Book of Common Prayer
Your Word Is a Lamp to My Feet
Aleph
119 [a] Blessed are those whose (A)way is blameless,
who (B)walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who (C)keep his (D)testimonies,
who (E)seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also (F)do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your (G)precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may (H)be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 (I)Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn (J)your righteous rules.[b]
8 I will keep your statutes;
(K)do not utterly forsake me!
Beth
9 How can (L)a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
10 (M)With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not (N)wander from your commandments!
11 I have (O)stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
(P)teach me your statutes!
13 With my lips I (Q)declare
all the rules[c] of your mouth.
14 In the way of your testimonies I (R)delight
as much as in all (S)riches.
15 I will (T)meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your (U)ways.
16 I will (V)delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.
Gimel
17 (W)Deal bountifully with your servant,
(X)that I may live and keep your word.
18 Open my eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
19 I am (Y)a sojourner on the earth;
(Z)hide not your commandments from me!
20 My soul is consumed with (AA)longing
for your rules[d] at all times.
21 You rebuke (AB)the insolent, (AC)accursed ones,
who (AD)wander from your commandments.
22 Take away from me (AE)scorn and contempt,
(AF)for I have kept your testimonies.
23 Even though (AG)princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will (AH)meditate on your statutes.
24 Your testimonies are my (AI)delight;
they are my (AJ)counselors.
The Faithful Have Vanished
To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith.[a] A Psalm of David.
12 Save, O Lord, for (A)the godly one is gone;
for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone (B)utters lies to his neighbor;
with (C)flattering lips and (D)a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all (E)flattering lips,
the tongue that makes (F)great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
our lips are with us; who is master over us?”
5 “Because (G)the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
(H)I will now arise,” says the Lord;
“I will place him in the (I)safety for which he longs.”
6 (J)The words of the Lord are pure words,
like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
you will guard us[b] from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
How Long, O Lord?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
13 (K)How long, O Lord? Will you (L)forget me forever?
How long will you (M)hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take (N)counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 (O)Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
(P)light up my eyes, lest (Q)I sleep the sleep of death,
4 (R)lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
lest my foes rejoice because I am (S)shaken.
5 But I have (T)trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall (U)rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
The Fool Says, There Is No God
To the choirmaster. Of David.
14 (V)The (W)fool says in his heart, (X)“There is no God.”
They are (Y)corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
(Z)there is none who does good.
2 The Lord (AA)looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,[c]
who (AB)seek after God.
3 They have all turned aside; together they have become (AC)corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
4 Have they no (AD)knowledge, all the evildoers
who (AE)eat up my people as they eat bread
and (AF)do not call upon the Lord?
5 There they are in great terror,
for God is with (AG)the generation of the righteous.
6 You would shame the plans of the poor,
but[d] the Lord is his (AH)refuge.
7 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord (AI)restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
Cain and Abel
4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten[a] a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of (A)the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of (B)the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord (C)had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but (D)for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 (E)If you do well, will you not be accepted?[b] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. (F)Its desire is contrary to[c] you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother.[d] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and (G)killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, (H)“I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood (I)is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now (J)you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My (K)punishment is greater than I can bear.[e] 14 Behold, (L)you have driven me today away from the ground, and (M)from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, (N)and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him (O)sevenfold.” And the Lord (P)put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,[f] east of Eden.
11 For (A)he who sanctifies and (B)those who are sanctified (C)all have one source.[a] That is why he is not ashamed to call them (D)brothers,[b] 12 saying,
(E)“I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the (F)congregation I will sing your praise.”
13 And again,
(G)“I will put my trust in him.”
And again,
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise (J)partook of the same things, that (K)through death he might (L)destroy (M)the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who (N)through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he (O)helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had (P)to be made like his brothers in every respect, (Q)so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest (R)in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered (S)when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Behold, the Lamb of God
29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, (A)the Lamb of God, who (B)takes away the sin (C)of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, (D)‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but (E)for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John (F)bore witness: (G)“I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and (H)it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but (I)he who sent me to baptize (J)with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, (K)this is he who baptizes (L)with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son[a] of God.”
Jesus Calls the First Disciples
35 The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and he looked at Jesus as he walked by and said, “Behold, (M)the Lamb of God!” 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, (N)“What are you seeking?” And they said to him, (O)“Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39 He said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.[b] 40 (P)One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus[c] was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. 41 He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found (Q)the Messiah” (which means Christ). 42 He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of (R)John. You shall be called (S)Cephas” (which means (T)Peter[d]).
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.