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,
2 ¶ And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh and unto all his servants, and unto all his land,
3 The [a]great tentations which thine eyes have seen, those great miracles and wonders:
4 Yet the Lord hath not [b]given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day.
5 And I have led you forty years in the wilderness: your clothes are not waxed old upon you, neither is thy shoe waxed old upon thy foot.
6 Ye have eaten no [c]bread, neither drunk wine, nor strong drink, that ye might know how that I am the Lord your God.
7 After, ye came unto this place, and Sihon King of Heshbon, and Og King of Bashan came out against us unto battle, and we slew them,
8 And took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half tribe of Manasseh.
9 (A)Keep therefore the words of this covenant and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye shall do.
10 Ye stand this day everyone of you before the Lord your [d]God: your heads of your tribes, your Elders and your officers, even all the men of Israel:
11 Your children, your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood, unto the drawer of thy water,
12 That thou shouldest [e]pass into the covenant of the Lord thy God, and into his oath which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day,
13 For to establish thee this day a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
14 Neither make I this covenant and this oath with you only,
15 But as well with him that standeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, as with him [f]that is not here with us this day.
9 1 Why, albeit he think well of their ready wills, 3 yet earnestly exhorteth them, 4 he yieldeth a reason: 6 He compareth alms to seed sowing, 10 which God doth repay with great gain.
1 For [a]as touching the ministering to the Saints, it is superfluous for me to write unto you.
2 For I know your readiness of mind, whereof I boast myself of you unto them of Macedonia, and say, that Achaia was prepared a year ago, and your zeal hath provoked many.
3 Now have I sent the brethren, lest our rejoicing over you should be in vain in this behalf, that ye (as I have said) be ready.
4 Lest if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we may not say, you) should be ashamed in this my [b]constant boasting.
5 Wherefore, I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to come before unto you, and to finish your benevolence appointed afore, that it might be ready, and come as of benevolence, and not as of [c]niggardliness.
6 [d]This yet remember, that he which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly, and he that soweth liberally, shall reap also liberally.
7 As every man [e]wisheth in his heart, so let him give, not (A)[f]grudgingly, or of [g]necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all [h]grace to abound toward you, that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound in [i]every good work,
9 ((B)As it is written, He hath sparsed abroad and hath given to the poor: his benevolence remaineth for [j]ever.
10 Also he that findeth seed to the sower, will minister likewise bread for food, and multiply your seed, and increase the [k]fruits of your benevolence.)
11 That on all parts ye may be made rich unto all liberality, which causeth through us thanksgiving unto God.
12 [l]For the ministration of this service not only supplieth the necessities of the Saints, but also abundantly causeth many to give thanks to God,
13 (Which by the [m]experiment of this ministration praise God for your [n]voluntary submission to the Gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution to them, and to all men.)
14 And in their prayer for you, to long after you greatly, for the abundant grace of God in you.
15 [o]Thanks therefore be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
15 ¶ (A)[a]They brought unto him also babes that he should touch them. [b]And when his disciples saw it, they rebuked them.
16 [c]But Jesus [d]called them unto him, and said, Suffer the babes to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
17 [e]Verily I say unto you, whosoever receiveth not the kingdom of God as a babe, he shall not enter therein.
18 (B)Then a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what ought I do, to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, even God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, (C)Thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shalt not bear false witness: Honor thy father and thy mother.
21 [f]And he said, All these have I kept from my youth.
22 Now when Jesus heard that, he said unto him, yet lackest thou one thing, Sell all that ever thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come follow me.
23 But when he heard those things, he was very heavy: for he was marvelous rich.
24 [g]And when Jesus saw him very sorrowful, he said, With what difficulty shall they that have riches, enter into the kingdom of God!
25 Surely it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
26 Then said they that heard it, And who then shall be saved?
27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God.
28 ¶ (D)Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29 [h]And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children for the kingdom of God’s sake,
30 Which shall not receive much more in this world, and in the world to come life everlasting.
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