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.
18 In those days there was no king in Israel; and in those days the tribe of the Danites sought for themselves an inheritance to dwell in, for until that day all their inheritance had not fallen unto them among the tribes of Israel.
2 And the children of Dan sent of their family five men from their borders, men of valor from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. And they said unto them, “Go, search the land,” who, when they came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, they lodged there.
3 When they were by the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man, the Levite; and they turned in thither and said unto him, “Who brought thee hither? And what makest thou in this place? And what hast thou here?”
4 And he said unto them, “Thus and thus dealeth Micah with me and hath hired me, and I am his priest.”
5 And they said unto him, “Ask counsel, we pray thee, of God, that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous.”
6 And the priest said unto them, “Go in peace. Your way wherein ye go is before the Lord.”
7 Then the five men departed and came to Laish, and saw the people who were therein, how they dwelt free from care, after the manner of the Sidonians, quiet and secure. And there was no magistrate in the land who might put them to shame in any thing, and they were far from the Sidonians and had no business with any man.
8 And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol; and their brethren said unto them, “What say ye?”
9 And they said, “Arise, that we may go up against them; for we have seen the land, and behold, it is very good. And are ye still? Be not slothful to go and to enter to possess the land.
10 When ye go, ye shall come unto a people secure and to a large land. For God hath given it into your hands, a place where there is no want of any thing that is in the earth.”
11 And there went from thence of the family of the Danites, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, six hundred men appointed with weapons of war.
12 And they went up and pitched camp in Kirjathjearim in Judah. Therefore they called that place Mahanehdan unto this day; behold, it is behind Kirjathjearim.
13 And they passed from thence unto Mount Ephraim and came unto the house of Micah.
14 Then answered the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish, and said unto their brethren, “Do ye know that there is in these houses an ephod and teraphim, and a graven image and a molten image? Now therefore consider what ye have to do.”
15 And they turned in that direction, and came to the house of the young man, the Levite, even unto the house of Micah, and saluted him.
8 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havoc of the church. Entering into every house and haling men and women, he committed them to prison.
4 Therefore those who were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word.
5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed with them; and many taken with palsies and who were lame, were healed.
8 And there was great joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who earlier in the same city had used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great,
10 to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is great with the power of God.”
11 And for him they had regard, because for a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.
12 But when they believed Philip’s preaching of the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13 Then Simon himself believed also; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
30 “I can of Mine own self do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father who hath sent Me.
31 If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.
32 There is Another that beareth witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesseth of Me is true.
33 “Ye sent unto John, and he bore witness unto the truth.
34 But I receive not testimony from man, but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
35 He was a burning and a shining light, and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
36 But I have greater witness than that of John; for the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me that the Father hath sent Me.
37 And the Father Himself, who hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape.
38 And ye have not His Word abiding in you; for Whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not.
39 “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and it is they which testify of Me.
40 And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life!
41 I receive not honor from men.
42 But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.
43 I have come in My Father’s name, and ye receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.
44 How can ye believe, who receive honor one from another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only?
45 Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me.
47 But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe My words?”
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