Book of Common Prayer

31 To David himself, understanding. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

² Blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not imputed sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

³ Because I was silent my bones grew old; whilst I cried out all the day long.

⁴ For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: I am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is fastened.

⁵ I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my injustice I have not concealed. I said I will confess against myself my injustice to the Lord: and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin.

⁶ For this shall every one that is holy pray to thee in a seasonable time. And yet in a flood of many waters, they shall not come nigh unto him.

⁷ Thou art my refuge from the trouble which hath encompassed me: my joy, deliver me from them that surround me.

⁸ I will give thee understanding, and I will instruct thee in this way, in which thou shalt go: I will fix my eyes upon thee.

⁹ Do not become like the horse and the mule, who have no understanding. With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, who come not near unto thee.

¹⁰ Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mercy shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord.

¹¹ Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just, and glory, all ye right of heart.

35 Unto the end, for the servant of God, David himself.

² The unjust hath said within himself, that he would sin: there is no fear of God before his eyes.

³ For in his sight he hath done deceitfully, that his iniquity may be found unto hatred.

⁴ The words of his mouth are iniquity and guile: he would not understand that he might do well.

⁵ He hath devised iniquity on his bed, he hath set himself on every way that is not good: but evil he hath not hated.

⁶ O Lord, thy mercy is in heaven, and thy truth reacheth, even to the clouds.

⁷ Thy justice is as the mountains of God, thy judgments are a great deep. Men and beasts thou wilt preserve, O Lord:

⁸ O how hast thou multiplied thy mercy, O God! But the children of men shall put their trust under the covert of thy wings.

⁹ They shall be inebriated with the plenty of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the torrent of thy pleasure.

¹⁰ For with thee is the fountain of life; and in thy light we shall see light.

¹¹ Extend thy mercy to them that know thee, and thy justice to them that are right in heart.

¹² Let not the foot of pride come to me, and let not the hand of the sinner move me.

¹³ There the workers of iniquity are fallen, they are cast out, and could not stand.

¹⁹ Hear thou, my son, and be wise: and guide thy mind in the way.

²⁰ Be not in the feasts of great drinkers, nor in their revellings, who contribute flesh to eat:

²¹ Because they that give themselves to drinking, and that club together shall be consumed; and drowsiness shall be clothed with rags.

²⁹ Who hath woe? whose father hath woe? who hath contentions? who falls into pits? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

³⁰ Surely they that pass their time in wine, and study to drink of their cups.

³¹ Look not upon the wine when it is yellow, when the colour thereof shineth in the glass: it goeth in pleasantly,

³² But in the end, it will bite like a snake, and will spread abroad poison like a basilisk.

³³ Thy eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.

³⁴ And thou shalt be as one sleeping in the midst of the sea, and as a pilot fast asleep, when the stern is lost.

³⁵ And thou shalt say: They have beaten me, but I was not sensible of pain: they drew me, and I felt not: when shall I awake, and find wine again?

24 Seek not to be like evil men, neither desire to be with them:

² Because their mind studieth robberies, and their lips speak deceits.

¹⁷ Let the priests that rule well, be esteemed worthy of double honour: especially they who labour in the word and doctrine:

¹⁸ For the scripture saith: Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn: and, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

¹⁹ Against a priest receive not an accusation, but under two or three witnesses.

²⁰ Them that sin reprove before all: that the rest also may have fear.

²¹ I charge thee before God, and Christ Jesus, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing by declining to either side.

²² Impose not hands lightly upon any man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. Keep thyself chaste.

²³ Do not still drink water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake, and thy frequent infirmities.

²⁴ Some men's sins are manifest, going before to judgment: and some men they follow after.

²⁵ In like manner also good deeds are manifest: and they that are otherwise, cannot be hid.

³¹ Another parable he proposed unto them, saying: The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field.

³² Which is the least indeed of all seeds; but when it is grown up, it is greater than all herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come, and dwell in the branches thereof.

³³ Another parable he spoke to them: The kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until the whole was leavened.

³⁴ All these things Jesus spoke in parables to the multitudes: and without parables he did not speak to them.

³⁵ That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.