Book of Common Prayer
1 ¶ O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good because his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let Israel now say that his mercy endures for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endures for ever.
4 Let those that fear the LORD say now, that his mercy is eternal.
5 From a tight place I called upon JAH; and JAH answered me and set me in a wide place.
6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear what man can do unto me.
7 The LORD takes my part with those that help me; therefore I shall see my desire upon those that hate me.
8 It is better to wait upon the LORD than to wait upon man.
9 It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
10 All the nations compassed me about; but in the name of the LORD I will cut them off.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they laid hold of me; but in the name of the LORD I will cut them off.
12 They compassed me about like bees; they were quenched as the fire of thorns; for in the name of the LORD I will cut them off.
13 Thou hast thrust at me with violence that I might fall, but the LORD helped me.
14 JAH is my strength and song and is become my saving health.
15 The voice of singing and saving health is in the tents of the righteous; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted; the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live and declare the works of JAH.
18 JAH has chastened me sore, but he has not given me over unto death.
19 ¶ Open unto me the gates of righteousness; I will go in through them; I will praise JAH.
20 This gate is of the LORD; the righteous shall enter in.
21 I will praise thee; for thou hast heard me and art become my saving health.
22 The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner.
23 This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, I beseech thee, O LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, cause us now to prosper.
26 Blessed be he that comes in the name of the LORD; from the house of the LORD we bless you.
27 God is the LORD, who has shined on us; bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will praise thee; thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
29 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever.
David’s Psalm of praise.
Aleph
1 ¶ I will extol thee, my God, my king, and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.
Beth
2 Each day will I bless thee, and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.
Gimel
3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
Daleth
4 One generation shall praise thy works to another and shall declare thy mighty acts.
He
5 I will speak of the beauty of the glory of thy majesty and of thy wondrous works.
Vau
6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts, and I will declare thy greatness.
Zain
7 They shall proclaim the memory of thy great goodness and shall sing of thy righteousness.
Cheth
8 The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy.
Teth
9 The LORD is good to all; and his tender mercies shine over all his works.
Jod
10 ¶ Let all thy works praise thee, O LORD, and thy merciful ones bless thee.
Caph
11 They speak of the glory of thy kingdom and talk of thy power,
Lamed
12 to make known to the sons of Adam his mighty acts and the glory of the magnificence of his kingdom.
Mem
13 Thy kingdom is a kingdom of all ages, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations.
Samech
14 The LORD upholds all that fall and raises up all those that are oppressed.
Ain
15 The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them their food in due season.
Pe
16 Thou dost open thine hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Tzaddi
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and merciful in all his works.
Koph
18 The LORD is near unto all those that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Resh
19 He will fulfil the desire of those that fear him; he also will hear their cry and will save them.
Schin
20 The LORD preserves all those that love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
Tau
21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
4 Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt; therefore thou shalt know no God other than me, nor any other saviour but me.
5 ¶ I knew thee in the wilderness, in the dry land.
6 In their pastures, they filled themselves; they were satisfied, and their heart was exalted; for this reason they have forgotten me.
7 Therefore I will be unto them as a lion; as a tiger in the way I will observe them:
8 I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps and will rend the veil of their heart, and there I will devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them apart.
9 ¶ O Israel, thou hast caused thyself to become lost, but in me is thine help.
10 Where is thy king, that may save thee with all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou didst say, Give me a king and princes?
11 I gave thee a king in my anger and took him away in my wrath.
12 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid.
13 The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him; he is an unwise son; for a long time now he should not have stopped short at the very breaking forth of birth.
14 I will ransom them from the power of Sheol; I will redeem them from death; O death, I will be thy end; O Sheol, I will be thy destruction. Repentance shall be hid from my eyes.
6 ¶ For we speak perfect wisdom of God, and not the wisdom of this age nor of the princes of this age, that come to nought,
7 but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages unto our glory,
8 which none of the princes of this age knew (for had they known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory).
9 But as it is written, That which eye has not seen nor ear heard neither has entered into the heart of man is that which God has prepared for those that love him.
10 But God has revealed this unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
11 For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so no one has known the things of God, but the Spirit of God.
12 Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that God has given us.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teaches, but with doctrine of the Holy Spirit, jointly fitting spiritual things by spiritual means.
14 But the natural man does not perceive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
15 But he that is spiritual discerns all things, yet he is discerned by no one.
16 For who has known the understanding of the Lord? Who has instructed him? But we have the understanding of Christ.
14 ¶ At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus
2 and said unto his slaves, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him.
3 For Herod had laid hold on John and bound him and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.
4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude because they counted him as a prophet.
6 But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod.
7 Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she would ask.
8 And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John the Baptist’s head in a platter.
9 And the king was sorry; nevertheless because of the oath and of those who sat with him at the table, he commanded it to be given her.
10 And he sent and beheaded John in the prison.
11 And his head was brought in a platter and given to the damsel, and she brought it to her mother.
12 And his disciples came and took up the body and buried it and went and told Jesus.
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