Book of Common Prayer
26 Judge me, O Lord, for I have walked in mine integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; therefore I shall not slide.
2 Examine me, O Lord, and test me; try my reins and my heart.
3 For Thy lovingkindness is before mine eyes, and I have walked in Thy truth.
4 I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I consort with dissemblers.
5 I have hated the congregation of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.
6 I will wash mine hands in innocence; so will I compass Thine altar, O Lord,
7 that I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all Thy wondrous works.
8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honor dwelleth.
9 Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men,
10 in whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I will walk in mine integrity; redeem me and be merciful unto me.
12 My foot standeth on a level place; in the congregations will I bless the Lord.
28 Unto Thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me, lest, if Thou be silent, 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 toward the oracle of Thy sanctuary.
3 Draw me not away with the wicked and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors, but mischief is in their hearts.
4 Give to them according to their deeds and according to the wickedness of their endeavors; give to them according to the work of their hands; render to them their deserts.
5 Because they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, He shall destroy them and not build them up.
6 Blessed be the Lord, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications!
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth, and with my song will I praise Him.
8 The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed.
9 Save the people, and bless Thine inheritance; feed them also, and lift them up forever.
36 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
3 The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit; he hath ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.
5 Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens, and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.
6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep; O Lord, Thou preservest man and beast.
7 How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.
8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the bounty of Thy house, and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.
9 For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light shall we see light.
10 O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know Thee, and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.
12 There the workers of iniquity lie fallen; they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.
39 I said, “I will take heed of my ways, that I sin not with my tongue; I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked is before me.”
2 I was dumb with silence; I held my peace, even from good, and my sorrow was stirred.
3 My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “Lord, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is, that I may know how frail I am.
5 Behold, Thou hast made my days as a handbreadth, and mine age is as nothing before Thee; verily every man in his best state is altogether vanity. Selah
6 “Surely every man walketh in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain; he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
7 “And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in Thee.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the reproach of the foolish.
9 I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because Thou didst it.
10 Remove Thy stroke away from me; I am consumed by the blow of Thine hand.
11 When with rebukes Thou dost correct man for iniquity, Thou makest his beauty to be consumed away like a moth; surely every man is vanity. Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not Thy peace at my tears; for I am a stranger with Thee and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13 O spare me, that I may recover strength before I go hence and am no more.”
19 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
2 But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David; and Jonathan told David, saying, “Saul my father seeketh to kill thee. Now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place and hide thyself.
3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father about thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee.”
4 And Jonathan spoke well of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he hath not sinned against thee and because his works have been toward thee very good.
5 For he put his life in his hands and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great salvation for all Israel. Thou sawest it and didst rejoice. Why then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?”
6 And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan; and Saul swore, “As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain.”
7 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past.
8 And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter, and they fled from him.
9 And the evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand. And David played music with his hand.
10 And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
11 Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house to watch him and to slay him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him, saying, “If thou save not thy life tonight, tomorrow thou shalt be slain.”
12 So Michal let David down through a window; and he went and fled, and escaped.
13 And Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair for its head, and covered it with a cloth.
14 And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.”
15 And Saul sent the messengers again to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.”
16 And when the messengers had come in, behold, there was an image in the bed with a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster.
17 And Saul said unto Michal, “Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said unto me, ‘Let me go: Why should I kill thee?’”
18 So David fled and escaped, and came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
12 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.
2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (This was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.)
4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to guard him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.
5 Peter therefore was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him.
6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, that same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains; and the keepers were guarding the door of the prison.
7 And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison; and he smote Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise up quickly.” And his chains fell off from his hands.
8 And the angel said unto him, “Gird thyself and bind on thy sandals.” And so he did. And the angel said unto him, “Cast thy garment about thee and follow me.”
9 And he went out and followed him, and knew not whether what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision.
10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which opened to them of his own accord. And they went out and passed on through one street, and forthwith the angel departed from him.
11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know in truth that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod and from all the expectations of the people of the Jews.”
12 And when he had considered this thing, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel named Rhoda came to ask who was there.
14 And when she recognized Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood before the gate.
15 And they said unto her, “Thou art mad.” But she continued to affirm that it was even so. Then they said, “It is his angel.”
16 But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.
17 But he, beckoning unto them with his hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go and tell these things unto James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went into another place.
2 And again He entered into Capernaum some days later, and it was reported that He was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not even about the door; and He preached the Word unto them.
3 And they came unto Him, bringing one sick with the palsy, who was borne by four.
4 And when they could not come nigh unto Him because of the throng, they uncovered the roof where He was. And when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the one sick with the palsy lay.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the one sick with the palsy, “Son, thy sins are forgiven thee.”
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts,
7 “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?”
8 And immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, He said unto them, “Why reason ye these things in your hearts:
9 whether it is easier to say to the sick with the palsy, ‘Thy sins are forgiven thee,’ or to say, ‘Arise, and take up thy bed and walk’?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins—” He said to the one sick with the palsy,
11 “I say unto thee, arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.”
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all, insomuch that they all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw it in this fashion!”
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.