Book of Common Prayer
A Song of degrees.
120 In my trouble I called unto Jehovah, and he answered me.
2 Jehovah, deliver my soul from the lying lip, from the deceitful tongue.
3 What shall be given unto thee, what shall be added unto thee, thou deceitful tongue?
4 Sharp arrows of a mighty one, with burning coals of broom-wood.
5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
6 My soul hath long dwelt with them that hate peace.
7 I [am for] peace; but when I speak, *they* [are] for war.
A Song of degrees.
121 I lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: whence shall my help come?
2 My help [cometh] from Jehovah, who made the heavens and the earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 Jehovah is thy keeper, Jehovah is thy shade upon thy right hand;
6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 Jehovah will keep thee from all evil; he will keep thy soul.
8 Jehovah will keep thy going out and thy coming in, from henceforth and for evermore.
A Song of degrees. Of David.
122 I rejoiced when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of Jehovah.
2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem, which art built as a city that is compact together,
4 Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of Jah, a testimony to Israel, to give thanks unto the name of Jehovah.
5 For there are set thrones for 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 bulwarks, prosperity within thy palaces.
8 For my brethren and companions' sakes I will say, Peace be within thee!
9 Because of the house of Jehovah our God I will seek thy good.
A Song of degrees.
123 Unto thee do 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, as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes [are directed] to Jehovah our God, until he be gracious unto us.
3 Be gracious unto us, O Jehovah, be gracious unto us; for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.
4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease, with the contempt of the proud.
A Song of degrees. Of David.
124 If it had not been Jehovah who was for us—oh let Israel say—
2 If it had not been Jehovah who was for us, when men rose up against us,
3 Then they had swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us;
4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us, a torrent had gone over our soul;
5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
6 Blessed be Jehovah, who gave us not up a prey to their teeth!
7 Our soul is 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 Jehovah, the maker of heavens and earth.
A Song of degrees.
125 They that confide in Jehovah are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved; it abideth for ever.
2 Jerusalem!—mountains are round about her, and Jehovah is round about his people, from henceforth and for evermore.
3 For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.
4 Do good, O Jehovah, unto the good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
5 But as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, Jehovah will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel!
A Song of degrees.
126 When Jehovah turned the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing: then said they among the nations, Jehovah hath done great things for them.
3 Jehovah hath done great things for us; [and] we are joyful.
4 Turn our captivity, O Jehovah, as the streams in the south.
5 They that sow in tears shall reap with rejoicing:
6 He goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for scattering; he cometh again with rejoicing, bearing his sheaves.
A Song of degrees. Of Solomon.
127 Unless Jehovah build the house, in vain do its builders labour in it; unless Jehovah keep the city, the keeper watcheth in vain:
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to lie down late, to eat the bread of sorrows: so to his beloved one he giveth sleep.
3 Lo, children are an inheritance from Jehovah, [and] the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath filled his quiver with them. They shall not be ashamed when they speak with enemies in the gate.
21 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.
22 And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the Angel of Jehovah set himself in the way to withstand him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two young men were with him.
23 And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field, and Balaam smote the ass to turn her into the way.
24 And the Angel of Jehovah stood in a hollow of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25 And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah, and she pressed herself against the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; and he smote her again.
26 Then the Angel of Jehovah went still further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27 And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah, and lay down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff.
28 And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29 And Balaam said to the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in my hand, for now would I kill thee!
30 And the ass said to Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine to this day? was I ever wont to do so to thee? And he said, No.
31 Then Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of Jehovah standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed and prostrated himself on his face.
32 And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, it was I who came forth to withstand thee, for the way [thou walkest in] is for ruin before me.
33 And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times; had she not turned from me, I had now certainly slain thee, and saved her alive.
34 And Balaam said to the Angel of Jehovah, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me; and now, if it be evil in thine eyes, I will get me back again.
35 And the Angel of Jehovah said to Balaam, Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that shalt thou speak. And Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
36 And when Balak heard that Balaam came, he went out to meet him, to the city of Moab, which is on the border of the Arnon, which is at the extremity of the border.
37 And Balak said to Balaam, Did I not earnestly send to thee to call thee? why didst thou not come to me? am I not surely able to honour thee?
38 And Balaam said to Balak, Lo, I am come to thee; but shall I now be able at all to say anything? the word that God puts in my mouth, that shall I speak.
7 Are ye ignorant, brethren, (for I speak to those knowing law,) that law rules over a man as long as he lives?
2 For the married woman is bound by law to her husband so long as he is alive; but if the husband should die, she is clear from the law of the husband:
3 so then, the husband being alive, she shall be called an adulteress if she be to another man; but if the husband should die, she is free from the law, so as not to be an adulteress, though she be to another man.
4 So that, my brethren, *ye* also have been made dead to the law by the body of the Christ, to be to another, who has been raised up from among [the] dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.
5 For when we were in the flesh the passions of sins, which [were] by the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit to death;
6 but now we are clear from the law, having died in that in which we were held, so that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter.
7 What shall we say then? [is] the law sin? Far be the thought. But I had not known sin, unless by law: for I had not had conscience also of lust unless the law had said, Thou shalt not lust;
8 but sin, getting a point of attack by the commandment, wrought in me every lust; for without law sin [was] dead.
9 But *I* was alive without law once; but the commandment having come, sin revived, but *I* died.
10 And the commandment, which [was] for life, was found, [as] to me, itself [to be] unto death:
11 for sin, getting a point of attack by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew [me].
12 So that the law indeed [is] holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
23 And when he came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him [as he was] teaching, saying, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24 And Jesus answering said to them, *I* also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, *I* also will tell you by what authority I do these things:
25 The baptism of John, whence was it? of heaven or of men? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we should say, Of heaven, he will say to us, Why then have ye not believed him?
26 but if we should say, Of men, we fear the crowd, for all hold John for a prophet.
27 And answering Jesus they said, We do not know. *He* also said to them, Neither do *I* tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 But what think ye? A man had two children, and coming to the first he said, Child, go to-day, work in [my] vineyard.
29 And he answering said, I will not; but afterwards repenting himself he went.
30 And coming to the second he said likewise; and he answering said, *I* [go], sir, and went not.
31 Which of the two did the will of the father? They say [to him], The first. Jesus says to them, Verily I say unto you that the tax-gatherers and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the tax-gatherers and the harlots believed him; but *ye* when ye saw [it] repented not yourselves afterwards to believe him.
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