Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 102[a]
A prayer of an afflicted person who has grown weak and pours out a lament before the Lord.
1 Hear my prayer,(A) Lord;
let my cry for help(B) come to you.
2 Do not hide your face(C) from me
when I am in distress.
Turn your ear(D) to me;
when I call, answer me quickly.
3 For my days vanish like smoke;(E)
my bones(F) burn like glowing embers.
4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass;(G)
I forget to eat my food.(H)
5 In my distress I groan aloud(I)
and am reduced to skin and bones.
6 I am like a desert owl,(J)
like an owl among the ruins.
7 I lie awake;(K) I have become
like a bird alone(L) on a roof.
8 All day long my enemies(M) taunt me;(N)
those who rail against me use my name as a curse.(O)
9 For I eat ashes(P) as my food
and mingle my drink with tears(Q)
10 because of your great wrath,(R)
for you have taken me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like the evening shadow;(S)
I wither(T) away like grass.
12 But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever;(U)
your renown endures(V) through all generations.(W)
13 You will arise(X) and have compassion(Y) on Zion,
for it is time(Z) to show favor(AA) to her;
the appointed time(AB) has come.
14 For her stones are dear to your servants;
her very dust moves them to pity.
15 The nations will fear(AC) the name of the Lord,
all the kings(AD) of the earth will revere your glory.
16 For the Lord will rebuild Zion(AE)
and appear in his glory.(AF)
17 He will respond to the prayer(AG) of the destitute;
he will not despise their plea.
18 Let this be written(AH) for a future generation,
that a people not yet created(AI) may praise the Lord:
19 “The Lord looked down(AJ) from his sanctuary on high,
from heaven he viewed the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners(AK)
and release those condemned to death.”
21 So the name of the Lord will be declared(AL) in Zion
and his praise(AM) in Jerusalem
22 when the peoples and the kingdoms
assemble to worship(AN) the Lord.
23 In the course of my life[b] he broke my strength;
he cut short my days.(AO)
24 So I said:
“Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days;
your years go on(AP) through all generations.
25 In the beginning(AQ) you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens(AR) are the work of your hands.(AS)
26 They will perish,(AT) but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
27 But you remain the same,(AU)
and your years will never end.(AV)
28 The children of your servants(AW) will live in your presence;
their descendants(AX) will be established before you.”
BOOK V
Psalms 107–150
Psalm 107
2 Let the redeemed(C) of the Lord tell their story—
those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,
3 those he gathered(D) from the lands,
from east and west, from north and south.[a]
4 Some wandered in desert(E) wastelands,
finding no way to a city(F) where they could settle.
5 They were hungry(G) and thirsty,(H)
and their lives ebbed away.
6 Then they cried out(I) to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way(J)
to a city(K) where they could settle.
8 Let them give thanks(L) to the Lord for his unfailing love(M)
and his wonderful deeds(N) for mankind,
9 for he satisfies(O) the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.(P)
10 Some sat in darkness,(Q) in utter darkness,
prisoners suffering(R) in iron chains,(S)
11 because they rebelled(T) against God’s commands
and despised(U) the plans(V) of the Most High.
12 So he subjected them to bitter labor;
they stumbled, and there was no one to help.(W)
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them(X) from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness,(Y) the utter darkness,(Z)
and broke away their chains.(AA)
15 Let them give thanks(AB) to the Lord for his unfailing love(AC)
and his wonderful deeds(AD) for mankind,
16 for he breaks down gates of bronze
and cuts through bars of iron.
17 Some became fools(AE) through their rebellious ways(AF)
and suffered affliction(AG) because of their iniquities.
18 They loathed all food(AH)
and drew near the gates of death.(AI)
19 Then they cried(AJ) to the Lord in their trouble,
and he saved them(AK) from their distress.
20 He sent out his word(AL) and healed them;(AM)
he rescued(AN) them from the grave.(AO)
21 Let them give thanks(AP) to the Lord for his unfailing love(AQ)
and his wonderful deeds(AR) for mankind.
22 Let them sacrifice thank offerings(AS)
and tell of his works(AT) with songs of joy.(AU)
23 Some went out on the sea(AV) in ships;(AW)
they were merchants on the mighty waters.
24 They saw the works of the Lord,(AX)
his wonderful deeds in the deep.
25 For he spoke(AY) and stirred up a tempest(AZ)
that lifted high the waves.(BA)
26 They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;
in their peril(BB) their courage melted(BC) away.
27 They reeled(BD) and staggered like drunkards;
they were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried(BE) out to the Lord in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.(BF)
29 He stilled the storm(BG) to a whisper;
the waves(BH) of the sea[b] were hushed.(BI)
30 They were glad when it grew calm,
and he guided them(BJ) to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks(BK) to the Lord for his unfailing love(BL)
and his wonderful deeds(BM) for mankind.
32 Let them exalt(BN) him in the assembly(BO) of the people
and praise him in the council of the elders.
Jacob Wrestles With God
22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons(A) and crossed the ford of the Jabbok.(B) 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions.(C) 24 So Jacob was left alone,(D) and a man(E) wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip(F) so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”(G)
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,”(H) he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name(I) will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[a](J) because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”(K)
29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”(L)
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”(M) Then he blessed(N) him there.
30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[b] saying, “It is because I saw God face to face,(O) and yet my life was spared.”
31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel,[c](P) and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip,(Q) because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.
Jacob Meets Esau
33 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men;(R) so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants.(S) 2 He put the female servants and their children(T) in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph(U) in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground(V) seven times(W) as he approached his brother.
4 But Esau(X) ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him.(Y) And they wept.(Z) 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.
Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.(AA)”
6 Then the female servants and their children(AB) approached and bowed down.(AC) 7 Next, Leah and her children(AD) came and bowed down.(AE) Last of all came Joseph and Rachel,(AF) and they too bowed down.
8 Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”(AG)
“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,”(AH) he said.
9 But Esau said, “I already have plenty,(AI) my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”
10 “No, please!” said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes,(AJ) accept this gift(AK) from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God,(AL) now that you have received me favorably.(AM) 11 Please accept the present(AN) that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me(AO) and I have all I need.”(AP) And because Jacob insisted,(AQ) Esau accepted it.
12 Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way; I’ll accompany you.”
13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord(AR) knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young.(AS) If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the flocks and herds(AT) before me and the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.(AU)”
15 Esau said, “Then let me leave some of my men with you.”
“But why do that?” Jacob asked. “Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.”(AV)
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir.(AW) 17 Jacob, however, went to Sukkoth,(AX) where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Sukkoth.[d]
3 See what great love(A) the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!(B) And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.(C) 2 Dear friends,(D) now we are children of God,(E) and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a](F) we shall be like him,(G) for we shall see him as he is.(H) 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves,(I) just as he is pure.(J)
4 Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.(K) 5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins.(L) And in him is no sin.(M) 6 No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.(N) No one who continues to sin has either seen him(O) or known him.(P)
7 Dear children,(Q) do not let anyone lead you astray.(R) The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.(S) 8 The one who does what is sinful is of the devil,(T) because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God(U) appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.(V) 9 No one who is born of God(W) will continue to sin,(X) because God’s seed(Y) remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God(Z) are and who the children of the devil(AA) are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love(AB) their brother and sister.(AC)
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,(A) 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”(B)
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law,(C) ‘I have said you are “gods”’[a]?(D) 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God(E) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside(F)— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart(G) as his very own(H) and sent into the world?(I) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?(J) 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.(K) 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”(L) 39 Again they tried to seize him,(M) but he escaped their grasp.(N)
40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan(O) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign,(P) all that John said about this man was true.”(Q) 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.(R)
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