Book of Common Prayer
120 A Song of the Ascents. Unto Jehovah in my distress I have called, And He answereth me.
2 O Jehovah, deliver my soul from a lying lip, From a deceitful tongue!
3 What doth He give to thee? And what doth He add to thee? O deceitful tongue!
4 Sharp arrows of a mighty one, with broom-coals.
5 Wo to me, for I have inhabited Mesech, I have dwelt with tents of Kedar.
6 Too much hath my soul dwelt with him who is hating peace.
7 I [am] peace, and when I speak they [are] for war!
121 A Song of the Ascents. I lift up mine eyes unto the hills, Whence doth my help come?
2 My help [is] from Jehovah, maker of heaven and earth,
3 He suffereth not thy foot to be moved, Thy preserver slumbereth not.
4 Lo, He slumbereth not, nor sleepeth, He who is preserving Israel.
5 Jehovah [is] thy preserver, Jehovah [is] thy shade on thy right hand,
6 By day the sun doth not smite thee, Nor the moon by night.
7 Jehovah preserveth thee from all evil, He doth preserve thy soul.
8 Jehovah preserveth thy going out and thy coming in, From henceforth even unto the age!
122 A Song of the Ascents, by David. I have rejoiced in those saying to me, `To the house of Jehovah we go.'
2 Our feet have been standing in thy gates, O Jerusalem!
3 Jerusalem -- the builded one -- [Is] as a city that is joined to itself together.
4 For thither have tribes gone up, Tribes of Jah, companies of Israel, To give thanks to the name of Jehovah.
5 For there have sat thrones of judgment, Thrones of the house of David.
6 Ask ye the peace of Jerusalem, At rest are those loving thee.
7 Peace is in thy bulwark, rest in thy high places,
8 For the sake of my brethren and my companions, Let me speak, I pray thee, `Peace [be] in thee.'
9 For the sake of the house of Jehovah our God, I seek good for thee!
123 A Song of the Ascents. Unto Thee I have lifted up mine eyes, O dweller in the heavens.
2 Lo, as eyes of men-servants [Are] unto the hand of their masters, As eyes of a maid-servant [Are] unto the hand of her mistress, So [are] our eyes unto Jehovah our God, Till that He doth favour us.
3 Favour us, O Jehovah, favour us, For greatly have we been filled with contempt,
4 Greatly hath our soul been filled With the scorning of the easy ones, With the contempt of the arrogant!
124 A Song of the Ascents, by David. Save [for] Jehovah -- who hath been for us, (Pray, let Israel say),
2 Save [for] Jehovah -- who hath been for us, In the rising up of man against us,
3 Then alive they had swallowed us up, In the burning of their anger against us,
4 Then the waters had overflowed us, The stream passed over our soul,
5 Then passed over our soul had the proud waters.
6 Blessed [is] Jehovah who hath not given us, A prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul as a bird hath escaped from a snare of fowlers, The snare was broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help [is] in the name of Jehovah, Maker of the heavens and earth!
125 A Song of the Ascents. Those trusting in Jehovah [are] as Mount Zion, It is not moved -- to the age it abideth.
2 Jerusalem! mountains [are] round about her, And Jehovah [is] round about His people, From henceforth even unto the age.
3 For the rod of wickedness resteth not On the lot of the righteous, That the righteous put not forth on iniquity their hands.
4 Do good, O Jehovah, to the good, And to the upright in their hearts.
5 As to those turning [to] their crooked ways, Jehovah causeth them to go with workers of iniquity. Peace on Israel!
126 A Song of the Ascents. In Jehovah's turning back [to] the captivity of Zion, We have been as dreamers.
2 Then filled [with] laughter is our mouth, And our tongue [with] singing, Then do they say among nations, `Jehovah did great things with these.'
3 Jehovah did great things with us, We have been joyful.
4 Turn again, O Jehovah, [to] our captivity, As streams in the south.
5 Those sowing in tears, with singing do reap,
6 Whoso goeth on and weepeth, Bearing the basket of seed, Surely cometh in with singing, bearing his sheaves!
127 A Song of the Ascents, by Solomon. If Jehovah doth not build the house, In vain have its builders laboured at it, If Jehovah doth not watch a city, In vain hath a watchman waked.
2 Vain for you who are rising early, Who delay sitting, eating the bread of griefs, So He giveth to His beloved one sleep.
3 Lo, an inheritance of Jehovah [are] sons, A reward [is] the fruit of the womb.
4 As arrows in the hand of a mighty one, So [are] the sons of the young men.
5 O the happiness of the man Who hath filled his quiver with them, They are not ashamed, For they speak with enemies in the gate!
5 And afterwards have Moses and Aaron entered, and they say unto Pharaoh, `Thus said Jehovah, God of Israel, Send My people away, and they keep a feast to Me in the wilderness;'
2 and Pharaoh saith, `Who [is] Jehovah, that I hearken to His voice, to send Israel away? I have not known Jehovah, and Israel also I do not send away.'
