Book of Common Prayer
A Song of degrees of David.
1 ¶ LORD, my heart has not become haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither have I walked in grandeur, nor in wonderful things above and beyond that which pertains to me.
2 Rather I have quieted myself and caused my soul to become silent, that I might be as a child that is weaned of his mother, as one who is weaned from my own life.
3 Let Israel wait for the LORD from now on and for ever.
¶ A Song of degrees.
1 LORD, remember David and all his afflictions:
2 How he swore unto the LORD and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
3 surely I will not come into the habitation of my house nor go up into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find out a place for the LORD, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
6 Behold, we heard of her in Ephratah; we found her in the fields of the wood.
7 We will go into his tents; we will worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
9 Thy priests are clothed with righteousness, and thy merciful ones shout for joy.
10 For the love of thy slave David, do not turn away thy face from thine anointed.
11 ¶ The LORD has sworn truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body I will set upon thy throne.
12 If thy sons will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their sons shall also sit upon thy throne for ever.
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired her for his habitation.
14 This shall be my rest for ever; here I will dwell; for I have desired her.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with saving health, and her merciful ones shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There will I make the horn of David to bud; I have ordained a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown blossom.
A Song of degrees of David.
1 ¶ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that runs down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that goes down to the skirts of his garments;
3 as the dew of Hermon, that descends upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commands blessing and eternal life.
A Song of degrees.
1 ¶ Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye slaves of the LORD, who by night stand in the house of the LORD.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
3 The LORD that made the heavens and the earth bless thee out of Zion.
1 ¶ Halelu-JAH. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye slaves of the LORD.
2 Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,
3 praise JAH; for the LORD is good; sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
4 For JAH has chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his own possession.
5 ¶ For I know that the LORD is great and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD desired, he did in the heavens and in the earth, in the seas and in all the deep places.
7 He who causes the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth, made the lightnings in the rain; he who brings the winds out of his treasuries.
8 He who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast;
9 sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his slaves.
10 He who smote many Gentiles and slew mighty kings,
11 Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan
12 gave their land for a heritage, a heritage unto Israel his people.
13 Thy name, O LORD, is eternal, and thy memorial, O LORD, from generation to generation.
14 For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his slaves.
15 ¶ The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
16 They have a mouth, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear; neither is there any spirit in their mouths.
18 Let those that make them become like unto them and every one that trusts in them.
19 Bless the LORD, O house of Israel; bless the LORD, O house of Aaron:
20 Bless the LORD, O house of Levi; ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD.
21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion who dwells at Jerusalem. Halelu-JAH.
3 ¶ Woe to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city!
2 She did not obey the voice; she did not receive correction; she did not trust in the LORD; she did not draw near to her God.
3 Her princes within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves; they do not leave a bone for tomorrow.
4 Her prophets are light and treacherous persons: her priests have polluted the sanctuary; they have falsified the law.
5 The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: each morning he shall bring his judgment to light; he never fails; but the unjust know no shame.
6 I have caused the Gentiles to be cut off: their castles are desolate; I made their streets waste until no one passes by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man left, there is no inhabitant.
7 Saying, Surely now thou wilt fear me; thou wilt receive chastisement; so thy dwelling shall not be thrown down, all of which I visited upon her; but they rose early, and corrupted all their doings.
8 ¶ Therefore wait for me, said the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey; for my judgment is to gather the Gentiles, that I may assemble the kingdoms to pour upon them my indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9 For then I will restore to the peoples the pure language that they may all call upon the name of the LORD to serve him with one consent.
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring me an offering.
11 In that day thou shalt not be ashamed for any of thy doings, in which thou hast rebelled against me, for then I will take away out of the midst of thee those that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no longer be haughty because of the mountain of my holiness.
12 I will also leave in the midst of thee a poor and humble people, and they shall wait in the name of the LORD.
13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they shall be fed and lie down, and no one shall make them afraid.
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from the carnal desires which war against the soul
12 and have your honest conversation among the Gentiles, so that, in that which they murmur about you as of evildoers, having witnessed your good works, they may glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 ¶ Therefore, be subject to every human ordinance that is of the Lord, whether it be to a king or to a superior,
14 and unto governors as unto those that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those that do well.
15 For this is the will of God, that in well doing ye may silence the ignorance of vain men,
16 as being free, yet not using your liberty to cover maliciousness, but as slaves of God.
17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and humane, but also to the unjust.
19 For this is due to grace, if a man for conscience toward God endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what glory is it if, when ye are buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is due to grace from God.
21 Because for this were ye called: for the Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps
22 who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth,
23 who, when he was cursed, did not return the curse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him that judges righteously;
24 he himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose wound ye were healed.
25 For ye were as sheep that had gone astray, but are now converted unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
20 ¶ For the kingdom of the heavens is like unto a man, the husband of a house, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace
4 and said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. And they went.
5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise.
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle and said unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
7 They say unto him, Because no one has hired us. He said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatever is right, that shall ye receive.
8 So when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the labourers and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.
9 And when those came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a denarius.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more but they likewise received each one a denarius.
11 And when they had received it, they murmured against the husband of the house,
12 saying, These last have worked but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us who have borne the burden and heat of the day.
13 But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong; didst not thou agree with me for a denarius?
14 Take that which is thine and go, for I desire to give unto this last one, even as unto thee.
15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil because I am good?
16 So the first shall be last, and the last first; for many are called, but few are chosen.
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