Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 120
A Cry for Truth and Peace
A song of ascents.
1 In my distress I called to the Lord,
and He answered me.(A)
2 “Lord, deliver me from lying lips
and a deceitful tongue.”(B)
3 What will He give you,
and what will He do to you,
you deceitful tongue?(C)
4 A warrior’s sharp arrows
with burning charcoal
5 What misery that I have stayed in Meshech,[b](E)
that I have lived among the tents of Kedar
6 I have lived too long
with those who hate peace.(G)
7 I am for peace; but when I speak,
they are for war.(H)
Psalm 121
The Lord Our Protector
A song of ascents.
1 I lift my eyes toward the mountains.
Where will my help come from?(I)
2 My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(J)
3 He will not allow your foot to slip;
your Protector will not slumber.(K)
4 Indeed, the Protector of Israel
does not slumber or sleep.(L)
5 The Lord protects you;
the Lord is a shelter right by your side.[d](M)
6 The sun will not strike you by day
or the moon by night.(N)
7 The Lord will protect you from all harm;
He will protect your life.(O)
8 The Lord will protect your coming and going
both now and forever.(P)
Psalm 122
A Prayer for Jerusalem
A Davidic song of ascents.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”(Q)
2 Our feet are standing
within your gates, Jerusalem(R)—
3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be,
solidly joined together,(S)
4 where the tribes, Yahweh’s tribes, go up
to give thanks to the name of Yahweh.(T)
(This is an ordinance for Israel.(U))
5 There, thrones for judgment are placed,
thrones of the house of David.(V)
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you prosper;(W)
7 may there be peace within your walls,
prosperity within your fortresses.”(X)
8 Because of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “Peace be with you.”(Y)
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your good.(Z)
Psalm 123
Looking for God’s Favor
A song of ascents.
1 I lift my eyes to You,
the One enthroned in heaven.(AA)
2 Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,
like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
until He shows us favor.(AB)
3 Show us favor, Lord, show us favor,
for we’ve had more than enough contempt.(AC)
4 We’ve had more than enough
scorn from the arrogant
and contempt from the proud.(AD)
Psalm 124
The Lord Is on Our Side
A Davidic song of ascents.
1 If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
2 If the Lord had not been on our side(AE)
when men attacked us,(AF)
3 then they would have swallowed us alive
in their burning anger against us.(AG)
4 Then the waters would have engulfed us;
the torrent would have swept over us;
5 the raging waters would have swept over us.(AH)
6 Praise the Lord,
who has not let us be ripped apart by their teeth.(AI)
7 We have escaped like a bird from the hunter’s net;
the net is torn, and we have escaped.(AJ)
8 Our help is in the name of Yahweh,
the Maker of heaven and earth.(AK)
Psalm 125
Israel’s Stability
A song of ascents.
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion.
It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.(AL)
2 Jerusalem—the mountains surround her.
And the Lord surrounds His people,
both now and forever.(AM)
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
so that the righteous will not apply their hands to injustice.(AN)
4 Do what is good, Lord, to the good,
to those whose hearts are upright.(AO)
5 But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
the Lord will banish them with the evildoers.(AP)
Peace be with Israel.(AQ)
Psalm 126
Zion’s Restoration
A song of ascents.
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[e]
we were like those who dream.(AR)
2 Our mouths were filled with laughter then,(AS)
and our tongues with shouts of joy.(AT)
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”(AU)
3 The Lord had done great things for us;
we were joyful.(AV)
4 Restore our fortunes,[f] Lord,
like watercourses in the Negev.(AW)
5 Those who sow in tears
will reap with shouts of joy.(AX)
6 Though one goes along weeping,
carrying the bag of seed,
he will surely come back with shouts of joy,
carrying his sheaves.(AY)
Psalm 127
The Blessing of the Lord
A Solomonic song of ascents.
8 “Therefore, this is what the Lord of Hosts says: ‘Because you have not obeyed My words, 9 I am going to send for all the families of the north’(A)—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘and send for My servant(B) Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land, against its residents, and against all these surrounding nations, and I will completely destroy them and make them a desolation,(C) a derision, and ruins forever. 10 I will eliminate the sound of joy and gladness from them—the voice of the groom and the bride,(D) the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole land will become a desolate ruin, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.(E) 12 When the 70 years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, and I will make it a ruin forever.(F) 13 I will bring on that land all My words I have spoken against it, all that is written in this book that Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations. 14 For many nations and great kings will enslave them, and I will repay them according to their deeds(G) and the work of their hands.’”
The Cup of God’s Wrath
15 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take this cup of the wine of wrath from My hand and make all the nations I am sending you to, drink from it.(H) 16 They will drink, stagger,[a] and go out of their minds because of the sword I am sending among them.”
17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations drink from it, everyone the Lord sent me to.
Righteousness by Faith Alone
10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them[a] is for their salvation! 2 I can testify about them that they have zeal for God,(A) but not according to knowledge. 3 Because they disregarded the righteousness from God(B) and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end[b] of the law for righteousness(C) to everyone who believes.(D) 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.(E)[c] 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith(F) speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?”(G)[d] that is, to bring Christ down 7 or, “Who will go down into the abyss?”(H)[e] that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.(I) 8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.(J)[f] This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(K) and believe in your heart(L) that God raised Him from the dead,(M) you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 Now the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on Him will not be put to shame,(N)[g] 12 for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,(O) since the same Lord(P) of all(Q) is rich to all who call on Him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.(R)[h]
18 The Jews did not believe this about him—that he was blind and received sight—until they summoned the parents of the one who had received his sight.
19 They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
20 “We know this is our son and that he was born blind,” his parents answered. 21 “But we don’t know how he now sees, and we don’t know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he’s of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jews, since the Jews had already agreed that if anyone confessed Him as Messiah,(A) he would be banned from the synagogue. 23 This is why his parents said, “He’s of age; ask him.”
24 So a second time they summoned the man who had been blind and told him, “Give glory(B) to God.[a](C) We know that this man is a sinner!”
25 He answered, “Whether or not He’s a sinner, I don’t know. One thing I do know: I was blind, and now I can see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
27 “I already told you,” he said, “and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don’t want to become His disciples too, do you?”
28 They ridiculed him: “You’re that man’s disciple, but we’re Moses’(D) disciples. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses. But this man—we don’t know where He’s from!”(E)
30 “This is an amazing thing,” the man told them. “You don’t know where He is from, yet He opened my eyes! 31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners,(F) but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will,(G) He listens to him.(H) 32 Throughout history[b] no one has ever heard of someone opening the eyes of a person born blind.(I) 33 If this man were not from God, He wouldn’t be able to do anything.”(J)
34 “You were born entirely in sin,”(K) they replied, “and are you trying to teach us?” Then they threw him out.[c](L)
The Blind Man’s Sight and the Pharisees’ Blindness
35 When Jesus heard that they had thrown the man out, He found him and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”[d](M)
36 “Who is He, Sir,(N) that I may believe in Him?” he asked.
37 Jesus answered, “You have seen Him; in fact, He is the One speaking with you.”
38 “I believe, Lord!” he said, and he worshiped Him.
39 Jesus said, “I came into this world(O) for judgment,(P) in order that those who do not see will see and those who do see will become blind.”(Q)
40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these things and asked Him, “We aren’t blind too, are we?”
41 “If you were blind,” Jesus told them, “you wouldn’t have sin.[e](R) But now that you say, ‘We see’—your sin remains.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.