Book of Common Prayer
1 ¶ The LORD reigns; he has clothed himself with majesty; the LORD has clothed himself with strength; he has girded himself: he has established the world also, that it cannot be moved.
2 From this time on, thy throne shall never be moved; thou art eternal.
3 The rivers have lifted up, O LORD; the rivers have lifted up their voice; the rivers lift up their waves.
4 The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
5 Thy testimonies are very sure; holiness becomes thy house, O LORD, for ever.
1 ¶ O sing unto the LORD a new song; sing unto the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; show forth his saving health from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the Gentiles, his wonders among all peoples.
4 For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honour and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the peoples, give unto the LORD the glory and the strength.
8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; bring offerings, and come into his courts.
9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; fear before him, all the earth.
10 ¶ Say among the Gentiles that the LORD reigns; he also has established the world, it shall not be moved; he shall judge the peoples righteously.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar and the fullness thereof.
12 Let the field be joyful and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
13 before the LORD; for he has come, for he has come to judge the earth; he shall judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.
A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.
Aleph
1 ¶ I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Beth
2 My soul shall glory in the LORD; the meek shall hear of this, and be glad.
Gimel
3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
Daleth
4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears.
He
5 They looked unto him and were lightened, and their faces were not ashamed.
Vau
6 This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.
Zain
7 The angel of the LORD encamps round about those that fear him and delivers them.
Cheth
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man that shall trust in him.
Teth
9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints; for those that fear him lack nothing.
Jod
10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but those that seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.
Caph
11 ¶ Come, ye children, hearken unto me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Lamed
12 Who is the man that desires life and loves many days that he may see good?
Mem
13 Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
Nun
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
Samech
15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Ain
16 The anger of the LORD is against those that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
Pe
17 The righteous cried out, and the LORD heard and delivered them out of all their troubles.
Tzaddi
18 The LORD is near unto those that are of a broken heart and saves such as are of a contrite spirit.
Koph
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD shall deliver him out of them all,
Resh
20 keeping all his bones; not one of them shall be broken.
Schin
21 Evil shall slay the wicked; and those that hate the righteous shall be declared guilty.
Tau
22 The LORD ransoms the soul of his slaves, and none of those that trust in him shall be declared guilty.
3 ¶ After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes that were with him.
2 And all the king’s slaves that were in the king’s gate, knelt down and worshipped Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not kneel or worship before him.
3 Then the king’s slaves, who were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why dost thou pass over the king’s commandment?
4 Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily unto him, and he did not hearken unto them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s word would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.
5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not kneel or worship before him, then Haman was filled with wrath.
6 And he thought it a small matter to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for now they had declared unto him the people of Mordecai; therefore, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, the people of Mordecai.
7 ¶ In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day and from month to month, and the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar was taken.
8 And Haman said unto King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom, and their laws are different from all other people; neither do they observe the king’s laws: therefore, it is not profitable for the king to allow them to remain.
9 If it pleases the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed; and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the public works, to bring it into the king’s treasuries.
10 And the king took his ring from his hand and gave it unto Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy.
11 And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to thee.
12 Then the king’s scribes were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants and to the governors that were over each province and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof and to every people after their language; in the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s ring.
13 And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.
14 The copy of the writing was to be given as law in every province that it be published unto all the peoples, that they should be ready against that day.
15 The posts went out in haste by the king’s commandment, and the law was given in Shushan, the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.
4 ¶ When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes and put on sackcloth with ashes and went out into the midst of the city and cried with a loud and a bitter cry
2 and came before the king’s gate; for no one was allowed to enter into the king’s gate clothed with sackcloth.
3 And in each province, wherever the king’s commandment and his law came, there was great mourning among the Jews and fasting and weeping and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
19 ¶ Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not work the righteousness of God.
21 So then, leave all uncleanness and remains of malice and receive with meekness the word ingested within you, which is able to cause your souls to be saved.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if anyone hears the word and does not put it into practice, this same is like unto the man beholding his natural face in a mirror:
24 For he considered himself and went his way and in one hour forgot what he was like.
25 But whosoever has looked attentively into the perfect law of liberty and has persevered in it, not being a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, the same shall be blessed in their deed.
26 If anyone among you thinks to be religious and does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, his religion is vain.
27 The pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation and to keep thyself unspotted from this world.
6 ¶ Take heed not to do your alms {lit. acts of mercy} before men, to be seen of them; otherwise, ye have no reward of your Father who is in the heavens.
2 Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They already have their reward.
3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth
4 that thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father who sees in secret, he shall reward thee openly.
5 ¶ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They already have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father who sees in secret shall reward thee openly.
16 ¶ Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They already have their reward.
17 But thou, when thou dost fast, anoint thine head, and wash thy face
18 that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who sees in secret, shall reward thee openly.
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