Book of Common Prayer
A Song of degrees of David.
1 ¶ LORD, my heart has not become haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither have I walked in grandeur, nor in wonderful things above and beyond that which pertains to me.
2 Rather I have quieted myself and caused my soul to become silent, that I might be as a child that is weaned of his mother, as one who is weaned from my own life.
3 Let Israel wait for the LORD from now on and for ever.
¶ A Song of degrees.
1 LORD, remember David and all his afflictions:
2 How he swore unto the LORD and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob;
3 surely I will not come into the habitation of my house nor go up into my bed,
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find out a place for the LORD, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.
6 Behold, we heard of her in Ephratah; we found her in the fields of the wood.
7 We will go into his tents; we will worship at his footstool.
8 Arise, O LORD, into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thy strength.
9 Thy priests are clothed with righteousness, and thy merciful ones shout for joy.
10 For the love of thy slave David, do not turn away thy face from thine anointed.
11 ¶ The LORD has sworn truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body I will set upon thy throne.
12 If thy sons will keep my covenant and my testimony that I shall teach them, their sons shall also sit upon thy throne for ever.
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired her for his habitation.
14 This shall be my rest for ever; here I will dwell; for I have desired her.
15 I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
16 I will also clothe her priests with saving health, and her merciful ones shall shout aloud for joy.
17 There will I make the horn of David to bud; I have ordained a lamp for my anointed.
18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, but upon himself shall his crown blossom.
A Song of degrees of David.
1 ¶ Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that runs down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that goes down to the skirts of his garments;
3 as the dew of Hermon, that descends upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commands blessing and eternal life.
A Song of degrees.
1 ¶ Behold, bless ye the LORD, all ye slaves of the LORD, who by night stand in the house of the LORD.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD.
3 The LORD that made the heavens and the earth bless thee out of Zion.
1 ¶ Halelu-JAH. Praise ye the name of the LORD; praise him, O ye slaves of the LORD.
2 Ye that stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God,
3 praise JAH; for the LORD is good; sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant.
4 For JAH has chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his own possession.
5 ¶ For I know that the LORD is great and that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the LORD desired, he did in the heavens and in the earth, in the seas and in all the deep places.
7 He who causes the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth, made the lightnings in the rain; he who brings the winds out of his treasuries.
8 He who smote the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and beast;
9 sent signs and wonders into the midst of thee, O Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his slaves.
10 He who smote many Gentiles and slew mighty kings,
11 Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan
12 gave their land for a heritage, a heritage unto Israel his people.
13 Thy name, O LORD, is eternal, and thy memorial, O LORD, from generation to generation.
14 For the LORD will judge his people, and he will repent himself concerning his slaves.
15 ¶ The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands.
16 They have a mouth, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see;
17 they have ears, but they do not hear; neither is there any spirit in their mouths.
18 Let those that make them become like unto them and every one that trusts in them.
19 Bless the LORD, O house of Israel; bless the LORD, O house of Aaron:
20 Bless the LORD, O house of Levi; ye that fear the LORD, bless the LORD.
21 Blessed be the LORD out of Zion who dwells at Jerusalem. Halelu-JAH.
14 And Boaz said unto her at mealtime, Come here and eat of the bread and dip thy morsel in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers, and he gave her of the pottage, and she ate and was satisfied, and some was left over.
15 And when she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves and do not reproach her
16 and let fall also some of the handfuls on purpose for her and leave them that she may glean them and do not reprehend her.
17 ¶ So she gleaned in the field until evening and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley.
18 And she took it up and went into the city, and her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought forth that which had been left over after she had been satisfied and gave it to her.
19 And her mother-in-law said unto her, Where hast thou gleaned today? Where hast thou worked? Blessed be he that acknowledged thee. And she declared unto her mother-in-law all that had happened to her with him and said, The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.
20 And Naomi said unto her daughter-in-law, Let him be blessed of the LORD, who has not left off his mercy unto the living nor unto the dead. And Naomi said unto her, The man is near of kin unto us, and one of whom one has the right to redeem us.
21 And Ruth, the Moabitess, said, He also said unto me, Thou shalt cleave to my servants until they have finished all my harvest.
22 And Naomi replied unto Ruth her daughter-in-law, It is good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens that they not meet thee in any other field.
23 So she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest and dwelt with her mother-in-law.
3 ¶ Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or do we need, as some others, epistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you?
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
4 And such trust we have through the Christ towards God:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God,
6 ¶ who also has made us able ministers of the new testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 But if the ministry of death in the letter engraved in stones was glorious, so that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance which glory was to fade away,
8 How shall not the ministry of the Spirit be for greater glory?
9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, much more shall the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.
10 For even that which was so glorious had no glory in this respect, in comparison with the glory that excels.
11 For if that which fades away was glorious, much more shall that which remains be glorious.
12 ¶ Seeing then that we have such hope, we speak with great confidence,
13 And not as Moses, who put a veil over his face, that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that glory which was to fade away:
14 (And thus their senses became hardened, for until this day remains the same veil not uncovered in the reading of the old testament, which veil is taken away in Christ.
15 But even unto this day when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.
16 Nevertheless when they convert to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away.)
17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and where that Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 Therefore we all, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord with uncovered face, are transformed from glory to glory into the same likeness, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
27 ¶ Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not commit adultery;
28 but I say unto you, That whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 Therefore if thy right eye should bring thee occasion to stumble, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
30 And if thy right hand should bring thee occasion to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is better for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
31 It was also said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce;
32 but I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced commits adultery.
33 ¶ Again, ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not perjure thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths;
34 but I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by the heaven, for it is God’s throne,
35 nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head because thou canst not make one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yes, yes; No, no; for whatsoever is more than this comes of evil.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International