Book of Common Prayer
A psalm of complaint and of praise.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
31 In thee, O Jehovah, do I take refuge;
Let me never be put to shame:
Deliver me in thy righteousness.
2 Bow down thine ear unto me; deliver me speedily:
Be thou to me a strong rock,
A house of [a]defence to save me.
3 For thou art my rock and my fortress;
Therefore for thy name’s sake lead me and guide me.
4 Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me;
For thou art my stronghold.
5 Into thy hand I commend my spirit:
Thou hast redeemed me, O Jehovah, thou God of truth.
6 I hate them that regard lying vanities;
But I trust in Jehovah.
7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy lovingkindness;
For thou hast seen my affliction:
Thou hast known [b]my soul in adversities;
8 And thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy;
Thou hast set my feet in a large place.
9 Have mercy upon me, O Jehovah, for I am in distress:
Mine eye wasteth away with grief, yea, my soul and my body.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow,
And my years with sighing:
My strength faileth because of mine iniquity,
And my bones are wasted away.
11 Because of all mine adversaries I am become a reproach,
Yea, unto my neighbors exceedingly,
And a fear to mine acquaintance:
They that did see me without fled from me.
12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind:
I am like a broken vessel.
13 For I have heard the defaming of many,
Terror on every side:
While they took counsel together against me,
They devised to take away my life.
14 But I trusted in thee, O Jehovah:
I said, Thou art my God.
15 My times are in thy hand:
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.
16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant:
Save me in thy lovingkindness.
17 Let me not be put to shame, O Jehovah; for I have called upon thee:
Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be dumb,
Which speak against the righteous insolently,
With pride and contempt.
19 Oh how great is thy goodness,
Which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee,
Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee,
Before the sons of men!
20 In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man:
Thou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
21 Blessed be Jehovah;
For he hath showed me his marvellous lovingkindness in a strong city.
22 As for me, I said in my [c]haste,
I am cut off from before thine eyes:
Nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications,
When I cried unto thee.
23 Oh love Jehovah, all ye his saints:
Jehovah preserveth [d]the faithful,
And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage,
All ye that [e]hope in Jehovah.
Prayer for rescue from enemies.
A Psalm of David.
35 Strive thou, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me:
Fight thou against them that fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler,
And stand up for my help.
3 Draw out also the spear, [a]and stop the way against them that pursue me:
Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 Let them be put to shame and brought to dishonor that seek after my soul:
Let them be turned back and confounded that devise my hurt.
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind,
And the angel of Jehovah driving them on.
6 Let their way be [b]dark and slippery,
And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them.
7 For without cause have they hid for me [c]their net in a pit;
Without cause have they digged a pit for my soul.
8 Let destruction come upon him unawares;
And let his net that he hath hid catch himself:
[d]With destruction let him fall therein.
9 And my soul shall be joyful in Jehovah:
It shall rejoice in his salvation.
10 All my bones shall say, Jehovah, who is like unto thee,
Who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him,
Yea, the poor and the needy from him that robbeth him?
11 [e]Unrighteous witnesses rise up;
They ask me of things that I know not.
12 They reward me evil for good,
To the bereaving of my soul.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth:
I afflicted my soul with fasting;
And my prayer [f]returned into mine own bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or my brother:
I bowed down mourning, as one that bewaileth his mother.
15 But in [g]mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together:
The [h]abjects gathered themselves together against me, and [i]I knew it not;
They did tear me, and ceased not:
16 [j]Like the profane mockers in feasts,
They gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on?
Rescue my soul from their destructions,
My [k]darling from the lions.
18 I will give thee thanks in the great assembly:
I will praise thee among [l]much people.
19 Let not them that are mine enemies [m]wrongfully rejoice over me;
Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause.
20 For they speak not peace;
But they devise deceitful words against them that are quiet in the land.
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
22 Thou hast seen it, O Jehovah; keep not silence:
O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up thyself, and awake to the justice due unto me,
Even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O Jehovah my God, according to thy righteousness;
And let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their heart, [n]Aha, so would we have it:
Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26 Let them be put to shame and confounded together that rejoice at my hurt:
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves against me.
27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that [o]favor my righteous cause:
Yea, let them say continually, Jehovah be magnified,
Who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
28 And my tongue shall talk of thy righteousness
And of thy praise all the day long.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise,
And guide thy heart in the way.
20 Be not among winebibbers,
Among gluttonous eaters of flesh:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty;
And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.
29 Who hath [a]woe? who hath [b]sorrow? who hath contentions?
Who hath complaining? who hath wounds without cause?
Who hath [c]redness of eyes?
30 They that tarry long at the wine;
They that go to [d]seek out mixed wine.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,
When it sparkleth in the cup,
When it [e]goeth down smoothly:
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent,
And stingeth like an adder.
33 Thine eyes shall behold [f]strange things,
And thy heart shall utter perverse things.
34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea,
Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, and I felt it not:
When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
24 Be not thou envious against evil men;
Neither desire to be with them:
2 For their heart studieth oppression,
And their lips talk of mischief.
17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. 18 For the scripture saith, [a]Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his hire. 19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, except at the mouth of two or three witnesses. 20 Them that sin reprove in the sight of all, that the rest also may be in fear. 21 I charge thee in the sight of God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without [b]prejudice, doing nothing by partiality. 22 Lay hands hastily on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure. 23 Be no longer a drinker of water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities. 24 Some men’s sins are evident, going before unto judgment; and some men also they follow after. 25 In like manner also [c]there are good works that are evident; and such as are otherwise cannot be hid.
31 Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 which indeed is less than all seeds; but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the heaven come and lodge in the branches thereof.
33 Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three [a]measures of meal, till it was all leavened.
34 All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake he nothing unto them: 35 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,
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