Book of Common Prayer

72 A psalm for Asaph. How good is God to Israel, to them that are of a right heart!

² But my feet were almost moved; my steps had well nigh slipped.

³ Because I had a zeal on occasion of the wicked, seeing the prosperity of sinners.

⁴ For there is no regard to their death, nor is there strength in their stripes.

⁵ They are not in the labour of men: neither shall they be scourged like other men.

⁶ Therefore pride hath held them fast: they are covered with their iniquity and their wickedness.

⁷ Their iniquity hath come forth, as it were from fatness: they have passed into the affection of the heart.

⁸ They have thought and spoken wickedness: they have spoken iniquity on high.

⁹ They have set their mouth against heaven: and their tongue hath passed through the earth.

¹⁰ Therefore will my people return here and full days shall be found in them.

¹¹ And they said: How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

¹² Behold these are sinners; and yet abounding in the world they have obtained riches.

¹³ And I said: Then have I in vain justified my heart, and washed my hands among the innocent.

¹⁴ And I have been scourged all the day; and my chastisement hath been in the mornings.

¹⁵ If I said: I will speak thus; behold I should condemn the generation of thy children.

¹⁶ I studied that I might know this thing, it is a labour in my sight:

¹⁷ Until I go into the sanctuary of God, and understand concerning their last ends.

¹⁸ But indeed for deceits thou hast put it to them: when they were lifted up thou hast cast them down.

¹⁹ How are they brought to desolation? they have suddenly ceased to be: they have perished by reason of their iniquity.

²⁰ As the dream of them that awake, O Lord; so in thy city thou shalt bring their image to nothing.

²¹ For my heart hath been inflamed, and my reins have been changed:

²² And I am brought to nothing, and I knew not.

²³ I am become as a beast before thee: and I am always with thee.

²⁴ Thou hast held me by my right hand; and by thy will thou hast conducted me, and with thy glory thou hast received me.

²⁵ For what have I in heaven? and besides thee what do I desire upon earth?

²⁶ For thee my flesh and my heart hath fainted away: thou art the God of my heart, and the God that is my portion for ever.

²⁷ For behold they that go far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that are disloyal to thee.

²⁸ But it is good for me to adhere to my God, to put my hope in the Lord God: That I may declare all thy praises, in the gates of the daughter of Sion.

²² Immediately David's servants and Joab came, after having slain the robbers, with an exceeding great booty: and Abner, was not with David in Hebron, for he had now sent him away, and he was gone in peace.

²³ And Joab and all the army that was with him, came afterwards: and it was told Joab, that Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace.

²⁴ And Joab went in to the king, and said: What hast thou done? Behold Abner came to thee: Why didst thou send him away, and he is gone and departed?

²⁵ Knowest thou not Abner the son of Ner, that to this end he came to thee, that he might deceive thee, and to know thy going out, and thy coming in, and to know all thou dost?

²⁶ Then Joab going out from David, sent messengers after Abner, and brought him back from the cistern of Sira, David knowing nothing of it.

²⁷ And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside to the middle of the gate, to speak to him treacherously: and he stabbed him there in the groin, and he died, in revenge of the blood of Asael his brother.

²⁸ And when David heard of it, after the thing was now done, he said: I, and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord for ever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner:

²⁹ And may it come upon the head of Joab, and upon all his father's house: and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue of seed, or that is a leper, or that holdeth the distaff, or that falleth by the sword, or that wanteth bread.

³⁰ So Joab and Abisai his brother slew Abner, because he had killed their brother Asael at Gabaon in the battle.

³¹ And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him: Rend your garments, and gird yourselves with sackcloths, and mourn before the funeral of Abner. And king David himself followed the bier.

³² And when they had buried Abner in Hebron, king David lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner: and all the people also wept.

³³ And the king mourning and lamenting over Abner, said: Not as cowards are wont to die, hath Abner died.

³⁴ Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet laden with fetters: but as men fall before the children of iniquity, so didst thou fall. And all the people repeating it wept over him.

³⁵ And when all the people came to take meat with David, while it was yet broad day, David swore, saying: So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread or any thing else before sunset.

³⁶ And all the people heard, and they were pleased, and all that the king did seemed good in the sight of all the people.

³⁷ And all the people, and all Israel understood that day that it was not the king's doing, that Abner the son of Ner was slain.

³⁸ The king also said to his servants: Do you not know that a prince and great man is slain this day in Israel?

³⁹ But I as yet am tender, though anointed king. And these men the sons of Sarvia are too hard for me: the Lord reward him that doth evil according to his wickedness.

¹⁶ And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain girl, having a pythonical spirit, met us, who brought to her masters much gain by divining.

¹⁷ This same following Paul and us, cried out, saying: These men are the servants of the most high God, who preach unto you the way of salvation.

¹⁸ And this she did many days. But Paul being grieved, turned, and said to the spirit: I command thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, to go out from her. And he went out the same hour.

¹⁹ But her masters, seeing that the hope of their gain was gone, apprehending Paul and Silas, brought them into the marketplace to the rulers.

²⁰ And presenting them to the magistrates, they said: These men disturb our city, being Jews;

²¹ And preach a fashion which it is not lawful for us to receive nor observe, being Romans.

²² And the people ran together against them; and the magistrates rending off their clothes, commanded them to be beaten with rods.

²³ And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the gaoler to keep them diligently.

²⁴ Who having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.

⁴⁷ And when it was late, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and himself alone on the land.

⁴⁸ And seeing them labouring in rowing, (for the wind was against them,) and about the fourth watch of the night, he cometh to them walking upon the sea, and he would have passed by them.

⁴⁹ But they seeing him walking upon the sea, thought it was an apparition, and they cried out.

⁵⁰ For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he spoke with them, and said to them: Have a good heart, it is I, fear ye not.

⁵¹ And he went up to them into the ship, and the wind ceased: and they were far more astonished within themselves:

⁵² For they understood not concerning the loaves; for their heart was blinded.

⁵³ And when they had passed over, they came into the land of Genezareth, and set to the shore.

⁵⁴ And when they were gone out of the ship, immediately they knew him:

⁵⁵ And running through that whole country, they began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was.

⁵⁶ And whithersoever he entered, into towns or into villages or cities, they laid the sick in the streets, and besought him that they might touch but the hem of his garment: and as many as touched him were made whole.