Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 101[a]
A psalm of David.
101 I will sing about loyalty and justice.
To you, O Lord, I will sing praises.
2 I will walk[b] in the way of integrity.
When will you come to me?
I will conduct my business with integrity in the midst of my palace.[c]
3 I will not even consider doing what is dishonest.[d]
I hate doing evil;[e]
I will have no part of it.[f]
4 I will have nothing to do with a perverse person;[g]
I will not permit[h] evil.
5 I will destroy anyone who slanders his neighbor in secret.
I will not tolerate anyone who has a haughty demeanor and an arrogant attitude.[i]
6 I will favor the honest people of the land,[j]
and allow them to live with me.[k]
Those who walk in the way of integrity will attend me.[l]
7 Deceitful people will not live in my palace.[m]
Liars will not be welcome in my presence.[n]
8 Each morning I will destroy all the wicked people in the land,
and remove all evildoers from the city of the Lord.
Psalm 109[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
109 O God whom I praise, do not ignore me.[b]
2 For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;
they lie to me.[c]
3 They surround me and say hateful things;[d]
they attack me for no reason.
4 They repay my love with accusations,[e]
but I continue to pray.[f]
5 They repay me evil for good,[g]
and hate for love.
6 [h] Appoint an evil man to testify against him.[i]
May an accuser stand[j] at his right side.
7 When he is judged, he will be found[k] guilty.[l]
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
8 May his days be few.[m]
May another take his job.[n]
9 May his children[o] be fatherless,
and his wife a widow.
10 May his children[p] roam around begging,
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home.[q]
11 May the creditor seize[r] all he owns.
May strangers loot his property.[s]
12 May no one show him kindness.[t]
May no one have compassion[u] on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants[v] be cut off.[w]
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives.[x]
14 May his ancestors’[y] sins be remembered by the Lord.
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten.[z]
15 May the Lord be constantly aware of them,[aa]
and cut off the memory of his children[ab] from the earth.
16 For he never bothered to show kindness;[ac]
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened.[ad]
17 He loved to curse[ae] others, so those curses have come upon him.[af]
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.[ag]
18 He made cursing a way of life,[ah]
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil.[ai]
19 May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on,[aj]
or a belt[ak] one wears continually.
20 May the Lord repay my accusers in this way,[al]
those who say evil things about[am] me.[an]
21 O Sovereign Lord,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation.[ao]
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me.[ap]
23 I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day;[aq]
I am shaken off like a locust.
24 I am so starved my knees shake;[ar]
I have turned into skin and bones.[as]
25 I am disdained by them.[at]
When they see me, they shake their heads.[au]
26 Help me, O Lord my God.
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me.[av]
27 Then they will realize[aw] this is your work,[ax]
and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.
28 They curse, but you will bless.[ay]
When they attack, they will be humiliated,[az]
but your servant will rejoice.
29 My accusers will be covered[ba] with shame,
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
30 I will thank the Lord profusely.[bb]
In the middle of a crowd[bc] I will praise him,
ע (Ayin)
121 I do what is fair and right.[a]
Do not abandon me to my oppressors.
122 Guarantee the welfare of your servant.[b]
Do not let the arrogant oppress me.
123 My eyes grow tired as I wait for your deliverance,[c]
for your reliable promise to be fulfilled.[d]
124 Show your servant your loyal love.[e]
Teach me your statutes.
125 I am your servant. Give me insight,
so that I can understand[f] your rules.
126 It is time for the Lord to act—
they break your law.
127 For this reason[g] I love your commands
more than gold, even purest gold.
128 For this reason I carefully follow all your precepts.[h]
I hate all deceitful actions.[i]
פ (Pe)
129 Your rules are marvelous.
Therefore I observe them.
130 Your instructions are a doorway through which light shines.[j]
They give[k] insight to the untrained.[l]
131 I open my mouth and pant,
because I long[m] for your commands.
132 Turn toward me and extend mercy to me,
as you typically do to your loyal followers.[n]
133 Direct my steps by your word.[o]
Do not let any sin dominate me.
134 Deliver me[p] from oppressive men,
so that I can keep[q] your precepts.
