Book of Common Prayer
97 1 The Prophet exhorteth all to rejoice for the coming of the kingdom of Christ, 7 dreadful to the rebels and idolaters, 8 and joyful to the just, whom he exhorteth to innocency, 12 to rejoicing and thanksgiving.
1 The [a]Lord reigneth: let the earth rejoice: let the [b]multitude of the Isles be glad.
2 [c]Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
3 There shall go a fire before him, and burn up his enemies round about.
4 His lightnings gave light unto the world: the earth saw it and was [d]afraid.
5 The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
7 [e]Confounded be all they that serve graven images, and that glory in idols: worship him [f]all ye gods.
8 Zion heard of it, and was glad: and the [g]daughters of Judah rejoiced, because of thy judgments, O Lord.
9 For thou, Lord, art most High above all the earth: thou art much exalted above all gods.
10 Ye that [h]love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his Saints: he will deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
11 [i]Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice ye righteous in the Lord, and give thanks for his holy [j]remembrance.
99 1 He commendeth the power, equity, and excellency of the kingdom of God by Christ over the Jews and Gentiles, 5 And provoketh them to magnify the same, and to serve the Lord, 6 following the example of the ancient fathers, Moses, Aaron, Samuel, who calling upon God, were heard in their prayers.
1 The Lord reigneth, let the [a]people tremble: he sitteth between the (A)Cherubims, let the earth be moved.
2 The Lord is great in Zion, and he is high above all the people.
3 They shall [b]praise thy great and fearful Name (for it is holy.)
4 And the King’s power, that loveth judgment: for thou hast prepared equity: thou hast executed judgment and justice in Jacob.
5 Exalt the Lord our God, and fall down before his [c]footstool: for he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron were among his Priests, [d]and Samuel among such as call upon his Name: these called upon the Lord, and he heard them.
7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the Law that he gave them.
8 Thou heardest them, O Lord our God: thou wast a favorable God unto them, though thou didst take vengeance for [e]their inventions.
9 Exalt the Lord our God and fall down before his holy Mountain: for the Lord our God is holy.
100 1 He exhorteth all to serve the Lord, 3 who hath chosen us, and preserved us, 4 and to enter into his assemblies to praise his Name.
A Psalm of praise.
1 Sing [f]ye loud unto the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyfulness.
3 Know ye that even the Lord is God; he hath [g]made us, and not we ourselves: we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 [h]Enter into his gates with praise, and into his courts with rejoicing: praise him and bless his Name.
5 For the Lord is good: his mercy is [i]everlasting, and his truth is from generation to generation.
94 1 He prayeth unto God against the violence and arrogance of tyrants, 10 warning them of God’s judgments. 12 Then doth he comfort the afflicted by the good issue of their afflictions, as he felt in himself, and did set in others, and by the ruin of the wicked, 23 whom the Lord will destroy.
1 O Lord God [a]the avenger, O God the avenger, show thyself [b]clearly.
2 Exalt thyself, O Judge of the world, and render a reward to the proud.
3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked [c]triumph?
4 They prate and speak fiercely: all the workers of iniquity vaunt themselves.
5 They [d]smite down thy people, O Lord, and trouble thine heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.
7 [e]Yet they say, The Lord shall not see: neither will the God of Jacob regard it.
8 Understand, ye unwise among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
9 He that [f]planted the ear, shall he not hear? or he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10 Or he that chastiseth the [g]nations, shall he not correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall he not know?
11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
12 Blessed is the man whom thou [h]chastisest, O Lord, and teachest him in thy Law,
13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days of evil, while the pit is dug for the wicked.
14 Surely the Lord will not fail his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 For [i]judgment shall return to justice, and all the upright in heart shall follow after it.
16 Who will rise up with me against the wicked? or who will take my part against the workers of iniquity?
17 If the Lord had not [j]helped me, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.
18 When I said, [k]My foot slideth, thy mercy, O Lord, stayed me.
19 In the multitude of my [l]thoughts in mine heart, thy comforts have rejoiced my soul.
20 Hath the throne of iniquity [m]fellowship with thee, which forgeth wrong for a Law?
21 They gather them together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the Lord is my refuge, and my God is the rock of mine hope.
23 And he will recompense them their wickedness, and [n]destroy them in their own malice, yea, the Lord our God shall destroy them.
95 1 An earnest exhortation to praise God, 4 for the government of the world and the election of the Church. 8 An admonition not to follow the rebellion of the old fathers, that tempted God in the wilderness. 11 For the which they might not enter into the land of promise.
1 Come, let us rejoice unto the Lord: let us sing [o]aloud unto the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his face with praise: let us sing loud unto him with Psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all [p]gods,
4 In whose hand are the deep places of the earth, and the [q]heights of the mountains are his,
5 To whom the Sea belongeth, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Come, let us [r]worship and fall down, and kneel before the Lord our maker.
