Book of Common Prayer
BOOK ONE
Psalms 1–41
The Way of the Righteous and the End of the Ungodly
1 Blessed (A)is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the [a]ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
(B)Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But (C)his delight is in the law of the Lord,
(D)And in His law he [b]meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
(E)Planted by the [c]rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall (F)prosper.
4 The ungodly are not so,
But are (G)like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For (H)the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom(I)
2 Why (J)do the [d]nations [e]rage,
And the people plot a [f]vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the (K)rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His (L)Anointed,[g] saying,
3 “Let (M)us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens (N)shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have [h]set My King
[i]On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the [j]decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
(O)‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 (P)You shall [k]break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 [l]Kiss the Son, lest [m]He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When (Q)His wrath is kindled but a little.
(R)Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
The Lord Helps His Troubled People
A Psalm of David (S)when he fled from Absalom his son.
3 Lord, how they have increased who trouble me!
Many are they who rise up against me.
2 Many are they who say of me,
“There is no help for him in God.” Selah
3 But You, O Lord, are (T)a shield [n]for me,
My glory and (U)the One who lifts up my head.
4 I cried to the Lord with my voice,
And (V)He heard me from His (W)holy hill. Selah
5 (X)I lay down and slept;
I awoke, for the Lord sustained me.
6 (Y)I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people
Who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Arise, O Lord;
Save me, O my God!
(Z)For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 (AA)Salvation belongs to the Lord.
Your blessing is upon Your people. Selah
The Safety of the Faithful
To the [o]Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
4 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
You have relieved me in my distress;
[p]Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, O you sons of men,
Will you turn my glory to shame?
How long will you love worthlessness
And seek falsehood? Selah
3 But know that (AB)the Lord has [q]set apart for Himself him who is godly;
The Lord will hear when I call to Him.
4 (AC)Be[r] angry, and do not sin.
(AD)Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah
5 Offer (AE)the sacrifices of righteousness,
And (AF)put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say,
“Who will show us any good?”
(AG)Lord, lift up the light of Your countenance upon us.
7 You have put (AH)gladness in my heart,
More than in the season that their grain and wine increased.
8 (AI)I will both lie down in peace, and sleep;
(AJ)For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.
Prayer and Praise for Deliverance from Enemies
A (A)Meditation[a] of David, which he sang to the Lord (B)concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.
7 O Lord my God, in You I put my trust;
(C)Save me from all those who persecute me;
And deliver me,
2 (D)Lest they tear me like a lion,
(E)Rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
3 O Lord my God, (F)if I have done this:
If there is (G)iniquity in my hands,
4 If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me,
Or (H)have plundered my enemy without cause,
5 Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me;
Yes, let him trample my life to the earth,
And lay my honor in the dust. Selah
6 Arise, O Lord, in Your anger;
(I)Lift Yourself up because of the rage of my enemies;
(J)Rise up [b]for me to the judgment You have commanded!
7 So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;
For their sakes, therefore, return on high.
8 The Lord shall judge the peoples;
(K)Judge me, O Lord, (L)according to my righteousness,
And according to my integrity within me.
9 Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end,
But establish the just;
(M)For the righteous God tests the hearts and [c]minds.
10 [d]My defense is of God,
Who saves the (N)upright in heart.
11 God is a just judge,
And God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he does not turn back,
He will (O)sharpen His sword;
He bends His bow and makes it ready.
13 He also prepares for Himself instruments of death;
He makes His arrows into fiery shafts.
14 (P)Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity;
Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit and dug it out,
(Q)And has fallen into the ditch which he made.
16 (R)His trouble shall return upon his own head,
And his violent dealing shall come down on [e]his own crown.
17 I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
12 (A)Who has measured the [a]waters in the hollow of His hand,
Measured heaven with a [b]span
And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?
Weighed the mountains in scales
And the hills in a balance?
13 (B)Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord,
Or as His counselor has taught Him?
14 With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,
And (C)taught Him in the path of justice?
Who taught Him knowledge,
And showed Him the way of understanding?
15 Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,
And are counted as the small dust on the scales;
Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.
16 And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,
Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
17 All nations before Him are as (D)nothing,
And (E)they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.
18 To whom then will you (F)liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare to Him?
19 (G)The workman molds an image,
The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,
And the silversmith casts silver chains.
20 Whoever is too impoverished for such [c]a contribution
Chooses a tree that will not rot;
He seeks for himself a skillful workman
(H)To prepare a carved image that will not totter.
21 (I)Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who (J)stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a (K)tent to dwell in.
23 He [d]brings the (L)princes to nothing;
He makes the judges of the earth useless.
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Redemption in Christ
3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as (B)He chose us in Him (C)before the foundation of the world, that we should (D)be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 (E)having predestined us to (F)adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, (G)according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, (H)by which He [a]made us accepted in (I)the Beloved.
7 (J)In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to (K)the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and [b]prudence, 9 (L)having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure (M)which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of (N)the fullness of the times (O)He might gather together in one (P)all things in Christ, [c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 (Q)In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to (R)the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 (S)that we (T)who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard (U)the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, (V)you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 (W)who[d] is the [e]guarantee of our inheritance (X)until the redemption of (Y)the purchased possession, (Z)to the praise of His glory.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way(A)
1 The (B)beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, (C)the Son of God. 2 As it is written in [a]the Prophets:
(D)“Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
Who will prepare Your way before You.”
3 “The(E) voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”
4 (F)John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance [b]for the remission of sins. 5 (G)Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
6 Now John was (H)clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And he preached, saying, (I)“There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 8 (J)I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you (K)with the Holy Spirit.”
John Baptizes Jesus(L)
9 (M)It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 (N)And immediately, coming up [c]from the water, He saw the heavens [d]parting and the Spirit (O)descending upon Him like a dove. 11 Then a voice came from heaven, (P)“You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Satan Tempts Jesus(Q)
12 (R)Immediately the Spirit [e]drove Him into the wilderness. 13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; (S)and the angels ministered to Him.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.