Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 61[a]
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.
2 From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;(C)
lead me to the rock(D) that is higher than I.
3 For you have been my refuge,(E)
a strong tower against the foe.(F)
4 I long to dwell(G) in your tent forever
and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.[b](H)
5 For you, God, have heard my vows;(I)
you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.(J)
6 Increase the days of the king’s life,(K)
his years for many generations.(L)
7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever;(M)
appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.(N)
Psalm 62[c]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
1 Truly my soul finds rest(Q) in God;(R)
my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock(S) and my salvation;(T)
he is my fortress,(U) I will never be shaken.(V)
3 How long will you assault me?
Would all of you throw me down—
this leaning wall,(W) this tottering fence?
4 Surely they intend to topple me
from my lofty place;
they take delight in lies.
With their mouths they bless,
but in their hearts they curse.[d](X)
5 Yes, my soul, find rest in God;(Y)
my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[e];
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.(Z)
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;(AA)
pour out your hearts to him,(AB)
for God is our refuge.
Psalm 68[a]
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.
1 May God arise,(A) may his enemies be scattered;(B)
may his foes flee(C) before him.
2 May you blow them away like smoke—(D)
as wax melts(E) before the fire,
may the wicked perish(F) before God.
3 But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice(G) before God;
may they be happy and joyful.
4 Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,(H)
extol him who rides on the clouds[b](I);
rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.(J)
5 A father to the fatherless,(K) a defender of widows,(L)
is God in his holy dwelling.(M)
6 God sets the lonely(N) in families,[c](O)
he leads out the prisoners(P) with singing;
but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.(Q)
7 When you, God, went out(R) before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness,[d](S)
8 the earth shook,(T) the heavens poured down rain,(U)
before God, the One of Sinai,(V)
before God, the God of Israel.(W)
9 You gave abundant showers,(X) O God;
you refreshed your weary inheritance.
10 Your people settled in it,
and from your bounty,(Y) God, you provided(Z) for the poor.
11 The Lord announces the word,
and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:(AA)
12 “Kings and armies flee(AB) in haste;
the women at home divide the plunder.(AC)
13 Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,[e](AD)
the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
its feathers with shining gold.”
14 When the Almighty[f] scattered(AE) the kings in the land,
it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.(AF)
15 Mount Bashan,(AG) majestic mountain,(AH)
Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,
16 why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,
at the mountain where God chooses(AI) to reign,
where the Lord himself will dwell forever?(AJ)
17 The chariots(AK) of God are tens of thousands
and thousands of thousands;(AL)
the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.[g]
18 When you ascended(AM) on high,(AN)
you took many captives;(AO)
you received gifts from people,(AP)
even from[h] the rebellious(AQ)—
that you,[i] Lord God, might dwell there.
19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,(AR)
who daily bears our burdens.(AS)
20 Our God is a God who saves;(AT)
from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.(AU)
21 Surely God will crush the heads(AV) of his enemies,
the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.
22 The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;
I will bring them from the depths of the sea,(AW)
23 that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,(AX)
while the tongues of your dogs(AY) have their share.”
24 Your procession, God, has come into view,
the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.(AZ)
25 In front are the singers,(BA) after them the musicians;(BB)
with them are the young women playing the timbrels.(BC)
26 Praise God in the great congregation;(BD)
praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.(BE)
27 There is the little tribe(BF) of Benjamin,(BG) leading them,
there the great throng of Judah’s princes,
and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.(BH)
28 Summon your power,(BI) God[j];
show us your strength,(BJ) our God, as you have done(BK) before.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings will bring you gifts.(BL)
30 Rebuke the beast(BM) among the reeds,(BN)
the herd of bulls(BO) among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.
Scatter the nations(BP) who delight in war.(BQ)
31 Envoys will come from Egypt;(BR)
Cush[k](BS) will submit herself to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,(BT)
sing praise(BU) to the Lord,
33 to him who rides(BV) across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
who thunders(BW) with mighty voice.(BX)
34 Proclaim the power(BY) of God,
whose majesty(BZ) is over Israel,
whose power is in the heavens.
35 You, God, are awesome(CA) in your sanctuary;(CB)
the God of Israel gives power and strength(CC) to his people.(CD)
Praise be to God!(CE)
The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
2 The angel of the Lord(A) went up from Gilgal(B) to Bokim(C) and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt(D) and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors.(E) I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,(F) 2 and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land,(G) but you shall break down their altars.(H)’ Yet you have disobeyed(I) me. Why have you done this? 3 And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you;(J) they will become traps(K) for you, and their gods will become snares(L) to you.’”
4 When the angel of the Lord had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,(M) 5 and they called that place Bokim.[a](N) There they offered sacrifices to the Lord.
11 Then the Israelites did evil(A) in the eyes of the Lord(B) and served the Baals.(C) 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods(D) of the peoples around them.(E) They aroused(F) the Lord’s anger(G) 13 because they forsook(H) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.(I) 14 In his anger(J) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands(K) of raiders who plundered(L) them. He sold them(M) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.(N) 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them(O) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.(P)
16 Then the Lord raised up judges,[a](Q) who saved(R) them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted(S) themselves to other gods(T) and worshiped them.(U) They quickly turned(V) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.(W) 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved(X) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented(Y) because of their groaning(Z) under those who oppressed and afflicted(AA) them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt(AB) than those of their ancestors,(AC) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.(AD) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn(AE) ways.
20 Therefore the Lord was very angry(AF) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant(AG) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out(AH) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test(AI) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.(AJ)
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned.(A) Keep away from them.(B) 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ,(C) but their own appetites.(D) By smooth talk and flattery they deceive(E) the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard(F) about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.(G)
20 The God of peace(H) will soon crush(I) Satan(J) under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.(K)
21 Timothy,(L) my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius,(M) Jason(N) and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.(O)
22 I, Tertius, who wrote down this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius,(P) whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings.
Erastus,(Q) who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings. [24] [a]
25 Now to him who is able(R) to establish you in accordance with my gospel,(S) the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery(T) hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings(U) by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from[b] faith(V)— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.(W)
The Crucifixion of Jesus(A)
32 As they were going out,(B) they met a man from Cyrene,(C) named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.(D) 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).(E) 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;(F) but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.(G) 36 And sitting down, they kept watch(H) over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
38 Two rebels were crucified with him,(I) one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads(J) 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,(K) save yourself!(L) Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”(M) 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!(N) Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe(O) in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him(P) now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
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