Book of Common Prayer
A Song of degrees.
1 ¶ In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he answered me.
2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
5 ¶ Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul has long dwelt with those that hate peace.
7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
A Song of degrees.
1 ¶ I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains, from whence cometh my help.
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made the heavens and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he that keeps thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil; he shall preserve thy soul.
8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
A Song of degrees of David.
1 ¶ I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.
2 Our feet stood within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem, that one which is built as a city that is well united together
4 Because the tribes went up there, the tribes of JAH, the testimony to Israel, to praise the name of the LORD.
5 For there are set thrones of the judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 ¶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; those that love thee shall be brought into rest.
7 Peace be within thy walls and rest within thy palaces.
8 For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.
9 Because of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek thy good.
A Song of degrees.
1 ¶ Unto thee I lift up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of slaves look unto the hand of their masters and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until he shall have mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we are exceedingly weary of being held in contempt.
4 Our soul is exceedingly weary of the scorning of those that are at ease and of the contempt of the proud.
A Song of degrees of David.
1 ¶ If the LORD had not been for us, now may Israel say,
2 If the LORD had not been for us, when men rose up against us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;
4 then the waters would have overwhelmed us; the flood would have gone over our soul;
5 then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.
6 ¶ Blessed be the LORD, who did not give us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare has broken, and we are escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made the heaven and the earth.
A Song of degrees.
1 ¶ Those that trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed but abides for ever.
2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the LORD is round about his people from now on even for ever.
3 For the rod of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous because the righteous shall not put forth their hands unto iniquity.
4 ¶ Do good, O LORD, unto those that are good and to those that are upright in their hearts.
5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall take them away with the workers of iniquity; and peace shall be upon Israel.
A Song of degrees.
1 ¶ When the LORD shall turn again the captivity of Zion, we shall be like those that dream.
2 Then our mouth shall be filled with laughter and our tongue with singing; then they shall say among the Gentiles, The LORD has done great things with them.
3 The LORD has done great things with us, of which we shall be glad.
4 ¶ Turn again our captivity, O LORD, as the streams in the south.
5 Those that sow with tears shall reap with joy.
6 He that goes forth and weeps, bearing the precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
A Song of degrees for Solomon.
1 ¶ Unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain that build it; unless the LORD keeps the city, the watchmen watch in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to come home late, to eat the bread of sorrows, because he shall give his beloved sleep.
3 Behold, sons are a heritage of the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is to be desired.
4 As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the young men.
5 Happy is the man that has filled his quiver with them: he shall not be ashamed when he speaks with the enemies in the gate.
5 ¶ And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go that they may celebrate a feast unto me in the wilderness.
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should hearken to his voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
3 ¶ And they said, The God of the Hebrews has found us; therefore we shall go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice unto the LORD our God lest he encounter us with pestilence or with the sword.
4 Then the king of Egypt said unto them, Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, keep the people from their works? Go unto your burdens.
5 Pharaoh also said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them cease from their burdens.
6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,
7 Ye shall no longer give the people firewood to make brick as until now; let them go and gather firewood for themselves.
8 And the tally of the bricks which they made before, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish any of it; for they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
9 Let more work be laid upon them that they may occupy themselves with it; and let them not regard words of deception.
10 ¶ And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you firewood.
11 Go ye, gather firewood where ye can find it; yet none of your work shall be diminished.
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather brush for firewood.
13 And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily quotas, as when there was firewood.
14 And the officers of the sons of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and they demanded, Why have ye not fulfilled your quotas in making brick both yesterday and today, as until now?
15 ¶ Then the officers of the sons of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, Why doest thou deal thus with thy slaves?
16 There is no firewood given unto thy slaves, yet they say to us, Make brick. Behold, thy slaves are beaten; and thy people sin.
17 And he replied, Ye are idle, ye are idle, therefore ye say, Let us go and sacrifice unto the LORD.
18 Go therefore now and work, for no firewood shall be given you, yet ye shall deliver the tally of bricks.
19 Then the officers of the sons of Israel saw that they were afflicted after it was said, Ye shall not diminish any from the bricks of your daily quota.
20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh;
21 and they said unto them, The LORD look upon you and judge because ye have made our savour to be a stench before Pharaoh and his slaves, putting a sword in their hands to slay us.
22 Then Moses returned unto the LORD and said, Lord, why hast thou so afflicted this people? Why is it that thou hast sent me?
23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he has afflicted this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.
6 ¶ Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now thou shalt see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he must let them go, and with a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land.
20 Brothers, be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye children; but in understanding be perfect.
21 ¶ In the law it is written, In other tongues and with other lips I will speak unto this people; and yet for all that, they will not hear me, saith the Lord.
22 Therefore, tongues are for a sign, not to those that believe, but to those that do not believe; but prophecy is not for those that do not believe, but for those who believe.
23 If, therefore, the whole congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} is come together into one place and all speak with tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that does not believe or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all;
25 for the secrets of his heart are made manifest; and so falling down on his face, he will worship God, declaring that God is indeed in you.
26 ¶ How is it then, brothers? when ye come together, each one of you has a psalm, has doctrine, has tongues, has revelation, has interpretation. Let all things be done unto edification.
27 If anyone speaks in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
28 But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silence in the congregation, {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} and let him speak to himself and to God.
29 Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge.
30 If any thing is revealed to another that sits by, let the first be silent.
31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted.
32 And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
33 For God is not the God of disorder, but of peace, as in all the congregations {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} of the saints.
39 Therefore, brothers, earnestly pursue prophecy and do not forbid to speak with tongues.
40 But let all things be done decently and in order.
42 And whosoever shall be a stumbling block to one of these little ones that believe in me, it would be better for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand causes thee to fall, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into life maimed than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that can never be quenched,
44 where their worm does not die, and the fire is never quenched.
45 And if thy foot causes thee to fall, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter halt into life than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that can never be quenched,
46 where their worm does not die, and the fire is never quenched.
47 And if thine eye causes thee to fall, pluck it out; it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than having two eyes to be cast into hell,
48 where their worm does not die, and the fire is never quenched.
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltness, with what will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.
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