Book of Common Prayer
140 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O Jehovah, from an evil man, From one of violence Thou keepest me.
2 Who have devised evils in the heart, All the day they assemble [for] wars.
3 They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, Poison of an adder [is] under their lips. Selah.
4 Preserve me, Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked, From one of violence Thou keepest me, Who have devised to overthrow my steps.
5 The proud hid a snare for me -- and cords, They spread a net by the side of the path, Snares they have set for me. Selah.
6 I have said to Jehovah, `My God [art] Thou, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of my supplications.'
7 O Jehovah, my Lord, strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of armour.
8 Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked, His wicked device bring not forth, They are high. Selah.
9 The chief of my surrounders, The perverseness of their lips covereth them.
10 They cause to fall on themselves burning coals, Into fire He doth cast them, Into deep pits -- they arise not.
11 A talkative man is not established in the earth, One of violence -- evil hunteth to overflowing.
12 I have known that Jehovah doth execute The judgment of the afflicted, The judgment of the needy.
13 Only -- the righteous give thanks to Thy name, The upright do dwell with Thy presence!
142 An Instruction of David, a Prayer when he is in the cave. My voice [is] unto Jehovah, I cry, My voice [is] unto Jehovah, I entreat grace.
2 I pour forth before Him my meditation, My distress before Him I declare.
3 When my spirit hath been feeble in me, Then Thou hast known my path; In the way [in] which I walk, They have hid a snare for me.
4 Looking on the right hand -- and seeing, And I have none recognizing; Perished hath refuge from me, There is none inquiring for my soul.
5 I have cried unto thee, O Jehovah, I have said, `Thou [art] my refuge, My portion in the land of the living.'
6 Attend Thou unto my loud cry, For I have become very low, Deliver Thou me from my pursuers, For they have been stronger than I.
7 Bring forth from prison my soul to confess Thy name, The righteous do compass me about, When Thou conferrest benefits upon me!
141 A Psalm, by David. O Jehovah, I have called Thee, haste to me, Give ear [to] my voice when I call to Thee.
2 My prayer is prepared -- incense before Thee, The lifting up of my hands -- the evening present.
3 Set, O Jehovah, a watch for my mouth, Watch Thou over the door of my lips.
4 Incline not my heart to an evil thing, To do habitually actions in wickedness, With men working iniquity, Yea, I eat not of their pleasant things.
5 The righteous doth beat me [in] kindness. And doth reprove me, Oil of the head my head disalloweth not, For still my prayer [is] about their vexations.
6 Their judges have been released by the sides of a rock, And they have heard my sayings, For they have been pleasant.
7 As one tilling and ripping up in the land, Have our bones been scattered at the command of Saul.
8 But to Thee, O Jehovah, my Lord, [are] mine eyes, In Thee I have trusted, Make not bare my soul.
9 Keep me from the gin they laid for me, Even snares of workers of iniquity.
10 The wicked fall in their nets together, till I pass over!
143 A Psalm of David. O Jehovah, hear my prayer, Give ear unto my supplications, In Thy faithfulness answer me -- in Thy righteousness.
2 And enter not into judgment with Thy servant, For no one living is justified before Thee.
3 For an enemy hath pursued my soul, He hath bruised to the earth my life, He hath caused me to dwell in dark places, As the dead of old.
4 And my spirit in me is become feeble, Within me is my heart become desolate.
5 I have remembered days of old, I have meditated on all Thine acts, On the work of Thy hand I muse.
6 I have spread forth my hands unto Thee, My soul [is] as a weary land for Thee. Selah.
7 Haste, answer me, O Jehovah, My spirit hath been consumed, Hide not Thou Thy face from me, Or I have been compared with those going down [to] the pit.
8 Cause me to hear in the morning Thy kindness, For in Thee I have trusted, Cause me to know the way that I go, For unto Thee I have lifted up my soul.
9 Deliver me from mine enemies, O Jehovah, Near Thee I am covered.
10 Teach me to do Thy good pleasure, For Thou [art] my God -- Thy Spirit [is] good, Lead me into a land of uprightness.
11 For Thy name's sake O Jehovah, Thou dost quicken me, In Thy righteousness, Thou bringest out from distress my soul,
12 And in Thy kindness cuttest off mine enemies, And hast destroyed all the adversaries of my soul, For I [am] Thy servant!
9 Hear this, I pray you, heads of the house of Jacob, And ye judges of the house of Israel, Who are making judgment abominable, And all uprightness do pervert.
10 Building up Zion with blood, And Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 Her heads for a bribe do judge, And her priests for hire do teach, And her prophets for silver divine, And on Jehovah they lean, saying, `Is not Jehovah in our midst? Evil doth not come in upon us.'
