Book of Common Prayer
ז Zayin
49 Remember your word(A) to your servant,
for you have given me hope.(B)
50 My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.(C)
51 The arrogant mock me(D) unmercifully,
but I do not turn(E) from your law.
52 I remember,(F) Lord, your ancient laws,
and I find comfort in them.
53 Indignation grips me(G) because of the wicked,
who have forsaken your law.(H)
54 Your decrees are the theme of my song(I)
wherever I lodge.
55 In the night, Lord, I remember(J) your name,
that I may keep your law.(K)
56 This has been my practice:
I obey your precepts.(L)
ח Heth
57 You are my portion,(M) Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.(N)
58 I have sought(O) your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me(P) according to your promise.(Q)
59 I have considered my ways(R)
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
60 I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.(S)
61 Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
I will not forget(T) your law.
62 At midnight(U) I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.(V)
63 I am a friend to all who fear you,(W)
to all who follow your precepts.(X)
64 The earth is filled with your love,(Y) Lord;
teach me your decrees.(Z)
ט Teth
65 Do good(AA) to your servant
according to your word,(AB) Lord.
66 Teach me knowledge(AC) and good judgment,
for I trust your commands.
67 Before I was afflicted(AD) I went astray,(AE)
but now I obey your word.(AF)
68 You are good,(AG) and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.(AH)
69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,(AI)
I keep your precepts with all my heart.
70 Their hearts are callous(AJ) and unfeeling,
but I delight in your law.
71 It was good for me to be afflicted(AK)
so that I might learn your decrees.
72 The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.(AL)
Psalm 49[a]
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
1 Hear(A) this, all you peoples;(B)
listen, all who live in this world,(C)
2 both low and high,(D)
rich and poor alike:
3 My mouth will speak words of wisdom;(E)
the meditation of my heart will give you understanding.(F)
4 I will turn my ear to a proverb;(G)
with the harp(H) I will expound my riddle:(I)
5 Why should I fear(J) when evil days come,
when wicked deceivers surround me—
6 those who trust in their wealth(K)
and boast(L) of their great riches?(M)
7 No one can redeem the life of another
or give to God a ransom for them—
8 the ransom(N) for a life is costly,
no payment is ever enough—(O)
9 so that they should live on(P) forever
and not see decay.(Q)
10 For all can see that the wise die,(R)
that the foolish and the senseless(S) also perish,
leaving their wealth(T) to others.(U)
11 Their tombs(V) will remain their houses[b] forever,
their dwellings for endless generations,(W)
though they had[c] named(X) lands after themselves.
13 This is the fate of those who trust in themselves,(AA)
and of their followers, who approve their sayings.[d]
14 They are like sheep and are destined(AB) to die;(AC)
death will be their shepherd
(but the upright will prevail(AD) over them in the morning).
Their forms will decay in the grave,
far from their princely mansions.
15 But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead;(AE)
he will surely take me to himself.(AF)
16 Do not be overawed when others grow rich,
when the splendor of their houses increases;
17 for they will take nothing(AG) with them when they die,
their splendor will not descend with them.(AH)
18 Though while they live they count themselves blessed—(AI)
and people praise you when you prosper—
19 they will join those who have gone before them,(AJ)
who will never again see the light(AK) of life.
Psalm 53[a](A)
For the director of music. According to mahalath.[b] A maskil[c] of David.
1 The fool(B) says in his heart,
“There is no God.”(C)
They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;
there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven(D)
on all mankind
to see if there are any who understand,(E)
any who seek God.(F)
3 Everyone has turned away, all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.(G)
4 Do all these evildoers know nothing?
They devour my people as though eating bread;
they never call on God.
5 But there they are, overwhelmed with dread,
where there was nothing to dread.(H)
God scattered the bones(I) of those who attacked you;(J)
you put them to shame,(K) for God despised them.(L)
6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores his people,
let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Hagar and Ishmael
16 Now Sarai,(A) Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.(B) But she had an Egyptian slave(C) named Hagar;(D) 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children.(E) Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”(F)
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan(G) ten years,(H) Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar,(I) and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.(J) 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”(K)
6 “Your slave is in your hands,(L)” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated(M) Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the Lord(N) found Hagar near a spring(O) in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.(P) 8 And he said, “Hagar,(Q) slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”(R)
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”(S)
11 The angel of the Lord(T) also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.(U)
You shall name him(V) Ishmael,[a](W)
for the Lord has heard of your misery.(X)
12 He will be a wild donkey(Y) of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward[b] all his brothers.(Z)”
13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,(AA)” for she said, “I have now seen[c] the One who sees me.”(AB) 14 That is why the well(AC) was called Beer Lahai Roi[d];(AD) it is still there, between Kadesh(AE) and Bered.
15 For this reason Christ is the mediator(A) of a new covenant,(B) that those who are called(C) may receive the promised(D) eternal inheritance(E)—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.(F)
16 In the case of a will,[a] it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, 17 because a will is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living. 18 This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.(G) 19 When Moses had proclaimed(H) every command of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves,(I) together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people.(J) 20 He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.”[b](K) 21 In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood,(L) and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.(M)
23 It was necessary, then, for the copies(N) of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. 24 For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one;(O) he entered heaven itself,(P) now to appear for us in God’s presence.(Q) 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place(R) every year with blood that is not his own.(S) 26 Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world.(T) But he has appeared(U) once for all(V) at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.(W) 27 Just as people are destined to die once,(X) and after that to face judgment,(Y) 28 so Christ was sacrificed once(Z) to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time,(AA) not to bear sin,(AB) but to bring salvation(AC) to those who are waiting for him.(AD)
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself;(A) he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son(B) and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these,(C) so that you will be amazed. 21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life,(D) even so the Son gives life(E) to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,(F) 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.(G)
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me(H) has eternal life(I) and will not be judged(J) but has crossed over from death to life.(K) 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come(L) when the dead will hear(M) the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life(N) in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge(O) because he is the Son of Man.
28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming(P) when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.(Q)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.