Book of Common Prayer
69 1 The complaints, prayers, fervent zeal and great anguish of David is set forth as a figure of Christ and all his members. 21 The malicious cruelty of the enemies. 22 And their punishment also. 26 Where Judas and such traitors are accursed. 30 He gathereth courage in his affliction, and offereth praises unto God, 32 Which are more acceptable than all sacrifices: whereof all the afflicted may take comfort. 35 Finally, he doth provoke all creatures to praises, prophesying of the kingdom of Christ, and the preservation of the Church, where all the faithful, 27 And their seed shall dwell forever.
To him that excelleth upon [a]Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.
1 Save me, O God: for the [b]waters are entered even to my soul.
2 I stick fast in the deep mire, where no [c]stay is: I am come into deep waters, and the streams run over me.
3 I am weary of crying: my throat is dry: mine [d]eyes fail, while I wait for my God.
4 They that hate me without a cause, are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, and are mine enemies [e]falsely, are mighty, so that I restored that which I [f]took not.
5 O God, thou knowest my [g]foolishness, and my faults are not hid from thee.
6 Let not them that trust in thee, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed for [h]me: let not those that seek thee, be confounded through me, O God of Israel.
7 For thy sake have I suffered reproof: shame hath covered my face.
8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, even an alien unto my mother’s sons.
9 [i]For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me, and the rebukes of them that rebuked thee, are fallen upon me.
10 I [j]wept and my soul fasted, but that was to my reproof.
11 I put on a sack also: and I became a proverb unto them.
12 They that [k]sat in the gate, spake of me, and the drunkards sang of me.
13 But Lord, I make my prayer unto thee in an [l]acceptable time, even in the multitude of thy mercy: O God, hear me in the truth of thy salvation.
14 Deliver me out of the mire, that I sink not: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the [m]deep waters.
15 Let not the water flood drown me, neither let the deep swallow me up: and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me.
16 Hear me, O Lord, for thy loving-kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies.
17 And [n]hide not thy face from thy servant, for I am in trouble; make haste and hear me.
18 Draw near unto my soul and redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.
19 Thou hast known my reproof and my shame, and my dishonor: all mine [o]adversaries are before thee.
20 Rebuke hath broken mine heart, and I am full of heaviness, and [p]I looked for some to have pity on me, but there was none: and for comforters, but I found none.
21 For they gave me gall in my meat, and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.
22 Let their [q]table be a snare before them, and their prosperity their ruin.
23 Let their eyes be blinded that they see not: and make their [r]loins always to tremble.
24 Pour out thine anger upon them, and let thy wrathful displeasure take them.
25 Let their [s]habitation be void, and let none dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him, whom thou hast smitten: and they add unto the sorrow of them, whom thou hast wounded.
27 Lay [t]iniquity upon their iniquity, and let them not come into thy righteousness.
28 Let them be put out of the [u]book of life, neither let them be written with the righteous.
29 When I am poor and in heaviness, thine help, O God, shall exalt me.
30 I will praise the Name of God with a song, and magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This also shall please the Lord better than a [v]young bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
32 The humble shall see this, and they that seek God shall be glad, and your heart shall live.
33 For the Lord heareth the poor, and despiseth not his [w]prisoners.
34 Let heaven and earth praise him: the seas and all that moveth in them.
35 For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah, that men may dwell there and have it in possession.
36 The [x]seed also of his servants shall inherit it: and they that love his name shall dwell therein.
73 1 The Prophet teacheth by his example that neither the worldly prosperity of the ungodly, 14 nor yet the affliction of the good ought to discourage God’s children: but rather ought to move us to consider our Father’s providence, and to cause us to reverence God’s judgments, 19 forasmuch as the wicked vanish away, 24 and the godly enter into life everlasting, 28 in hope whereof he resigneth himself into God’s hands.
A Psalm committed to Asaph.
1 Yet [a]God is good to Israel: even to the pure in heart.
2 As for me, my feet were almost gone: my steps had well near slipped.
3 For I fretted at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For there are [b]no bands in their death, but they are lusty and strong.
5 They are not in trouble as other men, neither are they plagued with other men.
6 [c]Therefore pride is as a chain unto them, and cruelty covereth them as a garment.
