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]
15 Look down from heaven and take notice,
from your holy, majestic palace!
Where are your zeal[a] and power?
Do not hold back your tender compassion![b]
16 For you are our father,
though Abraham does not know us
and Israel does not recognize us.
You, Lord, are our father;
you have been called our Protector from ancient times.[c]
17 Why, Lord, do you make us stray[d] from your ways,[e]
and make our minds stubborn so that we do not obey you?[f]
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your inheritance!
18 For a short time your special[g] nation possessed a land,[h]
but then our adversaries knocked down[i] your holy sanctuary.
19 We existed from ancient times,[j]
but you did not rule over them;
they were not your subjects.[k]
64 (63:19b)[l] If only you would tear apart the sky[m] and come down!
The mountains would tremble[n] before you!
2 (64:1) As when fire ignites dry wood,
or fire makes water boil,
let your adversaries know who you are,[o]
and may the nations shake at your presence!
3 When you performed awesome deeds that took us by surprise,[p]
you came down, and the mountains trembled[q] before you.
4 Since ancient times no one has heard or perceived,[r]
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who intervenes for those who wait for him.
5 You assist[s] those who delight in doing what is right,[t]
who observe your commandments.[u]
Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.
How then can we be saved?[v]
6 We are all like one who is unclean,
all our so-called righteous acts are like a menstrual rag in your sight.[w]
We all wither like a leaf;
our sins carry us away like the wind.
7 No one invokes[x] your name,
or makes an effort[y] to take hold of you.
For you have rejected us[z]
and handed us over to our own sins.[aa]
8 Yet,[ab] Lord, you are our father.
We are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the product of your labor.[ac]
9 Lord, do not be too angry!
Do not hold our sins against us continually.[ad]
Take a good look at your people, at all of us.[ae]
Qualifications for Overseers and Deacons
3 This saying[a] is trustworthy: “If someone aspires to the office of overseer,[b] he desires a good work.” 2 The overseer[c] then must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[d] temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, 3 not a drunkard, not violent, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. 4 He must manage his own household well and keep his children in control without losing his dignity.[e] 5 But if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for the church of God? 6 He must not be a recent convert or he may become arrogant[f] and fall into the punishment that the devil will exact.[g] 7 And he must be well thought of by[h] those outside the faith,[i] so that he may not fall into disgrace and be caught by the devil’s trap.[j]
8 Deacons likewise must be dignified,[k] not two-faced,[l] not given to excessive drinking,[m] not greedy for gain, 9 holding to the mystery of the faith[n] with a clear conscience. 10 And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless. 11 Likewise also their wives[o] must be dignified, not slanderous, temperate, faithful in every respect. 12 Deacons must be husbands of one wife[p] and good managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who have served well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves[q] and great boldness in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.[r]
Conduct in God’s Church
14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions[s] to you 15 in case I am delayed, to let you know how people ought to conduct themselves[t] in the household of God, because it is[u] the church of the living God, the support and bulwark of the truth. 16 And we all agree,[v] our religion contains amazing revelation:[w]
The Authority of Jesus
27 They came again to Jerusalem. While Jesus[a] was walking in the temple courts,[b] the chief priests, the experts in the law,[c] and the elders came up to him 28 and said, “By what authority[d] are you doing these things? Or who gave you this authority to do these things?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question. Answer me and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven or from people?[e] Answer me.” 31 They discussed with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From people—’” (they feared the crowd, for they all considered John to be truly a prophet). 33 So[f] they answered Jesus,[g] “We don’t know.”[h] Then Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you[i] by what authority[j] I am doing these things.”
The Parable of the Tenants
12 Then[k] he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard.[l] He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then[m] he leased it to tenant farmers[n] and went on a journey. 2 At harvest time he sent a slave[o] to the tenants to collect from them[p] his portion of the crop.[q] 3 But[r] those tenants[s] seized his slave,[t] beat him,[u] and sent him away empty-handed.[v] 4 So[w] he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously. 5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed. 6 He had one left, his one dear son.[x] Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 So[y] they seized him,[z] killed him, and threw his body[aa] out of the vineyard.[ab] 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy[ac] those tenants and give the vineyard to others.[ad] 10 Have you not read this scripture:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.[ae]
11 This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”[af]
12 Now[ag] they wanted to arrest him (but they feared the crowd), because they realized that he told this parable against them. So[ah] they left him and went away.[ai]
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