Book of Common Prayer

To the Overcomer upon, Do not destroy, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.

¹ ¶ Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks, for that thy name is near, thy wondrous works declare.

² When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly.

³ The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I bore up the pillars of it. Selah.

⁴ I said unto the fools, Do not deal foolishly and to the wicked, Do not lift up the horn:

⁵ Do not lift up your horn on high; speak not with a stiff neck.

⁶ ¶ For promotion comes neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the desert.

⁷ But God is the judge; he puts down one and sets up another.

⁸ For the cup is in the hand of the LORD, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he pours out of the same; yea, the dregs thereof, shall wring out and swallow up all the wicked of the earth.

⁹ But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰ And I will cut off all the horns of the wicked, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.

To the Overcomer on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph.

¹ ¶ In Judah is God known; his name is great in Israel.

² In Salem also is his tabernacle and his dwelling place in Zion.

³ There he broke the arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the war. Selah.

⁴ Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey.

⁵ The stouthearted are spoiled; they have slept their sleep; and nothing was found in the hands of the men of might.

⁶ At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.

⁷ ¶ Thou, even thou, art to be feared, and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?

⁸ From the heavens thou didst cause judgment to be heard; the earth feared and was still,

⁹ when thou didst arise unto judgment, O God, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.

¹⁰ Surely the wrath of man shall cause praise to come unto thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

¹¹ Vow and pay unto the LORD your God; let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.

¹² He shall cut off the spirit of princes; he is terrible to the kings of the earth.

A Psalm of David.

¹ ¶ The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters.

³ He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff shall comfort me.

⁵ Thou shalt prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou hast anointed my head with oil; my cup is running over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will rest in the house of the LORD for ever.

A Psalm of David.

¹ ¶ The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.

³ Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

⁴ One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the LORD and to enquire in his temple.

⁵ For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his tabernacle; in the secret of his tent shall he hide me; he shall set me high upon a rock.

⁶ And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies round about me; therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in his tabernacle; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

⁷ ¶ Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me and answer me.

⁸ My heart has spoken unto me from thee, Seek my face. Thy face, O LORD, will I seek.

⁹ Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy slave away in anger: thou hast been my help; do not leave me or forsake me, O God of my saving health.

¹⁰ For my father and my mother have left me, and the LORD has taken me up.

¹¹ Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a right path because of my enemies.

¹² Deliver me not over unto the will of my enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me and such as breathe out cruelty.

¹³ I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

¹⁴ Wait for the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, for the LORD.

2 ¶ And it came to pass, when the LORD would take Elijah up into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

² And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

³ And the sons of the prophets that were at Bethel came forth to Elisha and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head today? And he said, Yes, I know it; be silent.

⁴ And Elijah said unto him again, Elisha, tarry here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

⁵ And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head today? And he answered, Yes, I know it; be silent.

⁶ And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan. And he said, As the LORD lives and as thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. And thus the two went on.

⁷ And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood in front of them afar off; and the two of them stood by the Jordan.

⁸ And Elijah took his mantle and wrapped it together and smote the waters, and they separated to one side and the other so that they both went over on dry ground.

⁹ ¶ And when they had gone over, Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee before I am taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

¹⁰ And he said, Thou hast asked a difficult thing. If thou shalt see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee, but if not, it shall not be so.

¹¹ And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, that, behold, a chariot of fire with horses of fire separated the two, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.

¹² And as Elisha saw it, he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes and rent them in two pieces.

¹³ ¶ And lifting up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

¹⁴ And taking up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, he smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? And when he smote the waters, they separated to one side and the other, and Elisha went over.

¹⁵ And seeing him, the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho said, The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

¹⁶ And they said unto him, Behold now, there are fifty strong men with thy slaves; let them go and seek thy master; peradventure the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley. And he said, Do not send them.

¹⁷ But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men, and they sought him three days, but did not find him.

¹⁸ And when they came again to him (for he tarried at Jericho), he said unto them, Did I not tell you to not go?

4 ¶ Let us reckon men as ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

² Moreover, it is required in stewards that each one be found faithful.

³ But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by man’s judgment; I do not even judge my own self.

⁴ For although I have nothing on my conscience, yet am I not hereby justified, but he that judges me is the Lord.

⁵ Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall each one have praise of God.

⁶ And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes, that in us ye might not learn above that which is written, lest because of one, some of you become puffed up against others.

⁷ ¶ For who makes thee to judge? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, what dost thou glory of, as if thou hadst not received it?

¹⁷ ¶ Think not that I am come to undo the law or the prophets; I am not come to undo, but to fulfil.

¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle shall pass from the law until all is fulfilled.

¹⁹ Whosoever therefore shall undo one of these least commandments and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.

²⁰ For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of the heavens.