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.
Job
6 Then Job replied:
2 “If only my anguish could be weighed
and all my misery be placed on the scales!(A)
3 It would surely outweigh the sand(B) of the seas—
no wonder my words have been impetuous.(C)
4 The arrows(D) of the Almighty(E) are in me,(F)
my spirit drinks(G) in their poison;(H)
God’s terrors(I) are marshaled against me.(J)
8 “Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant what I hope for,(A)
9 that God would be willing to crush(B) me,
to let loose his hand and cut off my life!(C)
10 Then I would still have this consolation(D)—
my joy in unrelenting pain(E)—
that I had not denied the words(F) of the Holy One.(G)
21 Now you too have proved to be of no help;
you see something dreadful and are afraid.(A)
Aeneas and Dorcas
32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord’s people(A) who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you.(B) Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon(C) saw him and turned to the Lord.(D)
36 In Joppa(E) there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good(F) and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room.(G) 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples(H) heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”
39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows(I) stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
40 Peter sent them all out of the room;(J) then he got down on his knees(K) and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.”(L) She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord.(M) 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.(N)
Many Disciples Desert Jesus
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples(A) said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”(B)
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?(C) 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man(D) ascend to where he was before!(E) 63 The Spirit gives life;(F) the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit[a] and life. 64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known(G) from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.(H) 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”(I)
66 From this time many of his disciples(J) turned back and no longer followed him.
67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.(K)
68 Simon Peter answered him,(L) “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.(M) 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”(N)
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you,(O) the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!”(P) 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot,(Q) who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)(R)
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