Book of Common Prayer
102 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and let my cry come unto Thee.
2 Hide not Thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble; incline Thine ear unto me. In the day when I call, answer me speedily.
3 For my days are consumed like smoke, and my bones are burned as a hearth.
4 My heart is smitten and withered like grass, so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 By reason of the voice of my groaning my bones cleave to my skin.
6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness; I am like an owl of the desert.
7 I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop.
8 Mine enemies reproach me all the day, and them that are mad against me are sworn against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drink with weeping,
10 because of Thine indignation and Thy wrath; for Thou hast lifted me up, and cast me down.
11 My days are like a shadow that declineth, and I am withered like grass.
12 But Thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever, and Thy remembrance unto all generations.
13 Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion; for the time to favor her, yea, the set time has come.
14 For Thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof.
15 So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth Thy glory.
16 When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.
18 This shall be written for the generation to come, and the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord.
19 For He hath looked down from the height of His sanctuary; from heaven did the Lord behold the earth,
20 to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those that are appointed to death,
21 to declare the name of the Lord in Zion, and His praise in Jerusalem,
22 when people are gathered together, and the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.
23 He weakened my strength on the way; He shortened my days.
24 I said, “O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days; Thy years are throughout all generations.
25 Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; and as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed.
27 But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.
28 The children of Thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before Thee.”
107 O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth for ever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy,
3 and gathered them out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 And He led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city for habitation.
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
9 For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
10 They that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and irons,
11 because they rebelled against the words of God and contemned the counsel of the Most High,
12 therefore He brought down their heart with labor; they fell down and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
16 For He hath broken the gates of brass and cut the bars of iron asunder.
17 Fools, because of their transgression and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorreth all manner of meat, and they draw near unto the gates of death.
19 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He saveth them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.
21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
22 And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and declare His works with rejoicing!
23 They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters:
24 these see the works of the Lord and His wonders in the deep.
25 For He commandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
26 They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble.
27 They reel to and fro and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses.
29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.
30 Then are they glad because they are quiet; so He bringeth them unto their desired haven.
31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!
32 Let them exalt Him also in the congregation of the people, and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.
19 Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, “Why goest thou also with us? Return to thy place and abide with the king, for thou art a stranger and also an exile.
20 Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? Seeing I go whither I may, return thou and take back thy brethren. Mercy and truth be with thee.”
21 And Ittai answered the king and said, “As the Lord liveth and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be.”
22 And David said to Ittai, “Go, and pass over.” And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men and all the little ones who were with him.
23 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over. The king also himself passed over the Brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness.
24 And lo, Zadok also, and all the Levites were with him bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar went up until all the people had passed out of the city.
25 And the king said unto Zadok, “Carry back the ark of God into the city. If I shall find favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back, and show me both it and His habitation.
26 But if He thus say, ‘I have no delight in thee,’ behold, here am I. Let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him.”
27 The king said also unto Zadok the priest, “Art not thou a seer? Return into the city in peace, and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
28 See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness until there come word from you to assure me.”
29 Zadok therefore and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem; and they tarried there.
30 And David went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered and went barefoot. And all the people who were with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.
31 And one told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, I pray Thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
32 And it came to pass, when David had come to the top of the mount where he worshiped God, that, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head;
33 unto whom David said, “If thou passest on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me;
34 but if thou return to the city and say unto Absalom, ‘I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thy father’s servant hitherto, so will I now also be thy servant,’ then mayest thou for me defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.
35 And hast thou not there with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? Therefore it shall be that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thou shalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36 Behold, they have there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them ye shall send unto me everything that ye can hear.”
37 So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.
37 And as Paul was about to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, “May I speak unto thee?” And he said, “Canst thou speak Greek?
38 Art not thou that Egyptian who prior to these days madest an uproar and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men who were murderers?”
39 But Paul said, “I am a man who am a Jew of Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city; and I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.”
40 And when he had given him leave, Paul stood on the stairs and beckoned with his hand unto the people. And when there fell a great silence, he spoke unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying:
22 “Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defense which I make now unto you.”
2 (And when they heard that he spoke in the Hebrew tongue to them, they were the more silent.) And he said,
3 “I am verily a man who am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taughtaccording to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.
4 And I persecuted this Way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
5 as also the high priest doth bear me witness and all the council of the elders. From them I also received letters unto the brethren, and I went to Damascus to bring those who were there bound unto Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “And it came to pass that, as I made my journey and had come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
7 And I fell unto the ground and heard a voice saying unto me, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?’
8 And I answered, ‘Who art Thou, Lord?’ And He said unto me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.’
9 And those who were with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of Him that spoke to me.
10 And I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said unto me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there it shall be told thee of all the things which are appointed for thee to do.’
11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
12 “And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, of good report among all the Jews who dwelt there,
13 came unto me and stood and said unto me, ‘Brother Saul, receive thy sight!’ And that same hour I looked up upon him.
14 And he said, ‘The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know His will and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of His mouth.
15 For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.
16 And now why tarriest thou? Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
46 And they came to Jericho. And as He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the wayside begging.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48 And many charged him that he should hold his peace; but he cried out all the more, “Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49 And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they called the blind man, saying unto him, “Be of good comfort; rise; He calleth thee.”
50 And he, casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus answered and said unto him, “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?” The blind man said unto Him, “Lord, that I might receive my sight.”
52 And Jesus said unto him, “Go thy way. Thy faith hath made thee whole.” And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.