Book of Common Prayer
18 I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death encompassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death lay before me.
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord and cried unto my God; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even unto His ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was wroth.
8 There went up smoke out of His nostrils, and a devouring fire out of His mouth; coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also and came down; and darkness was under His feet.
10 And He rode upon a cherub and flew; yea, He flew upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before Him, His thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest uttered His voice with hail stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, He sent out His arrows and scattered them; and He shot out lightnings and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of the waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered at Thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me, for they were too strong for me.
18 They came against me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.
20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His judgments were before me, and I did not put away His statutes from me.
23 I was also upright before Him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.
25 With the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merciful; with an upright man Thou wilt show Thyself upright;
26 with the pure Thou wilt show Thyself pure; and with the froward Thou wilt show Thyself froward.
27 For Thou wilt save the afflicted people, but wilt bring down haughty looks.
28 For Thou wilt light my candle; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by Thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proved; He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him.
31 For who is God, except the Lord? Or who is a rock, except our God?
32 It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that the bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation; Thy right hand hath held me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my path under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I have pursued mine enemies and overtaken them; neither did I turn back until they were consumed.
38 I have wounded them, that they were not able to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
39 For Thou hast girded me with strength for the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them, even unto the Lord, but He answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and Thou hast made me the head of the heathen; a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me; the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock! And let the God of my salvation be exalted!
47 It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me;
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies. Yea, Thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me; Thou hast delivered me from violent men.
49 Therefore will I give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto Thy name.
50 Great deliverance giveth He to His king and showeth mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed for evermore.
14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.
15 And Saul’s servants said unto him, “Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
16 Let our lord now command thy servants, who are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.”
17 And Saul said unto his servants, “Provide me now a man whocan play well, and bring him to me.”
18 Then answered one of the servants and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him.”
19 Therefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse and said, “Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep.”
20 And Jesse took an ass laden with bread and a bottle of wine and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.
21 And David came to Saul and stood before him; and he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer.
22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David, I pray thee, stand before me, for he hath found favor in my sight.”
23 And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand; so Saul was refreshed and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
17 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies for battle and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched camp between Shochoh and Azekah in Ephesdammim.
2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and pitched camp by the Valley of Elah, and set up in battle array against the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on one side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, and there was a valley between them.
4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5 And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs and a buckler of brass between his shoulders.
7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and one bearing a shield went before him.
8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel and said unto them, “Why have ye come out to set up in battle array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me and to kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us.”
10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day! Give me a man, that we may fight together!”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
17 Now while Peter wondered to himself what this vision which he had seen could mean, behold, the men who had been sent from Cornelius had made inquiry for Simon’s house and stood before the gate,
18 and called and asked whether Simon, who was surnamed Peter, was lodged there.
19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, “Behold, three men seek thee.
20 Arise therefore, and get thee down and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them.”
21 Then Peter went down to the men who were sent unto him from Cornelius and said, “Behold, I am he whom ye seek. What is the cause for which ye have come?”
22 And they said, “Cornelius the centurion, a just man and one who feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned from God by a holy angel to send for thee into his house and to hear words from thee.”
23 Then Peter called them in and lodged them. And on the morrow Peter went away with them, and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him.
24 And the morrow after they entered into Caesarea. And Cornelius waited for them, and had called together his kinsmen and near friends.
25 And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
26 But Peter took him up, saying, “Stand up; I myself also am a man.”
27 And as he talked with him, he went in and found many who had come together.
28 And he said unto them, “Ye know that it is an unlawful thing for a man who is a Jew to keep company with or to come unto one of another nation. But God hath shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
29 Therefore came I unto you without gainsaying as soon as I was sent for. I ask therefore, with what intent ye have sent for me?”
30 And Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,
31 and said, ‘Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms have been remembered in the sight of God.
32 Send therefore to Joppa and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter. He is lodged in the house of one Simon, a tanner, by the seaside. He, when he cometh, shall speak unto thee.’
33 Immediately therefore I sent to thee, and thou hast done well, that thou hast come. Now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all things that are commanded thee from God.”
36 And as they thus spoke, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them and said unto them, “Peace be unto you.”
37 But they were terrified and afraid, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
38 And He said unto them, “Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me to have.”
40 And when He had thus spoken, He showed them His hands and His feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, “Have ye here any meat?”
42 And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and of a honeycomb.
43 And He took it and ate before them.
44 And He said unto them, “These are the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and in the Psalms concerning Me.”
45 Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures,
46 and said unto them, “Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
49 And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.”
50 And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them and carried up into Heaven.
52 And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.