Book of Common Prayer
41 1 David being grievously afflicted, blesseth them that pity his case, 9 and complaineth of the treason of his own friends and familiars, as came to pass in Judas, John 13:18. After he feeling the great mercies of God gently chastising him, and not suffering his enemies to triumph against him, 13 giveth most hearty thanks to God.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 Blessed is he that [a]judgeth wisely of the poor: the Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble.
2 The Lord will keep him and preserve him alive, he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies.
3 The Lord will strengthen him upon the [b]bed of sorrow: thou hast turned all his [c]bed in his sickness.
4 Therefore I said, Lord have mercy upon me: heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee.
5 Mine enemies [d]speak evil of me, saying, When shall he die, and his name perish?
6 And if he come to see me, he speaketh [e]lies, but his heart heapeth iniquity within him, and when he cometh forth, he telleth it.
7 All they that hate me whisper together against me: even against me do they imagine mine hurt.
8 [f]A mischief is light upon him, and he that lieth, shall no more rise.
9 Yea, my [g]familiar friend, whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, [h]hath lifted up the heel against me.
10 Therefore, O Lord, have mercy upon me, and raise me up: so shall I reward them.
11 By this I know that thou favorest me, because mine enemy doth not triumph against me.
12 And as for me thou upholdest me [i]in mine integrity, and dost set me before thy [j]face forever.
13 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel world without end. [k]So be it, even so be it.
52 1 David describeth the arrogant tyranny of his adversary Doeg: who by false surmises cause Ahimelech with the rest of the Priests to be slain. 5 David prophesieth his destruction, 6 and encourageth the faithful to put their confidence in God, whose judgments are most sharp against his adversaries. 9 And finally, he rendereth thanks to God for his deliverance. In this Psalm is timely set forth the kingdom of Antichrist.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David to give instruction. When Doeg the Edomite came and showed Saul, and said to him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.
1 Why boastest thou thyself in thy wickedness, O [a]man of power? the loving-kindness of God endureth daily.
2 Thy tongue imagineth [b]mischief, and is like a sharp razor, that cutteth deceitfully.
3 Thou dost love evil more than good, and lies more than to speak the [c]truth. Selah.
4 Thou lovest all words that may destroy: O deceitful tongue!
5 So shall God [d]destroy thee forever: he shall take thee and pluck thee out of thy tabernacle, and [e]root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6 The [f]righteous also shall see it, [g]and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying,
7 Behold the man that took not God for his strength, but trusteth unto the multitude of his riches, and put his strength [h]in his malice.
8 But I shall be like a [i]green olive tree in the house of God: for I trusted in the mercy of God forever and ever.
9 I will always praise thee, for that thou hast done [j]this, and I will [k]hope in thy name, because it is good before thy Saints.
44 1 The faithful remember the great mercy of God toward his people. 9 After they complain, because they feel it no more. 17 Also they allege the covenant made with Abraham, for the keeping whereof they show what grievous things they suffered. 23 Finally, they pray unto God not to contemn their affliction, seeing the same redoundeth to the contempt of his honor.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm to give instruction, committed to the sons of Korah.
1 We have heard with our [a]ears, O God: our fathers have told us the works that thou hast done in their days, in the old time:
2 How thou hast driven out the [b]heathen with thine hand, and planted [c]them: how thou hast destroyed the [d]people, and caused [e]them to grow.
3 For they inherited not the land by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou didst [f]favor them.
4 Thou art my king, O God: send help unto [g]Jacob.
5 [h]Through thee have we thrust back our adversaries: by thy Name have we trodden down them that rose up against us.
6 For I do not trust in my bow, neither can my sword save me.
7 But thou hast saved us from our adversaries, and hast put them to confusion that hate us.
8 Therefore will we praise God continually, and will confess thy Name forever. Selah.
9 But now thou art far off, and puttest us to [i]confusion, and goest not forth with our armies.
10 Thou makest us to turn back from the adversary, and they which hate us, spoil [j]for themselves.
11 (A)Thou givest us [k]as sheep to be eaten, and dost scatter us among the nations.
12 Thou sellest thy people [l]without gain, and dost not increase their price.
13 Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbors, a jest and laughing stock to them that are round about us.
14 Thou makest us a proverb among the nations, and a nodding of the head among the people.
15 My [m]confusion is daily before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,
16 For the voice of the slanderer and rebuker, for the enemy and [n]avenger.
17 All this is come upon us, yet do we not [o]forget thee, neither deal we falsely concerning thy covenant.
18 Our heart is not turned back: neither our steps gone out of thy paths,
19 Albeit thou hast smitten us down into the place of [p]dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.
20 If we have forgotten the Name of our God, and held up our hands to a [q]strange god,
21 Shall not God [r]search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
22 Surely for thy sake [s]are we slain continually, and are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Up, why sleepest thou, O Lord? awake, be not far off forever.
24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face? and forgettest our misery and our affliction?
