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 134
A song of ascents.
1 Praise the Lord, all you servants(A) of the Lord
who minister(B) by night(C) in the house of the Lord.
2 Lift up your hands(D) in the sanctuary(E)
and praise the Lord.(F)
Psalm 135(I)
1 Praise the Lord.[a]
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants(J) of the Lord,
2 you who minister in the house(K) of the Lord,
in the courts(L) of the house of our God.
3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good;(M)
sing praise to his name,(N) for that is pleasant.(O)
4 For the Lord has chosen Jacob(P) to be his own,
Israel to be his treasured possession.(Q)
5 I know that the Lord is great,(R)
that our Lord is greater than all gods.(S)
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him,(T)
in the heavens and on the earth,(U)
in the seas and all their depths.
7 He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain(V)
and brings out the wind(W) from his storehouses.(X)
8 He struck down the firstborn(Y) of Egypt,
the firstborn of people and animals.
9 He sent his signs(Z) and wonders into your midst, Egypt,
against Pharaoh and all his servants.(AA)
10 He struck down many(AB) nations
and killed mighty kings—
11 Sihon(AC) king of the Amorites,(AD)
Og king of Bashan,(AE)
and all the kings of Canaan(AF)—
12 and he gave their land as an inheritance,(AG)
an inheritance to his people Israel.
13 Your name, Lord, endures forever,(AH)
your renown,(AI) Lord, through all generations.
14 For the Lord will vindicate his people(AJ)
and have compassion on his servants.(AK)
15 The idols of the nations(AL) are silver and gold,
made by human hands.(AM)
16 They have mouths, but cannot speak,(AN)
eyes, but cannot see.
17 They have ears, but cannot hear,
nor is there breath(AO) in their mouths.
18 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.
19 All you Israelites, praise the Lord;(AP)
house of Aaron, praise the Lord;
20 house of Levi, praise the Lord;
you who fear him, praise the Lord.
21 Praise be to the Lord from Zion,(AQ)
to him who dwells in Jerusalem.(AR)
Praise the Lord.
23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath(A) to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”
24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath,(B) there will not be any.”
27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you[a] refuse to keep my commands(C) and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The people of Israel called the bread manna.[b](D) It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”
33 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna(E) in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”
34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law,(F) so that it might be preserved. 35 The Israelites ate manna(G) forty years,(H) until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.(I)
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?(A) 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.(B) “Do not fear their threats[a]; do not be frightened.”[b](C) 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer(D) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope(E) that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience,(F) so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.(G) 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will,(H) to suffer for doing good(I) than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once(J) for sins,(K) the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.(L) He was put to death in the body(M) but made alive in the Spirit.(N) 19 After being made alive,[c] he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits(O)— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently(P) in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.(Q) In it only a few people, eight in all,(R) were saved(S) through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you(T) also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience(U) toward God.[d] It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,(V) 22 who has gone into heaven(W) and is at God’s right hand(X)—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.(Y)
Living for God
4 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body,(Z) arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.(AA) 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires,(AB) but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past(AC) doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.(AD) 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.(AE) 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.(AF) 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead,(AG) so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
16 “All this(A) I have told you so that you will not fall away.(B) 2 They will put you out of the synagogue;(C) in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.(D) 3 They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.(E) 4 I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember(F) that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,(G) 5 but now I am going to him who sent me.(H) None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’(I) 6 Rather, you are filled with grief(J) because I have said these things. 7 But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate(K) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.(L) 8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin,(M) because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness,(N) because I am going to the Father,(O) where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world(P) now stands condemned.
12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.(Q) 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth,(R) comes, he will guide you into all the truth.(S) He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine.(T) That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
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