Book of Common Prayer
50 A Psalm of Asaph. The God of gods -- Jehovah -- hath spoken, And He calleth to the earth From the rising of the sun unto its going in.
2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shone.
3 Our God cometh, and is not silent, Fire before Him doth devour, And round about him it hath been very tempestuous.
4 He doth call unto the heavens from above, And unto the earth, to judge His people.
5 Gather ye to Me My saints, Making covenant with Me over a sacrifice.
6 And the heavens declare His righteousness, For God Himself [is] judge. Selah.
7 Hear, O My people, and I speak, O Israel, and I testify against thee, God, thy God [am] I.
8 Not for thy sacrifices do I reprove thee, Yea, thy burnt-offerings [Are] before Me continually.
9 I take not from thy house a bullock, From thy folds he goats.
10 For Mine [is] every beast of the forest, The cattle on the hills of oxen.
11 I have known every fowl of the mountains, And the wild beast of the field [is] with Me.
12 If I am hungry I tell not to thee, For Mine [is] the world and its fulness.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls, And drink the blood of he-goats?
14 Sacrifice to God confession, And complete to the Most High thy vows.
15 And call Me in a day of adversity, I deliver thee, and thou honourest Me.
16 And to the wicked hath God said: What to thee -- to recount My statutes? That thou liftest up My covenant on thy mouth?
17 Yea, thou hast hated instruction, And dost cast My words behind thee.
18 If thou hast seen a thief, Then thou art pleased with him, And with adulterers [is] thy portion.
19 Thy mouth thou hast sent forth with evil, And thy tongue joineth deceit together,
20 Thou sittest, against thy brother thou speakest, Against a son of thy mother givest slander.
21 These thou didst, and I kept silent, Thou hast thought that I am like thee, I reprove thee, and set in array before thine eyes.
22 Understand this, I pray you, Ye who are forgetting God, Lest I tear, and there is no deliverer.
23 He who is sacrificing praise honoureth Me, As to him who maketh a way, I cause him to look on the salvation of God!
59 To the Overseer. -- `Destroy not,' by David. -- A secret treasure, in Saul's sending, and they watch the house to put him to death. Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God, From my withstanders set me on high.
2 Deliver me from workers of iniquity, And from men of blood save me.
3 For, lo, they laid wait for my soul, Assembled against me are strong ones, Not my transgression nor my sin, O Jehovah.
4 Without punishment they run and prepare themselves, Stir up to meet me, and see.
5 And Thou, Jehovah, God of Hosts, God of Israel, Awake to inspect all the nations. Favour not any treacherous dealers of iniquity. Selah.
6 They turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And go round about the city.
7 Lo, they belch out with their mouths, Swords [are] in their lips, for `Who heareth?'
8 And Thou, O Jehovah dost laugh at them, Thou dost mock at all the nations.
9 O my Strength, unto Thee I take heed, For God [is] my tower -- the God of my kindness.
10 God doth go before me, He causeth me to look on mine enemies.
11 Slay them not, lest my people forget, Shake them by Thy strength, And bring them down, O Lord our shield.
12 The sin of their mouth [is] a word of their lips, And they are captured in their pride, And from the curse and lying they recount.
13 Consume in fury, consume and they are not, And they know that God is ruling in Jacob, To the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 And they turn back at evening, They make a noise like a dog, And they go round about the city.
15 They -- they wander for food, If they are not satisfied -- then they murmur.
16 And I -- I sing [of] Thy strength, And I sing at morn [of] Thy kindness, For thou hast been a tower to me, And a refuge for me in a day of adversity.
17 O my Strength, unto Thee I sing praise, For God [is] my tower, the God of my kindness!
60 To the Overseer. -- `Concerning the Lily of Testimony,' a secret treasure of David, to teach, in his striving with Aram-Naharaim, and with Aram-Zobah, and Joab turneth back and smiteth Edom in the valley of Salt -- twelve thousand. O God, Thou hadst cast us off, Thou hadst broken us -- hadst been angry! -- Thou dost turn back to us.
