Book of Common Prayer

38 Unto the end, for Idithun himself, a canticle of David.

² I said: I will take heed to my ways: that I sin not with my tongue. I have set guard to my mouth, when the sinner stood against me.

³ I was dumb, and was humbled, and kept silence from good things: and my sorrow was renewed.

⁴ My heart grew hot within me: and in my meditation a fire shall flame out.

⁵ I spoke with my tongue: O Lord, make me know my end. And what is the number of my days: that I may know what is wanting to me.

⁶ Behold thou hast made my days measurable: and my substance is as nothing before thee. And indeed all things are vanity: every man living.

⁷ Surely man passeth as an image: yea, and he is disquieted in vain. He storeth up: and he knoweth not for whom he shall gather these things.

⁸ And now what is my hope? is it not the Lord? and my substance is with thee.

⁹ Deliver thou me from all my iniquities: thou hast made me a reproach to the fool.

¹⁰ I was dumb, and I opened not my mouth, because thou hast done it.

¹¹ Remove thy scourges from me. The strength of thy hand hath made me faint in rebukes:

¹² Thou hast corrected man for iniquity. And thou hast made his soul to waste away like a spider: surely in vain is any man disquieted.

¹³ Hear my prayer, O Lord, and my supplication: give ear to my tears. Be not silent: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner as all my fathers were.

¹⁴ O forgive me, that I may be refreshed, before I go hence, and be no more.

⁴ Seek not of the Lord a pre-eminence, nor of the king the seat of honour.

⁵ Justify not thyself before God, for he knoweth the heart: and desire not to appear wise before the king.

⁶ Seek not to be made a judge, unless thou have strength enough to extirpate iniquities: lest thou fear the person of the powerful, and lay a stumblingblock for thy integrity.

⁷ Offend not against the multitude of a city, neither cast thyself in upon the people,

⁸ Nor bind sin to sin: for even in one thou shalt not be unpunished.

⁹ Be not fainthearted in thy mind:

¹⁰ Neglect not to pray, and to give alms.

¹¹ Say not: God will have respect to the multitude of my gifts, and when I offer to the most high God, he will accept my offerings.

¹² Laugh no man to scorn in the bitterness of his soul: for there is one that humbleth and exalteth, God who seeth all.

¹³ Devise not a lie against thy brother: neither do the like against thy friend.

¹⁴ Be not willing to make any manner of lie: for the custom thereof is not good.

8 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven, as it were for half an hour.

² And I saw seven angels standing in the presence of God; and there were given to them seven trumpets.

³ And another angel came, and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense, that he should offer of the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar, which is before the throne of God.

⁴ And the smoke of the incense of the prayers of the saints ascended up before God from the hand of the angel.

⁵ And the angel took the censer, and filled it with the fire of the altar, and cast it on the earth, and there were thunders and voices and lightnings, and a great earthquake.

⁶ And the seven angels, who had the seven trumpets, prepared themselves to sound the trumpet.

⁷ And the first angel sounded the trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mingled with blood, and it was cast on the earth, and the third part of the earth was burnt up, and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

⁸ And the second angel sounded the trumpet: and as it were a great mountain, burning with fire, was cast into the sea, and the third part of the sea became blood:

⁹ And the third part of those creatures died, which had life in the sea, and the third part of the ships was destroyed.

¹⁰ And the third angel sounded the trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, burning as it were a torch, and it fell on the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters:

¹¹ And the name of the star is called Wormwood. And the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

¹² And the fourth angel sounded the trumpet, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars, so that the third part of them was darkened, and the day did not shine for a third part of it, and the night in like manner.

¹³ And I beheld, and heard the voice of one eagle flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice: Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth: by reason of the rest of the voices of the three angels, who are yet to sound the trumpet.

¹⁷ And the seventy-two returned with joy, saying: Lord, the devils also are subject to us in thy name.

¹⁸ And he said to them: I saw Satan like lightning falling from heaven.

¹⁹ Behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall hurt you.

²⁰ But yet rejoice not in this, that spirits are subject unto you; but rejoice in this, that your names are written in heaven.

²¹ In that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Ghost, and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father, for so it hath seemed good in thy sight.

²² All things are delivered to me by my Father; and no one knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and to whom the Son will reveal him.

²³ And turning to his disciples, he said: Blessed are the eyes that see the things which you see.

²⁴ For I say to you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them; and to hear the things that you hear, and have not heard them.