Book of Common Prayer
119 1 The Prophet exhorteth the children of God to frame their lives according to his holy word. 123 Also he showeth wherein the true service of God standeth, that is, when we serve him according to his word, and not after our own fantasies.
ALEPH
1 Blessed are [a]those that are upright in their way, and walk in the Law of the Lord.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and seek him with their whole heart.
3 Surely they work [b]none iniquity, but walk in his ways.
4 Thou hast commanded to keep thy precepts diligently.
5 [c]Oh that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
6 Then should I not be confounded, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
7 I will praise thee with an upright [d]heart, when I shall learn the [e]judgments of thy righteousness.
8 I will keep thy statutes: forsake me not [f]overlong.
BETH
9 Wherewith shall a [g]young man redress his way? in taking heed thereto according to thy word.
10 With my whole heart have I sought thee: let me not wander from thy commandments.
11 I have [h]hid thy promise in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
12 Blessed art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.
13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
14 I have had as great [i]delight in the way of thy testimonies, as in all riches.
15 I will meditate in thy precepts, and consider thy ways.
16 I will delight in thy statutes, and I will not forget thy word.
GIMEL
17 Be beneficial unto thy servant, that I may [j]live and keep thy word.
18 Open mine eyes, that I may see the wonders of thy Law.
19 I am a [k]stranger upon earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
20 Mine heart breaketh for the desire to thy judgments always.
21 Thou [l]hast destroyed the proud: cursed are they that do err from thy commandments.
22 Remove from me shame and contempt: for I have kept thy testimonies.
23 [m]Princes also did sit, and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
24 Also thy testimonies are my delight, and my counselors.
12 1 The Prophet lamenting the miserable estate of the people, and the decay of all good order, desireth God speedily to send succor to his children. 7 Then comforting himself, and others with the assurance of God’s help, he commendeth the constant verity that God observeth in keeping his promises.
To him that excelleth upon the eight tune. A Psalm of David.
1 Help Lord, for there is not [a]a godly man left: for the faithful are failed from among the children of men.
2 They speak deceitfully every one with his neighbor, [b]flattering with their lips, and speak with a double heart.
3 The Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:
4 Which have said, [c]With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own; who is Lord over us?
5 [d]Now for the oppression of the needy, and for the sighs of the poor, I will up, saith the Lord, and will [e]set at liberty him, whom the wicked hath [snared].
6 The words of the Lord are pure words, as the silver, tried in a furnace of earth, fined sevenfold.
7 Thou wilt keep [f]them, O Lord; thou wilt preserve him from this generation forever.
8 The wicked walk on every side; when they are exalted, [g]it is a shame for the sons of men.
13 1 David as it were overcome with sundry and new afflictions, fleeth to God as his only refuge, 3 and so at the length being encouraged through God’s promises, he conceiveth most sure confidence against the extreme horrors of death.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, [h]forever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me?
2 How long shall I take [i]counsel within myself having weariness daily in mine heart? how long shall mine enemy be exalted above me?
3 Behold, and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, that I sleep not in death.
4 Lest mine enemy say, I have [j]prevailed against him: and they that afflict me, rejoice, when I slide.
5 But I trust in thy [k]mercy: mine heart shall rejoice in thy salvation; I will sing to the Lord, because he hath [l]dealt lovingly with me.
14 1 He describeth the perverse nature of men, which were so grown to licentiousness, that God was brought to utter contempt. 7 For the which thing, although he was greatly grieved, yet being persuaded that God would send some present remedy, he comforteth himself and others.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm of David.
1 The (A)fool hath said in his heart, [m]There is no God: they have [n]corrupted, and done an abominable work: there is none that doeth good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that would understand, and seek God.
3 [o]All are gone out of the way: they are all corrupt: there is none that doeth good, no not one.
4 Do not all the workers of iniquity know that they eat up my people, as they eat bread? they call not upon the Lord.
5 [p]There they shall be taken with fear, because God is in the generation of the just.
6 You have made [q]a mock at the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his trust.
7 Oh give salvation unto [r]Israel out of Zion: when the Lord turneth the captivity of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Note that of Psalm 14:5-7, which are put into the common translation, and may seem unto some to be left out in this, are not in the same Psalm in the Hebrew text, but rather are put in more fully to express the manners of the wicked, and are gathered out of Psalms 5, 10, 36, 140; Isa. 59, and are alleged by S. Paul, and placed together in Romans 3.
