Book of Common Prayer
55 1 David being in great heaviness and distress, complaineth of the cruelty of Saul, 13 and of the falsehood of his familiar acquaintance, 17 Uttering the most ardent affections to move the Lord to pity him. 22 After, being assured of deliverance, he setteth forth the grace of God, as though he had already obtained his request.
To him that excelleth on Neginoth. A Psalm of David to give instruction.
1 Hear [a]my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication.
2 Hearken unto me, and answer me: I mourn in my prayer, and make a noise,
3 For the [b]voice of the enemy, and for the vexation of the wicked, because [c]they have brought iniquity upon me, and furiously hate me.
4 Mine heart trembleth within me, and the terrors of death are fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling are come upon me, and an horrible fear hath [d]covered me.
6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove: then would I [e]fly away and rest.
7 Behold I would take my flight far off, and lodge in the wilderness. Selah.
8 He would make haste for my deliverance [f]from the stormy wind and tempest.
9 Destroy, O Lord, and [g]divide their tongues: for I have seen cruelty and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof, both [h]iniquity and mischief are in the midst of it.
11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.
12 Surely mine [i]enemy did not defame me, for I could have borne it: neither did mine adversary exalt himself against me: for I would have hid me from him.
13 But it was thou, O man, even my [j]companion, my guide, and my familiar:
14 Which delighted in consulting together, and went into the house of God as companions.
15 Let death seize upon them: let them [k]go down quick into the grave: for wickedness is in their dwellings even in the midst of them.
16 But I will call unto God, and the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning, and at noon will I pray [l]and make a noise, and he will hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for [m]many were with me.
19 God shall hear and afflict them, even he that reigneth of old, Selah: because they [n]have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
20 He [o]laid his hand upon such as be at peace with him, and he brake his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were softer than butter, yet war was in his heart, his words were more gentle than oil, yet they were swords.
22 Cast thy [p]burden upon the Lord, and he shall nourish thee: he will not suffer the righteous to fall [q]forever.
23 And thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of corruption: the bloody, and deceitful men shall not live [r]half their days: but I will trust in thee.
138 1 David with great courage praiseth the goodness of God toward him, the which is so great, 4 That it is known to foreign princes, who shall praise the Lord together with him. 6 And he is assured to have the like comfort of God in the time following, as he had heretofore.
A Psalm of David.
1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: even before the [a]gods will I praise thee.
2 I will worship toward thine holy [b]Temple and praise thy Name, because of thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy Name above all things by thy word.
3 When I called, then thou heardest me, and hast [c]increased strength in my soul.
4 All the [d]kings of the earth shall praise thee, O Lord: for they have heard the words of thy mouth.
5 And they shall sing of the ways of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord is great.
6 For the Lord is high, yet he beholdeth the lowly, but the proud he knoweth [e]afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, yet wilt thou revive me: thou wilt stretch forth thine hand upon the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The Lord will [f]perform his work toward me: O Lord, thy mercy endureth forever: forsake not the works of thine hands.
139 1 David cleanseth his heart from all hypocrisy, showeth that there is nothing so hid, which God seeth not. 13 Which he confirmeth by the creation of man. 14 After declaring his zeal and fear of God, he professeth to be enemy to all them that contemn God.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord, thou hast tried me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my [g]sitting and my rising: thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou [h]compassest my paths, and my lying down, and art accustomed to all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my [i]tongue, but lo, thou knowest it wholly, O Lord.
5 Thou holdest me strait behind and before, and layest thine [j]hand upon me.
6 Thy knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is so high that I cannot attain unto it.
7 Whither shall I go from thy [k]Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, thou art there: if I lie down in hell, thou art there.
9 Let me take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea:
10 Yet thither shall thine hand [l]lead me, and thy right hand hold me.
11 If I say, Yet the darkness shall hide me, even the night shall be [m]light about me.
12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee: but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and light are both alike.
13 For thou hast [n]possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise thee, for I am [o]fearfully and wondrously made: marvelous are thy works, and my soul knoweth it well.