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his [s]hand: today, if ye will hear his voice,
8 [t]Harden not your heart, as in [u]Meribah, and as in the day of [v]Massah in the wilderness,
9 When your fathers (A)tempted me, proved me, though they had seen my work.
10 Forty years have I contended with this generation, and said, They are a people that [w]err in heart, for they have not known my ways.
11 Wherefore I sware in my wrath, saying, Surely they shall not enter into [x]my rest.
13 1 Israel for their wickedness is oppressed of the Philistines. 3 The Angel appeareth to Manoah’s wife, 16 The Angel commandeth him to sacrifice unto the Lord. 24 The birth of Samson.
1 But the children of Israel continued to commit (A)wickedness in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years.
2 ¶ Then there was a man in Zorah of the family of the Danites named Manoah, whose wife was [a]barren, and bare not.
3 And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.
4 And now therefore beware (B)that thou drink no wine, nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing.
5 For lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall (C)come on his head: for the child shall be a [b]Nazirite unto God from his birth: and he shall begin to save Israel out of the hands of the Philistines.
6 ¶ Then the wife came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and the fashion of him was like the fashion of the Angel of God exceedingly [c]fearful, but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name,
7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and now thou shalt drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from his birth to the day of his death.
8 Then Manoah [d]prayed to the Lord, and said, I pray thee, my Lord, let the man of God, whom thou sentest, come again now unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child when he is born.
9 And God heard the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came again unto the wife, as she sat in the field, but Manoah her husband was not with her.
10 ¶ And the wife made haste and ran, and showed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me [e]today.
11 And Manoah arose and went after his wife, and came to the [f]man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? and he said, Yea.
12 Then Manoah said, Now let thy saying come to pass: but how shall we order the child and do unto him?
13 And the Angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, The woman must beware of all that I said unto her.
14 She may eat of nothing that cometh of the vine tree: she shall not drink wine nor strong drink, nor eat any [g]unclean thing: let her observe all that I have commanded her.
15 Manoah then said unto the Angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us retain thee, until we have made ready a kid for thee.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the Council, and the chief Priest asked them,
28 [a]Saying, Did we not straightly command you, that ye should not teach in this name? and behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and ye would [b]bring this man’s blood upon us.
29 [c]Then Peter and the Apostles answered, and said, We ought rather to obey God than men.
30 [d]The (A)God of our fathers hath raised up Jesus whom ye slew, and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God lifted up with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32 [e]And we are his witnesses concerning these things which we say: yea, and the holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.
33 Now when they heard it, they [f]brast for anger, and consulted to slay them.
34 [g]Then stood there up in the Council a certain Pharisee named Gamaliel, a doctor of the Law, honored of all the people, and commanded to put the Apostles forth a little space,
35 And said unto them, Men of Israel, take heed to yourselves, what ye intend to do touching these men.
36 [h]For before these times, rose up Theudas [i]boasting himself, to whom resorted a number of men, about a four hundred, who was slain: and they all which obeyed him were scattered, and brought to naught.
37 After this man, arose up Judas of Galilee, in the days of the tribute, and drew away much people after him: he also perished, and all that obeyed him, were scattered abroad.
38 And now I say unto you, [j]Refrain yourselves from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel, or this work be of [k]men, it will come to naught:
39 But if it be of God, ye cannot destroy it, lest ye be found even fighters against God.
40 And to him they agreed, and called the Apostles: and when they had beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the Name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 [l]So they departed from the Council, rejoicing, that they were counted worthy to suffer rebuke for his Name.
42 And daily in the [m]Temple, and from house to house they ceased not to teach, and preach Jesus Christ.
22 ¶ After these things came Jesus, and his disciples into the land of Judea, and there tarried with them, and (A)baptized.
23 And John also baptized in Aenon besides Salim, because there was much water there: and they came and were baptized.
24 For John was not yet cast into prison.
25 [a]Then there arose a question between John’s disciples and the Jews, about purifying.
26 And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom (B)thou barest witness, behold, he baptizeth, and all men come to him.
27 John answered, and said, A man [b]can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
28 Ye yourselves are my witnesses, that (C)I said, I am not that Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly, because of the bridegroom’s voice. This my joy therefore is fulfilled.
30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 He that is come from on high, is above all: he that is of the earth, is of the [c]earth, and [d]speaketh of the earth: he that is come from heaven, is above all.
32 And what he hath [e]seen and heard, that he testifieth: but [f]no man receiveth his testimony.
33 He that hath receiveth his testimony, hath sealed that (D)God is true.
34 For he whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God: for God giveth him not the Spirit by measure.
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath (E)[g]given all things into his hand.
36 (F)He that believeth in the Son, hath everlasting life, and he that obeyeth not the Son, shall not [h]see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.
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