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]
14 Then the Lord’s message came to me: 15 “Son of man, your brothers,[a] your relatives,[b] and the whole house of Israel, all of them are those to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘They have gone far away[c] from the Lord; to us this land has been given as a possession.’
16 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Although I have removed them far away among the nations and have dispersed them among the countries, I have been a little[d] sanctuary for them among the lands where they have gone.’
17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I regather you from the peoples and assemble you from the lands where you have been dispersed, I will give you back the country of Israel.’
18 “When they return to it, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations. 19 I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within them;[e] I will remove the hearts of stone from their bodies[f] and I will give them tender hearts,[g] 20 so that they may follow my statutes and observe my regulations and carry them out. Then they will be my people, and I will be their God.[h] 21 But those whose hearts are devoted to detestable things and abominations, I hereby repay them for what they have done,[i] says the Sovereign Lord.”
22 Then the cherubim spread[j] their wings with their wheels alongside them while the glory of the God of Israel hovered above them. 23 The glory of the Lord rose up from within the city and stopped[k] over the mountain east of it. 24 Then a wind[l] lifted me up and carried me to the exiles in Babylonia,[m] in the vision given to me by the Spirit of God.
Then the vision I had seen went up from me. 25 So I told the exiles everything[n] the Lord had shown me.
The Nature of Melchizedek’s Priesthood
7 Now this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, met Abraham as he was returning from defeating the kings and blessed him.[a] 2 To him[b] also Abraham apportioned a tithe[c] of everything.[d] His name first means[e] king of righteousness, then king of Salem,[f] that is, king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, he has neither beginning of days nor end of life but is like the son of God, and he remains a priest for all time. 4 But see how great he must be, if[g] Abraham the patriarch gave him a tithe[h] of his plunder. 5 And those of the sons of Levi who receive the priestly office[i] have authorization according to the law to collect a tithe from the people, that is, from their fellow countrymen,[j] although they too are descendants of Abraham.[k] 6 But Melchizedek[l] who does not share their ancestry[m] collected a tithe[n] from Abraham and blessed[o] the one who possessed the promise. 7 Now without dispute the inferior is blessed by the superior, 8 and in one case tithes are received by mortal men, while in the other by him who is affirmed to be alive. 9 And it could be said that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid a tithe through Abraham. 10 For he was still in his ancestor Abraham’s loins[p] when Melchizedek met him.
Jesus and the Priesthood of Melchizedek
11 So if perfection had in fact been possible through the Levitical priesthood—for on that basis[q] the people received the law—what further need would there have been for another priest to arise, said to be in the order of Melchizedek and not in Aaron’s order? 12 For when the priesthood changes, a change in the law must come[r] as well. 13 Yet the one these things are spoken about belongs to[s] a different tribe, and no one from that tribe[t] has ever officiated at the altar. 14 For it is clear that our Lord is descended from Judah, yet Moses said nothing about priests in connection with that tribe. 15 And this is even clearer if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, 16 who has become a priest not by a legal regulation about physical descent[u] but by the power of an indestructible life. 17 For here is the testimony about him:[v] “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”[w]
17 Then[a] the seventy-two[b] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to[c] us in your name!”[d] 18 So[e] he said to them, “I saw[f] Satan fall[g] like lightning[h] from heaven. 19 Look, I have given you authority to tread[i] on snakes and scorpions[j] and on the full force of the enemy,[k] and nothing will[l] hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice that[m] the spirits submit to you, but rejoice[n] that your names stand written[o] in heaven.”
21 On that same occasion[p] Jesus[q] rejoiced[r] in the Holy Spirit and said, “I praise[s] you, Father, Lord[t] of heaven and earth, because[u] you have hidden these things from the wise[v] and intelligent, and revealed them to little children.[w] Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will.[x] 22 All things have been given to me by my Father.[y] No one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides[z] to reveal him.”
23 Then[aa] Jesus[ab] turned[ac] to his[ad] disciples and said privately, “Blessed[ae] are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings longed to see[af] what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
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