Book of Common Prayer
140 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O Jehovah, from an evil man, From one of violence Thou keepest me.
2 Who have devised evils in the heart, All the day they assemble [for] wars.
3 They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, Poison of an adder [is] under their lips. Selah.
4 Preserve me, Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked, From one of violence Thou keepest me, Who have devised to overthrow my steps.
5 The proud hid a snare for me -- and cords, They spread a net by the side of the path, Snares they have set for me. Selah.
6 I have said to Jehovah, `My God [art] Thou, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of my supplications.'
7 O Jehovah, my Lord, strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of armour.
8 Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked, His wicked device bring not forth, They are high. Selah.
9 The chief of my surrounders, The perverseness of their lips covereth them.
10 They cause to fall on themselves burning coals, Into fire He doth cast them, Into deep pits -- they arise not.
11 A talkative man is not established in the earth, One of violence -- evil hunteth to overflowing.
12 I have known that Jehovah doth execute The judgment of the afflicted, The judgment of the needy.
13 Only -- the righteous give thanks to Thy name, The upright do dwell with Thy presence!
142 An Instruction of David, a Prayer when he is in the cave. My voice [is] unto Jehovah, I cry, My voice [is] unto Jehovah, I entreat grace.
2 I pour forth before Him my meditation, My distress before Him I declare.
3 When my spirit hath been feeble in me, Then Thou hast known my path; In the way [in] which I walk, They have hid a snare for me.
4 Looking on the right hand -- and seeing, And I have none recognizing; Perished hath refuge from me, There is none inquiring for my soul.
5 I have cried unto thee, O Jehovah, I have said, `Thou [art] my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.'
6 Attend Thou unto my loud cry, For I have become very low, Deliver Thou me from my pursuers, For they have been stronger than I.
7 Bring forth from prison my soul to confess Thy name, The righteous do compass me about, When Thou conferrest benefits upon me!
141 A Psalm, by David. O Jehovah, I have called Thee, haste to me, Give ear [to] my voice when I call to Thee.
2 My prayer is prepared -- incense before Thee, The lifting up of my hands -- the evening present.
3 Set, O Jehovah, a watch for my mouth, Watch Thou over the door of my lips.
4 Incline not my heart to an evil thing, To do habitually actions in wickedness, With men working iniquity, Yea, I eat not of their pleasant things.
5 The righteous doth beat me [in] kindness. And doth reprove me, Oil of the head my head disalloweth not, For still my prayer [is] about their vexations.
6 Their judges have been released by the sides of a rock, And they have heard my sayings, For they have been pleasant.
7 As one tilling and ripping up in the land, Have our bones been scattered at the command of Saul.
8 But to Thee, O Jehovah, my Lord, [are] mine eyes, In Thee I have trusted, Make not bare my soul.
9 Keep me from the gin they laid for me, Even snares of workers of iniquity.
10 The wicked fall in their nets together, till I pass over!
143 A Psalm of David. O Jehovah, hear my prayer, Give ear unto my supplications, In Thy faithfulness answer me -- in Thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with Thy servant, For no one living is justified before Thee.
3 For an enemy hath pursued my soul, He hath bruised to the earth my life, He hath caused me to dwell in dark places, As the dead of old.
4 And my spirit in me is become feeble, Within me is my heart become desolate.
5 I have remembered days of old, I have meditated on all Thine acts, On the work of Thy hand I muse.
6 I have spread forth my hands unto Thee, My soul [is] as a weary land for Thee. Selah.
7 Haste, answer me, O Jehovah, My spirit hath been consumed, Hide not Thou Thy face from me, Or I have been compared with those going down [to] the pit.
8 Cause me to hear in the morning Thy kindness, For in Thee I have trusted, Cause me to know the way that I go, For unto Thee I have lifted up my soul.
9 Deliver me from mine enemies, O Jehovah, Near Thee I am covered.
10 Teach me to do Thy good pleasure, For Thou [art] my God -- Thy Spirit [is] good, Lead me into a land of uprightness.
11 For Thy name's sake O Jehovah, Thou dost quicken me, In Thy righteousness, Thou bringest out from distress my soul,
12 And in Thy kindness cuttest off mine enemies, And hast destroyed all the adversaries of my soul, For I [am] Thy servant!
24 And Balaam seeth that [it is] good in the eyes of Jehovah to bless Israel, and he hath not gone as time by time to meet enchantments, and he setteth towards the wilderness his face;
2 and Balaam lifteth up his eyes, and seeth Israel tabernacling, by its tribes, and the Spirit of God is upon him,
3 and he taketh up his simile, and saith: `An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor -- And an affirmation of the man whose eyes are shut --
4 An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God -- Who a vision of the Almighty seeth, Falling -- and eyes uncovered:
5 How good have been thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel;
6 As valleys they have been stretched out, As gardens by a river; As aloes Jehovah hath planted, As cedars by waters;
7 He maketh water flow from his buckets, And his seed [is] in many waters; And higher than Agag [is] his king, And exalted is his kingdom.
8 God is bringing him out of Egypt; As the swiftness of a Reem is to him, He eateth up nations his adversaries, And their bones he breaketh, And [with] his arrows he smiteth,
9 He hath bent, he hath lain down as a lion, And as a lioness: who doth raise him up? He who is blessing thee [is] blessed, And he who is cursing thee [is] cursed.'
10 And the anger of Balak burneth against Balaam, and he striketh his hands; and Balak saith unto Balaam, `To pierce mine enemies I called thee, and lo, thou hast certainly blessed -- these three times;
11 and now, flee for thyself unto thy place; I have said, I do greatly honour thee, and lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honour.'
12 And Balaam saith unto Balak, `Did I not also unto thy messengers whom thou hast sent unto me, speak, saying,
13 If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah, to do good or evil of mine own heart -- that which Jehovah speaketh -- it I speak?
12 So, then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh;
13 for if according to the flesh ye do live, ye are about to die; and if, by the Spirit, the deeds of the body ye put to death, ye shall live;
14 for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God;
15 for ye did not receive a spirit of bondage again for fear, but ye did receive a spirit of adoption in which we cry, `Abba -- Father.'
16 The Spirit himself doth testify with our spirit, that we are children of God;
17 and if children, also heirs, heirs, indeed, of God, and heirs together of Christ -- if, indeed, we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together.
15 Then the Pharisees having gone, took counsel how they might ensnare him in words,
16 and they send to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, `Teacher, we have known that thou art true, and the way of God in truth thou dost teach, and thou art not caring for any one, for thou dost not look to the face of men;
17 tell us, therefore, what dost thou think? is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not?'
18 And Jesus having known their wickedness, said, `Why me do ye tempt, hypocrites?
19 show me the tribute-coin?' and they brought to him a denary;
20 and he saith to them, `Whose [is] this image and the inscription?'
21 they say to him, `Caesar's;' then saith he to them, `Render therefore the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God;'
22 and having heard they wondered, and having left him they went away.