Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 140[a]
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
1 Rescue me,(A) Lord, from evildoers;
protect me from the violent,(B)
2 who devise evil plans(C) in their hearts
and stir up war(D) every day.
3 They make their tongues as sharp as(E) a serpent’s;
the poison of vipers(F) is on their lips.[b]
4 Keep me safe,(G) Lord, from the hands of the wicked;(H)
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a snare(I) for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net(J)
and have set traps(K) for me along my path.
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”(L)
Hear, Lord, my cry for mercy.(M)
7 Sovereign Lord,(N) my strong deliverer,
you shield my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant the wicked(O) their desires, Lord;
do not let their plans succeed.
Psalm 142[a]
A maskil[b] of David. When he was in the cave.(A) A prayer.
1 I cry aloud(B) to the Lord;
I lift up my voice to the Lord for mercy.(C)
2 I pour out before him my complaint;(D)
before him I tell my trouble.(E)
Psalm 141
A psalm of David.
1 I call to you, Lord, come quickly(A) to me;
hear me(B) when I call to you.
2 May my prayer be set before you like incense;(C)
may the lifting up of my hands(D) be like the evening sacrifice.(E)
3 Set a guard over my mouth,(F) Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.(G)
4 Do not let my heart(H) be drawn to what is evil
so that I take part in wicked deeds(I)
along with those who are evildoers;
do not let me eat their delicacies.(J)
5 Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness;
let him rebuke me(K)—that is oil on my head.(L)
My head will not refuse it,
for my prayer will still be against the deeds of evildoers.
Psalm 143
A psalm of David.
1 Lord, hear my prayer,(A)
listen to my cry for mercy;(B)
in your faithfulness(C) and righteousness(D)
come to my relief.
2 Do not bring your servant into judgment,
for no one living is righteous(E) before you.
3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in the darkness(F)
like those long dead.(G)
4 So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed.(H)
5 I remember(I) the days of long ago;
I meditate(J) on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands(K) to you;
I thirst for you like a parched land.[a]
7 Answer me quickly,(L) Lord;
my spirit fails.(M)
Do not hide your face(N) from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,(O)
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way(P) I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.(Q)
9 Rescue me(R) from my enemies,(S) Lord,
for I hide myself in you.
10 Teach me(T) to do your will,
for you are my God;(U)
may your good Spirit
lead(V) me on level ground.(W)
2 On another day the angels[a](A) came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them(B) to present himself before him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”(C)
3 Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.(D) And he still maintains his integrity,(E) though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”(F)
4 “Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has(G) for his own life. 5 But now stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones,(H) and he will surely curse you to your face.”(I)
6 The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands;(J) but you must spare his life.”(K)
7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.(L) 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.(M)
9 His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity?(N) Curse God and die!”(O)
10 He replied, “You are talking like a foolish[b] woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”(P)
In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.(Q)
11 When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite,(R) Bildad the Shuhite(S) and Zophar the Naamathite,(T) heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.(U) 12 When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him;(V) they began to weep aloud,(W) and they tore their robes(X) and sprinkled dust on their heads.(Y) 13 Then they sat on the ground(Z) with him for seven days and seven nights.(AA) No one said a word to him,(AB) because they saw how great his suffering was.
Saul’s Conversion(A)
9 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.(B) He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus,(C) so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way,(D) whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.(E) 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice(F) say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”(G)
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound(H) but did not see anyone.(I) 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing.(J) So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures(A) to eternal life,(B) which the Son of Man(C) will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal(D) of approval.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe(E) in the one he has sent.”(F)
30 So they asked him, “What sign(G) then will you give that we may see it and believe you?(H) What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna(I) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[a]”(J)
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven(K) and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”(L)
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am(M) the bread of life.(N) Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes(O) in me will never be thirsty.(P) 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me(Q) will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven(R) not to do my will but to do the will(S) of him who sent me.(T) 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me,(U) but raise them up at the last day.(V) 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son(W) and believes in him shall have eternal life,(X) and I will raise them up at the last day.”
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