Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 80
A Prayer for Restoration
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”(A) A testimony of Asaph.(B) A psalm.
1 Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;(C)
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,(D)
shine(E) 2 on Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.(F)
Rally your power and come to save us.(G)
3 Restore us, God;
make your face shine on us,(H)
so that we may be saved.(I)
4 Lord God of Armies,
how long will you be angry
with your people’s prayers?(J)
5 You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure[a]
of tears to drink.(K)
6 You put us at odds with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.(L)
7 Restore us, God of Armies;
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.(M)
8 You dug up a vine from Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.(N)
9 You cleared a place for it;
it took root and filled the land.(O)
10 The mountains were covered by its shade,
and the mighty cedars[b] with its branches.(P)
11 It sent out sprouts toward the Sea[c]
and shoots toward the River.[d](Q)
12 Why have you broken down its walls
so that all who pass by pick its fruit?(R)
13 Boars from the forest tear at it
and creatures of the field feed on it.(S)
14 Return, God of Armies.(T)
Look down from heaven and see;
take care of this vine,
15 the root[e] your right hand planted,
the son[f] that you made strong for yourself.(U)
16 It was cut down and burned;
they[g] perish at the rebuke of your countenance.(V)
17 Let your hand be with the man at your right hand,
with the son of man
you have made strong for yourself.(W)
18 Then we will not turn away from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.(X)
19 Restore us, Lord, God of Armies;(Y)
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.(Z)
Psalm 77
Confidence in a Time of Crisis
For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph.(A) A psalm.
1 I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.(B)
2 I sought the Lord in my day of trouble.
My hands were continually lifted up
all night long;
I refused to be comforted.(C)
3 I think of God; I groan;
I meditate; my spirit becomes weak.(D)Selah
4 You have kept me from closing my eyes;
I am troubled and cannot speak.(E)
5 I consider days of old,
years long past.(F)
6 At night I remember my music;
I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders.(G)
7 “Will the Lord reject forever
and never again show favor?(H)
8 Has his faithful love ceased forever?
Is his promise at an end for all generations?(I)
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (J)Selah
10 So I say, “I am grieved
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”[a](K)
11 I will remember the Lord’s works;
yes, I will remember your ancient wonders.(L)
12 I will reflect on all you have done
and meditate on your actions.(M)
13 God, your way is holy.
What god is great like God?(N)
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you revealed your strength among the peoples.(O)
15 With power you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.(P)Selah
16 The water saw you, God.
The water saw you; it trembled.
Even the depths shook.(Q)
17 The clouds poured down water.
The storm clouds thundered;
your arrows flashed back and forth.(R)
18 The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
lightning lit up the world.(S)
The earth shook and quaked.(T)
19 Your way went through the sea
and your path through the vast water,
but your footprints were unseen.(U)
20 You led your people like a flock(V)
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(W)
Psalm 79
Faith amid Confusion
A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 God, the nations have invaded your inheritance,
desecrated your holy temple,
and turned Jerusalem into ruins.(B)
2 They gave the corpses of your servants
to the birds of the sky for food,
the flesh of your faithful ones
to the beasts of the earth.(C)
3 They poured out their blood
like water all around Jerusalem,
and there was no one to bury them.(D)
4 We have become an object of reproach
to our neighbors,
a source of mockery and ridicule
to those around us.(E)
5 How long, Lord? Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy keep burning like fire?(F)
6 Pour out your wrath on the nations
that don’t acknowledge you,
on the kingdoms that don’t call on your name,(G)
7 for they have devoured Jacob
and devastated his homeland.(H)
8 Do not hold past iniquities[a] against us;
let your compassion come to us quickly,
for we have become very weak.(I)
9 God of our salvation, help us,(J)
for the glory of your name.
Rescue us and atone for our sins,
for your name’s sake.(K)
10 Why should the nations ask,
“Where is their God?” (L)
Before our eyes,
let vengeance for the shed blood of your servants
be known among the nations.(M)
11 Let the groans of the prisoners reach you;
according to your great power,
preserve those condemned to die.(N)
True Fasting
58 “Cry out loudly, don’t hold back!
Raise your voice like a ram’s horn.
Tell my people their transgression
and the house of Jacob their sins.
2 They seek me day after day
and delight to know my ways,
like a nation that does what is right
and does not abandon the justice of their God.
They ask me for righteous judgments;
they delight in the nearness of God.”(A)
3 “Why have we fasted, but you have not seen?(B)
We have denied ourselves, but you haven’t noticed!” [a]
“Look, you do as you please on the day of your fast,
and oppress all your workers.(C)
4 You fast with contention and strife
to strike viciously with your fist.
You cannot fast as you do today,
hoping to make your voice heard on high.
5 Will the fast I choose be like this:
A day for a person to deny himself,
to bow his head like a reed,
and to spread out sackcloth and ashes?(D)
Will you call this a fast
and a day acceptable to the Lord?
6 Isn’t this the fast I choose:
To break the chains of wickedness,(E)
to untie the ropes of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free,
and to tear off every yoke?(F)
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,(G)
to bring the poor and homeless into your house,
to clothe the naked when you see him,(H)
and not to ignore your own flesh and blood?[b](I)
8 Then your light will appear like the dawn,
and your recovery will come quickly.(J)
Your righteousness will go before you,(K)
and the Lord’s glory will be your rear guard.(L)
9 At that time, when you call, the Lord will answer;(M)
when you cry out, he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you get rid of the yoke among you,
the finger-pointing and malicious speaking,(N)
10 and if you offer yourself[c] to the hungry,
and satisfy the afflicted one,
then your light will shine in the darkness,(O)
and your night will be like noonday.
11 The Lord will always lead you,
satisfy you in a parched land,
and strengthen your bones.
You will be like a watered garden(P)
and like a spring whose water never runs dry.(Q)
12 Some of you will rebuild the ancient ruins;(R)
you will restore the foundations laid long ago;(S)
you will be called the repairer of broken walls,
the restorer of streets where people live.
Concluding Exhortation
11 Look at what large letters I use as I write to you in my own handwriting. 12 Those who want to make a good impression in the flesh(A) are the ones who would compel you to be circumcised(B)—but only to avoid being persecuted(C) for the cross(D) of Christ. 13 For even the circumcised don’t keep(E) the law themselves, and yet they want you to be circumcised in order to boast about your flesh. 14 But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world. 15 For[a] both circumcision and uncircumcision(F) mean nothing; what matters instead is a new creation.(G) 16 May peace come to all those who follow this standard, and mercy even to the Israel(H) of God![b]
17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, because I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.(I) 18 Brothers and sisters, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.(J) Amen.
The Second Prediction of His Death
30 Then(A) they left that place and made their way through Galilee, but he did not want anyone to know it.(B) 31 For he was teaching(C) his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man(D) is going to be betrayed[a] into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after he is killed, he will rise(E) three days later.”(F) 32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask him.(G)
Who Is the Greatest?
33 They(H) came to Capernaum.(I) When he was in the house,(J) he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”(K) 34 But they were silent,(L) because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest.(M) 35 Sitting down, he called the Twelve(N) and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.”(O) 36 He took a child,(P) had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes[b] one little child such as this in my name(Q) welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent(R) me.”(S)
In His Name
38 John(T) said to him, “Teacher,(U) we saw someone[c] driving out demons(V) in your name,(W) and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.”(X)
39 “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle(Y) in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. 40 For whoever is not against us is for us.(Z) 41 And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink(AA) in my name, because you belong to Christ(AB) —truly I tell you,(AC) he will never lose his reward.(AD)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.