Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 140[a]
For the music director, a psalm of David.
140 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men.[b]
Protect me from violent men,[c]
2 who plan ways to harm me.[d]
All day long they stir up conflict.[e]
3 Their tongues wound like a serpent;[f]
a viper’s[g] venom is behind[h] their lips. (Selah)
4 O Lord, shelter me from the power[i] of the wicked.
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over.[j]
5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men[k] spread a net by the path.
They set traps for me. (Selah)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy.
7 O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,[l]
you shield[m] my head in the day of battle.
8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way.[n]
Do not allow their[o] plan to succeed when they attack.[p] (Selah)
9 As for the heads of those who surround me—
may the harm done by[q] their lips overwhelm them.
10 May he rain down[r] fiery coals upon them.
May he throw them into the fire.
From bottomless pits they will not escape.[s]
11 A slanderer[t] will not endure on[u] the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.[v]
12 I know[w] that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor.[x]
13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
Psalm 142[a]
A well-written song[b] by David, when he was in the cave;[c] a prayer.
142 To the Lord I cry out;[d]
to the Lord I plead for mercy.[e]
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about[f] my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,[g]
you watch my footsteps.[h]
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.[i]
I have nowhere to run;[j]
no one is concerned about my life.[k]
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security[l] in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.[m]
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me[n] from prison,
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,[o]
for you will vindicate me.[p]
Psalm 141[a]
A psalm of David.
141 O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me.
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you.
2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering.[b]
3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth.
Protect the opening[c] of my lips.[d]
4 Do not let me have evil desires,[e]
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly.[f]
I will not eat their delicacies.[g]
5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me.
May my head not refuse[h] choice oil.[i]
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.[j]
6 They will be thrown over the side of a cliff by their judges.[k]
They[l] will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,[m]
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 Surely I am looking to you,[n] O Sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger.[o]
9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me,
and the traps the evildoers have set.[p]
10 Let the wicked fall[q] into their[r] own nets,
while I escape.[s]
Psalm 143[a]
A psalm of David.
143 O Lord, hear my prayer.
Pay attention to my plea for help.
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me.
2 Do not sit in judgment on[b] your servant,
for no one alive is innocent before you.[c]
3 Certainly[d] my enemies[e] chase me.
They smash me into the ground.[f]
They force me to live[g] in dark regions,[h]
like those who have been dead for ages.
4 My strength leaves me;[i]
I am absolutely shocked.[j]
5 I recall the old days.[k]
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments.[l]
6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer;[m]
my soul thirsts for you in a parched[n] land.[o] (Selah)
7 Answer me quickly, Lord.
My strength is fading.[p]
Do not reject me,[q]
or I will join[r] those descending into the grave.[s]
8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning,[t]
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,[u]
because I long for you.[v]
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord.
I run to you for protection.[w]
10 Teach me to do what pleases you,[x]
for you are my God.
May your kind presence[y]
lead me[z] into a level land.[aa]
11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation,[ab] revive me.[ac]
Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble.[ad]
12 As a demonstration of your loyal love,[ae] destroy my enemies.
Annihilate[af] all who threaten my life,[ag]
for I am your servant.
14 They[a] lift their voices and shout joyfully;
they praise[b] the majesty of the Lord in the west.
15 So in the east[c] extol the Lord,
along the seacoasts extol[d] the fame[e] of the Lord God of Israel.
16 From the ends of the earth we[f] hear songs—
the Just One is majestic.[g]
But I[h] say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed!
Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!”[i]
17 Terror, pit, and snare
are ready to overtake, you inhabitants of the earth![j]
18 The one who runs away from the sound of the terror
will fall into the pit;[k]
the one who climbs out of the pit
will be trapped by the snare.
For the floodgates of the heavens[l] are opened up[m]
and the foundations of the earth shake.
19 The earth is broken in pieces,
the earth is ripped to shreds,
the earth shakes violently.[n]
20 The earth will stagger around[o] like a drunk;
it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm.[p]
Its sin will weigh it down,
and it will fall and never get up again.
The Lord Will Become King
21 At that time[q] the Lord will punish[r]
the heavenly forces in the heavens[s]
and the earthly kings on the earth.
22 They will be imprisoned in a pit,[t]
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time,[u] they will be punished.[v]
23 The full moon will be covered up,[w]
the bright sun[x] will be darkened;[y]
for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule[z]
on Mount Zion in Jerusalem
in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor.[aa]
13 For[a] who is going to harm you if you are devoted to what is good? 14 But in fact, if you happen to suffer[b] for doing what is right,[c] you are blessed. But do not be terrified of them[d] or be shaken.[e] 15 But set Christ[f] apart[g] as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.[h] 16 Yet do it with courtesy and respect,[i] keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you.[j] 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it,[k] than for doing evil.
18 [l] Because Christ also suffered[m] once for sins,
the just for the unjust,[n]
to bring you to God,
by being put to death in the flesh
but[o] by being made alive in the spirit.[p]
19 In it[q] he went and preached to the spirits in prison,[r]
20 after they were disobedient long ago[s] when God patiently waited[t] in the days of Noah as an ark was being constructed. In the ark[u] a few, that is eight souls, were delivered through water. 21 And this prefigured baptism, which now saves you[v]—not the washing off of physical dirt[w] but the pledge[x] of a good conscience to God—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who went into heaven and is at the right hand of God[y] with angels and authorities and powers subject to him.[z]
4 So, since Christ suffered[aa] in the flesh, you also arm yourselves with the same attitude, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has finished with sin,[ab] 2 in that he spends the rest of his time[ac] on earth concerned about the will of God and not human desires. 3 For the time that has passed was sufficient for you to do what the non-Christians[ad] desire.[ae] You lived then[af] in debauchery, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking bouts,[ag] and wanton idolatries.[ah] 4 So[ai] they are astonished[aj] when you do not rush with them into the same flood of wickedness, and they vilify you.[ak] 5 They will face a reckoning before[al] Jesus Christ[am] who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 Now it was for this very purpose[an] that the gospel was preached to those who are now dead,[ao] so that though[ap] they were judged in the flesh[aq] by human standards[ar] they may live spiritually[as] by God’s standards.[at]
Third Prediction of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve[a] aside privately and said to them on the way, 18 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the experts in the law.[b] They will condemn him to death, 19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged severely[c] and crucified.[d] Yet[e] on the third day, he will be raised.”
A Request for James and John
20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor.[f] 21 He said to her, “What do you want?” She replied,[g] “Permit[h] these two sons of mine to sit, one at your[i] right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 Jesus[j] answered, “You don’t know what you are asking![k] Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?”[l] They said to him, “We are able.”[m] 23 He told them, “You will drink my cup,[n] but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
24 Now[o] when the other ten[p] heard this,[q] they were angry with the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. 26 It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave[r]— 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom[s] for many.”
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