12 Therefore, for your sake, Zion is ploughed a field, and Jerusalem is heaps, And the mount of the house [is] for high places of a forest!
4 And it hath come to pass, In the latter end of the days, The mount of the house of Jehovah Is established above the top of the mounts, And it hath been lifted up above the hills, And flowed unto it have peoples.
2 And gone have many nations and said, Come and we go up to the mount of Jehovah, And unto the house of the God of Jacob, And He doth teach us of His ways, And we do walk in His paths, For from Zion doth go forth a law, And a word of Jehovah from Jerusalem.
3 And He hath judged between many peoples, And given a decision to mighty nations afar off, They have beaten their swords to ploughshares, And their spears to pruning-hooks, Nation lifteth not up sword unto nation, Nor do they learn war any more.
4 And they have sat each under his vine, And under his fig-tree, And there is none troubling, For the mouth of Jehovah of Hosts hath spoken.
5 For all the peoples do walk, Each in the name of its god -- and we, We do walk in the name of Jehovah our God, To the age and for ever.
24 And after certain days, Felix having come with Drusilla his wife, being a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith toward Christ,
25 and he reasoning concerning righteousness, and temperance, and the judgment that is about to be, Felix, having become afraid, answered, `For the present be going, and having got time, I will call for thee;'
26 and at the same time also hoping that money shall be given to him by Paul, that he may release him, therefore, also sending for him the oftener, he was conversing with him;
27 and two years having been fulfilled, Felix received a successor, Porcius Festus; Felix also willing to lay a favour on the Jews, left Paul bound.
25 Festus, therefore, having come into the province, after three days went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea,
2 and the chief priest and the principal men of the Jews made manifest to him [the things] against Paul, and were calling on him,
3 asking favour against him, that he may send for him to Jerusalem, making an ambush to put him to death in the way.
4 Then, indeed, Festus answered that Paul is kept in Caesarea, and himself is about speedily to go on thither,
5 `Therefore those able among you -- saith he -- having come down together, if there be anything in this man -- let them accuse him;'
6 and having tarried among them more than ten days, having gone down to Caesarea, on the morrow having sat upon the tribunal, he commanded Paul to be brought;
7 and he having come, there stood round about the Jews who have come down from Jerusalem -- many and weighty charges they are bringing against Paul, which they were not able to prove,
8 he making defence -- `Neither in regard to the law of the Jews, nor in regard to the temple, nor in regard to Caesar -- did I commit any sin.'
9 And Festus willing to lay on the Jews a favour, answering Paul, said, `Art thou willing, to Jerusalem having gone up, there concerning these things to be judged before me?'
10 and Paul said, `At the tribunal of Caesar I am standing, where it behoveth me to be judged; to Jews I did no unrighteousness, as thou dost also very well know;
11 for if indeed I am unrighteous, and anything worthy of death have done, I deprecate not to die; and if there is none of the things of which these accuse me, no one is able to make a favour of me to them; to Caesar I appeal!'
12 then Festus, having communed with the council, answered, `To Caesar thou hast appealed; to Caesar thou shalt go.'
8 And it came to pass thereafter, that he was going through every city and village, preaching and proclaiming good news of the reign of God, and the twelve [are] with him,
2 and certain women, who were healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary who is called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone forth,
3 and Joanna wife of Chuza, steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others, who were ministering to him from their substance.
4 And a great multitude having gathered, and those who from city and city were coming unto him, he spake by a simile:
5 `The sower went forth to sow his seed, and in his sowing some indeed fell beside the way, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the heaven did devour it.
6 `And other fell upon the rock, and having sprung up, it did wither, through not having moisture.
7 `And other fell amidst the thorns, and the thorns having sprung up with it, did choke it.
8 `And other fell upon the good ground, and having sprung up, it made fruit an hundred fold.' These things saying, he was calling, `He having ears to hear -- let him hear.'
9 And his disciples were questioning him, saying, `What may this simile be?'
10 And he said, `To you it hath been given to know the secrets of the reign of God, and to the rest in similes; that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.
11 `And this is the simile: The seed is the word of God,
12 and those beside the way are those hearing, then cometh the Devil, and taketh up the word from their heart, lest having believed, they may be saved.
13 `And those upon the rock: They who, when they may hear, with joy do receive the word, and these have no root, who for a time believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14 `And that which fell to the thorns: These are they who have heard, and going forth, through anxieties, and riches, and pleasures of life, are choked, and bear not to completion.
15 `And that in the good ground: These are they, who in an upright and good heart, having heard the word, do retain [it], and bear fruit in continuance.