remembered [i]before the Lord,
And do not let the sin of his mother be (Z)blotted out.
15 Let (AA)them be before the Lord continually,
That He may (AB)cut off their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,
But persecuted the (AC)afflicted and needy man,
And the (AD)despondent in heart, to (AE)put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so (AF)it came to him;
And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he (AG)clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
And it (AH)entered into [j]his body like water
And like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be to him as (AI)a garment with which he covers himself,
And for a belt with which he constantly (AJ)girds himself.
20 [k]Let this be the (AK)reward of my accusers from the Lord,
And of those who (AL)speak evil against my soul.
21 But You, O [l]God, the Lord, deal kindly with me (AM)for Your name’s sake;
Because (AN)Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
22 For (AO)I am afflicted and needy,
And [m]my heart is (AP)wounded within me.
23 I am passing (AQ)like a shadow when it lengthens;
I am shaken off (AR)like the locust.
24 My (AS)knees [n]are weak from (AT)fasting,
And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a (AU)reproach to them;
When they see me, they (AV)wag their head.
26 (AW)Help me, O Lord my God;
Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
27 [o]And let them (AX)know that this is Your hand;
You, Lord, have done it.
28 (AY)Let them curse, but You bless;
When they arise, they shall be ashamed,
But Your (AZ)servant shall be glad.
29 [p]Let (BA)my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
And [q]let them (BB)cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
And in the midst of many (BC)I will praise Him.
Ayin.
121 I have (A)done justice and righteousness;
Do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Be (B)surety for Your servant for good;
Do not let the arrogant (C)oppress me.
123 My (D)eyes fail with longing for Your salvation
And for Your righteous [a]word.
124 Deal with Your servant (E)according to Your lovingkindness
And (F)teach me Your statutes.
125 (G)I am Your servant; (H)give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.
126 It is time for the Lord to (I)act,
For they have broken Your law.
127 Therefore I (J)love Your commandments
Above gold, yes, above fine gold.
128 Therefore I esteem right all Your (K)precepts concerning everything,
I (L)hate every false way.
Pe.
129 Your testimonies are (M)wonderful;
Therefore my soul (N)observes them.
130 The (O)unfolding of Your words gives light;
It gives (P)understanding to the simple.
131 I (Q)opened my mouth wide and (R)panted,
For I (S)longed for Your commandments.
132 (T)Turn to me and be gracious to me,
After Your manner [b]with those who love Your name.
133 Establish my (U)footsteps in Your [c]word,
And do not let any iniquity (V)have dominion over me.
134 (W)Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts.
135 (X)Make Your face shine upon Your servant,
And (Y)teach me Your statutes.
136 My eyes [d]shed (Z)streams of water,
Because they (AA)do not keep Your law.
Tsadhe.
137 (AB)Righteous are You, O Lord,
And upright are Your judgments.
138 You have commanded Your testimonies in (AC)righteousness
And exceeding (AD)faithfulness.
139 My (AE)zeal has [e]consumed me,
Because my adversaries have forgotten Your words.
140 Your [f](AF)word is very [g]pure,
Therefore Your servant (AG)loves it.
141 I am small and (AH)despised,
Yet I do not (AI)forget Your precepts.
142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness,
And (AJ)Your law is truth.
143 Trouble and anguish have [h]come upon me,
Yet Your commandments are my (AK)delight.
144 Your (AL)testimonies are righteous forever;
(AM)Give me understanding that I may live.
Promise of Restoration
14 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brothers, your [a]relatives, [b]your fellow exiles and the whole house of Israel, all of them, are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far from the Lord; this land has been given (A)us as a possession.’ 16 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a (B)sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone.”’ 17 Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “I will (C)gather you from the peoples and assemble you out of the countries among which you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.”’ 18 When they come there, they will (D)remove all its (E)detestable things and all its abominations from it. 19 And I will (F)give them one heart, and put a new spirit within [c]them. And I will take the (G)heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a (H)heart of flesh, 20 that they may (I)walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be (J)My people, and I shall be their God. 21 [d]But as for those whose hearts go after their (K)detestable things and abominations, I will (L)bring their conduct down on their heads,” declares the Lord God.
22 Then the cherubim (M)lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and (N)the glory of the God of Israel [e]hovered over them. 23 The (O)glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and (P)stood over the mountain which is east of the city. 24 And the (Q)Spirit lifted me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God to the exiles [f]in Chaldea. So the vision that I had seen [g](R)left me. 25 Then I (S)told the exiles all the things that the Lord had shown me.
Melchizedek’s Priesthood Like Christ’s
7 For this (A)Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the (B)Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, (C)without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like (D)the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.
4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the (E)patriarch, (F)gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5 And those indeed of (G)the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment [a]in the Law to collect [b]a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these [c]are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one (H)whose genealogy is not traced from them (I)collected [d]a tenth from Abraham and [e](J)blessed the one who (K)had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, (L)of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, 10 for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him.
11 (M)Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it (N)the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise (O)according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron? 12 For when the priesthood is changed, of necessity there takes place a change of law also. 13 For (P)the one concerning whom (Q)these things are spoken belongs to another tribe, from which no one has officiated at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord [f]was (R)descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. 15 And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become such not on the basis of a law of [g](S)physical requirement, but according to the power of (T)an indestructible life. 17 For it is attested of Him,
“(U)You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
The Happy Results
17 The [a]seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even (A)the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 18 And He said to them, “I was watching (B)Satan fall from heaven like lightning. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to (C)tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that (D)your names are recorded in heaven.”
21 (E)At that very [b]time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I [c]praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 22 (F)All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and (G)no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
23 (H)Turning to the disciples, He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see, 24 for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them.”
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