Book of Common Prayer
A prayer for help, and praise for its answer.
A Psalm of David.
28 Unto thee, O Jehovah, will I call:
My rock, be not thou deaf unto me;
Lest, if thou be silent unto me,
I become like them that go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee,
When I lift up my hands [a]toward thy holy oracle.
3 Draw me not away with the wicked,
And with the workers of iniquity;
That speak peace with their neighbors,
But mischief is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their work, and according to the wickedness of their doings:
Give them after the operation of their hands;
Render to them their desert.
5 Because they regard not the works of Jehovah,
Nor the operation of his hands,
He will break them down and not build them up.
6 Blessed be Jehovah,
Because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
7 Jehovah is my strength and my shield;
My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped:
Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;
And with my song will I praise him.
8 Jehovah is their strength,
And he is a stronghold of salvation to his anointed.
9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance:
Be their shepherd also, and bear them up for ever.
Thanksgiving for deliverance from death.
A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. A Psalm of David.
30 I will extol thee, O Jehovah; for thou hast [a]raised me up,
And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O Jehovah my God,
I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3 O Jehovah, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol;
Thou hast kept me alive, [b]that I should not go down to the pit.
4 Sing praise unto Jehovah, O ye saints of his,
And give thanks to his holy memorial name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
[c]His favor is for a life-time:
Weeping [d]may tarry for the night,
But joy cometh in the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity,
I shall never be moved.
7 Thou, Jehovah, of thy favor hadst made my mountain to stand strong:
Thou didst hide thy face; I was troubled.
8 I cried to thee, O Jehovah;
And unto Jehovah I made supplication:
9 What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit?
Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10 Hear, O Jehovah, and have mercy upon me:
Jehovah, be thou my helper.
11 Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing;
Thou hast loosed my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent.
O Jehovah my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
17 Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them. 18 And they forsook the house of Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols: and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness. 19 Yet he sent prophets to them, to bring them again unto Jehovah; and they testified against them: but they would not give ear.
20 And the Spirit of God [a]came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of Jehovah, so that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken Jehovah, he hath also forsaken you. 21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of Jehovah. 22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, Jehovah look upon it, and require it.
6 Now in these days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring of the [a]Grecian Jews against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 And the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not [b]fit that we should forsake the word of God, and [c]serve tables. 3 [d]Look ye out therefore, brethren, from among you seven men of good report, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will continue stedfastly in prayer, and in the ministry of the word. 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus a proselyte of Antioch; 6 whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands upon them.
7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.
Thanksgiving for Jehovah’s saving goodness.
118 Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
2 Let Israel now say,
That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
4 Let them now that fear Jehovah say,
That his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
5 Out of my distress I called upon [a]Jehovah:
[b]Jehovah answered me and set me in a large place.
6 Jehovah is on my side; I will not fear:
What can man do unto me?
7 Jehovah is on my side among them that help me:
Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in Jehovah
Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in Jehovah
Than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations compassed me about:
In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.
11 They compassed me about; yea, they compassed me about:
In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.
12 They compassed me about like bees;
they are quenched as the fire of thorns:
In the name of Jehovah I will cut them off.
13 Thou didst thrust sore at me that I might fall;
But Jehovah helped me.
14 [c]Jehovah is my strength and song;
And he is become my salvation.
15 The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous:
The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly.
16 The right hand of Jehovah is exalted:
The right hand of Jehovah doeth valiantly.
17 I shall not die, but live,
And declare the works of [d]Jehovah.
18 [e]Jehovah hath chastened me sore;
But he hath not given me over unto death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness:
I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto [f]Jehovah.
20 This is the gate of Jehovah;
The righteous shall enter into it.
21 I will give thanks unto thee; for thou hast answered me,
And art become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Is become the head of the corner.
23 This is [g]Jehovah’s doing;
It is marvellous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which Jehovah hath made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save now, we beseech thee, O Jehovah:
O Jehovah, we beseech thee, send now prosperity.
26 Blessed be he that [h]cometh in the name of Jehovah:
We have blessed you out of the house of Jehovah.
27 Jehovah is God, and he hath given us light:
Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.
28 Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto thee:
Thou art my God, I will exalt thee.
29 Oh give thanks unto Jehovah; for he is good;
For his lovingkindness endureth for ever.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon the Lord, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 8 1 And Saul was consenting unto his death.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church which was in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. 2 And devout men buried Stephen, and made great lamentation over him. 3 But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.
4 They therefore that were scattered abroad went about [a]preaching the word. 5 And Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and proclaimed unto them the Christ. 6 And the multitudes gave heed with one accord unto the things that were spoken by Philip, when they heard, and saw the signs which he did. 7 [b]For from many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed. 8 And there was much joy in that city.
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