Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 131
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 My heart is not proud,(A) Lord,
my eyes are not haughty;(B)
I do not concern myself with great matters(C)
or things too wonderful for me.(D)
2 But I have calmed and quieted myself,(E)
I am like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child I am content.(F)
Psalm 132(I)
A song of ascents.
1 Lord, remember David
and all his self-denial.(J)
2 He swore an oath to the Lord,
he made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:(K)
3 “I will not enter my house(L)
or go to my bed,
4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
5 till I find a place(M) for the Lord,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
6 We heard it in Ephrathah,(N)
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:[a](O)
7 “Let us go to his dwelling place,(P)
let us worship at his footstool,(Q) saying,
8 ‘Arise, Lord,(R) and come to your resting place,
you and the ark of your might.
9 May your priests be clothed with your righteousness;(S)
may your faithful people(T) sing for joy.’”
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not reject your anointed one.
11 The Lord swore an oath to David,(U)
a sure oath he will not revoke:
“One of your own descendants(V)
I will place on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant(W)
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne(X) for ever and ever.”
13 For the Lord has chosen Zion,(Y)
he has desired it for his dwelling,(Z) saying,
14 “This is my resting place for ever and ever;(AA)
here I will sit enthroned,(AB) for I have desired it.
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor I will satisfy with food.(AC)
16 I will clothe her priests(AD) with salvation,
and her faithful people will ever sing for joy.(AE)
17 “Here I will make a horn[b] grow(AF) for David
and set up a lamp(AG) for my anointed one.(AH)
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,(AI)
but his head will be adorned with a radiant crown.”(AJ)
Psalm 133
A song of ascents. Of David.
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)
Jeremiah Threatened With Death
26 Early in the reign of Jehoiakim(A) son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came from the Lord: 2 “This is what the Lord says: Stand in the courtyard(B) of the Lord’s house and speak to all the people of the towns of Judah who come to worship in the house of the Lord.(C) Tell(D) them everything I command you; do not omit(E) a word. 3 Perhaps they will listen and each will turn(F) from their evil ways. Then I will relent(G) and not inflict on them the disaster I was planning because of the evil they have done. 4 Say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says: If you do not listen(H) to me and follow my law,(I) which I have set before you, 5 and if you do not listen to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I have sent to you again and again (though you have not listened(J)), 6 then I will make this house like Shiloh(K) and this city a curse[a](L) among all the nations of the earth.’”
7 The priests, the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speak these words in the house of the Lord. 8 But as soon as Jeremiah finished telling all the people everything the Lord had commanded(M) him to say, the priests, the prophets and all the people seized(N) him and said, “You must die!(O) 9 Why do you prophesy in the Lord’s name that this house will be like Shiloh and this city will be desolate and deserted?”(P) And all the people crowded(Q) around Jeremiah in the house of the Lord.
10 When the officials(R) of Judah heard about these things, they went up from the royal palace to the house of the Lord and took their places at the entrance of the New Gate(S) of the Lord’s house. 11 Then the priests and the prophets said to the officials and all the people, “This man should be sentenced to death(T) because he has prophesied against this city. You have heard it with your own ears!”(U)
12 Then Jeremiah said to all the officials(V) and all the people: “The Lord sent me to prophesy(W) against this house and this city all the things you have heard.(X) 13 Now reform(Y) your ways and your actions and obey(Z) the Lord your God. Then the Lord will relent(AA) and not bring the disaster he has pronounced against you. 14 As for me, I am in your hands;(AB) do with me whatever you think is good and right. 15 Be assured, however, that if you put me to death, you will bring the guilt of innocent blood(AC) on yourselves and on this city and on those who live in it, for in truth the Lord has sent me to you to speak all these words(AD) in your hearing.”
16 Then the officials(AE) and all the people said to the priests and the prophets, “This man should not be sentenced to death!(AF) He has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.”
The Remnant of Israel
11 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means!(A) I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham,(B) from the tribe of Benjamin.(C) 2 God did not reject his people,(D) whom he foreknew.(E) Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me”[a]?(F) 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”[b](G) 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant(H) chosen by grace.(I) 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works;(J) if it were, grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain.(K) The elect among them did, but the others were hardened,(L) 8 as it is written:
“God gave them a spirit of stupor,
eyes that could not see
and ears that could not hear,(M)
to this very day.”[c](N)
9 And David says:
“May their table become a snare and a trap,
a stumbling block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,(O)
and their backs be bent forever.”[d](P)
Ingrafted Branches
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all!(Q) Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles(R) to make Israel envious.(S) 12 But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles,(T) how much greater riches will their full inclusion bring!
19 The Jews who heard these words were again divided.(A) 20 Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed(B) and raving mad.(C) Why listen to him?”
21 But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon.(D) Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”(E)
Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.(F) 24 The Jews(G) who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”(H)
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you,(I) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,(J) 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.(K) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,(L) and they follow me.(M) 28 I give them eternal life,(N) and they shall never perish;(O) no one will snatch them out of my hand.(P) 29 My Father, who has given them to me,(Q) is greater than all[b];(R) no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”(S)
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,(T) 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.”(U)
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law,(V) ‘I have said you are “gods”’[c]?(W) 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God(X) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside(Y)— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart(Z) as his very own(AA) and sent into the world?(AB) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?(AC) 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.(AD) 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.”(AE) 39 Again they tried to seize him,(AF) but he escaped their grasp.(AG)
40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan(AH) 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,(AI) all that John said about this man was true.”(AJ) 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.(AK)
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