Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 16
A miktam[a] of David.
2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;(C)
apart from you I have no good thing.”(D)
3 I say of the holy people(E) who are in the land,(F)
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
4 Those who run after other gods(G) will suffer(H) more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names(I) on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion(J) and my cup;(K)
you make my lot(L) secure.
6 The boundary lines(M) have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.(N)
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;(O)
even at night(P) my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand,(Q) I will not be shaken.(R)
9 Therefore my heart is glad(S) and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,(T)
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,(U)
nor will you let your faithful[b] one(V) see decay.(W)
11 You make known to me the path of life;(X)
you will fill me with joy in your presence,(Y)
with eternal pleasures(Z) at your right hand.(AA)
Psalm 17
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me,(AB) Lord, my plea is just;
listen to my cry.(AC)
Hear(AD) my prayer—
it does not rise from deceitful lips.(AE)
2 Let my vindication(AF) come from you;
may your eyes see what is right.(AG)
3 Though you probe my heart,(AH)
though you examine me at night and test me,(AI)
you will find that I have planned no evil;(AJ)
my mouth has not transgressed.(AK)
4 Though people tried to bribe me,
I have kept myself from the ways of the violent
through what your lips have commanded.
5 My steps have held to your paths;(AL)
my feet have not stumbled.(AM)
6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;(AN)
turn your ear to me(AO) and hear my prayer.(AP)
7 Show me the wonders of your great love,(AQ)
you who save by your right hand(AR)
those who take refuge(AS) in you from their foes.
8 Keep me(AT) as the apple of your eye;(AU)
hide me(AV) in the shadow of your wings(AW)
9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,
from my mortal enemies who surround me.(AX)
10 They close up their callous hearts,(AY)
and their mouths speak with arrogance.(AZ)
11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,(BA)
with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion(BB) hungry for prey,(BC)
like a fierce lion crouching in cover.
13 Rise up,(BD) Lord, confront them, bring them down;(BE)
with your sword rescue me from the wicked.
14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord,
from those of this world(BF) whose reward is in this life.(BG)
May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;
may their children gorge themselves on it,
and may there be leftovers(BH) for their little ones.
Psalm 22[a]
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?(A)
Why are you so far(B) from saving me,
so far from my cries of anguish?(C)
2 My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,(D)
by night,(E) but I find no rest.[b]
3 Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;(F)
you are the one Israel praises.[c](G)
4 In you our ancestors put their trust;
they trusted and you delivered them.(H)
5 To you they cried out(I) and were saved;
in you they trusted(J) and were not put to shame.(K)
6 But I am a worm(L) and not a man,
scorned by everyone,(M) despised(N) by the people.
7 All who see me mock me;(O)
they hurl insults,(P) shaking their heads.(Q)
8 “He trusts in the Lord,” they say,
“let the Lord rescue him.(R)
Let him deliver him,(S)
since he delights(T) in him.”
9 Yet you brought me out of the womb;(U)
you made me trust(V) in you, even at my mother’s breast.
10 From birth(W) I was cast on you;
from my mother’s womb you have been my God.
12 Many bulls(AA) surround me;(AB)
strong bulls of Bashan(AC) encircle me.
13 Roaring lions(AD) that tear their prey(AE)
open their mouths wide(AF) against me.
14 I am poured out like water,
and all my bones are out of joint.(AG)
My heart has turned to wax;(AH)
it has melted(AI) within me.
15 My mouth[d] is dried up like a potsherd,(AJ)
and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;(AK)
you lay me in the dust(AL) of death.
16 Dogs(AM) surround me,
a pack of villains encircles me;
they pierce[e](AN) my hands and my feet.
17 All my bones are on display;
people stare(AO) and gloat over me.(AP)
18 They divide my clothes among them
and cast lots(AQ) for my garment.(AR)
19 But you, Lord, do not be far from me.(AS)
You are my strength;(AT) come quickly(AU) to help me.(AV)
20 Deliver me from the sword,(AW)
my precious life(AX) from the power of the dogs.(AY)
21 Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;(AZ)
save me from the horns of the wild oxen.(BA)
22 I will declare your name to my people;
in the assembly(BB) I will praise you.(BC)
23 You who fear the Lord, praise him!(BD)
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!(BE)
Revere him,(BF) all you descendants of Israel!
24 For he has not despised(BG) or scorned
the suffering of the afflicted one;(BH)
he has not hidden his face(BI) from him
but has listened to his cry for help.(BJ)
25 From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;(BK)
before those who fear you[f] I will fulfill my vows.(BL)
26 The poor will eat(BM) and be satisfied;
those who seek the Lord will praise him—(BN)
may your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth(BO)
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,(BP)
28 for dominion belongs to the Lord(BQ)
and he rules over the nations.
29 All the rich(BR) of the earth will feast and worship;(BS)
all who go down to the dust(BT) will kneel before him—
those who cannot keep themselves alive.(BU)
30 Posterity(BV) will serve him;
future generations(BW) will be told about the Lord.
31 They will proclaim his righteousness,(BX)
declaring to a people yet unborn:(BY)
He has done it!(BZ)
17 Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah[a](A) of roasted grain(B) and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers(C) are and bring back some assurance[b] from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”
20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies,(D) ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual(E) defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.
25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter(F) in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes(G) in Israel.”
26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace(H) from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised(I) Philistine that he should defy(J) the armies of the living(K) God?”
27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger(L) at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism(A) 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.(B) 36 You know the message(C) God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news(D) of peace(E) through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.(F) 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed(G) Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing(H) all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.(I)
39 “We are witnesses(J) of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,(K) 40 but God raised him from the dead(L) on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people,(M) but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate(N) and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people(O) and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.(P) 43 All the prophets testify about him(Q) that everyone(R) who believes(S) in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”(T)
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on(U) all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter(V) were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out(W) even on Gentiles.(X) 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues[a](Y) and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water.(Z) They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”(AA) 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.(AB) Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)
1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a] the Son of God,[b](B) 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”[c](C)—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”[d](D)
4 And so John the Baptist(E) appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance(F) for the forgiveness of sins.(G) 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist,(H) and he ate locusts(I) and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.(J) 8 I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”(K)
The Baptism and Testing of Jesus(L)(M)
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth(N) in Galilee and was baptized by John(O) in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.(P) 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son,(Q) whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”(R)
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days,(S) being tempted[g] by Satan.(T) He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
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