Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 101
Of David. A psalm.
1 I will sing of your love(A) and justice;
to you, Lord, I will sing praise.
2 I will be careful to lead a blameless life(B)—
when will you come to me?
I will conduct the affairs(C) of my house
with a blameless heart.
3 I will not look with approval
on anything that is vile.(D)
I hate what faithless people do;(E)
I will have no part in it.
4 The perverse of heart(F) shall be far from me;
I will have nothing to do with what is evil.
5 Whoever slanders their neighbor(G) in secret,
I will put to silence;
whoever has haughty eyes(H) and a proud heart,
I will not tolerate.
6 My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
the one whose walk is blameless(I)
will minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit
will dwell in my house;
no one who speaks falsely
will stand in my presence.
Psalm 109
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 My God, whom I praise,(A)
do not remain silent,(B)
2 for people who are wicked and deceitful(C)
have opened their mouths against me;
they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(D)
3 With words of hatred(E) they surround me;
they attack me without cause.(F)
4 In return for my friendship they accuse me,
but I am a man of prayer.(G)
5 They repay me evil for good,(H)
and hatred for my friendship.
6 Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
let an accuser(I) stand at his right hand.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(J)
and may his prayers condemn(K) him.
8 May his days be few;(L)
may another take his place(M) of leadership.
9 May his children be fatherless
and his wife a widow.(N)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(O)
may they be driven[a] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(P) seize all he has;
may strangers plunder(Q) the fruits of his labor.(R)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
or take pity(S) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(T)
their names blotted out(U) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(V) be remembered before the Lord;
may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(W) the Lord,
that he may blot out their name(X) from the earth.
16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
but hounded to death the poor
and the needy(Y) and the brokenhearted.(Z)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
may it come back on him.(AA)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AB) as his garment;
it entered into his body like water,(AC)
into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AD) about him,
like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(AE) to my accusers,
to those who speak evil(AF) of me.
21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
help me for your name’s sake;(AG)
out of the goodness of your love,(AH) deliver me.(AI)
22 For I am poor and needy,
and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(AJ)
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(AK) way from fasting;(AL)
my body is thin and gaunt.(AM)
25 I am an object of scorn(AN) to my accusers;
when they see me, they shake their heads.(AO)
26 Help me,(AP) Lord my God;
save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(AQ) that it is your hand,
that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(AR) may you bless;
may those who attack me be put to shame,
but may your servant rejoice.(AS)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
and wrapped in shame(AT) as in a cloak.
30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
in the great throng(AU) of worshipers I will praise him.
ע Ayin
121 I have done what is righteous and just;(A)
do not leave me to my oppressors.
122 Ensure your servant’s well-being;(B)
do not let the arrogant oppress me.(C)
123 My eyes fail,(D) looking for your salvation,(E)
looking for your righteous promise.(F)
124 Deal with your servant according to your love(G)
and teach me your decrees.(H)
125 I am your servant;(I) give me discernment
that I may understand your statutes.(J)
126 It is time for you to act, Lord;
your law is being broken.(K)
127 Because I love your commands(L)
more than gold,(M) more than pure gold,(N)
128 and because I consider all your precepts right,(O)
I hate every wrong path.(P)
פ Pe
129 Your statutes are wonderful;(Q)
therefore I obey them.(R)
130 The unfolding of your words gives light;(S)
it gives understanding to the simple.(T)
131 I open my mouth and pant,(U)
longing for your commands.(V)
132 Turn to me(W) and have mercy(X) on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.(Y)
133 Direct my footsteps according to your word;(Z)
let no sin rule(AA) over me.
134 Redeem me from human oppression,(AB)
that I may obey your precepts.(AC)
135 Make your face shine(AD) on your servant
and teach me your decrees.(AE)
136 Streams of tears(AF) flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.(AG)
צ Tsadhe
137 You are righteous,(AH) Lord,
and your laws are right.(AI)
138 The statutes you have laid down are righteous;(AJ)
they are fully trustworthy.(AK)
139 My zeal wears me out,(AL)
for my enemies ignore your words.
140 Your promises(AM) have been thoroughly tested,(AN)
and your servant loves them.(AO)
141 Though I am lowly and despised,(AP)
I do not forget your precepts.(AQ)
142 Your righteousness is everlasting
and your law is true.(AR)
143 Trouble and distress have come upon me,
but your commands give me delight.(AS)
144 Your statutes are always righteous;
give me understanding(AT) that I may live.
11 to prostitution;(A)
old wine(B) and new wine
take away their understanding.(C)
12 My people consult a wooden idol,(D)
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.(E)
A spirit of prostitution(F) leads them astray;(G)
they are unfaithful(H) to their God.
13 They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak,(I) poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.(J)
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution(K)
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.(L)
14 “I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots(M)
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes(N)—
a people without understanding(O) will come to ruin!(P)
15 “Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;(Q)
do not go up to Beth Aven.[a](R)
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’(S)
16 The Israelites are stubborn,(T)
like a stubborn heifer.(U)
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs(V) in a meadow?
17 Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18 Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19 A whirlwind(W) will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.(X)
15 After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.(A) 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea(B) accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus(C) and one of the early disciples.
Paul’s Arrival at Jerusalem
17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters(D) received us warmly.(E) 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James,(F) and all the elders(G) were present. 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles(H) through his ministry.(I)
20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous(J) for the law.(K) 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses,(L) telling them not to circumcise their children(M) or live according to our customs.(N) 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow.(O) 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites(P) and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved.(Q) Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”(R)
26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.(S)
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners(A)
27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,”(B) Jesus said to him, 28 and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.(C)
29 Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors(D) and others were eating with them. 30 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect(E) complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”(F)
31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”(G)
Jesus Questioned About Fasting(H)
33 They said to him, “John’s disciples(I) often fast and pray, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours go on eating and drinking.”
34 Jesus answered, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom(J) fast while he is with them? 35 But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them;(K) in those days they will fast.”
36 He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. 38 No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. 39 And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’”
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.