Book of Common Prayer
A Psalm of David.
Aleph
1 ¶ Do not be angry with the evildoers, neither be thou envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb.
Beth
3 Wait in the LORD and do good; live in the land and uphold the truth.
4 In the same manner delight thyself in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thy heart.
Gimel
5 Turn thy way unto the LORD and wait in him, and he shall bring it to pass.
6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light and thy uprightness as the noonday.
Daleth
7 ¶ Be silent before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not be angry with him who prospers in his way, with the man who brings wicked devices to pass.
He
8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath: let not thy wrath in any wise cause you to become evil.
9 For evildoers shall be cut off; but those that wait for the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
Vau
10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.
11 But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.
Zain
12 The wicked plots against the just and gnashes upon him with his teeth.
13 The Lord shall laugh at him, for he sees that his day is coming.
He
14 The wicked have drawn out the sword and have bent their bow to cast down the poor and needy and to slay such as are of upright conversation.
15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bow shall be broken.
Tet
16 A little that a righteous man has is better than the many riches of the sinners.
17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
Jod
18 The LORD knows the days of the perfect, and their inheritance shall be for ever.
19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.
Caph
20 But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD as the fattest of rams shall be consumed; as smoke they shall fade away.
Lamed
21 ¶ The wicked borrows and does not repay: but the righteous shows mercy and gives.
22 For such as are blessed of him shall inherit the earth, and those that are cursed of him shall be cut off.
Mem
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and he delights in his way.
24 Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.
Nun
25 I have been young and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.
26 He is ever merciful and lends, and his seed is a blessing.
Samech
27 Depart from evil, and do good, and thou shalt live for evermore.
28 For the LORD loves uprightness and does not forsake his merciful ones; they are preserved for ever, but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.
Ain
29 The righteous shall inherit the earth and live upon it for ever.
Pe
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue brings forth judgment.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; therefore none of his steps shall slide.
Tzaddi
32 The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him.
33 The LORD will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
Koph
34 ¶ Wait on the LORD and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the earth; when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.
Resh
35 I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a green bay tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, behold, he was not: I sought him, but he could not be found.
Schin
37 Mark the perfect, and behold the upright, for the end of each one of them is peace.
38 But the rebels were destroyed all together; the wicked were cut off in the end.
Tau
39 But the salvation of the righteous is the LORD; he is their strength in the time of trouble.
40 And the LORD helped them and delivers them; he shall deliver them from the wicked and save them because they wait in him.
11 ¶ But King Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites,
2 of the Gentiles concerning which the LORD had said unto the sons of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon clave unto these in love.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart.
4 For it came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David, his father.
5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites.
6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the mount that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the sons of Ammon.
8 And he did likewise for all his strange wives, who burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.
9 ¶ And the LORD became angry with Solomon because his heart was turned aside from the LORD God of Israel, who had appeared unto him twice,
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not keep that which the LORD had commanded him.
11 Therefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Because this has been in thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee and will give it to thy slave.
12 But I will not do it in thy days for David, thy father’s sake, but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.
13 However, I will not rend away all the kingdom, but will give one tribe to thy son for David, my slave’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.
13 ¶ Who is wise and ready among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works in meekness of wisdom.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, boast not and do not be liars against the truth.
15 This wisdom is not that which descends from above, but is earthly, natural, diabolical.
16 For where there is envy and contention, there is confusion and every perverse work.
17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, modest, benevolent, full of mercy and of good fruits, not judgmental, unfeigned.
18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace unto those that make peace.
4 ¶ Where do the wars and disputes come from among you? Is it not from here, that is to say, of your lusts which fight in your members?
2 Ye covet and have not; ye murder, and have envy and cannot obtain; ye fight and war and have not that which ye desire because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your pleasures.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore that desires to be a friend of the world, makes himself the enemy of God.
5 Do ye think that the scripture says in vain, The spirit that dwells in us lusts to envy?
6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says, God resists the proud, but gives grace unto the humble.
7 Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
9 Be afflicted and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to heaviness.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
11 ¶ Murmur not against one another, brethren. He that speaks evil of his brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law; but if thou judge the law, thou art not a keeper of the law, but a judge.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou to judge another?
12 And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?
13 And they cried out again, crucify him. {Gr. stauroo – Hang him on a stake}
14 Then Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil has he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, crucify him.
15 ¶ And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them and delivered Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified.
16 And the soldiers led him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they call together the whole band.
17 And they clothed him with purple and platted a crown of thorns and put it about his head
18 and began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews!
19 And they smote him on the head with a reed and spit upon him and bowing their knees worshipped him.
20 And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him and put his own clothes on him and led him out to crucify him.
21 And they compel one Simon, a Cyrenian, who passed by coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. {Gr. stauros – stake}
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