Book of Common Prayer
120 1 The prayer of David being vexed by the false reports of Saul’s flatterers. 5 And therefore he lamenteth his long abode among those infidels, 7 Who were given to all kinds of wickedness and contention.
A song of [a]degrees.
1 I called unto the Lord in my [b]trouble, and he heard me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
3 What doth thy [c]deceitful tongue bring unto thee? or what doth it avail thee?
4 It is as the [d]sharp arrows of a mighty man, and as the coals of Juniper.
5 Woe is to me that I remain in [e]Meshech, and dwell in the tents of [f]Kedar.
6 My soul hath too long dwelt with him that hateth peace.
7 I seek [g]peace, and when I speak thereof, they are bent to war.
121 1 This Psalm teacheth that the faithful ought only to look for help at God, 7 who only doth maintain, preserve and prosper his Church.
A song of degrees.
1 I will lift up mine eyes [h]unto the mountains, from whence my help shall come.
2 Mine help cometh from the Lord, which hath made the [i]heaven and the earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to slip: for he that keepeth thee, will not [j]slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel, will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shadow at thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not [k]smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall keep thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy [l]going out, and thy coming in from henceforth and forever.
122 1 David rejoiceth in the name of the faithful, that God hath accomplished his promise and placed his Ark in Zion. 5 For the which he giveth thanks, 8 And prayeth for the prosperity of the Church.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of David.
1 I (A)[m]rejoiced when they said to me, We will go into the house of the Lord.
2 Our [n]feet shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built as a city, that is [o]compact together in itself:
4 Whereunto [p]the Tribes, even the Tribes of the Lord go up according to the testimony to Israel, to praise the Name of the Lord.
5 For there are thrones set for judgment, even the thrones of the house of [q]David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: let them prosper that love thee.
7 Peace be within thy [r]walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
8 For my [s]brethren and neighbors’ sakes, I will wish thee now prosperity.
9 Because of the House of the Lord our God, I will procure thy wealth.
123 A prayer of the faithful, which were afflicted either in Babylon or under Antiochus, by the wicked worldlings and contemners of God.
A song of degrees.
1 I lift up mine eyes to thee, that dwellest in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of [t]servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress: so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy unto us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we have [u]suffered too much contempt.
4 Our soul is filled too full of the mocking of the wealthy, and of the despitefulness of the proud.
124 The people of God, escaping a great peril, do acknowledge themselves to be delivered, not by their own force, but by the power of God. 4 They declare the greatness of the peril. 6 And praise the Name of God.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of David.
1 If the Lord had not been [v]on our side, (may Israel now say)
2 If the Lord had [not] been on our side, when men rose up against us,
3 They had then swallowed us up [w]quick, when their wrath was kindled against us.
4 Then the [x]waters had drowned us, and the stream had gone over our soul:
5 Then had the swelling waters gone over our soul.
6 Praised be the Lord, which hath not given us as a prey unto their teeth.
7 Our soul is escaped, even as a bird out of the [y]snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are delivered.
8 Our help is in the Name of the Lord, which hath made heaven and earth.
125 1 He describeth the assurance of the faithful in their afflictions. 4 And desireth their wealth, 5 And the destruction of the wicked.
A song of degrees.
1 They that trust in the Lord, shall be as mount Zion, which cannot [z]be removed, but remaineth forever.
2 As the mountains are about Jerusalem: so is the Lord about his people from henceforth and forever.
3 For the [aa]rod of the wicked shall not rest on the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness.
4 Do well, O Lord, unto those that be good and true in their hearts.
5 [ab]But these that turn aside by their crooked ways, them shall the Lord lead with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.
126 1 This Psalm was made after the return of the people from Babylon, and showeth that the means of their deliverance was wonderful after the seventy years of captivity forspoken by Jeremiah, in Jer. 25:12 and 29:10.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of David.
1 When the Lord brought again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that [ac]dream.
2 Then was our mouth [ad]filled with laughter, and our tongue with joy: then said they among the [ae]heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.
3 The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we rejoice.
4 O Lord, bring again our captivity, as the [af]rivers in the South.
5 They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy.
6 They went weeping, and carried [ag]precious seed: but they shall return with joy, and bring their sheaves.
127 1 He showeth that the whole estate of the world, both domestical and political, standeth by God’s mere providence and blessing, 3 And that to have children well nurtured, is an especial grace and gift of God.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of Solomon.
