Book of Common Prayer
A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity; I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O LORD and prove me; melt my kidneys and my heart.
3 For thy mercy is before my eyes, and I walk in thy truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with hypocrites.
5 I have hated the congregation of evil doers and will not sit with the wicked.
6 ¶ I will wash my hands in innocency, so I will walk near unto thine altar, O LORD:
7 That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works.
8 LORD, I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place of the tabernacle of thy glory.
9 Gather not my soul with the sinners, nor my life with those who have blood on their hands:
10 In whose hands are wicked devices, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk in my integrity; ransom me and be merciful unto me.
12 I have walked uprightly; in the congregations I will bless the LORD.
A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent unto me lest, if thou be silent unto me, I become like those that go down into the grave.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward the oracle of thy holiness.
3 Do not catch me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbours, but evil is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render unto them their desert.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them and not build them up.
6 ¶ Blessed be the LORD because he has heard the voice of my supplications.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song I will praise him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
9 Save thy people and bless thine inheritance; feed them also and lift them up for ever.
To the Overcomer, A Psalm of David the slave of the LORD.
1 ¶ The rebellion of the wicked saith to my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes until his iniquity is found to be hateful.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit; he has left off to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises iniquity upon his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not abhor evil.
5 ¶ Thy mercy, O LORD, reaches unto the heavens, and thy truth reaches unto the clouds.
6 Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; thy judgments are a great deep; O LORD, thou dost preserve man and beast.
7 How excellent is thy mercy, O God! therefore the sons of Adam cover themselves in the shadow of thy wings.
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.
9 For with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light shall we see light.
10 Extend thy mercy unto those that know thee and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
12 There are the workers of iniquity fallen; they are cast down and shall not be able to rise.
To the Overcomer, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ I said, I will take heed to my ways that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bit while the wicked is against me.
2 I was dumb with silence; I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue,
4 LORD, make me to know my end and the measure of my days, what it is that I may know how long I am to be of this world.
5 Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth, and my age is as nothing before thee; verily every man that lives is altogether vanity. Selah.
6 Surely man walks in darkness; surely they are disquieted in vain; they heap up riches not knowing who shall gather them.
7 ¶ And now, Lord, what shall I wait for? My hope is in thee.
8 Deliver me from all my rebellions; do not make me the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth because thou didst it.
10 Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
11 When thou with chastening dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his greatness to consume away like a moth; surely every man is vanity. Selah.
12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 O spare me, that I may recover strength before I go from here and be no more.
12 ¶ And Job answered and said,
3 But I would speak with the Almighty, and I desired to dispute with God.
4 That ye are certainly forgers of lies; ye are all physicians of no value.
5 O that ye would altogether be silent! And it would be unto you instead of wisdom.
6 Hear now my dispute, and hearken to the arguments of my lips.
7 Are ye to speak iniquity for God? Are ye to speak deceitfully for him?
8 Are ye to bring honour unto him? Are ye to contend for God?
9 Would it be good for him to search you out? As one man mocks another, do ye so mock him?
10 He will reprove you severely, if in secret you give him such honour.
11 Certainly his excellency should make you afraid, and his dread should fall upon you.
12 Your memories shall be compared unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.
13 ¶ Listen to me, and I will speak, and afterward let come on me what will.
14 Why shall I take my flesh in my teeth and put my life in the palm of my hand?
15 Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him; but I will defend my ways before him.
16 He also shall be my saving health; for the hypocrite shall not enter into his presence.
17 Hear diligently my reason and my declaration with your ears.
21 withdraw thy hand from me; and let not thy dread make me afraid.
22 Then call, and I will answer; or let me speak, and answer thou me.
23 ¶ How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin.
24 Why dost thou hide thy face, and hold me for thine enemy?
25 Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? Wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?
26 Why dost thou write bitter things against me and make me carry the iniquities of my youth.
27 Thou dost put my feet also in the stocks and look narrowly unto all my paths; thou dost set a print upon the heels of my feet.
12 ¶ Now at that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to mistreat certain of the congregation. {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones}
2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)
4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him, intending after the Passover to bring him forth to the people.
5 ¶ Peter therefore was kept in the prison, and the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} made prayer without unto God for him.
6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and the guards before the door that kept the prison.
7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shone in the prison, and he smote Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, Arise quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he said unto him, Cast thy garment about thee and follow me.
9 And he went out and followed him and knew not that it was true which was done by the angel, but thought he saw a vision.
10 When they were past the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leads unto the city, which opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street, and then the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety that the Lord has sent his angel and has delivered me out of the hand of Herod and from all the people of the Jews who waited for me.
12 And considering this, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the patio, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
14 And when she recognized Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood at the gate.
15 And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then they said, It is his angel.
16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to be silent, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go make these things known unto James and to the brethren. And he departed and went to another place.
33 They answered him, We are Abraham’s seed, and we have never served anyone; how sayest thou, Ye shall be set free?
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever commits sin is the slave of sin.
35 And the slave does not abide in the house for ever, but the Son abides for ever.
36 If the Son therefore shall set you free, ye shall be free indeed.
37 I know that ye are Abraham’s seed, but ye seek to kill me because my word has no place in you.
38 ¶ I speak that which I have seen with my Father, and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus said unto them, If ye were Abraham’s sons, ye would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that has told you the truth, which I have heard of God; Abraham did not do this.
41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then they said to him, We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would surely love me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither did I come of myself, but he sent me.
43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father ye desire to do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 And because I tell you the truth, ye do not believe me.
46 ¶ Which of you reproves me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?
47 He that is of God hears God’s words; ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God.
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