2 Thou hast caused the land to tremble, Thou hast broken it, Heal its breaches, for it hath moved.
3 Thou hast shewn Thy people a hard thing, Thou hast caused us to drink wine of trembling.
4 Thou hast given to those fearing thee an ensign. To be lifted up as an ensign Because of truth. Selah.
5 That Thy beloved ones may be drawn out, Save [with] Thy right hand, and answer us.
6 God hath spoken in His holiness: I exult -- I apportion Shechem, And the valley of Succoth I measure,
7 Mine [is] Gilead, and mine [is] Manasseh, And Ephraim [is] the strength of my head, Judah [is] my lawgiver,
8 Moab [is] my pot for washing, over Edom I cast my shoe, Shout, concerning me, O Philistia.
9 Who doth bring me [to] a city of bulwarks? Who hath led me unto Edom?
10 Is it not Thou, O God? hast Thou cast us off? And dost Thou not go forth, O God, with our hosts!
11 Give to us help from adversity, And vain [is] the deliverance of man.
12 In God we do mightily, And He treadeth down our adversaries!
66 To the Overseer. -- A Song, a Psalm. Shout ye to God, all the earth.
2 Praise ye the honour of His name, Make ye honourable His praise.
3 Say to God, `How fearful [are] Thy works, By the abundance of Thy strength, Thine enemies feign obedience to Thee.
4 All the earth do bow to Thee, They sing praise to Thee, they praise Thy name.' Selah.
5 Come ye, and see the works of God, Fearful acts toward the sons of men.
6 He hath turned a sea to dry land, Through a river they pass over on foot, There do we rejoice in Him.
7 Ruling by His might to the age, His eyes among the nations do watch, The refractory exalt not themselves. Selah.
8 Bless, ye peoples, our God, And sound the voice of His praise,
9 Who hath placed our soul in life, And suffered not our feet to be moved.
10 For Thou hast tried us, O God, Thou hast refined us as the refining of silver.
11 Thou hast brought us into a net, Thou hast placed pressure on our loins.
12 Thou hast caused man to ride at our head. We have entered into fire and into water, And Thou bringest us out to a watered place.
13 I enter Thy house with burnt-offerings, I complete to Thee my vows,
14 For opened were my lips, And my mouth spake in my distress:
15 `Burnt-offerings of fatlings I offer to Thee, With perfume of rams, I prepare a bullock with he-goats.' Selah.
16 Come, hear, all ye who fear God, And I recount what he did for my soul.
17 Unto Him [with] my mouth I have called, And exaltation [is] under my tongue.
18 Iniquity, if I have seen in my heart, The Lord doth not hear.
19 But God hath heard, He hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
20 Blessed [is] God, Who hath not turned aside my prayer, And His loving-kindness, from me!
67 To the Overseer, with stringed instruments. -- A Psalm, a Song. God doth favour us and bless us, Doth cause His face to shine with us. Selah.
2 For the knowledge in earth of Thy way, among all nations of Thy salvation.
3 Praise Thee do peoples, O God, Praise Thee do peoples, all of them.
4 Rejoice and sing do nations, For Thou judgest peoples uprightly, And peoples on earth comfortest. Selah.
5 Confess Thee do peoples, O God, Confess Thee do peoples -- all of them.
6 Earth hath given her increase, God doth bless us -- our God,
7 God doth bless us, and all ends of earth fear Him!
3 And Samuel hath died, and all Israel mourn for him, and bury him in Ramah, even in his city, and Saul hath turned aside those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.
4 And the Philistines are gathered, and come in, and encamp in Shunem, and Saul gathereth all Israel, and they encamp in Gilboa,
5 and Saul seeth the camp of the Philistines, and feareth, and his heart trembleth greatly,
6 and Saul asketh at Jehovah, and Jehovah hath not answered him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.
7 And Saul saith to his servants, `Seek for me a woman possessing a familiar spirit, and I go unto her, and inquire of her;' and his servants say unto him, `Lo, a woman possessing a familiar spirit in En-dor.'
8 And Saul disguiseth himself and putteth on other garments, and goeth, he and two of the men with him, and they come in unto the woman by night, and he saith, `Divine, I pray thee, to me by the familiar spirit, and cause to come up to me him whom I say unto thee.'
9 And the woman saith unto him, `Lo, thou hast known that which Saul hath done, that he hath cut off those having familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land; and why art thou laying a snare for my soul -- to put me to death?'
10 And Saul sweareth to her by Jehovah, saying, `Jehovah liveth, punishment doth not meet thee for this thing.'
11 And the woman saith, `Whom do I bring up to thee?' and he saith, `Samuel -- bring up to me.'
12 And the woman seeth Samuel, and crieth with a loud voice, and the woman speaketh unto Saul, saying, `Why hast thou deceived me -- and thou Saul?'
