Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 26[a]
By David.
26 Vindicate me, O Lord,
for I have integrity,[b]
and I trust in the Lord without wavering.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me.
Evaluate my inner thoughts and motives.[c]
3 For I am ever aware of your faithfulness,[d]
and your loyalty continually motivates me.[e]
4 I do not associate[f] with deceitful men,
or consort[g] with those who are dishonest.[h]
5 I hate the mob[i] of evil men,
and do not associate[j] with the wicked.
6 I maintain a pure lifestyle,[k]
so I can appear before your altar,[l] O Lord,
7 to give you thanks,[m]
and to tell about all your amazing deeds.[n]
8 O Lord, I love the temple where you live,[o]
the place where your splendor is revealed.[p]
9 Do not sweep me away[q] with sinners,
or execute me along with violent people,[r]
10 who are always ready to do wrong[s]
or offer a bribe.[t]
11 But I have integrity.[u]
Rescue me[v] and have mercy on me!
12 I am safe,[w]
and among the worshipers I will praise the Lord.
Psalm 28[a]
By David.
28 To you, O Lord, I cry out!
My Protector,[b] do not ignore me.[c]
If you do not respond to me,[d]
I will join[e] those who are descending into the grave.[f]
2 Hear my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help,
when I lift my hands[g] toward your holy temple.[h]
3 Do not drag me away with evil men,
with those who behave wickedly,[i]
who talk so friendly to their neighbors,[j]
while they plan to harm them.[k]
4 Pay them back for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for what they do.
Punish them.[l]
5 For they do not understand the Lord’s actions,
or the way he carries out justice.[m]
The Lord[n] will permanently demolish them.[o]
6 The Lord deserves praise,[p]
for he has heard my plea for mercy.[q]
7 The Lord strengthens and protects me;[r]
I trust in him with all my heart.[s]
I am rescued[t] and my heart is full of joy;[u]
I will sing to him in gratitude.[v]
8 The Lord strengthens his people;[w]
he protects and delivers his chosen king.[x]
9 Deliver your people.
Empower[y] the nation that belongs to you.[z]
Care for them like a shepherd and carry them in your arms[aa] at all times![ab]
Psalm 36[a]
For the music director, an oracle, written by the Lord’s servant David.[b]
36 An evil man is rebellious to the core.[c]
He does not fear God,[d]
2 for he is too proud
to recognize and give up his sin.[e]
3 The words he speaks are sinful and deceitful;
he does not care about doing what is wise and right.[f]
4 While he lies in bed he plans ways to sin.
He is committed to a sinful lifestyle;[g]
he does not reject what is evil.[h]
5 O Lord, your loyal love reaches to the sky,[i]
your faithfulness to the clouds.[j]
6 Your justice is like the highest mountains,[k]
your fairness like the deepest sea;
you, Lord, preserve[l] mankind and the animal kingdom.[m]
7 How precious[n] is your loyal love, O God!
The human race finds shelter under your wings.[o]
8 They are filled with food from your house,
and you allow them to drink from the river of your delicacies.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.[p]
10 Extend[q] your loyal love to your faithful followers,[r]
and vindicate[s] the morally upright.[t]
11 Do not let arrogant men overtake me,
or let evil men make me homeless.[u]
12 I can see the evildoers! They have fallen.[v]
They have been knocked down and are unable to get up.[w]
Psalm 39[a]
For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David.
39 I decided,[b] “I will watch what I say
and make sure I do not sin with my tongue.[c]
I will put a muzzle over my mouth
while in the presence of an evil person.”[d]
2 I was stone silent;[e]
I held back the urge to speak.[f]
My frustration grew;[g]
3 my anxiety intensified.[h]
As I thought about it, I became impatient.[i]
Finally I spoke these words:[j]
4 “O Lord, help me understand my mortality
and the brevity of life.[k]
Let me realize how quickly my life will pass.[l]
5 Look, you make my days short-lived,[m]
and my life span is nothing from your perspective.[n]
Surely all people, even those who seem secure, are nothing but vapor.[o] (Selah)
6 Surely people go through life as mere ghosts.[p]
Surely they accumulate worthless wealth
without knowing who will eventually haul it away.”[q]
7 But now, O Lord, upon what am I relying?
You are my only hope![r]
8 Deliver me from all my sins of rebellion.
Do not make me the object of fools’ insults.
9 I am silent and cannot open my mouth
because of what you have done.[s]
10 Please stop wounding me.[t]
You have almost beaten me to death.[u]
11 You severely discipline people for their sins;[v]
like a moth you slowly devour their strength.[w]
Surely all people are a mere vapor. (Selah)
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord.
Listen to my cry for help.
Do not ignore my sobbing.[x]
For I am a resident foreigner with you,
a temporary settler,[y] just as all my ancestors were.
13 Turn your angry gaze away from me, so I can be happy
before I pass away.[z]
Amos Confronts a Priest
10 Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent this message[a] to King Jeroboam of Israel: “Amos is conspiring against you in the very heart of the kingdom of Israel![b] The land cannot endure all his prophecies.[c] 11 As a matter of fact,[d] Amos is saying this: ‘Jeroboam will die by the sword and Israel will certainly be carried into exile[e] away from its land.’”
12 Amaziah then said to Amos, “Leave, you visionary![f] Run away to the land of Judah. Earn your living[g] and prophesy there! 13 Don’t prophesy at Bethel any longer, for a royal temple and palace are here.”[h]
14 Amos replied[i] to Amaziah, “I was not a prophet by profession.[j] No,[k] I was a herdsman who also took care of[l] sycamore fig trees.[m] 15 Then the Lord took me from tending[n] flocks and gave me this commission,[o] ‘Go! Prophesy to my people Israel.’ 16 So now listen to the Lord’s message! You say, ‘Don’t prophesy against Israel! Don’t preach[p] against the family of Isaac!’
17 “Therefore this is what the Lord says:
9 I, John, your brother and the one who shares[a] with you in the persecution, kingdom, and endurance that[b] are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony about Jesus.[c] 10 I was in the Spirit[d] on the Lord’s Day[e] when[f] I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 saying: “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches—to Ephesus, Smyrna,[g] Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 I[h] turned to see whose voice was speaking to me,[i] and when I did so,[j] I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands was one like a son of man.[k] He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet and he wore a wide golden belt[l] around his chest. 14 His[m] head and hair were as white as wool, even as white as snow,[n] and his eyes were like a fiery[o] flame. 15 His feet were like polished bronze[p] refined[q] in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar[r] of many waters. 16 He held[s] seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp double-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His[t] face shone like the sun shining at full strength.
The Greatest Commandment
34 Now when the Pharisees[a] heard that he had silenced the Sadducees,[b] they assembled together.[c] 35 And one of them, an expert in religious law,[d] asked him a question to test[e] him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”[f] 37 Jesus[g] said to him, “‘Love[h] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[i] 38 This is the first and greatest[j] commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[k] 40 All the law and the prophets depend[l] on these two commandments.”
The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord
41 While[m] the Pharisees[n] were assembled, Jesus asked them a question:[o] 42 “What do you think about the Christ?[p] Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.”[q] 43 He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
44 ‘The Lord said to my lord,[r]
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?[s]
45 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”[t] 46 No one[u] was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.
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