Book of Common Prayer

¹ ¶ Rejoice in the LORD, O ye righteous, for to the upright praise is beautiful.

² Celebrate unto the LORD with harp; sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.

³ Sing unto him a new song; play unto excellence with joy.

⁴ For the word of the LORD is right, and all his works are done in truth.

⁵ He loves righteousness and judgment; the earth is full of the mercy of the LORD.

⁶ By the word of the LORD were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; he lays up the deeps for treasures.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

⁹ For he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it came into being.

¹⁰ The LORD brings the counsel of the Gentiles to nought; he makes the devices of the peoples of no effect.

¹¹ The counsel of the LORD stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

¹² ¶ Blessed is the people whose God is the LORD; the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.

¹³ The LORD looked from heaven; he saw all the sons of Adam.

¹⁴ From the place of his habitation he looked upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

¹⁵ He fashioned all of their hearts; he considers all their works.

¹⁶ The king is not saved by the multitude of the army; the mighty man does not escape by much strength.

¹⁷ A horse is a vain thing for salvation; neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

¹⁸ Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those that fear him, upon those that wait for his mercy

¹⁹ to deliver their souls from death and to keep them alive in the famine.

²⁰ Our soul waited for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

²¹ Therefore our heart shall rejoice in him because we have trusted in the name of his holiness.

²² Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we have waited upon thee.

³ And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob and tell the sons of Israel:

⁴ Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you unto myself.

⁵ Now therefore, if ye will give ear to hearken unto my voice and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a special treasure unto me above all peoples; for all the earth is mine.

⁶ And ye shall be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the sons of Israel.

⁷ Then Moses came and called for the elders of the people and laid before their faces all these words which the LORD commanded him.

⁸ And all the people answered together and said, All that the LORD has spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.

¹⁶ ¶ And it came to pass on the third day when the morning came, that there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the shofar {ram’s horn} exceeding loud, so that all the people that were in the camp trembled.

¹⁷ And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the lower part of the mount.

¹⁸ And all Mount Sinai smoked because the LORD had descended upon it in fire, and its smoke ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.

¹⁹ And the voice of the shofar sounded long and waxed louder and louder; Moses spoke, and God answered him by a voice.

²⁰ And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mount, and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount, and Moses went up.

⁴ ¶ coming unto whom (is the living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious),

⁵ ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, well pleasing to God by Jesus, the Christ.

⁶ Therefore, also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion the chief corner stone, chosen, precious; and he that believes on him shall not be confounded.

⁷ Unto you, therefore, who believe he is precious; but unto those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

⁸ and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to those who stumble at the word, not obeying in that for which they were ordained.

⁹ But ye are the chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, an acquired people, that ye should show forth the virtues of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

¹⁰ Ye who in the time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, who in the time past had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.