25 For our soul is [t]beaten down unto the dust: our belly cleaveth to the ground.
26 Rise up for our succor, and redeem us for thy [u]mercy’s sake.
24 1 David hid in a cave spareth Saul. 10 He showeth to Saul his innocency. 18 Saul acknowledgeth his fault. 22 He causeth David to swear unto him to be favorable to his.
1 And David went thence, and dwelt in [a]holds at En Gedi.
2 When Saul was turned from the Philistines, they told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of [b]En Gedi.
3 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks among the wild goats.
4 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way where there was a cave, and Saul went in [c]to do his easement: and David and his men sat in the [d]inward parts of the cave.
5 And the men of David said unto him, See, the day is [e]come, whereof the Lord said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good to thee. Then David arose and cut off the lap of Saul’s garment privily.
6 And afterward David [f]was touched in his heart, because he had cut off the lap which was on Saul’s garment.
7 And he said unto his men, The Lord keep me from doing that thing unto my master the Lord’s anointed, to lay mine hand upon him: for he is the Anointed of the Lord.
8 So David overcame his servants with these words, and suffered them not to arise against Saul: for Saul rose up out of the cave and went away.
9 ¶ David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, O my lord the King. And when Saul looked behind him, David inclined his face to the earth, and bowed himself.
10 And David said to Saul, [g]Wherefore givest thou an ear to men’s words, that say, Behold, David seeketh evil against thee?
11 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen, that the Lord had delivered thee this day into mine hand in the cave, and some bade me kill thee, but I had compassion on thee, and said, I will not lay mine hand on my master: for he is the Lord’s Anointed.
12 Moreover my father, behold: behold, I say, the lap of thy garment in mine hand: for when I cut off the lap of thy garment, I killed thee not. Understand and see, that there is neither evil nor wickedness in me, neither have I sinned against thee, yet thou huntest after my soul, to take it.
13 The Lord be judge between thee and me, and the Lord avenge me of thee, and let not mine hand be upon thee.
14 According as the [h]old proverb saith, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked, but mine hand be not upon thee.
15 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, and after a flea?
16 The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between thee and me, and see, and plead my cause, and [i]deliver me out of thine hand.
17 When David had made an end of speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, [j]Is this thy voice, my son David? and Saul lift up his voice, and wept,
18 And said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rendered me good, and I have rendered thee evil.
19 And thou hast showed this day, that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had closed me in thine hands, thou killedst me not.
20 For who shall find his enemy, and let him depart [k]free? wherefore the Lord render thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
21 For now behold, I [l]know that thou shalt be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be stablished in thine hand.
22 Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not destroy my seed after me, and that thou wilt not abolish my name out of my father’s house.
23 So David swore unto Saul, and Saul went home: but David and his men went up unto the hold.
44 And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together, to hear the word of God.
45 [a]But when the Jews saw the people, they were full of envy, and spake against those things, which were spoken of Paul, contrarying them, and railing on them.
46 [b]Then Paul and Barnabas spake boldly, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken unto you: but seeing ye put it from you, and [c]judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47 For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, (A)I have made thee a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be the salvation unto the end of the world.
48 And when the Gentiles heard it, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were [d]ordained unto eternal life, believed.
49 Thus the word of the Lord was published throughout the whole country.
50 [e]But the Jews stirred certain [f]devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51 [g]But they (B)shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52 And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the holy Ghost.
4 4 The parable of the sower. 14 And the meaning thereof. 18 Thorns. 21 The candle. 26 Of him that sowed, and then slept. 31 The grain of mustard seed. 38 Christ sleepeth in the ship.
1 And (A)he began again to teach by the [a]seaside, and there gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat [b]in the sea, and all the people was by the seaside on the land.
2 And he taught them many things in parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,
3 [c]Hearken: Behold, there went out a sower to sow.
4 And it came to pass as he sowed, that some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the heaven came, and devoured it up.
5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth, and by and by sprang up, because it had not depth of earth.
6 But as soon as the Sun was up, it was burnt up, and because it had not root, it withered away.
7 And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, so that it gave no fruit.
8 Some again fell in good ground, and did yield fruit that sprung up, and grew, and it brought forth, some thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some an hundredfold.
9 Then he said unto them, He that hath ears, to hear, let him hear.
10 And when he was [d]alone, they that were [e]about him with the twelve, asked him of the parable.
11 And he said unto them, To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are [f]without, all things be done in parables,
12 (B)That they seeing, may see, and not discern: and they hearing, may hear, and not understand, lest at any time they should turn, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13 Again he said unto them, Perceive ye not this parable? how then should ye understand all other parables?
14 The sower soweth the word.
15 And these are they that receive the seed by the wayside, in whom the word is sown: but when they have heard it, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And likewise they that receive the seed in stony ground, are they, which when they have heard the word, straightway receive it with gladness.
17 Yet have they no root in themselves, and endure but a time: for when trouble and persecution ariseth for the word, immediately they be offended.
18 Also they that receive the seed among the thorns, are such as hear the word:
19 But the cares [g]of this world, and the (C)deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things enter in, and choke the word, and it is unfruitful.
20 But they that have received seed in good ground, are they that hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit: one corn thirty, another sixty, and some an hundred.
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