Book of Common Prayer

18 Unto the end. A psalm for David.

² The heavens shew forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of his hands.

³ Day to day uttereth speech, and night to night sheweth knowledge.

⁴ There are no speeches nor languages, where their voices are not heard.

⁵ Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.

⁶ He hath set his tabernacle in the sun: and he, as a bridegroom coming out of his bride chamber, Hath rejoiced as a giant to run the way:

⁷ His going out is from the end of heaven, And his circuit even to the end thereof: and there is no one that can hide himself from his heat.

⁸ The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones.

⁹ The justices of the Lord are right, rejoicing hearts: the commandment of the Lord is lightsome, enlightening the eyes.

¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is holy, enduring for ever and ever: the judgments of the Lord are true, justified in themselves.

¹¹ More to be desired than gold and many precious stones: and sweeter than honey and the honeycomb.

¹² For thy servant keepeth them, and in keeping them there is a great reward.

¹³ Who can understand sins? from my secret ones cleanse me, O Lord:

¹⁴ And from those of others spare thy servant. If they shall have no dominion over me, then shall I be without spot: and I shall be cleansed from the greatest sin.

¹⁵ And the words of my mouth shall be such as may please: and the meditation of my heart always in thy sight. O Lord, my helper, and my redeemer.

³¹ Thou, O king, sawest, and behold there was as it were a great statue: this statue, which was great and high, tall of stature, stood before thee, and the look thereof was terrible.

³² The head of this statue was of fine gold, but the breast and the arms of silver, and the belly and the thighs of brass:

³³ And the legs of iron, the feet part of iron and part of clay.

³⁴ Thus thou sawest, till a stone was cut out of a mountain without hands: and it struck the statue upon the feet thereof that were of iron and of clay, and broke them in pieces.

³⁵ Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of a summer's thrashingfloor, and they were carried away by the wind: and there was no place found for them: but the stone that struck the statue, became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

³⁶ This is the dream: we will also tell the interpretation thereof before thee, O king.

³⁷ Thou art a king of kings: and the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, and strength, and power, and glory:

³⁸ And all places wherein the children of men, and the beasts of the field do dwell: he hath also given the birds of the air into thy hand, and hath put all things under thy power: thou therefore art the head of gold.

³⁹ And after thee shall rise up another kingdom, inferior to thee, of silver: and another third kingdom of brass, which shall rule over all the world.

⁴⁰ And the fourth kingdom shall be as iron. As iron breaketh into pieces, and subdueth all things, so shall that break and destroy all these.

⁴¹ And whereas thou sawest the feet, and the toes, part of potter's clay, and part of iron: the kingdom shall be divided, but yet it shall take its origin from the iron, according as thou sawest the iron mixed with the miry clay.

⁴² And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken.

⁴³ And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall be mingled indeed together with the seed of man, but they shall not stick fast one to another, as iron cannot be mixed with clay.

⁴⁴ But in the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people, and it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms, and itself shall stand for ever.

⁴⁵ According as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and broke in pieces, the clay, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the great God hath shewn the king what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof is faithful.

⁴⁶ Then king Nabuchodonosor fell on his face, and worshipped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer in sacrifice to him victims and incense.

⁴⁷ And the king spoke to Daniel, and said: Verily your God is the God of gods, and Lord of kings, and a revealer of hidden things: seeing thou couldst discover this secret.

⁴⁸ Then the king advanced Daniel to a high station, and gave him many and great gifts: and he made him governor over all the provinces of Babylon, and chief of the magistrates over all the wise men of Babylon.

⁴⁹ And Daniel requested of the king, and he appointed Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago over the works of the province of Babylon: but Daniel himself was in the king's palace.

¹⁸ Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that Antichrist cometh, even now there are become many Antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last hour.

¹⁹ They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us; but that they may be manifest, that they are not all of us.

²⁰ But you have the unction from the Holy One, and know all things.

²¹ I have not written to you as to them that know not the truth, but as to them that know it: and that no lie is of the truth.

²² Who is a liar, but he who denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is Antichrist, who denieth the Father, and the Son.

²³ Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father. He that confesseth the Son, hath the Father also.

²⁴ As for you, let that which you have heard from the beginning, abide in you. If that abide in you, which you have heard from the beginning, you also shall abide in the Son, and in the Father.

²⁵ And this is the promise which he hath promised us, life everlasting.

²⁶ These things have I written to you, concerning them that seduce you.

²⁷ And as for you, let the unction, which you have received from him, abide in you. And you have no need that any man teach you; but as his unction teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie. And as it hath taught you, abide in him.

²⁸ And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be confounded by him at his coming.

²⁹ If you know, that he is just, know ye, that every one also, who doth justice, is born of him.

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea, and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilina;

² Under the high priests Annas and Caiphas; the word of the Lord was made unto John, the son of Zachary, in the desert.

³ And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins;

⁴ As it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

⁵ Every valley shall be filled; and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight; and the rough ways plain;

⁶ And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

⁷ He said therefore to the multitudes that went forth to be baptized by him: Ye offspring of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸ Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of penance; and do not begin to say, We have Abraham for our father. For I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham.

⁹ For now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down and cast into the fire.

¹⁰ And the people asked him, saying: What then shall we do?

¹¹ And he answering, said to them: He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do in like manner.

¹² And the publicans also came to be baptized, and said to him: Master, what shall we do?

¹³ But he said to them: Do nothing more than that which is appointed you.

¹⁴ And the soldiers also asked him, saying: And what shall we do? And he said to them: Do violence to no man; neither calumniate any man; and be content with your pay.