Book of Common Prayer
69 To the Overseer. -- `On the Lilies,' by David. Save me, O God, for come have waters unto the soul.
2 I have sunk in deep mire, And there is no standing, I have come into the depths of the waters, And a flood hath overflown me.
3 I have been wearied with my calling, Burnt hath been my throat, Consumed have been mine eyes, waiting for my God.
4 Those hating me without cause Have been more than the hairs of my head, Mighty have been my destroyers, My lying enemies, That which I took not away -- I bring back.
5 O God, Thou -- Thou hast known Concerning my overturn, And my desolations from Thee have not been hid.
6 Let not those waiting on Thee be ashamed because of me, O Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Let not those seeking Thee Blush because of me, O God of Israel.
7 For because of Thee I have borne reproach, Shame hath covered my face.
8 A stranger I have been to my brother, And a foreigner to sons of my mother.
9 For zeal for Thy house hath consumed me, And the reproaches of Thy reproachers Have fallen upon me.
10 And I weep in the fasting of my soul, And it is for a reproach to me.
11 And I make my clothing sackcloth, And I am to them for a simile.
12 Those sitting at the gate meditate concerning me, And those drinking strong drink, Play on instruments.
13 And I -- my prayer [is] to Thee, O Jehovah, A time of good pleasure, O God, In the abundance of Thy kindness, Answer me in the truth of Thy salvation.
14 Deliver me from the mire, and let me not sink, Let me be delivered from those hating me, And from deep places of waters.
15 Let not a flood of waters overflow me, Nor let the deep swallow me up, Nor let the pit shut her mouth upon me.
16 Answer me, O Jehovah, for good [is] Thy kindness, According to the abundance Of Thy mercies turn Thou unto me,
17 And hide not Thy face from Thy servant, For I am in distress -- haste, answer me.
18 Be near unto my soul -- redeem it, Because of mine enemies ransom me.
19 Thou -- Thou hast known my reproach, And my shame, and my blushing, Before Thee [are] all mine adversaries.
20 Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am sick, And I look for a bemoaner, and there is none, And for comforters, and I have found none.
21 And they give for my food gall, And for my thirst cause me to drink vinegar.
22 Their table before them is for a snare, And for a recompence -- for a trap.
23 Darkened are their eyes from seeing, And their loins continually shake Thou.
24 Pour upon them Thine indignation, And the fierceness of Thine anger doth seize them.
25 Their tower is desolated, In their tents there is no dweller.
26 For they have pursued him Thou hast smitten, And recount of the pain of Thy pierced ones.
27 Give punishment for their iniquity, And they enter not into Thy righteousness.
28 They are blotted out of the book of life, And with the righteous are not written.
29 And I [am] afflicted and pained, Thy salvation, O God, doth set me on high.
30 I praise the name of God with a song, And I magnify Him with thanksgiving,
31 And it is better to Jehovah than an ox, A bullock -- horned -- hoofed.
32 The humble have seen -- they rejoice, Ye who seek God -- and your heart liveth.
33 For Jehovah hearkeneth unto the needy, And His bound ones He hath not despised.
34 The heavens and earth do praise Him, Seas, and every moving thing in them.
35 For God doth save Zion, And doth build the cities of Judah, And they have dwelt there, and possess it.
36 And the seed of His servants inherit it, And those loving His name dwell in it!
73 A Psalm of Asaph. Only -- good to Israel [is] God, to the clean of heart. And I -- as a little thing, My feet have been turned aside,
2 As nothing, have my steps slipped, For I have been envious of the boastful,
3 The peace of the wicked I see, That there are no bands at their death,
4 And their might [is] firm.
5 In the misery of mortals they are not, And with common men they are not plagued.
6 Therefore hath pride encircled them, Violence covereth them as a dress.
7 Their eye hath come out from fat. The imaginations of the heart transgressed;
8 They do corruptly, And they speak in the wickedness of oppression, From on high they speak.
9 They have set in the heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth.
10 Therefore do His people return hither, And waters of fulness are wrung out to them.
11 And they have said, `How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'
12 Lo, these [are] the wicked and easy ones of the age, They have increased strength.
13 Only -- a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands,
14 And I am plagued all the day, And my reproof [is] every morning.
15 If I have said, `I recount thus,' Lo, a generation of Thy sons I have deceived.
16 And I think to know this, Perverseness it [is] in mine eyes,
17 Till I come in to the sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end.
18 Only, in slippery places Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations.
19 How have they become a desolation as in a moment, They have been ended -- consumed from terrors.
20 As a dream from awakening, O Lord, In awaking, their image Thou despisest.
21 For my heart doth show itself violent, And my reins prick themselves,
22 And I am brutish, and do not know. A beast I have been with Thee.
23 And I [am] continually with Thee, Thou hast laid hold on my right hand.
24 With Thy counsel Thou dost lead me, And after honour dost receive me.
25 Whom have I in the heavens? And with Thee none I have desired in earth.
26 Consumed hath been my flesh and my heart, The rock of my heart and my portion [is] God to the age.
27 For, lo, those far from Thee do perish, Thou hast cut off every one, Who is going a whoring from Thee.
28 And I -- nearness of God to me [is] good, I have placed in the Lord Jehovah my refuge, To recount all Thy works!
6 And Joseph dieth, and all his brethren, and all that generation;
7 and the sons of Israel have been fruitful, and they teem, and multiply, and are very very mighty, and the land is filled with them.
