Book of Common Prayer

41 Unto the end, understanding for the sons of Core.

² As the hart panteth after the fountains of water; so my soul panteth after thee, O God.

³ My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?

⁴ My tears have been my bread day and night, whilst it is said to me daily: Where is thy God?

⁵ These things I remembered, and poured out my soul in me: for I shall go over into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, even to the house of God: With the voice of joy and praise; the noise of one feasting.

⁶ Why art thou sad, O my soul? and why dost thou trouble me? Hope in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance,

⁷ And my God. My soul is troubled within myself: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan and Hermoniim, from the little hill.

⁸ Deep calleth on deep, at the noise of thy flood-gates. All thy heights and thy billows have passed over me.

⁹ In the daytime the Lord hath commanded his mercy; and a canticle to him in the night. With me is prayer to the God of my life.

¹⁰ I will say to God: Thou art my support. Why hast thou forgotten me? and why go I mourning, whilst my enemy afflicteth me?

¹¹ Whilst my bones are broken, my enemies who trouble me have reproached me; Whilst they say to me day be day: Where is thy God?

¹² Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope thou in God, for I will still give praise to him: the salvation of my countenance, and my God.

52 Unto the end, for Maeleth, understandings to David. The fool said in his heart: There is no God.

² They are corrupted, and become abominable in iniquities: there is none that doth good.

³ God looked down from heaven on the children of men: to see if there were any that did understand, or did seek God.

⁴ All have gone aside, they are become unprofitable together, there is none that doth good, no not one.

⁵ Shall not all the workers of iniquity know, who eat up my people as they eat bread?

⁶ They have not called upon God: there have they trembled for fear, where there was no fear. For God hath scattered the bones of them that please men: they have been confounded, because God hath despised them.

⁷ Who will give out of Sion the salvation of Israel? when God shall bring back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.

44 Unto the end, for them that shall be changed, for the sons of Core, for understanding. A canticle for the Beloved.

² My heart hath uttered a good word I speak my works to the king; My tongue is the pen of a scrivener that writeth swiftly.

³ Thou art beautiful above the sons of men: grace is poured abroad in thy lips; therefore hath God blessed thee for ever.

⁴ Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou most mighty.

⁵ With thy comeliness and thy beauty set out, proceed prosperously, and reign. Because of truth and meekness and justice: and thy right hand shall conduct thee wonderfully.

⁶ Thy arrows are sharp: under thee shall people fall, into the hearts of the king's enemies.

⁷ Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a sceptre of uprightness.

⁸ Thou hast loved justice, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

⁹ Myrrh and stacte and cassia perfume thy garments, from the ivory houses: out of which

¹⁰ The daughters of kings have delighted thee in thy glory. The queen stood on thy right hand, in gilded clothing; surrounded with variety.

¹¹ Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear: and forget thy people and thy father's house.

¹² And the king shall greatly desire thy beauty; for he is the Lord thy God, and him they shall adore.

¹³ And the daughters of Tyre with gifts, yea, all the rich among the people, shall entreat thy countenance.

¹⁴ All the glory of the king's daughter is within in golden borders,

¹⁵ Clothed round about with varieties. After her shall virgins be brought to the king: her neighbours shall be brought to thee.

¹⁶ They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing: they shall be brought into the temple of the king.

¹⁷ Instead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee: thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.

¹⁸ They shall remember thy name throughout all generations. Therefore shall people praise thee for ever; yea, for ever and ever.

24 Then David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds of Engaddi.

² And when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, they told him, saying: Behold, David is in the desert of Engaddi.

³ Saul therefore took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went out to seek after David, and his men, even upon the most craggy rocks, which are accessible only to wild goats.

⁴ And he came to the sheepcotes, which were in his way. And there was a cave, into which Saul went, to ease nature: now David and his men lay hid in the inner part of the cave.

⁵ And the servants of David said to him: Behold the day, of which the Lord said to thee: I will deliver thy enemy unto thee, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good in thy eyes. Then David arose, and secretly cut off the hem of Saul's robe.

⁶ After which David's heart struck him, because he had cut off the hem of Saul's robe.

⁷ And he said to his men: The Lord be merciful unto me, that I may do no such thing to my master the Lord's anointed, as to lay my hand upon him, because he is the Lord's anointed.

