Book of Common Prayer
ZAIN
49 Remember [a]the promise made to thy servant, wherein thou hast caused me to trust.
50 It is my comfort in my trouble; for thy promise hath quickened me.
51 The [b]proud have had me exceedingly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy Law.
52 I remembered thy [c]judgments of old, O Lord, and have been comforted.
53 [d]Fear is come upon me for the wicked, that forsake thy Law.
54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my [e]pilgrimage.
55 I have remembered thy Name, O Lord, in the [f]night, and have kept thy Law.
56 [g]This I had because I kept thy precepts.
CHETH
57 O Lord, that art my [h]portion, I have determined to keep thy words.
58 I made my supplication in thy presence with my whole heart: be merciful unto me according to thy promise.
59 I have considered my [i]ways, and turned my feet into thy testimonies.
60 I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
61 The bands of the wicked have [j]robbed me: but I have not forgotten thy Law.
62 At midnight will I rise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy righteous judgments.
63 I am [k]companion of all them that fear thee, and keep thy precepts.
64 The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: [l]teach me thy statutes.
TETH
65 O Lord, thou hast dealt [m]graciously with thy servant, according unto thy word.
66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.
67 Before I was [n]afflicted, I went astray: but now I keep thy word.
68 Thou art good and gracious: teach me thy statutes.
69 The proud have imagined a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.
70 [o]Their heart is fat as grease, but my delight is in thy Law.
71 It is [p]good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn thy statutes.
72 The Law of thy mouth is better unto me, than thousands of gold and silver.
49 1 The holy Ghost calleth all men to the consideration of man’s life, 7 showing them not to be most blessed that are most wealthy, and therefore not to be feared: but contrariwise he lifteth up our minds to consider how all things are ruled by God’s providence: 14 Who as he judgeth these worldly misers to everlasting torments, 15 so doth he preserve his, and will reward them in the day of the resurrection, 1 Thess. 1:6.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm committed to the sons of Korah.
1 Hear [a]this all ye people: give ear, all ye that dwell in the world,
2 As well low as high, both rich and poor.
3 My mouth shall speak of wisdom, and the meditation of mine heart is of knowledge.
4 I will incline mine ear to a parable, and utter my grave matter upon the harp.
5 Wherefore should I [b]fear in the evil days, when iniquity shall compass me about, as at mine heels?
6 They trust in their [c]goods, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.
7 Yet a man can by no means redeem his brother: he cannot give his ransom to God,
8 (So [d]precious is the redemption of their souls, [e]and the continuance forever)
9 That he may live still forever, and not see the grave.
10 For he seeth that wise men [f]die: and also that the ignorant and foolish perish, and leave their riches for [g]others.
11 Yet they think their houses and their habitations shall continue forever, even from generation to generation, and [h]call their lands by their names.
12 But man shall not continue in honor; he is like the [i]beasts that die.
13 This their way uttereth their foolishness; yet their posterity [j]delight in their talk. Selah.
14 [k]Like sheep they lie in grave; [l]death devoureth them; and the righteous shall have domination over them in the [m]morning; for their beauty shall consume, when they shall go from their house to grave.
15 But God shall deliver my soul from the power of the grave; [n]for he will receive me. Selah.
16 Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, and when the glory of his house is increased.
17 (A)For he shall take nothing away, when he dieth, neither shall his pomp descend after him.
18 For while he lived, [o]he rejoiced himself; and [p]men will praise thee, when thou makest much of thyself.
19 [q][r]He shall enter into the generation of his fathers, [s]and they shall not live forever.
20 Man is in honor; and [t]understandeth not; he is like to beasts that perish.
53 1 He describeth the crooked nature. 4 The cruelty, 5 And punishment of the wicked, when they look not for it, 6 And desireth the deliverance of the godly, that they may rejoice together.
To him that excelleth on [a]Mahalath. A Psalm of David to give instruction.
1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is [b]no God, they have corrupted and done abominable wickedness, there is none that doeth good.
2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that would understand and [c]seek God.
3 (A)Everyone is gone back: they are altogether corrupt: there is none that doeth good, no not one.
4 Do not the [d]workers of iniquity know that they eat up my people as they eat bread? they call not upon God.
5 There they were afraid for fear, where no [e]fear was: for God hath scattered the [f]bones of him that besieged thee: thou hast put them to confusion, because God hath cast them off.
6 Oh give salvation unto Israel out of Zion: when God turneth the captivity of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
13 Furthermore the Lord spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.
14 [a]Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and put out their name from under heaven, and I will make of thee a mighty nation and greater than they be.
15 So I returned, and came down from the mount (and the mount burnt with fire, and the two Tables of the Covenant were in my two hands.)
16 Then I looked, and behold, ye had sinned against the Lord your God: for ye had made you a molten calf, and had turned quickly out of the [b]way which the Lord had commanded you.
17 Therefore I took the two Tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes.
18 And I fell down before the Lord, forty days, and forty nights, as before: I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sins which ye had committed, in doing wickedly in the sight of the Lord, in that ye provoked him unto wrath.
19 (For I was afraid of the wrath and indignation, wherewith the Lord was moved against you, even to destroy you) yet the Lord heard me at that time also.
20 Likewise the Lord was very angry with Aaron, even to [c]destroy him: but at that time I prayed also for Aaron.
21 And I took your sin, I mean the calf which ye had made, and burnt him with fire, and stamped him and ground him small, even unto very dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the river, that descended out of the [d]mount.
12 [a]Take heed brethren, lest at any time there be in any of you an evil heart, and unfaithful, to depart away from the living God.
13 But exhort one another daily, [b]while it is called today, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 [c]For we are made partakers of Christ, if we keep sure unto the end that [d]beginning, wherewith we are upholden,
15 [e]So long as it is said, Today if ye hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16 For some when they heard, provoked him to anger: howbeit, not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
17 But with whom was he displeased forty years? Was he not displeased with them that sinned, (A)whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom swear he that they should not enter into his rest, but unto them that obeyed not?
19 So we see that they could not enter in, because of unbelief.
23 Now when he was at Jerusalem at the Passover in the feast, many believed in his Name, when they saw his miracles which he did.
24 [a]But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew them all.
25 [b]And had no need that any should testify of man, for he knew what was in man.
3 1 Christ teacheth Nicodemus the very principles of Christian regeneration. 14 The serpent in the wilderness. 23 John baptizeth, 27 and teacheth his, that he is not Christ.
1 There [c]was now a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a [d]ruler of the Jews.
2 This man came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a [e]teacher come from God, for no man could do these miracles that thou doest, [f]except God were with him.
3 [g]Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot [h]see the [i]kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus said unto him, How [j]can a man be born which is old? can he enter into his mother’s womb again, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily I say unto thee, except that a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh, is [k]flesh: and that that is born of the Spirit, is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said to thee, Ye must be born again.
8 The wind bloweth where it [l]listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every man that is born of the Spirit.
9 [m]Nicodemus answered, and said unto him, How can these things be?
10 Jesus answered, and said unto him, Art thou a teacher of Israel, and knowest not these things?
11 Verily, verily I say unto thee, We speak that we know, and testify that we have seen: but ye receive not our [n]witness.
12 If when I tell you earthly things, ye believe not, how should ye believe, If I shall tell you of heavenly things?
13 For no [o]man [p]ascendeth up to heaven, but he that had descended from heaven, [q]that Son of man which [r]is in heaven.
14 (A)And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must that Son of man be lifted up,
15 That whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have eternal life.
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