Book of Common Prayer
137 By rivers of Babylon -- There we did sit, Yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On willows in its midst we hung our harps.
3 For there our captors asked us the words of a song, And our spoilers -- joy: `Sing ye to us of a song of Zion.'
4 How do we sing the song of Jehovah, On the land of a stranger?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand forgetteth!
6 My tongue doth cleave to my palate, If I do not remember thee, If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, Jehovah, for the sons of Edom, The day of Jerusalem, Those saying, `Rase, rase to its foundation!'
8 O daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, O the happiness of him who repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us.
9 O the happiness of him who doth seize, And hath dashed thy sucklings on the rock!
144 By David. Blessed [is] Jehovah my rock, who is teaching My hands for war, my fingers for battle.
2 My kind one, and my bulwark, My tower, and my deliverer, My shield, and in whom I have trusted, Who is subduing my people under me!
3 Jehovah, what [is] man that Thou knowest him? Son of man, that Thou esteemest him?
4 Man to vanity hath been like, His days [are] as a shadow passing by.
5 Jehovah, incline Thy heavens and come down, Strike against mountains, and they smoke.
6 Send forth lightning, and scatter them, Send forth Thine arrows, and trouble them,
7 Send forth Thy hand from on high, Free me, and deliver me from many waters, From the hand of sons of a stranger,
8 Because their mouth hath spoken vanity, And their right hand [is] a right hand of falsehood.
9 O God, a new song I sing to Thee, On a psaltery of ten strings I sing praise to Thee.
10 Who is giving deliverance to kings, Who is freeing David His servant from the sword of evil.
11 Free me, and deliver me From the hand of sons of a stranger, Because their mouth hath spoken vanity, And their right hand [is] a right hand of falsehood,
12 Because our sons [are] as plants, Becoming great in their youth, Our daughters as hewn stones, Polished -- the likeness of a palace,
13 Our garners [are] full, bringing out from kind to kind, Our flocks are bringing forth thousands, Ten thousands in our out-places,
14 Our oxen are carrying, there is no breach, And there is no outgoing, And there is no crying in our broad places.
15 O the happiness of the people that is thus, O the happiness of the people whose God [is] Jehovah!
104 Bless, O my soul, Jehovah! Jehovah, my God, Thou hast been very great, Honour and majesty Thou hast put on.
2 Covering himself [with] light as a garment, Stretching out the heavens as a curtain,
3 Who is laying the beam of His upper chambers in the waters, Who is making thick clouds His chariot, Who is walking on wings of wind,
4 Making His messengers -- the winds, His ministers -- the flaming fire.
5 He hath founded earth on its bases, It is not moved to the age and for ever.
6 The abyss! as with clothing Thou hast covered it, Above hills do waters stand.
7 From Thy rebuke they flee, From the voice of Thy thunder haste away.
8 They go up hills -- they go down valleys, Unto a place Thou hast founded for them.
9 A border Thou hast set, they pass not over, They turn not back to cover the earth.
10 Who is sending forth fountains in valleys, Between hills they go on.
11 They water every beast of the field, Wild asses break their thirst.
12 By them the fowl of the heavens doth dwell, From between the branches They give forth the voice.
13 Watering hills from His upper chambers, From the fruit of Thy works is the earth satisfied.
14 Causing grass to spring up for cattle, And herb for the service of man, To bring forth bread from the earth,
15 And wine -- it rejoiceth the heart of man, To cause the face to shine from oil, And bread -- the heart of man it supporteth.
16 Satisfied [are] the trees of Jehovah, Cedars of Lebanon that He hath planted,
17 Where birds do make nests, The stork -- the firs [are] her house.
18 The high hills [are] for wild goats, Rocks [are] a refuge for conies,
19 He made the moon for seasons, The sun hath known his place of entrance.
20 Thou settest darkness, and it is night, In it doth every beast of the forest creep.
21 The young lions are roaring for prey, And to seek from God their food.
22 The sun riseth, they are gathered, And in their dens they crouch.
23 Man goeth forth to his work, And to his service -- till evening.
24 How many have been Thy works, O Jehovah, All of them in wisdom Thou hast made, Full is the earth of thy possessions.
25 This, the sea, great and broad of sides, There [are] moving things -- innumerable, Living creatures -- small with great.
26 There do ships go: leviathan, That Thou hast formed to play in it.
27 All of them unto Thee do look, To give their food in its season.
28 Thou dost give to them -- they gather, Thou dost open Thy hand -- they [are] satisfied [with] good.
29 Thou hidest Thy face -- they are troubled, Thou gatherest their spirit -- they expire, And unto their dust they turn back.
