Complacent, I once said, “I shall never be shaken.”
Lord, when you showed me favor I stood like the mighty mountains.
But when you hid your face I was struck with terror.
To you, Lord, I cried out; with the Lord I pleaded for mercy:
“What gain is there from my lifeblood, from my going down to the grave?
Does dust give you thanks or declare your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper.”

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart; before the gods to you I sing.
I bow low toward your holy temple; I praise your name for your fidelity and love.
For you have exalted over all your name and your promise.
When I cried out, you answered; you strengthened my spirit.

All the kings of earth will praise you, Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth.
They will sing of the ways of the Lord: “How great is the glory of the Lord!”
The Lord is on high, but cares for the lowly and knows the proud from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of dangers, you guard my life when my enemies rage.
You stretch out your hand; your right hand saves me.
The Lord is with me to the end. Lord, your love endures forever.
Never forsake the work of your hands!

Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Of these I am the foremost.  But for that reason I was mercifully treated, so that in me, as the foremost, Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example for those who would come to believe in him for everlasting life.

To the king of ages, incorruptible, invisible, the only God, honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Lord, remember David and all his anxious care;
How he swore an oath to the Lord, vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
“I will not enter the house where I live, nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
I will give my eyes no sleep, my eyelids no rest,
Till I find a home for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

We have heard of it in Ephrathah; we have found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter God’s dwelling; let us worship at God’s footstool.

Arise, Lord, come to your resting place, you and your majestic ark.
Your priests will be clothed with justice; your faithful will shout for joy.
For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your anointed.

I will praise the Lord with all my heart in the assembled congregation of the upright.
Great are the works of the Lord, to be treasured for all their delights.
Majestic and glorious is your work, your wise design endures forever.
You won renown for your wondrous deeds; gracious and merciful is the Lord.
You gave food to those who fear you, mindful of your covenant forever.
You showed powerful deeds to your people, giving them the lands of the nations.

My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body whether by life or by death.  For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.

If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.  And I do not know which I shall choose.  I am caught between the two.  I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better.  Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.  And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.

Lord, you have probed me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand;
You understand my thoughts from afar.
My travels and my rest you mark; with all my ways you are familiar.
Even before a word is on my tongue, Lord, you know it all.
Behind and before you encircle me and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is beyond me, far too lofty for me to reach.

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God.  Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.  In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.  In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another.  No one has ever seen God.  Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

O Lord, our Lord,
how awesome is your name through all the earth!
you have set your majesty above the heavens!
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have drawn a defense against your foes, to silence enemy and avenger.

When I see the heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and stars that you set in place –
What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them?
You have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them rule over the works of your hands, put all things under their feet:
all sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
O Lord, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth!

Is anyone among you suffering?  He should pray.  Is anyone in good spirits?  He should sing praise.  Is anyone among you sick?  He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up.  If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.