Book of Common Prayer
26 1 David oppressed with many injuries, finding no help in the world, calleth for aid from God: and assured of his integrity towards Saul, desireth God to be his judge, and to defend his innocence. 6 Finally he maketh mention of his sacrifice, which he will offer for his deliverance, and desireth to be in the company of the faithful in the Congregation of God, whence he was banished by Saul, promising integrity of life, and open praises and thanksgiving.
A Psalm of David.
1 Judge me, [a]O Lord, for I have walked in mine innocency: my trust hath been also in the Lord: therefore shall I not slide.
2 Prove me, O Lord, and try me: examine my [b]reins, and mine heart.
3 For thy [c]lovingkindness is before mine eyes: therefore have I walked in thy truth.
4 I have not [d]haunted with vain persons, neither kept company with the dissemblers.
5 I have hated the assembly of the evil, and have not companied with the wicked.
6 I will [e]wash mine hands in innocency, O Lord, and compass thine altar,
7 That I may declare with the voice of thanksgiving, and set forth all thy wondrous works.
8 O Lord, I have loved the habitation of thine house, and the place where thine honor dwelleth.
9 [f]Gather not my soul with the sinners, nor my life with the bloody men:
10 In whose hand is [g]wickedness, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But I will walk in mine innocency: redeem me therefore, and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth in [h]uprightness: I will praise thee, O Lord, in the Congregations.
28 1 Being in great fear and heaviness of heart to see God dishonored by the wicked, he desireth to be rid of them. 4 And crieth for vengeance against them: and at length assureth himself, that God hath heard his prayer, 9 Unto whose tuition he commendeth all the faithful.
A Psalm of David.
1 Unto thee, O Lord, do I cry: O my strength, be not deaf toward me, lest if thou answer me not, I be like [a]them that go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my petitions, when I cry unto thee, when I hold up my hands toward thine [b]holy Oracle.
3 [c]Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity: which speak friendly to their neighbors, when malice is in their hearts.
4 [d]Reward them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their inventions: recompense them after the work of their hands: render them their reward.
5 For they reward not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands: therefore [e]break them down, and build them not up.
6 [f]Praised be the Lord, for he hath heard the voice of my petitions.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield: mine heart trusted in him, and I was helped: therefore mine heart shall rejoice, and with my song will I praise him.
8 The Lord is [g]their strength, and he is the strength of the deliverances of his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and exalt them forever.
36 1 The Prophet grievously vexed by the wicked, doth complain of their malicious wickedness. 6 Then he turneth to consider the unspeakable goodness of God toward all creatures. 9 But specially towards his children, that by the faith thereof he may be comforted and assured of his deliverance by this ordinary course of God’s work. 12 Who in the end destroyeth the wicked, and saveth the just.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord.
1 Wickedness saith to the wicked man, [a]even in mine heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he [b]flattereth himself in his own eyes, while his iniquity is found worthy to be hated.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and [c]deceit: he hath left off to understand and to do good.
4 He [d]imagineth mischief upon his bed: he setteth himself upon a way, that is not good, and doth not abhor evil.
5 Thy [e]mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens, and thy faithfulness unto the clouds.
6 Thy righteousness is like the [f]mighty mountains: thy judgments are like a great [g]deep: thou Lord, dost save man and beast.
7 How excellent is thy mercy, O God! therefore the children of men trust under the shadow of thy wings.
8 They shall be [h]satisfied with the fatness of thine house, and thou shalt give them drink out of the river of thy pleasures.
9 For with thee is the well of life, and in thy light shall we see light.
10 Extend thy loving-kindness unto them that [i]know thee, and thy righteousness unto them that are upright in heart.
11 Let not the [j]foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked men move me.
12 [k]There they are fallen that work iniquity: they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
39 1 David uttereth with what great grief and bitterness of mind he was driven to these outrageous complaints of his infirmities. 2 For he confesseth that when he had determined silence, that he brast forth yet into words, that he would not, through the greatness of his grief. 4 Then he rehearseth certain requests which taste of the infirmity of man. 8 And mixeth with them many prayers: but all do show a mind wonderfully trembled, that it may plainly appear how he did strive mightily against death and desperation.