15 My bones are not hid from thee, though I was made in a secret place, and fashioned [p]beneath in the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see me, when I was without form: [q]for in thy book were all things written, which in continuance were fashioned, when there was none of them before.
17 How [r]dear therefore are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more than the sand: when I awake, [s]I am still with thee.
19 Oh that thou wouldest [slay], O God, the wicked and bloody men, to whom I say, Depart ye from me:
20 Which speak wickedly of thee, and being thine enemies are lifted up in vain.
21 Do not I [t]hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and do not I earnestly contend with those that rise up against thee?
22 I hate them with an unfeigned hatred, as they were mine utter enemies.
23 Try me, O God, and know mine heart: prove me and know my thoughts,
38 1 God speaketh to Job, and declareth the weakness of man in the consideration of his creatures, by whose excellency the power, justice, and providence of the Creator is known.
1 Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the [a]whirlwind, and said,
2 Who is this that [b]darkeneth the counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man: I [c]will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
4 Where wast thou when I [d]laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest, or who hath stretched the line over it:
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof set: or who laid the cornerstone thereof:
7 When the stars of the morning [e]praised me together, and all the [f]children of God rejoiced:
8 Or who hath shut up the Sea with doors, when it issued and came forth as out of the womb:
9 When I made the clouds as a covering thereof, and darkness as the [g]swaddling bands thereof:
10 When I establisheth my commandment upon it, and set bars and doors,
11 And said, hitherto shalt thou come, but no further, and here shall it [h]stay thy proud waves.
12 Hast thou commanded the [i]morning since thy days? hast thou caused the morning to know his place?
13 That it might take hold of the corners of the earth, and that the wicked might be [j]shaken out of it?
14 It is turned as clay to fashion, [k]and all stand up as a garment.
15 And from the wicked their light shall be taken away, and the high arm shall be broken.
16 Hast thou entered into the bottoms of the sea? or hast thou walked to seek out the [l]depth?
17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?
22 [a]Then it seemed good to the Apostles and Elders with the whole Church to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: to wit, Judas whose surname was Barsabas, and Silas, which were chief men among the brethren,
23 And wrote letters by them after this manner, THE APOSTLES, and the Elders, and the brethren, Unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch, and in Syria, and in Cilicia, send greeting.
24 [b]Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which [c]went out from us, have troubled you with words, and [d]cumbered your minds, saying, Ye must be circumcised and keep the Law: to whom we gave no such commandment,
25 It seemed therefore good to us, when we were come together with one accord, to [send] chosen men unto you, with our beloved Barnabas and Paul.
26 Men that have [e]given up their lives for the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, which shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
28 [f]For it seemed good to the [g]holy Ghost, and [h]to us, to lay no more burden upon you, than these [i]necessary things.
29 [j]That is, that ye abstain from things offered to idols, and blood, and that that is strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
30 [k]Now when they were departed, they came to Antioch, and after that they had assembled the multitude, they delivered the Epistle,
31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation.
32 And Judas and Silas being Prophets, exhorted the brethren with many words, and strengthened them.
33 And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in [l]peace of the brethren unto the Apostles.
34 Notwithstanding Silas thought good to abide there still.
35 Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching with many others the word of the Lord.
45 ¶ Then many of the Jews, which came to Mary, and had seen the things, which Jesus did, believed in him.
46 [a]But some of them went their way to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.
47 Then gathered the high Priests, and the Pharisees a [b]council, and said, What shall we do? For this man doeth many miracles.
48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe in him, and the Romans will come and [c]take away both our place, and the nation.
49 [d]Then one of them named Caiaphas, which was the high Priest that same year, said unto them, Ye perceive nothing at all,
50 (A)Nor yet do you consider that it is expedient for us, that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
51 [e]This spake he not of himself: but being high Priest that same year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation:
52 And not for that nation only, but that he should gather together in one the children of God, which [f]were scattered.
53 Then from that day forth they consulted together, to put him to death.
54 [g]Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but went thence unto a country near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.
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