3 And Zedekiah the king [a]sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the Priest to the Prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the Lord our God for us.
4 (Now Jeremiah went [b]in and out among the people: for they had not put him into the prison.
5 Then Pharaoh’s host was [c]come out of Egypt: and when the Chaldeans that besieged Jerusalem, heard tidings of them, they [d]departed from Jerusalem.)
6 Then came the word of the Lord unto the Prophet Jeremiah, saying,
7 Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Thus shall ye say to the King of Judah, that sent you unto me to inquire of me, Behold, Pharaoh’s host, which is come forth to help you, shall return to Egypt into their own land.
8 And the Chaldeans shall come again, and fight against this city, and take it and burn it with fire.
9 Thus saith the Lord, [e]Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from us: for they shall not depart.
10 For though ye had smitten the whole host of the Chaldeans that fight against you, and there remained, but wounded men among them, yet should every man rise up in his tent, and burn this city with fire.
11 ¶ When the host of the Chaldeans was broken up from Jerusalem, because of Pharaoh’s army,
12 Then Jeremiah went out of Jerusalem to go into the [f]land of Benjamin, separating himself thence from among the people.
13 And when he was in the [g]gate of Benjamin, there was a chief officer, whose name was Irijah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Hananiah, and he took Jeremiah the Prophet, saying, Thou [h]fleest to the Chaldeans.
14 Then said Jeremiah, That is false, I flee not to the Chaldeans: but he would not hear him: so Irijah took Jeremiah, and brought him to the princes.
15 Wherefore the princes were angry with Jeremiah, and smote him, and laid him in prison in the house of Jehonathan the Scribe: for they had made that the [i]prison.
16 When Jeremiah was entered into the dungeon, and into the prisons, and had remained there a long time,
17 Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took him out, and the king asked him secretly, in his house, and said, Is there any word from the Lord? And Jeremiah said, Yea: for, said he, thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babel.
18 Moreover, Jeremiah said unto king Zedekiah, What have I offended against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
19 (A)Where are now your prophets, which prophesied unto you, saying, The king of Babel shall not come against you, nor against this land?
20 Therefore hear now, I pray thee, O my lord the King: let my prayer be [j]acceptable before thee, that thou cause me not to return to the house of Jehonathan the scribe, lest I die there.
21 Then Zedekiah the King commanded, that they should put Jeremiah in the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the baker’s street until all the [k]bread in the city were eaten up. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.
13 Wherefore, let him that speaketh a strange tongue, [a]pray that he may interpret.
14 [b]For [c]if I pray in a strange tongue, my [d]spirit prayeth: but mine understanding is [e]without fruit.
15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the [f]understanding also: I will sing with the spirit: but I will sing with the understanding also.
16 [g]Else, when thou blessest with the [h]spirit, how shall he that [i]occupieth the room of the unlearned, say [j]Amen, at thy giving of thanks, seeing he knowest not what thou sayest?
17 For thou verily givest thanks well, but the other is not edified.
18 [k]I thank my God, I speak languages more than ye all.
19 Yet had I rather in the Church to speak [l]five words with mine understanding, that I might also instruct others, than ten thousand words in a strange tongue.
20 [m]Brethren, be not (A)children in understanding, but as concerning maliciousness be children, but in understanding be of a ripe age.
21 In the [n]Law it is written, (B)By men of other tongues, and by other languages will I speak unto this people: yet so shall they not hear me, saith the Lord.
22 [o]Wherefore strange tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.
23 [p]If therefore, when the whole Church is come together in one, and all speak strange tongues, there come in they that are [q]unlearned, or they which believe not, will they not say, that ye are out of your wits?
24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is rebuked of all men, and is judged of all,
25 And so are the secrets of his heart made manifest, and so he will fall down on his face and worship God, and say plainly that God is in you indeed.
24 (A)The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his Lord.
25 It is enough for the disciple to be as his master is, and the servant as his Lord. (B)If they have called the master of the house [a]Beelzebub, how much more them of his household?
26 [b]Fear them not therefore: (C)for there is nothing covered, that shall not be disclosed, nor hid, that shall not be known.
27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye on the [c]houses.
28 And [d]fear ye not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him, which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a [e]farthing, and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father?
30 (D)Yea, and all the hairs of your head are numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32 (E)[f]Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
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