1 Except the Lord [ah]build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the [ai]city, the keeper watcheth in vain.
2 It is in vain for [aj]you to rise early, and to lie down late, and eat the bread [ak]of sorrow: but he will surely give [al]rest to his beloved.
3 Behold, children are the inheritance of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb his reward.
4 As are the arrows in the hand of the strong man; so are the [am]children of youth.
5 Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them: for they [an]shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
11 1 Nahash the Ammonite warreth against Jabesh Gilead, who asketh help of the Israelites. 6 Saul promiseth help. 11 The Ammonites are slain. 14 The kingdom is renewed.
1 Then Nahash the Ammonite [a]came up, and besieged Jabesh Gilead: and all the men of Jabesh said unto Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will be thy servants.
2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your [b]right eyes, and bring that shame upon all Israel.
3 To whom the Elders of Jabesh said, Give us seven days respite, that we may send messengers unto all the coasts of Israel: and then if no man deliver us, we will come out to thee.
4 ¶ Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and told these tidings in the ears of the people: and all the people lift up their voices and wept.
5 And behold, Saul came following the cattle out of the field, and Saul said, What aileth this people, that they weep? And they told him the tidings of the men of Jabesh.
6 Then the Spirit of God [c]came upon Saul, when he heard those tidings, and he was exceeding angry,
7 And took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul, and after [d]Samuel, so shall his oxen be served. And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out [e]with one consent.
8 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand men, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.
9 Then [f]they said unto the messengers that came, So say unto the men of Jabesh Gilead, Tomorrow by then the Sun be hot, ye shall have help. And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh, which were glad.
10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out unto [g]you, and ye shall do with us all that pleaseth you.
11 ¶ And when the morrow was come, Saul put the people in three bands, and they came in upon the host in the morning watch, and slew the Ammonites until the heat of the day: and they that remained, were scattered, so that two of them were not left together.
12 Then the people said unto Samuel, [h]Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring those men that we may slay them.
13 But Saul said, There shall no man [i]die this day: for today the Lord hath saved Israel.
14 ¶ Then said Samuel unto the people, Come, that we may go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.
15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and made Saul King there before the Lord in Gilgal: and there they offered [j]peace offerings before the Lord: and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced exceedingly.
8 2 The godly make lamentation for Stephen. 3 Saul maketh havoc of the Church. 5 Philip preacheth Christ at Samaria. 9 Simon Magus, 13 his covetousness reproved. 26 Philip 27 cometh to the Ethiopian Eunuch, 38 and baptizeth him.
1 And [a]Saul consented to his death. And at that time, there was a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and of Samaria, except the Apostles.
2 [b]Then certain men fearing God, [c]carried Stephen among them, to be buried, and made great lamentation for him.
3 [d]But Saul made havoc of the Church, and entered into every house, and drew out both men and women, and put them into prison.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad, went to and fro preaching the word.
5 ¶ [e]Then came Philip into the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, with one accord, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed of them: and many taken with palsies, and that halted, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
9 [f]And there was before in the city, a certain man called Simon, which used [g]witchcraft, and [h]bewitched the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was some great man,
10 To whom they gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is that great power of God.
11 And they gave heed unto him, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 But as soon as they believed Philip, which preached the things that concerned the kingdom of God, and the Name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women.
13 [i]Then Simon himself believed also, and was baptized, and continued with Philip, and wondered, when he saw the signs and great miracles which were done.
63 ¶ (A)[a]And the men that held Jesus, mocked him, and struck him.
64 And when they had blindfolded him, they smote him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy who it is that smote thee.
65 And many other things blasphemously spake they against him.
66 (B)[b]And as soon as it was day, the Elders of the people, and the high Priests and the Scribes came together, and led him into their Council,
67 Saying, Art thou that Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe it.
68 And if also I ask you, you will not answer me, nor let me go.
69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit at the right hand of the power of God.
70 Then said they all, Art thou then the Son of God? And he said to them, Ye say, that I am.
71 Then said they, What need we any further witness? for we ourselves have heard it of his own mouth.
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