Book of Common Prayer
Mem
97 Oh how (A)I love your law!
It is my (B)meditation all the day.
98 Your commandment makes me (C)wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for (D)your testimonies are my meditation.
100 I understand more than (E)the aged,[a]
for I (F)keep your precepts.
101 I (G)hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
102 I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.
103 How (H)sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104 Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore (I)I hate every false way.
Nun
105 (J)Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
106 I have (K)sworn an oath and confirmed it,
to keep your (L)righteous rules.
107 I am severely (M)afflicted;
(N)give me life, O Lord, according to your word!
108 Accept (O)my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,
and (P)teach me your rules.
109 I hold my life (Q)in my hand continually,
but I do not (R)forget your law.
110 The wicked have laid (S)a snare for me,
but (T)I do not stray from your precepts.
111 Your testimonies are (U)my heritage forever,
for they are (V)the joy of my heart.
112 I (W)incline my heart to perform your statutes
forever, (X)to the end.[b]
Samekh
113 I hate (Y)the double-minded,
but I love (Z)your law.
114 You are my (AA)hiding place and my (AB)shield;
I (AC)hope in your word.
115 (AD)Depart from me, you evildoers,
that I may (AE)keep the commandments of my God.
116 Uphold me (AF)according to your promise, that I may live,
and let me not be (AG)put to shame in my (AH)hope!
117 (AI)Hold me up, that I may be safe
and have regard for your statutes continually!
118 You (AJ)spurn all who (AK)go astray from your statutes,
for their cunning is in vain.
119 All the wicked of the earth you discard like (AL)dross,
therefore (AM)I love your testimonies.
120 My flesh (AN)trembles for fear of you,
and I am afraid of your judgments.
Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me
To the choirmaster: according to (A)The Gittith.[a] Of (B)Asaph.
81 (C)Sing aloud to God our strength;
(D)shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound (E)the tambourine,
(F)the sweet lyre with (G)the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at (H)the new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule[b] of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it (I)a decree in (J)Joseph
when he (K)went out over[c] the land of Egypt.
(L)I hear a language (M)I had not known:
6 “I (N)relieved your[d] shoulder of (O)the burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you (P)called, and I delivered you;
I (Q)answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I (R)tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 (S)Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no (T)strange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a (U)foreign god.
10 (V)I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
(W)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel (X)would not submit to me.
12 So I (Y)gave them over to their (Z)stubborn hearts,
to follow their own (AA)counsels.
13 (AB)Oh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would (AC)walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and (AD)turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would (AE)cringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you[e] with (AF)the finest of the wheat,
and with (AG)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Rescue the Weak and Needy
A Psalm of (AH)Asaph.
82 (AI)God (AJ)has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of (AK)the gods he (AL)holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and (AM)show partiality to (AN)the wicked? Selah
3 (AO)Give justice to (AP)the weak and the fatherless;
(AQ)maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
4 (AR)Rescue the weak and the needy;
(AS)deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 (AT)They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
(AU)they walk about in darkness;
(AV)all the foundations of the earth are (AW)shaken.
Isaac Blesses Jacob
27 When Isaac was old and (A)his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 (B)Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul (C)may bless you before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, (D)obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, (E)so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, (F)my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father (G)will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring (H)a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, (I)“Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”
14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the (J)best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the Lord your God granted me success.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I (K)may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because (L)his hands were hairy like his brother Esau's hands. (M)So he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me, (N)that I may eat of my son's game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments (O)and blessed him and said,
“See, (P)the smell of my son
is as the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed!
28 May God give you of (Q)the dew of heaven
and of the fatness of the earth
and (R)plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
and nations (S)bow down to you.
(T)Be lord over your brothers,
and may your mother's sons bow down to you.
(U)Cursed be everyone who curses you,
and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”
A Living Sacrifice
12 (A)I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, (B)to present your bodies (C)as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 (D)Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by (E)the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may (F)discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
Gifts of Grace
3 For (G)by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you (H)not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, (I)each according to (J)the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For (K)as in one body we have many members,[e] and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, (L)though many, (M)are one body in Christ, and individually (N)members one of another. 6 (O)Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if (P)prophecy, (Q)in proportion to our faith; 7 if (R)service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; (S)the one who leads,[f] with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with (T)cheerfulness.
I Am the Light of the World
12 (A)Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, (B)“I am the light of the world. Whoever (C)follows me will not (D)walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” 13 So the Pharisees said to him, (E)“You are bearing witness about yourself; your testimony is not true.” 14 Jesus answered, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, (F)my testimony is true, for I know (G)where I came from and (H)where I am going, but (I)you do not know where I come from or where I am going. 15 (J)You judge according to the flesh; (K)I judge no one. 16 Yet even if I do judge, (L)my judgment is true, for (M)it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father[a] who sent me. 17 (N)In your Law it is written that the testimony of two people is true. 18 I am the one who bears witness about myself, and (O)the Father who sent me bears witness about me.” 19 They said to him therefore, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, (P)“You know neither me nor my Father. (Q)If you knew me, you would know my Father also.” 20 These words he spoke in (R)the treasury, as he taught in the temple; but (S)no one arrested him, because (T)his hour had not yet come.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.