3 And they say, `The God of the Hebrews hath met with us, let us go, we pray thee, a journey of three days into the wilderness, and we sacrifice to Jehovah our God, lest He meet us with pestilence or with sword.'
4 And the king of Egypt saith unto them, `Why, Moses and Aaron, do ye free the people from its works? go to your burdens.'
5 Pharaoh also saith, `Lo, numerous now [is] the people of the land, and ye have caused them to cease from their burdens!'
6 And Pharaoh commandeth, on that day, the exactors among the people and its authorities, saying,
7 `Ye do not add to give straw to the people for the making of the bricks, as heretofore -- they go and have gathered straw for themselves;
8 and the proper quantity of the bricks which they are making heretofore ye do put on them, ye do not diminish from it, for they are remiss, therefore they are crying, saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to our God;
9 let the service be heavy on the men, and let them work at it, and not be dazzled by lying words.'
10 And the exactors of the people, and its authorities, go out, and speak unto the people, saying, `Thus said Pharaoh, I do not give you straw,
11 ye -- go ye, take for yourselves straw where ye find [it], for there is nothing of your service diminished.'
12 And the people is scattered over all the land of Egypt, to gather stubble for straw,
13 and the exactors are making haste, saying, `Complete your works, the matter of a day in its day, as when there is straw.'
14 And the authorities of the sons of Israel, whom the exactors of Pharaoh have placed over them, are beaten, saying, `Wherefore have ye not completed your portion in making brick as heretofore, both yesterday and to-day?'
15 And the authorities of the sons of Israel come in and cry unto Pharaoh, saying, `Why dost thou thus to thy servants?
16 Straw is not given to thy servants, and they are saying to us, Make bricks, and lo, thy servants are smitten -- and thy people hath sinned.'
17 And he saith, `Remiss -- ye are remiss, therefore ye are saying, Let us go, let us sacrifice to Jehovah;
18 and now, go, serve; and straw is not given to you, and the measure of bricks ye do give.'
19 And the authorities of the sons of Israel see them in affliction, saying, `Ye do not diminish from your bricks; the matter of a day in its day.'
20 And they meet Moses and Aaron standing to meet them, in their coming out from Pharaoh,
21 and say unto them, `Jehovah look upon you, and judge, because ye have caused our fragrance to stink in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants -- to give a sword into their hand to slay us.'
22 And Moses turneth back unto Jehovah, and saith, `Lord, why hast Thou done evil to this people? why [is] this? -- Thou hast sent me!
23 and since I have come unto Pharaoh, to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people, and Thou hast not at all delivered Thy people.'
6 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Now dost thou see that which I do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he doth send them away, yea, with a strong hand he doth cast them out of his land.'
20 Brethren, become not children in the understanding, but in the evil be ye babes, and in the understanding become ye perfect;
21 in the law it hath been written, that, `With other tongues and with other lips I will speak to this people, and not even so will they hear Me, saith the Lord;'
22 so that the tongues are for a sign, not to the believing, but to the unbelieving; and the prophesy [is] not for the unbelieving, but for the believing,
23 If, therefore, the whole assembly may come together, to the same place, and all may speak with tongues, and there may come in unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
24 and if all may prophecy, and any one may come in, an unbeliever or unlearned, he is convicted by all, he is discerned by all,
25 and so the secrets of his heart become manifest, and so having fallen upon [his] face, he will bow before God, declaring that God really is among you.
26 What then is it, brethren? whenever ye may come together, each of you hath a psalm, hath a teaching, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation? let all things be for building up;
27 if an [unknown] tongue any one do speak, by two, or at the most, by three, and in turn, and let one interpret;
28 and if there may be no interpreter, let him be silent in an assembly, and to himself let him speak, and to God.
29 And prophets -- let two or three speak, and let the others discern,
30 and if to another sitting [anything] may be revealed, let the first be silent;
31 for ye are able, one by one, all to prophesy, that all may learn, and all may be exhorted,
32 and the spiritual gift of prophets to prophets are subject,
33 for God is not [a God] of tumult, but of peace, as in all the assemblies of the saints.
39 so that, brethren, earnestly desire to prophesy, and to speak with tongues do not forbid;
40 let all things be done decently and in order.
42 and whoever may cause to stumble one of the little ones believing in me, better is it for him if a millstone is hanged about his neck, and he hath been cast into the sea.
43 `And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee maimed to enter into the life, than having the two hands, to go away to the gehenna, to the fire -- the unquenchable --
44 where there worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched.
45 `And if thy foot may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into the life lame, than having the two feet to be cast to the gehenna, to the fire -- the unquenchable --
46 where there worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched.
47 And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it is better for thee one-eyed to enter into the reign of God, than having two eyes, to be cast to the gehenna of the fire --
48 where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched;
49 for every one with fire shall be salted, and every sacrifice with salt shall be salted.
50 The salt [is] good, but if the salt may become saltless, in what will ye season [it]? Have in yourselves salt, and have peace in one another.'