To the excellent Musician [a]Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.
1 I thought, [b]I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth bridled, while the wicked is in my sight.
2 I was dumb and spake nothing: I kept silence even from good, [c]and my sorrow was more stirred.
3 Mine heart was hot within me, and while I was musing, the fire kindled, and I [d]spake with my tongue, saying,
4 Lord, let me know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is: let me know how long I have to live.
5 Behold, thou hast made my days as an hand breadth, and mine age as nothing in respect of thee: surely every man in his best state is altogether [e]vanity. Selah.
6 Doubtless man walketh in a shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain: he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them.
7 And now Lord, what wait I for? mine hope is even in thee.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions, and make me not a rebuke unto the [f]foolish.
9 I should have been dumb, and not have opened my mouth, because [g]thou didst it.
10 Take thy plague away from me: for I am consumed by the stroke of thine hand.
11 When thou with rebukes dost chastise man for iniquity, thou as a moth [h]makest his [i]beauty to consume: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
12 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and hearken unto my cry: keep not silence at my tears, for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers.
13 Stay thine anger from me, that I may recover my strength, [j]before I go hence and be not.
15 Take therefore good heed unto your [a]selves: for ye saw no [b]image in the day that the Lord spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire:
16 That ye corrupt not yourselves, and make you a graven image, or representation of any figure: whether it be the likeness of male or female,
17 The likeness of any beast that is on earth, or the likeness of any feathered fowl that flieth in the air:
18 Or the likeness of anything that creepeth on the earth, or the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the earth,
19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars with all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath [c]distributed to all people under the whole heaven.
20 But the Lord hath taken you and brought you out of the [d]iron furnace, out of Egypt to be unto him a people and inheritance, as appeareth this day.
21 And the Lord was angry with me for your words, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.
22 For I must die in this land, and shall not go over Jordan: but [e]ye shall go over, and possess that good land.
23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God which he made with you, and lest ye make you any graven image, or likeness of anything, as the Lord thy God hath charged thee.
24 For the Lord thy God is a [f]consuming fire, and a jealous God.
12 [a]For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly [b]pureness, and not in fleshly wisdom, but by the [c]grace of God we have had our conversation in the world, and most of all to youwards.
13 For we write [d]none other things unto you, than that ye read or else that ye acknowledge, and I trust ye shall acknowledge unto the [e]end.
14 Even as ye have acknowledged us partly, that we are your [f]rejoicing, even as ye are ours, in the [g]day of our Lord Jesus.
15 And in this confidence was I minded first to come unto you, that ye might have had a [h]double grace,
16 And to pass by you into Macedonia, and to come again out of Macedonia, unto you, and to be led forth toward Judea of you.
17 [i]When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or mind I those things which I mind, according to the [j]flesh, that with me should be, [k]Yea, yea, and Nay, nay?
18 [l]Yea, God is [m]faithful, that our word toward you, was not Yea, and Nay?
19 [n]For the Son of God Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, that is, by me, and Silvanus, and Timothy, [o]was not Yea, and Nay: but in [p]him it was Yea.
20 [q]For all the promises of God in him are Yea, and are in [r]him Amen, unto the glory of God through [s]us.
21 [t]And it is God which established us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us.
22 Who hath also sealed us, and hath given the [u]earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
15 The parable of the lost sheep. 8 Of the groat, 12 And of the prodigal son.
1 Then [a]resorted unto [b]him [c]all the Publicans and sinners, to hear him.
2 Therefore the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, He receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.
3 Then spake he this parable to them, saying,
4 (A)What man of you having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders with joy.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, Rejoice with me: for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven for one sinner that converteth, more than for ninety and nine just men, which need none amendment of life.
8 Either what woman having ten groats, if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?
9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends, and neighbors, saying, Rejoice with me: for I have found the groat which I had lost.
10 Likewise I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God, for one sinner that converteth.
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