Book of Common Prayer
To the Overcomer, A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man; preserve me from the man of violence.
2 Who devise evil in their heart; they are continually gathered together for war.
3 They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.
4 Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the man of violence, who have purposed to overthrow my steps.
5 The proud have hid a snare for me and cords; they have spread a net; on the path they have set snares for me. Selah.
6 I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.
7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my saving health, cover thou my head in the day of battle.
8 ¶ Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further his wicked thought lest they exalt themselves. Selah.
9 As for the head of those that compass me about, let the perversion of their own lips cover them.
10 Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits, that they not rise up again.
11 The man with an evil tongue shall not be established in the earth; evil shall hunt the man of violence to overthrow him.
12 I know that the LORD will effect the judgment of the poor and the judgment of the destitute.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name; the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
Maschil of David; A Prayer when he was in the cave.
1 ¶ I shall cry unto the LORD with my voice; with my voice shall I ask the LORD for mercy.
2 I shall pour out my complaint before him; before him I shall tell of my trouble.
3 When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou didst know my path. In the way in which I walked have they secretly laid a snare for me.
4 ¶ I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no one that would know me; I had no refuge; no one cared for my soul.
5 I cried unto thee, O LORD; I said, Thou art my hope and my portion in the land of the living.
6 Attend unto my cry, for I am brought very low; deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
7 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name; the righteous shall feast with me; when thou shalt have weaned me.
A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ LORD, I have called unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee.
2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, the gift of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
3 Set a watch, O LORD, upon my mouth; keep the door of my lips.
4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to do works with ungodliness with the men that work iniquity, and let me not eat of their dainties.
5 ¶ Let the righteous smite me in mercy, and let him reprove me: and let not a flattering evil prince anoint my head, for my prayer shall ever be against his evil.
6 Their judges shall be thrown down from strong places; they shall hearken unto my words; for they are sweet.
7 Our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol, as when one cuts and cleaves wood upon the earth.
8 Therefore mine eyes look unto thee, O GOD the Lord; in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute.
9 Keep me from the hands of the snare which they have laid for me, and from the snares of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the wicked fall together into their own nets, whilst I pass on ahead forever.
A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications for the sake of thy truth; answer me for the sake of thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy slave; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.
3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has smitten my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit has become overwhelmed within me; my heart within me has become desolate.
5 I remembered the days of old; I meditated on all thy works; I mused on the work of thy hands.
6 I stretched forth my hands unto thee; my soul thirsted after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.
7 ¶ Hear me speedily, O LORD; my spirit fails; hide not thy face from me lest I be like those that go down into the grave.
8 Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning, for in thee do I trust; cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul unto thee.
9 Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies; I flee unto thee.
10 Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Let thy good Spirit lead me into the land of uprightness.
11 By thy name, O LORD, thou shalt give me life; by thy righteousness thou shalt bring my soul out of trouble.
12 And by thy mercy thou shalt scatter my enemies and destroy all the adversaries of my soul; for I am thy slave.
3 ¶ Then Naomi, her mother-in-law, said unto her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee that it may be well with thee?
2 And now is not Boaz of our kindred with whose maidens thou wast? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.
3 Therefore, thou shalt wash thyself and anoint thyself and put thy raiment upon thee and go down to the threshingfloor, but do not make thyself known unto the man until he shall have finished eating and drinking.
4 And it shall be when he lies down that thou shalt perceive the place where he shall lie, and thou shalt go in and uncover his feet and lie down there, and he will tell thee what thou shalt do.
5 And she said unto her, All that thou dost command me I will do.
6 ¶ And she went down to the threshing floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had commanded her.
7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap, and she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.
8 And it came to pass at midnight that the man was startled and took hold, and, behold, a woman lay at his feet.
9 Then he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thy handmaid; spread therefore the edge of thy mantle over thy handmaid; for thou art a redeemer.
10 And he said, Blessed be thou of the LORD, my daughter, for thou hast shown more mercy in the end than at the first, not going after the young men, whether poor or rich.
11 And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do unto thee all that thou hast said, for all the city of my people know that thou art a valiant woman.
12 And now it is true that I am thy redeemer; however, there is another redeemer nearer than I (in kinship).
13 Tarry this night, and it shall be in the morning that if he will redeem thee, well, let him redeem thee, but if he does not wish to redeem, then I will redeem thee, as the LORD lives; lie down until the morning.
14 ¶ And she lay at his feet until the morning, and she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Let it not be known that the woman has come to the threshing floor.
15 Also he said, Bring the veil that thou hast upon thee and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her, and she went into the city.
16 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, What now, my daughter? And she told her all that had happened to her with the man.
17 And she said, He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, Do not go empty unto thy mother-in-law.
18 Then said she, Sit still, my daughter, until thou shall know how the matter will fall, for that man will not rest until he has concluded the thing today.
4 ¶ Therefore seeing we have this ministry, according to the mercy we have received, we fault not,
2 but remove from ourselves every hidden shameful thing, not walking in craftiness, nor adulterating the word of God, but in the manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
3 But if our gospel is hid, it is hid to those that are lost,
4 In whom the god of this age has blinded the understanding of those who do not believe, that the light of the gospel of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine in them.
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your slaves for Jesus’ sake.
6 For the God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts to bring forth the light of the knowledge of the clarity of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in clay vessels that the excellency of the virtue may be of God, and not of us.
8 ¶ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are unsure of our lives, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
10 always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.
12 So then death works in us, but life in you.
38 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth;
39 but I say unto you, That ye resist not with evil, but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
40 And if anyone desires to sue thee at the law, and take away thy clothing, let him have thy cloak also.
41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him two.
42 Give to him that asks of thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless those that curse you, do good to those that hate you, and pray for those who speak evil about you, and persecute you;
45 that ye may be sons of your Father who is in the heavens, for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love those who love you, what reward shall ye have? Do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye embrace your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in the heavens is perfect.
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