⁸ And David stopped his men with his words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rising up out of the cave, went on his way.

⁹ And David also rose up after him: and going out of the cave cried after Saul, saying: My lord the king. And Saul looked behind him: and David bowing himself down to the ground, worshipped,

¹⁰ And said to Saul: Why dost thou hear the words of men that say David seeketh thy hurt?

¹¹ Behold this day thy eyes have seen, that the Lord hath delivered thee into my hand, in the cave, and I had a thought to kill thee, but my eye hath spared thee. For I said: I will not put out my hand against my lord, because he is the Lord's anointed.

¹² Moreover see and know, O my father, the hem of thy robe in my hand, that when I cut, off the hem of thy robe, I would not put out my hand against thee. Reflect, and see, that there is no evil in my hand, nor iniquity, neither have I sinned against thee: but thou liest in wait for my life, to take it away.

¹³ The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord revenge me of thee: but my hand shall not be upon thee.

¹⁴ As also it is said in the old proverb: From the wicked shall wickedness come forth: therefore my hand shall not be upon thee. After whom dost thou come out, O king of Israel?

¹⁵ After whom dost thou pursue? After a dead dog, after a flea.

¹⁶ Be the Lord judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and judge my cause, and deliver me out of thy hand.

¹⁷ And when David had made an end of speaking these words to Saul, Saul said: Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹⁸ And he said to David: Thou art more just than I: for thou hast done good to me, and I have rewarded thee with evil.

¹⁹ And thou hast shewn this day what good things thou hast done to me: how the Lord delivered me into thy hand, and thou hast not killed me.

²⁰ For who when he hath found his enemy, will let him go well away? But the Lord reward thee for this good turn, for what thou hast done to me this day.

²¹ And now as I know that thou shalt surely be king, and have the kingdom of Israel in thy hand:

²² Swear to me by the Lord, that thou wilt not destroy my seed after me, nor take away my name from the house of my father.

²³ And David swore to Saul. So Saul went home: and David and his men went up into safer places.

⁴⁴ But the next sabbath day, the whole city almost came together, to hear the word of God.

⁴⁵ And the Jews seeing the multitudes, were filled with envy, and contradicted those things which were said by Paul, blaspheming.

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas said boldly: To you it behoved us first to speak the word of God: but because you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold we turn to the Gentiles.

⁴⁷ For so the Lord hath commanded us: I have set thee to be the light of the Gentiles; that thou mayest be for salvation unto the utmost part of the earth.

⁴⁸ And the Gentiles hearing it, were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to life everlasting, believed.

⁴⁹ And the word of the Lord was published throughout the whole country.

⁵⁰ But the Jews stirred up religious and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas: and cast them out of their coasts.

⁵¹ But they, shaking off the dust of their feet against them, came to Iconium.

⁵² And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost.

4 And again he began to teach by the sea side; and a great multitude was gathered together unto him, so that he went up into a ship, and sat in the sea; and all the multitude was upon the land by the sea side.

² And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his doctrine:

³ Hear ye: Behold, the sower went out to sow.

⁴ And whilst he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the birds of the air came and ate it up.

⁵ And other some fell upon stony ground, where it had not much earth; and it shot up immediately, because it had no depth of earth.

⁶ And when the sun was risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

⁷ And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

⁸ And some fell upon good ground; and brought forth fruit that grew up, and increased and yielded, one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred.

⁹ And he said: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

¹⁰ And when he was alone, the twelve that were with him asked him the parable.

¹¹ And he said to them: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but to them that are without, all things are done in parables:

¹² That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand: lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

¹³ And he saith to them: Are you ignorant of this parable? and how shall you know all parables?

¹⁴ He that soweth, soweth the word.

¹⁵ And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown, and as soon as they have heard, immediately Satan cometh and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.

¹⁶ And these likewise are they that are sown on the stony ground: who when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with joy.

¹⁷ And they have no root in themselves, but are only for a time: and then when tribulation and persecution ariseth for the word they are presently scandalized.

¹⁸ And others there are who are sown among thorns: these are they that hear the word,

¹⁹ And the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts after other things entering in choke the word, and it is made fruitless.

²⁰ And these are they who are sown upon the good ground, who hear the word, and receive it, and yield fruit, the one thirty, another sixty, and another a hundred.