7 Their eyes stand out for fatness: [d]they have more than heart can wish.
8 They are licentious, and speak wickedly of their oppression: they talk presumptuously.
9 They [e]set their mouth against heaven, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
10 Therefore his [f]people turn hither: for waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
11 And they [g]say, How doth God know it? or is there knowledge in the most High?
12 Lo these are the wicked, yet prosper they always, and increase in riches.
13 Certainly I have cleansed mine heart in vain, and washed mine hands in innocency.
14 For daily have I been punished, and chastened every morning.
15 If I say, [h]I will judge thus, behold the generation of thy children, I have trespassed.
16 Then thought I to know this, but it was too painful for me,
17 Until I went into the [i]Sanctuary of God: then understood I their end.
18 Surely thou hast set them in slippery places, and castest them down into desolation.
19 How suddenly are they destroyed, perished and [j]horribly consumed,
20 As a dream when one awaketh! O Lord, when [k]thou raisest us up, thou shalt make their image despised.
21 Certainly mine heart was vexed, and I was pricked in my reins.
22 So foolish was I and ignorant: I was a [l]beast before thee.
23 Yet I was always [m]with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
24 Thou wilt guide me by thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in [n]heaven but thee? and I have desired none in the earth with thee.
26 My flesh faileth and mine heart also: but God is the strength of mine heart, and my [o]portion forever.
27 For lo, that they withdraw themselves from thee, shall perish: thou destroyest all them that [p]go a whoring from thee.
28 As for me, it is good for me [q]to draw near to God: therefore I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
2 And [a]Ahaziah fell through the lattice window in his upper chamber which was in Samaria: so he was sick: then he sent messengers, to whom he said, Go, and inquire of [b]Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron, if I shall recover of this my disease.
3 Then the Angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, and go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, [c]Is it not because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron?
4 Wherefore thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not come down from the bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt die the death. So Elijah departed.
5 And the messengers returned unto him, to whom he said, Why are ye now returned?
6 And they answered him, There came a man and met us, and said unto us, Go, and return unto the king which sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord, [d]Is it not because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-Zebub the God of Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed, on which thou art gone up, but shalt die the death.
7 And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came and met you, and told you these words?
8 And they said unto him, He was an [e]hairy man, and girded with a girdle of leather about his loins. Then said he, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
9 Therefore the King sent unto him a captain over fifty with his fifty men, who went up unto him: for behold, he sat on the top [f]of a mountain, and he said unto him, O man of God, the king hath commanded that thou come down.
10 But Elijah answered, and said to the captain over the fifty, If that I be a man of God, let fire come down from the heaven, and devour thee and thy fifty. [g]So fire came down from the heaven and devoured him and his fifty.
11 Again also he sent unto him another captain over fifty with his fifty. Who spake, and said unto him, [h]O man of God, thus the King commandeth, Come down quickly.
12 But Elijah answered, and said unto them, [i]If I be a man of God, let fire come down from the heaven and devour thee and thy fifty. So fire came down from the heaven, and devoured him and his fifty.
13 ¶ Yet again he sent the third captain over fifty with his fifty. And the third captain over fifty went up, and came, and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my [j]life and the life of these thy fifty servants be [k]precious in thy sight.
14 Behold, there came fire down from the heaven, and devoured the two former captains over fifty with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.
15 And the Angel of the Lord said unto Elijah, Go down with him, be [l]not afraid of his presence. So he arose, and went down with him unto the king.
16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron, (was it not because there was no God in Israel to inquire of his word?) therefore thou shalt not come down off the bed, on which thou art gone up, but shalt die the death.
17 So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram began to reign in his stead in the second year of [m]Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because he had no son.
16 (A)[a]Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man [b]destroy the Temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the Temple of God is holy, which ye are.
18 [c]Let no man deceive himself: If any man among you seem to be wise in this world, let him be a fool, that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God: for it is written, (B)He [d]catcheth the wise in their own craftiness.
20 (C)And again, The Lord knoweth that the thoughts of the wise be vain.
21 [e]Therefore let no man [f]rejoice in men: for all things are [g]yours.
22 Whether it be Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the [h]world, or life, or death, whether they be things present, or things to come, even all are yours,
23 And ye Christ’s, and Christ God’s.
11 (A)Blessed shall ye be when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you for my sake, falsely.
12 Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the Prophets which were before you.
13 (B)Ye [a]are the salt of the [b]earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be [c]salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the [d]light of the world. A city that is set on an hill, cannot be hid.
15 (C)Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 (D)Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your father which is in heaven.
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