13 And the king saith to her, `Do not fear; for what hast thou seen?' and the woman saith unto Saul, `Gods I have seen coming up out of the earth.'
14 And he saith to her, `What [is] his form?' and she saith, `An aged man is coming up, and he [is] covered with an upper robe;' and Saul knoweth that he [is] Samuel, and boweth -- face to thee earth -- and doth obeisance.
15 And Samuel saith unto Saul, `Why hast thou troubled me, to bring me up?' And Saul saith, `I have great distress, and the Philistines are fighting against me, God hath turned aside from me, and hath not answered me any more, either by the hand of the prophets, or by dreams; and I call for thee to let me know what I do.'
16 And Samuel saith, `And why dost thou ask me, and Jehovah hath turned aside from thee, and is thine enemy?
17 And Jehovah doth for Himself as He hath spoken by my hand, and Jehovah rendeth the kingdom out of thy hand, and giveth it to thy neighbour -- to David.
18 Because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, nor didst the fierceness of His anger on Amalek -- therefore this thing hath Jehovah done to thee this day;
19 yea, Jehovah giveth also Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow thou and thy sons [are] with me; also the camp of Israel doth Jehovah give into the hand of the Philistines.'
20 And Saul hasteth and falleth -- the fulness of his stature -- to the earth, and feareth greatly because of the words of Samuel; also power was not in him, for he had not eaten bread all the day, and all the night.
15 And certain having come down from Judea, were teaching the brethren -- `If ye be not circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye are not able to be saved;'
2 there having been, therefore, not a little dissension and disputation to Paul and Barnabas with them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, to go up unto the apostles and elders to Jerusalem about this question,
3 they indeed, then, having been sent forward by the assembly, were passing through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the nations, and they were causing great joy to all the brethren.
4 And having come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly, and the apostles, and the elders, they declared also as many things as God did with them;
5 and there rose up certain of those of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying -- `It behoveth to circumcise them, to command them also to keep the law of Moses.'
6 And there were gathered together the apostles and the elders, to see about this matter,
7 and there having been much disputing, Peter having risen up said unto them, `Men, brethren, ye know that from former days, God among us did make choice, through my mouth, for the nations to hear the word of the good news, and to believe;
8 and the heart-knowing God did bare them testimony, having given to them the Holy Spirit, even as also to us,
9 and did put no difference also between us and them, by the faith having purified their hearts;
10 now, therefore, why do ye tempt God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
11 but, through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, we believe to be saved, even as also they.'
5 And they came to the other side of the sea, to the region of the Gadarenes,
2 and he having come forth out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 who had his dwelling in the tombs, and not even with chains was any one able to bind him,
4 because that he many times with fetters and chains had been bound, and pulled in pieces by him had been the chains, and the fetters broken in pieces, and none was able to tame him,
5 and always, night and day, in the mountains, and in the tombs he was, crying and cutting himself with stones.
6 And, having seen Jesus from afar, he ran and bowed before him,
7 and having called with a loud voice, he said, `What -- to me and to thee, Jesus, Son of God the Most High? I adjure thee by God, mayest thou not afflict me!'
8 (for he said to him, `Come forth, spirit unclean, out of the man,')
9 and he was questioning him, `What [is] thy name?' and he answered, saying, `Legion [is] my name, because we are many;'
10 and he was calling on him much, that he may not send them out of the region.
11 And there was there, near the mountains, a great herd of swine feeding,
12 and all the demons did call upon him, saying, `Send us to the swine, that into them we may enter;'
13 and immediately Jesus gave them leave, and having come forth, the unclean spirits did enter into the swine, and the herd did rush down the steep place to the sea -- and they were about two thousand -- and they were choked in the sea.
14 And those feeding the swine did flee, and told in the city, and in the fields, and they came forth to see what it is that hath been done;
15 and they come unto Jesus, and see the demoniac, sitting, and clothed, and right-minded -- him having had the legion -- and they were afraid;
16 and those having seen [it], declared to them how it had come to pass to the demoniac, and about the swine;
17 and they began to call upon him to go away from their borders.
18 And he having gone into the boat, the demoniac was calling on him that he may be with him,
19 and Jesus did not suffer him, but saith to him, `Go away to thy house, unto thine own [friends], and tell them how great things the Lord did to thee, and dealt kindly with thee;
20 and he went away, and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how great things Jesus did to him, and all were wondering.