8 And there riseth a new king over Egypt, who hath not known Joseph,
9 and he saith unto his people, `Lo, the people of the sons of Israel [is] more numerous and mighty than we;
10 give help! let us act wisely concerning it, lest it multiply, and it hath come to pass, when war happeneth, that it hath been joined, even it, unto those hating us, and hath fought against us, and hath gone out up of the land.'
11 And they set over it princes of tribute, so as to afflict it with their burdens, and it buildeth store-cities for Pharaoh, Pithom and Raamses;
12 and as they afflict it, so it multiplieth, and so it breaketh forth, and they are vexed because of the sons of Israel;
13 and the Egyptians cause the sons of Israel to serve with rigour,
14 and make their lives bitter in hard service, in clay, and in brick, and in every [kind] of service in the field; all their service in which they have served [is] with rigour.
15 And the king of Egypt speaketh to the midwives, the Hebrewesses, (of whom the name of the one [is] Shiphrah, and the name of the second Puah),
16 and saith, `When ye cause the Hebrew women to bear, and have looked on the children; if it [is] a son -- then ye have put him to death; and if it [is] a daughter -- then she hath lived.'
17 And the midwives fear God, and have not done as the king of Egypt hath spoken unto them, and keep the lads alive;
18 and the king of Egypt calleth for the midwives, and saith to them, `Wherefore have ye done this thing, and keep the lads alive?'
19 And the midwives say unto Pharaoh, `Because the Hebrew women [are] not as the Egyptian women, for they [are] lively; before the midwife cometh in unto them -- they have borne!'
20 And God doth good to the midwives, and the people multiply, and are very mighty;
21 and it cometh to pass, because the midwives have feared God, that He maketh for them households;
22 and Pharaoh layeth a charge on all his people, saying, `Every son who is born -- into the River ye do cast him, and every daughter ye do keep alive.'
12 For, even as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, so also [is] the Christ,
13 for also in one Spirit we all to one body were baptized, whether Jews or Greeks, whether servants or freemen, and all into one Spirit were made to drink,
14 for also the body is not one member, but many;
15 if the foot may say, `Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body;' it is not, because of this, not of the body;
16 and if the ear may say, `Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body;' it is not, because of this, not of the body?
17 If the whole body [were] an eye, where the hearing? if the whole hearing, where the smelling?
18 and now, God did set the members each one of them in the body, according as He willed,
19 and if all were one member, where the body?
20 and now, indeed, [are] many members, and one body;
21 and an eye is not able to say to the hand, `I have no need of thee;' nor again the head to the feet, `I have no need of you.'
22 But much more the members of the body which seem to be more infirm are necessary,
23 and those that we think to be less honourable of the body, around these we put more abundant honour, and our unseemly things have seemliness more abundant,
24 and our seemly things have no need; but God did temper the body together, to the lacking part having given more abundant honour,
25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same anxiety for one another,
26 and whether one member doth suffer, suffer with [it] do all the members, or one member is glorified, rejoice with [it] do all the members;
27 And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, to the villages of Cesarea Philippi, and in the way he was questioning his disciples, saying to them, `Who do men say me to be?'
28 And they answered, `John the Baptist, and others Elijah, but others one of the prophets.'
29 And he saith to them, `And ye -- who do ye say me to be?' and Peter answering saith to him, `Thou art the Christ.'
30 And he strictly charged them that they may tell no one about it,
31 and began to teach them, that it behoveth the Son of Man to suffer many things, and to be rejected by the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and after three days to rise again;
32 and openly he was speaking the word. And Peter having taken him aside, began to rebuke him,
33 and he, having turned, and having looked on his disciples, rebuked Peter, saying, `Get behind me, Adversary, because thou dost not mind the things of God, but the things of men.'
34 And having called near the multitude, with his disciples, he said to them, `Whoever doth will to come after me -- let him disown himself, and take up his cross, and follow me;
35 for whoever may will to save his life shall lose it; and whoever may lose his life for my sake and for the good news' sake, he shall save it;
36 for what shall it profit a man, if he may gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?
37 Or what shall a man give as an exchange for his life?
38 for whoever may be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also shall be ashamed of him, when he may come in the glory of his Father, with the holy messengers.'
9 And he said to them, `Verily I say to you, That there are certain of those standing here, who may not taste of death till they see the reign of God having come in power.'