135 Smile[r] on your servant.
Teach me your statutes!
136 Tears stream down from my eyes,[s]
because people[t] do not keep your law.
צ (Tsade)
137 You are just, O Lord,
and your judgments are fair.
138 The rules you impose are just,[u]
and absolutely reliable.
139 My zeal[v] consumes[w] me,
for my enemies forget your instructions.[x]
140 Your word is absolutely pure,
and your servant loves it.
141 I am insignificant and despised,
yet I do not forget your precepts.
142 Your justice endures,[y]
and your law is reliable.[z]
143 Distress and hardship confront[aa] me,
yet I find delight in your commands.
144 Your rules remain just.[ab]
Give me insight so that I can live.[ac]
The Sacrilege of Priestly Service
6 “A son naturally honors his father and a slave respects[a] his master. If I am your[b] father, where is my honor? If I am your master, where is my respect? The Lord of Heaven’s Armies asks you this, you priests who make light of my name! But you reply, ‘How have we made light of your name?’ 7 You are offering improper sacrifices on my altar, yet you ask, ‘How have we offended you?’ By treating the table[c] of the Lord as if it is of no importance. 8 For when you offer blind animals as a sacrifice, is that not wrong? And when you offer the lame and sick,[d] is that not wrong as well? Indeed, try offering them[e] to your governor! Will he be pleased with you[f] or show you favor?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 9 “But now plead for God’s favor[g] that he might be gracious to us.”[h] “With this kind of offering in your hands, how can he be pleased with you?” asks the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
10 “I wish that one of you would close the temple doors,[i] so that you no longer would light useless fires on my altar. I am not pleased with you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and I will no longer accept an offering from you. 11 For from the east to the west my name will be great among the nations. Incense and pure offerings will be offered in my name everywhere, for my name will be great among the nations,”[j] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 12 “But you are profaning it by saying that the table of the Lord is common and its offerings[k] despicable. 13 You also say, ‘How tiresome it is.’ You turn up your nose at it,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and instead bring what is stolen, lame, or sick. You bring these things for an offering! Should I accept this from you?”[l] asks the Lord. 14 “There will be harsh condemnation for the hypocrite who has a valuable male animal in his flock but vows and sacrifices something inferior to the Lord. For I am a great king,”[m] says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “and my name is awesome among the nations.”
True Wisdom
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings.[a] 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 15 Such[b] wisdom does not come[c] from above but is earthly, natural,[d] demonic. 16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating,[e] full of mercy and good fruit,[f] impartial, and not hypocritical.[g] 18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness[h] is planted[i] in peace among[j] those who make peace.
Passions and Pride
4 Where do the conflicts and where[k] do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from this,[l] from your passions that battle inside you?[m] 2 You desire and you do not have; you murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask; 3 you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it on your passions.
4 Adulterers, do you not know that friendship with the world means hostility toward God?[n] So whoever decides to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy. 5 Or do you think the scripture means nothing when it says,[o] “The spirit that God[p] caused[q] to live within us has an envious yearning”?[r] 6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.”[s] 7 So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.[t] 9 Grieve, mourn,[u] and weep. Turn your laughter[v] into mourning and your joy into despair. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
11 Do not speak against one another, brothers and sisters.[w] He who speaks against a fellow believer[x] or judges a fellow believer speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but its judge.[y] 12 But there is only one who is lawgiver and judge—the one who is able to save and destroy. On the other hand, who are you to judge your neighbor?[z]
The Grateful Leper
11 Now on[a] the way to Jerusalem,[b] Jesus[c] was passing along[d] between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As[e] he was entering[f] a village, ten men with leprosy[g] met him. They[h] stood at a distance, 13 raised their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy[i] on us.” 14 When[j] he saw them he said, “Go[k] and show yourselves to the priests.”[l] And[m] as they went along, they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising[n] God with a loud voice. 16 He[o] fell with his face to the ground[p] at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.[q] (Now[r] he was a Samaritan.)[s] 17 Then[t] Jesus said,[u] “Were[v] not ten cleansed? Where are the other[w] nine? 18 Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?”[x] 19 Then[y] he said to the man,[z] “Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.”[aa]
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