Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 5[a]
For the director of music. For pipes. A psalm of David.
1 Listen(A) to my words, Lord,
consider my lament.(B)
2 Hear my cry for help,(C)
my King and my God,(D)
for to you I pray.
3 In the morning,(E) Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you
and wait expectantly.(F)
4 For you are not a God who is pleased with wickedness;
with you, evil people(G) are not welcome.
5 The arrogant(H) cannot stand(I)
in your presence.
You hate(J) all who do wrong;
6 you destroy those who tell lies.(K)
The bloodthirsty and deceitful
you, Lord, detest.
7 But I, by your great love,
can come into your house;
in reverence(L) I bow down(M)
toward your holy temple.(N)
8 Lead me, Lord, in your righteousness(O)
because of my enemies—
make your way straight(P) before me.
9 Not a word from their mouth can be trusted;
their heart is filled with malice.
Their throat is an open grave;(Q)
with their tongues they tell lies.(R)
10 Declare them guilty, O God!
Let their intrigues be their downfall.
Banish them for their many sins,(S)
for they have rebelled(T) against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.(U)
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name(V) may rejoice in you.(W)
12 Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous;(X)
you surround them(Y) with your favor as with a shield.(Z)
Psalm 6[b]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. According to sheminith.[c] A psalm of David.
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger(AA)
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Have mercy on me,(AB) Lord, for I am faint;(AC)
heal me,(AD) Lord, for my bones are in agony.(AE)
3 My soul is in deep anguish.(AF)
How long,(AG) Lord, how long?
4 Turn,(AH) Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.(AI)
5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?(AJ)
Psalm 10[a]
2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,(C)
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts(D) about the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the Lord.(E)
4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.(F)
5 His ways are always prosperous;
your laws are rejected by[b] him;
he sneers at all his enemies.
6 He says to himself, “Nothing will ever shake me.”
He swears, “No one will ever do me harm.”(G)
7 His mouth is full(H) of lies and threats;(I)
trouble and evil are under his tongue.(J)
8 He lies in wait(K) near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent.(L)
His eyes watch in secret for his victims;
9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait.
He lies in wait to catch the helpless;(M)
he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net.(N)
10 His victims are crushed,(O) they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
11 He says to himself, “God will never notice;(P)
he covers his face and never sees.”(Q)
12 Arise,(R) Lord! Lift up your hand,(S) O God.
Do not forget the helpless.(T)
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?(U)
Why does he say to himself,
“He won’t call me to account”?(V)
14 But you, God, see the trouble(W) of the afflicted;
you consider their grief and take it in hand.
The victims commit themselves to you;(X)
you are the helper(Y) of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked man;(Z)
call the evildoer to account for his wickedness
that would not otherwise be found out.
16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;(AA)
the nations(AB) will perish from his land.
17 You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted;(AC)
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,(AD)
18 defending the fatherless(AE) and the oppressed,(AF)
so that mere earthly mortals
will never again strike terror.
Psalm 11
For the director of music. Of David.
1 In the Lord I take refuge.(AG)
How then can you say to me:
“Flee(AH) like a bird to your mountain.(AI)
2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;(AJ)
they set their arrows(AK) against the strings
to shoot from the shadows(AL)
at the upright in heart.(AM)
3 When the foundations(AN) are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;(AO)
the Lord is on his heavenly throne.(AP)
He observes everyone on earth;(AQ)
his eyes examine(AR) them.
5 The Lord examines the righteous,(AS)
but the wicked, those who love violence,
he hates with a passion.(AT)
6 On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;(AU)
a scorching wind(AV) will be their lot.
Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
2 In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams;(A) his mind was troubled(B) and he could not sleep.(C) 2 So the king summoned the magicians,(D) enchanters, sorcerers(E) and astrologers[a](F) to tell him what he had dreamed.(G) When they came in and stood before the king, 3 he said to them, “I have had a dream that troubles(H) me and I want to know what it means.[b]”
4 Then the astrologers answered the king,[c](I) “May the king live forever!(J) Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
5 The king replied to the astrologers, “This is what I have firmly decided:(K) If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces(L) and your houses turned into piles of rubble.(M) 6 But if you tell me the dream and explain it, you will receive from me gifts and rewards and great honor.(N) So tell me the dream and interpret it for me.”
7 Once more they replied, “Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will interpret it.”
8 Then the king answered, “I am certain that you are trying to gain time, because you realize that this is what I have firmly decided: 9 If you do not tell me the dream, there is only one penalty(O) for you. You have conspired to tell me misleading and wicked things, hoping the situation will change. So then, tell me the dream, and I will know that you can interpret it for me.”(P)
10 The astrologers(Q) answered the king, “There is no one on earth who can do what the king asks! No king, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or astrologer.(R) 11 What the king asks is too difficult. No one can reveal it to the king except the gods,(S) and they do not live among humans.”
12 This made the king so angry and furious(T) that he ordered the execution(U) of all the wise men of Babylon. 13 So the decree was issued to put the wise men to death, and men were sent to look for Daniel and his friends to put them to death.(V)
14 When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon, Daniel spoke to him with wisdom and tact. 15 He asked the king’s officer, “Why did the king issue such a harsh decree?” Arioch then explained the matter to Daniel. 16 At this, Daniel went in to the king and asked for time, so that he might interpret the dream for him.
2 My dear children,(A) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate(B) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,(C) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.(D)
Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers
3 We know(E) that we have come to know him(F) if we keep his commands.(G) 4 Whoever says, “I know him,”(H) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.(I) 5 But if anyone obeys his word,(J) love for God[a] is truly made complete in them.(K) This is how we know(L) we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.(M)
7 Dear friends,(N) I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.(O) This old command is the message you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new command;(P) its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing(Q) and the true light(R) is already shining.(S)
9 Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister[b](T) is still in the darkness.(U) 10 Anyone who loves their brother and sister[c] lives in the light,(V) and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.(W) 11 But anyone who hates a brother or sister(X) is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.(Y) They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.(Z)
12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[a] that name you gave me. None has been lost(A) except the one doomed to destruction(B) so that Scripture would be fulfilled.(C)
13 “I am coming to you now,(D) but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy(E) within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them,(F) for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.(G) 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.(H) 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.(I) 17 Sanctify them by[b] the truth; your word is truth.(J) 18 As you sent me into the world,(K) I have sent them into the world.(L) 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.(M)
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