Book of Common Prayer
1 ¶ Blessed is the man that does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in his law he meditates day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
4 ¶ The ungodly are not so but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
1 ¶ Why do the Gentiles rage, and the peoples imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
3 let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sits in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then he shall speak unto them in his wrath and trouble them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet I have set my king upon Zion, the mountain of my holiness.
7 ¶ I will declare the decree; the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day I have begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the Gentiles for thine inheritance and unto the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
10 ¶ Understand now therefore, O ye kings: receive chastening, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled in a little while. Blessed are all those that put their trust in him.
A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.
1 ¶ LORD, how are they increased that trouble me! Many are they that rise up against me.
2 There are many who say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.
3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of my head.
4 ¶ I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he answered me out of the mountain of his holiness. Selah.
5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about.
7 Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the jawbone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
8 Salvation belongs unto the LORD; thy blessing shall be upon thy people. Selah.
To the Overcomer in Neginoth, A Psalm of David.
1 ¶ Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness; thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after the lie? Selah.
3 But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call unto him.
4 Stand in awe, and sin not; meditate in your heart upon your bed, and desist. Selah.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
6 ¶ There are many that say, Who will show us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart in the time that their grain and their wine multiplied.
8 I will both lay me down in peace and sleep: for thou only, O LORD, dost make me to be confident.
Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.
1 ¶ O LORD my God, in thee I have put my trust: save me from all those that persecute me, and deliver me
2 Lest they take my soul, as a lion dismembers his prey when there is none to deliver.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this: if there is iniquity in my hands,
4 if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me, then let my persecutor escape without retribution.
5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay my honour in the dust. Selah.
6 Arise, O LORD, in thine anger; lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake the judgment in my favour that thou hast commanded.
7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about, for their sakes therefore return thou on high.
8 The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Let wickedness consume the wicked; but establish the just: for the righteous God is he who tries the hearts and kidneys.
10 ¶ My shield is in God, he who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is he who judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
12 If he does not turn, he will whet his sword; he has bent his bow and made it ready.
13 He has also prepared for him the weapons of death; he ordains his arrows against the persecutors.
14 Behold, he travails with iniquity and has conceived of his own work and brought forth falsehood.
15 He made a pit and deepened it and shall fall into the ditch which he made.
16 His work shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
7 ¶ Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
2 The merciful man of the earth is missing: and there is no one upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt each man his brother with a net.
3 To complete the evil with their hands, the prince demands, and the judge judges for a reward; and the great man speaks the desires of his heart: and they confirm it.
4 The best of them is as a brier; the most upright as a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen, thy visitation, comes; now shall be their confusion.
5 Do not believe in a friend, do not trust in a prince; from her that lies at thy side, take care, open not thy mouth.
6 For the son dishonours the father, the daughter rises up against her mother, the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies are those of his own house.
7 ¶ Therefore I will wait for the LORD; I will wait for the God of my saving health; my God will hear me.
26 ¶ Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand and answered for himself:
2 I esteem myself blessed, King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee concerning all the things of which I am accused of the Jews,
3 especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews; therefore, I beseech thee to hear me patiently.
4 My manner of life from my youth, which from the beginning was among my own nation at Jerusalem, is known of all the Jews,
5 who knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most perfect sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
6 And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers;
7 unto which promise our twelve tribes, constantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope’s sake, King Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews.
8 Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead?
9 I verily had thought that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 Which things I also did in Jerusalem, and I shut up many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the princes of the priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them.
11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities.
12 ¶ Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the princes of the priests,
13 at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and those who journeyed with me.
14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou dost persecute.
16 But rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen and of those things in which I will appear unto thee;
17 delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee
18 to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission of sins and inheritance among those who are sanctified by the faith that is in me.
19 Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision,
20 but I announced first unto those of Damascus and at Jerusalem and throughout all the coasts of Judaea and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple and went about to kill me.
22 Having, therefore, obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said should come:
23 that the Christ should suffer and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead and should show light unto this people and to the Gentiles.
26 And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee.
27 And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, who had demons for a long time and wore no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.
28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.
29 (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him, and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters, and he broke the bands and was driven of the demon into the wilderness.)
30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion, because many demons were entered into him.
31 And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the abyss.
32 And there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain, and they besought him that he would allow them to enter into them. And he allowed them.
33 Then the demons went out of the man and entered into the swine, and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake and were choked.
34 When those that fed them saw what was done, they fled and went and told it in the city and in the country.
35 Then they went out to see what was done and came to Jesus and found the man, out of whom the demons were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid.
36 And those who saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the demons was saved.
37 Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them, for they were taken with great fear; and he went up into the ship and returned back again.
38 Now the man out of whom the demons were departed besought him that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying,
39 Return to thine own house and tell what great things God has done unto thee. And he went, preaching throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done unto him.
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