Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 37
Instruction in Wisdom
Of David.
1 Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.(A)
2 For they wither quickly like grass
and wilt like tender green plants.(B)
3 Trust in the Lord and do what is good;(C)
dwell in the land and live securely.[a](D)
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.(E)
5 Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act,(F)
6 making your righteousness shine like the dawn,
your justice like the noonday.(G)
7 Be silent before the Lord and wait expectantly for him;(H)
do not be agitated by one who prospers in his way,
by the person who carries out evil plans.(I)
8 Refrain from anger and give up your rage;
do not be agitated—it can only bring harm.(J)
9 For evildoers will be destroyed,
but those who put their hope in the Lord
will inherit the land.(K)
10 A little while, and the wicked person will be no more;
though you look for him, he will not be there.(L)
11 But the humble will inherit the land(M)
and will enjoy abundant prosperity.(N)
12 The wicked person schemes against the righteous
and gnashes his teeth at him.(O)
13 The Lord laughs at him(P)
because he sees that his day is coming.(Q)
14 The wicked have drawn the sword and strung the[b] bow
to bring down the poor and needy
and to slaughter those whose way is upright.(R)
15 Their swords will enter their own hearts,
and their bows will be broken.(S)
16 The little that the righteous person has is better
than the abundance of many wicked people.(T)
17 For the arms of the wicked will be broken,(U)
but the Lord supports the righteous.(V)
18 The Lord watches over the blameless all their days,
and their inheritance will last forever.(W)
19 They will not be disgraced in times of adversity;
they will be satisfied in days of hunger.(X)
20 But the wicked will perish;
the Lord’s enemies, like the glory of the pastures,
will fade away—
they will fade away like smoke.(Y)
21 The wicked person borrows and does not repay,
but the righteous one is gracious and giving.(Z)
22 Those who are blessed by the Lord will inherit the land,
but those cursed by him will be destroyed.(AA)
23 A person’s steps are established by the Lord,
and he takes pleasure in his way.(AB)
24 Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed,
because the Lord supports him with his hand.(AC)
25 I have been young and now I am old,
yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned
or his children begging for bread.(AD)
26 He is always generous, always lending,
and his children are a blessing.(AE)
27 Turn away from evil, do what is good,
and settle permanently.(AF)
28 For the Lord loves justice
and will not abandon his faithful ones.(AG)
They are kept safe forever,
but the children of the wicked will be destroyed.(AH)
29 The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it permanently.(AI)
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom;
his tongue speaks what is just.(AJ)
31 The instruction of his God is in his heart;
his steps do not falter.(AK)
32 The wicked one lies in wait for the righteous
and intends to kill him;(AL)
33 the Lord will not leave him
in the power of the wicked one
or allow him to be condemned when he is judged.(AM)
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land.
You will watch when the wicked are destroyed.(AN)
35 I have seen a wicked, violent person
well-rooted,[c] like a flourishing native tree.(AO)
36 Then I[d] passed by and noticed he was gone;
I searched for him, but he could not be found.(AP)
The Ten Commandments
20 Then God spoke all these words:
2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.(A)
3 Do not have other gods besides me.(B)
4 Do not make an idol(C) for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above or on the earth below or in the waters under the earth. 5 Do not bow in worship to them, and do not serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,(D) bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generations(E) of those who hate me, 6 but showing faithful love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commands.(F)
7 Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.(G)
8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy:(H) 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work,(I) 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female servant, your livestock, or the resident alien who is within your city gates.(J) 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
12 Honor your father and your mother(K) so that you may have a long life in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
13 Do not murder.(L)
14 Do not commit adultery.(M)
15 Do not steal.(N)
16 Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.(O)
17 Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.(P)
The People’s Reaction
18 All the people witnessed[a] the thunder and lightning, the sound of the ram’s horn, and the mountain surrounded by smoke. When the people saw it[b] they trembled and stood at a distance.(Q) 19 “You speak to us, and we will listen,” they said to Moses, “but don’t let God speak to us, or we will die.”(R)
20 Moses responded to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, so that you will fear him and will not[c] sin.”(S) 21 And the people remained standing at a distance as Moses approached the total darkness where God was.(T)
Paul’s Ministry
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings(A) for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body,(B) that is, the church. 25 I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ(C) in you, the hope(D) of glory. 28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving(E) with his strength that works powerfully in me.(F)
2 For I want you to know how greatly I am struggling(G) for you, for those in Laodicea,(H) and for all who have not seen me in person. 2 I want their hearts to be encouraged(I) and joined together in love, so that they may have all the riches of complete understanding and have the knowledge of God’s mystery(J)—Christ.[a](K) 3 In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom(L) and knowledge.(M)
Christ versus the Colossian Heresy
4 I am saying this so that no one will deceive you with arguments that sound reasonable. 5 For I may be absent in body, but I am with you in spirit,(N) rejoicing to see how well ordered you are and the strength of your faith in Christ.
6 So then, just as you have received(O) Christ Jesus as Lord,(P) continue to walk in him, 7 being rooted and built up in him(Q) and established in the faith, just as you were taught,(R) and overflowing with gratitude.
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then(A) Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.(B) 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights,(C) he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”(D)
4 He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”[a](E)
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,(F) 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:
He will give his angels(G) orders concerning you,
and they will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.”[b](H)
7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”[c](I)
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”[d]
10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away,[e] Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”[f](J)
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.(K)
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