30 Thou sendest out Thy Spirit, they are created, And Thou renewest the face of the ground.
31 The honour of Jehovah is to the age, Jehovah rejoiceth in His works,
32 Who is looking to earth, and it trembleth, He cometh against hills, and they smoke.
33 I sing to Jehovah during my life, I sing praise to my God while I exist.
34 Sweet is my meditation on Him, I -- I do rejoice in Jehovah.
35 Consumed are sinners from the earth, And the wicked are no more. Bless, O my soul, Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah!
5 Now gather thyself together, O daughter of troops, A siege he hath laid against us, With a rod they smite on the cheek the judge of Israel.
2 And thou, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From thee to Me he cometh forth -- to be ruler in Israel, And his comings forth [are] of old, From the days of antiquity.
3 Therefore he doth give them out till the time She who bringeth forth hath brought forth, And the remnant of his brethren return to the sons of Israel.
4 And he hath stood and delighted in the strength of Jehovah, In the excellency of the name of Jehovah his God, And they have remained, For now he is great unto the ends of earth.
10 And it hath come to pass in that day, An affirmation of Jehovah, I have cut off thy horses from thy midst, And I have destroyed thy chariots,
11 And I have cut off the cities of thy land, And I have thrown down all thy fortresses,
12 And have cut off sorcerers out of thy hand, And observers of clouds thou hast none.
13 And I have cut off thy graven images, And thy standing-pillars out of thy midst, And thou dost not bow thyself any more To the work of thy hands.
14 And I have plucked up thy shrines out of thy midst, And I have destroyed thine enemies.
15 And I have done vengeance in anger and in fury, With the nations who have not hearkened!
13 And certain days having passed, Agrippa the king, and Bernice, came down to Caesarea saluting Festus,
14 and as they were continuing there more days, Festus submitted to the king the things concerning Paul, saying, `There is a certain man, left by Felix, a prisoner,
15 about whom, in my being at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid information, asking a decision against him,
16 unto whom I answered, that it is not a custom of Romans to make a favour of any man to die, before that he who is accused may have the accusers face to face, and may receive place of defence in regard to the charge laid against [him].
17 `They, therefore, having come together -- I, making no delay, on the succeeding [day] having sat upon the tribunal, did command the man to be brought,
18 concerning whom the accusers, having stood up, were bringing against [him] no accusation of the things I was thinking of,
19 but certain questions concerning their own religion they had against him, and concerning a certain Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive;
20 and I, doubting in regard to the question concerning this, said, If he would wish to go on to Jerusalem, and there to be judged concerning these things --
21 but Paul having appealed to be kept to the hearing of Sebastus, I did command him to be kept till I might send him unto Caesar.'
22 And Agrippa said unto Festus, `I was wishing also myself to hear the man;' and he said, `To-morrow thou shalt hear him;'
23 on the morrow, therefore -- on the coming of Agrippa and Bernice with much display, and they having entered into the audience chamber, with the chief captains also, and the principal men of the city, and Festus having ordered -- Paul was brought forth.
24 And Festus said, `King Agrippa, and all men who are present with us, ye see this one, about whom all the multitude of the Jews did deal with me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out, He ought not to live any longer;
25 and I, having found him to have done nothing worthy of death, and he also himself having appealed to Sebastus, I decided to send him,
26 concerning whom I have no certain thing to write to [my] lord, wherefore I brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, king Agrippa, that the examination having been made, I may have something to write;
27 for it doth seem to me irrational, sending a prisoner, not also to signify the charges against him.'
16 `And no one having lighted a lamp doth cover it with a vessel, or under a couch doth put [it]; but upon a lamp-stand he doth put [it], that those coming in may see the light,
17 for nothing is secret, that shall not become manifest, nor hid, that shall not be known, and become manifest.
18 `See, therefore, how ye hear, for whoever may have, there shall be given to him, and whoever may not have, also what he seemeth to have, shall be taken from him.'
19 And there came unto him his mother and brethren, and they were not able to get to him because of the multitude,
20 and it was told him, saying, `Thy mother and thy brethren do stand without, wishing to see thee;'
21 and he answering said unto them, `My mother and my brethren! they are those who the word of God are hearing, and doing.'
22 And it came to pass, on one of the days, that he himself went into a boat with his disciples, and he said unto them, `We may go over to the other side of the lake;' and they set forth,
23 and as they are sailing he fell deeply asleep, and there came down a storm of wind to the lake, and they were filling, and were in peril.
24 And having come near, they awoke him, saying, `Master, master, we perish;' and he, having arisen, rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and there came a calm,
25 and he said to them, `Where is your faith?' and they being afraid did wonder, saying unto one another, `Who, then, is this, that even the winds he doth command, and the water, and they obey him?'