Book of Common Prayer
137 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 We hung our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song, and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cleverness.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem’s fall, who said, “Raze it, raze it, even to the foundation thereof!”
8 O daughter of Babylon who art to be destroyed, happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.
9 Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.
144 Blessed be the Lord my strength, who teacheth my hands to war and my fingers to fight;
2 my goodness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I trust, who subdueth my people under me.
3 Lord, what is man that Thou takest notice of him? Or the son of man that Thou makest account of him?
4 Man is like vanity; his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
5 Bow Thy heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 Cast forth lightning and scatter them; shoot out Thine arrows and destroy them.
7 Send Thine hand from above; rescue me and deliver me out of great waters from the hand of strangers,
8 whose mouth speaketh vanity and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
9 I will sing a new song unto Thee, O God; upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto Thee.
10 It is He that giveth salvation unto kings, who delivereth David His servant from the hurtful sword.
11 Rescue me and deliver me from the hand of strangers, whose mouth speaketh vanity and whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood,
12 that our sons may be as plants full grown in their youth, that our daughters may be as cornerstones, polished after the similitude of a palace;
13 that our garners may be full, affording all manner of store, that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets;
14 that our oxen may be strong to labor, that there be no breaking in, nor going out, that there be no complaining in our streets.
15 Happy is that people for whom such is the case; yea, happy is that people whose God is the Lord.
104 Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty—
2 who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment, who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain;
3 who layeth the beams of His chambers in the waters, who maketh the clouds His chariot, who walketh upon the wings of the wind;
4 who maketh His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire;
5 who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should never be removed.
6 Thou covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At Thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of Thy thunder they hastened away.
8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which Thou hast founded for them.
9 Thou hast set a boundary that they may not pass over, that they turn not again to cover the earth.
10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
11 They give drink to every beast of the field; the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By them shall the fowls of the heavens have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13 He watereth the hills from His chambers; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works.
14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle and herbs for the service of man, that he may bring forth food out of the earth,
15 and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap, the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted,
17 where the birds make their nests; as for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats, and the rocks for the conies.
19 He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knoweth his time to go down.
20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
21 The young lions roar after their prey and seek their meat from God.
22 When the sun ariseth, they gather themselves together and lay them down in their dens.
23 Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is full of Thy riches.
25 So also is this great and wide sea, wherein are innumerable creeping things, both small and great beasts.
26 There go the ships; there also is that leviathan, whom Thou hast made to play therein.
27 These all wait upon Thee, that Thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
28 What Thou givest them, they gather: Thou openest Thine hand, they are filled with good.
29 Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created; and Thou renewest the face of the earth.
31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever; the Lord shall rejoice in His works.
32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; He toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 My meditation of Him shall be sweet; I will be glad in the Lord.
35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul! Praise ye the Lord!
23 Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse, the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said:
2 “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
4 And he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds, as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.’
5 “Although my house be not so with God, yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; for this is all my salvation and all my desire, although He make it not to grow.
6 But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands;
7 but the man that shall touch them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.”
13 And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines pitched camp in the Valley of Rephaim.
14 And David was then in a stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15 And David longed, and said, “Oh that one would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”
16 And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord.
17 And he said, “Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is not this the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.
13 Some days later, King Agrippa and Bernice came unto Caesarea to salute Festus.
14 And when they had been there many days, Festus declared Paul’s cause unto the king, saying, “There is a certain man left in bonds by Felix,
15 about whom, when I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him.
16 To them I answered, ’It is not in the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die before he that is accused has the accusers face to face, and has license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him.’
17 Therefore when they had come hither, without any delay on the morrow, I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought forth,
18 against whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation of such things as I supposed,
19 but had certain questions against him concerning their own superstition and of one Jesus, who was dead and whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
20 And because I was in doubt as to this manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged on these matters.
21 But when Paul appealed to be reserved for a hearing by Augustus, I commanded him to be kept until I might send him to Caesar.”
22 Then Agrippa said unto Festus, “I would also hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “thou shalt hear him.”
23 And on the morrow, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered into the place of hearing with the chief captains and principal men of the city, at Festus’ command Paul was brought forth.
24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all men who are here present with us, ye see this man about whom all the multitude of the Jews have applied to me, both at Jerusalem and also here, crying out that he ought not to live any longer.
25 But when I found that he hath committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.
26 Of him I have nothing certain to write unto my lord. Therefore I have brought him forth before you, and especially before thee, O King Agrippa, that after we have examined him I might have something to write.
27 For it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not also to specify the crimes laid against him.”
13 And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said unto Him, “Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!”
2 And Jesus answering, said unto him, “Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
3 And as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately,
4 “Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?”
5 And Jesus answering them, began to say, “Take heed lest any man deceive you.
6 For many shall come in My name, saying, ‘I am Christ!’ and shall deceive many.
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled, for such things must come to pass; but the end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows.
9 “But take heed for yourselves, for they shall deliver you up to councils, and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten. And ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them.
10 And the Gospel must first be proclaimed among all nations.
11 But when then shall lead you and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak; neither need ye premeditate. But whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.
12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents and shall cause them to be put to death.
13 And ye shall be hated by all men for My name’s sake; but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
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