Book of Common Prayer
120 In my distress I cried unto the Lord, and He heard me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given unto thee, or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper!
5 Woe is me that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace.
7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
121 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help!
2 My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not permit thy foot to be moved; He that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper; the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; He shall preserve thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
122 I was glad when they said unto me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built as a city that is united together,
4 whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, according to the testimony of Israel to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
5 For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “They shall prosper that love thee.
7 Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces.”
8 For my brethren and companions’ sakes I will now say, “Peace be within thee.”
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good.
123 Unto Thee I lift up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until He has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, and with the contempt of the proud.
124 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side”—now may Israel say—
2 “if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us,
3 then would they have swallowed us up alive when their wrath was kindled against us;
4 then would the waters have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul;
5 then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.”
6 Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
7 Our soul has escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
125 They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth, even for ever.
3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the allotment of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands to do iniquity.
4 Do good, O Lord, unto those that are good and to them that are upright in their hearts.
5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the Lord shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity; but peace shall be upon Israel.
126 When the Lord returned the captives to Zion, we were like them that dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then said they among the heathen, “The Lord hath done great things for them.”
3 The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad.
4 Turn back our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the South.
5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
127 Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He giveth His beloved sleep.
3 Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is His reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies at the gate.
5 And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.’”
2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”
3 And they said, “The God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice unto the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
4 And the king of Egypt said unto them, “Why do ye, Moses and Aaron, delay the people from their work? Get you unto your burdens!”
5 And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens!”
6 And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying,
7 “Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore. Let them go and gather straw for themselves.
8 And the tally of bricks which they made heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish any thereof. For they are idle; therefore they cry, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’
9 Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labor therein, and let them not regard vain words.”
10 And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, “Thus saith Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw.
11 Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it; yet not any of your work shall be diminished.’”
12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw.
13 And the taskmasters hastened them, saying, “Fulfill your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw.”
14 And the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were demanded, “Why have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as heretofore?”
15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried unto Pharaoh, saying, “Why dealest thou thus with thy servants?
16 There is no straw given unto thy servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And behold, thy servants are beaten, but the fault is in thine own people.”
17 But he said, “Ye are idle, ye are idle! Therefore ye say, ‘Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.’
18 Go therefore now and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tally of bricks.”
19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in evil straits after it was said, “Ye shall not diminish any from your bricks of your daily task.”
20 And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way as they came forth from Pharaoh.
21 And they said unto them, “The Lord look upon you and judge, because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us.”
22 And Moses returned unto the Lord and said, “Lord, why hast Thou so evilly treated this people? Why is it that Thou hast sent me?
23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all.”
6 Then the Lord said unto Moses, “Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.”
20 Brethren, be not children in understanding. Nonetheless, in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men.
21 In the law it is written: “With men of other tongues and other lips will I speak unto this people; and yet for all that they will not hear Me,” saith the Lord.
22 Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe, but to those who believe not; but prophesying serveth not those who believe not, but those who believe.
23 If therefore the whole church come together into one place and all speak with tongues, and there come in those who are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are mad?
24 But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not or is unlearned, he is convinced by all and is judged by all,
25 and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down on his face he will worship God and report that God is in you in truth.
26 How is it then, brethren? When ye come together every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
27 If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two or at the most by three, and then in turn, and let one interpret.
28 But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church, and let him speak to himself and to God.
29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge.
30 If anything be revealed to another who sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
31 For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be comforted.
32 The spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets,
33 for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as it is in all churches of the saints.
39 Therefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak in tongues.
40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
42 And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe in Me to fall, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if thy hand cause thee to fall, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed than, having two hands, to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched,
44 where ‘their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.’
45 And if thy foot cause thee to fall, cut it off. It is better for thee to enter halt into life than, having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched,
46 where ‘their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.’
47 And if thine eye cause thee to fall, pluck it out. It is better for thee to enter into the Kingdom of God with one eye than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire,
48 where ‘their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.’
49 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.
50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost his saltness, with what will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.”
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.