Book of Common Prayer
33 He turned rivers into a desert,(A)
flowing springs(B) into thirsty ground,
34 and fruitful land into a salt waste,(C)
because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
35 He turned the desert into pools of water(D)
and the parched ground into flowing springs;(E)
36 there he brought the hungry to live,
and they founded a city where they could settle.
37 They sowed fields and planted vineyards(F)
that yielded a fruitful harvest;
38 he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,(G)
and he did not let their herds diminish.(H)
39 Then their numbers decreased,(I) and they were humbled(J)
by oppression, calamity and sorrow;
40 he who pours contempt on nobles(K)
made them wander in a trackless waste.(L)
41 But he lifted the needy(M) out of their affliction
and increased their families like flocks.(N)
42 The upright see and rejoice,(O)
but all the wicked shut their mouths.(P)
Psalm 108[a](S)(T)
A song. A psalm of David.
1 My heart, O God, is steadfast;(U)
I will sing(V) and make music with all my soul.
2 Awake, harp and lyre!(W)
I will awaken the dawn.
3 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
4 For great is your love,(X) higher than the heavens;
your faithfulness(Y) reaches to the skies.(Z)
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;(AA)
let your glory be over all the earth.(AB)
6 Save us and help us with your right hand,(AC)
that those you love may be delivered.
7 God has spoken(AD) from his sanctuary:(AE)
“In triumph I will parcel out Shechem(AF)
and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.(AG)
8 Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
Ephraim is my helmet,
Judah(AH) is my scepter.
9 Moab(AI) is my washbasin,
on Edom(AJ) I toss my sandal;
over Philistia(AK) I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
and no longer go out with our armies?(AL)
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.(AM)
13 With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down(AN) our enemies.
Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully(A) to the Lord, you righteous;
it is fitting(B) for the upright(C) to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp;(D)
make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.(E)
3 Sing to him a new song;(F)
play skillfully, and shout for joy.(G)
4 For the word of the Lord is right(H) and true;(I)
he is faithful(J) in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice;(K)
the earth is full of his unfailing love.(L)
6 By the word(M) of the Lord the heavens were made,(N)
their starry host(O) by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters(P) of the sea into jars[a];(Q)
he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;(R)
let all the people of the world(S) revere him.(T)
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded,(U) and it stood firm.
10 The Lord foils(V) the plans(W) of the nations;(X)
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm(Y) forever,
the purposes(Z) of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,(AA)
the people he chose(AB) for his inheritance.(AC)
13 From heaven the Lord looks down(AD)
and sees all mankind;(AE)
14 from his dwelling place(AF) he watches
all who live on earth—
15 he who forms(AG) the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.(AH)
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;(AI)
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse(AJ) is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes(AK) of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,(AL)
19 to deliver them from death(AM)
and keep them alive in famine.(AN)
Israel Speaks Arrogantly Against God
13 “You have spoken arrogantly(A) against me,” says the Lord.
“Yet you ask,(B) ‘What have we said against you?’
14 “You have said, ‘It is futile(C) to serve(D) God. What do we gain by carrying out his requirements(E) and going about like mourners(F) before the Lord Almighty? 15 But now we call the arrogant(G) blessed. Certainly evildoers(H) prosper,(I) and even when they put God to the test, they get away with it.’”
The Faithful Remnant
16 Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard.(J) A scroll(K) of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared(L) the Lord and honored his name.
17 “On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my(M) treasured possession.(N) I will spare(O) them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son(P) who serves him. 18 And you will again see the distinction between the righteous(Q) and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.(R)
Judgment and Covenant Renewal
4 [a]“Surely the day is coming;(S) it will burn like a furnace.(T) All the arrogant(U) and every evildoer will be stubble,(V) and the day that is coming will set them on fire,(W)” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch(X) will be left to them. 2 But for you who revere my name,(Y) the sun of righteousness(Z) will rise with healing(AA) in its rays. And you will go out and frolic(AB) like well-fed calves. 3 Then you will trample(AC) on the wicked; they will be ashes(AD) under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty.
4 “Remember the law(AE) of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb(AF) for all Israel.(AG)
5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah(AH) to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.(AI) 6 He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children,(AJ) and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike(AK) the land with total destruction.”(AL)
The Prayer of Faith
13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.(A) Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.(B) 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders(C) of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil(D) in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith(E) will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins(F) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.(G) The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.(H)
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are.(I) He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.(J) 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.(K)
19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth(L) and someone should bring that person back,(M) 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save(N) them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.(O)
The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness(A) and looked down on everyone else,(B) Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray,(C) one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself(D) and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast(E) twice a week and give a tenth(F) of all I get.’
13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast(G) and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’(H)
14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”(I)
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