Book of Common Prayer

128 Often have they fought against me from my youth, let Israel now say.

² Often have they fought against me from my youth: but they could not prevail over me.

³ The wicked have wrought upon my back: they have lengthened their iniquity.

⁴ The Lord who is just will cut the necks of sinners:

⁵ Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Sion.

⁶ Let them be as grass on the tops of houses: which withered before it be plucked up:

⁷ Wherewith the mower filleth not his hand: nor he that gathereth sheaves his bosom.

⁸ And they that have passed by have not said: The blessing of the Lord be upon you: we have blessed you in the name of the Lord.

129 Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:

² Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.

³ If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.

⁴ For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:

⁵ My soul hath hoped in the Lord.

⁶ From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.

⁷ Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.

⁸ And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

130 Lord, my heart is not exalted: nor are my eyes lofty. Neither have I walked in great matters, nor in wonderful things above me.

² If I was not humbly minded, but exalted my soul: As a child that is weaned is towards his mother, so reward in my soul.

³ Let Israel hope in the Lord, from henceforth now and for ever.

2 Now her husband Elimelech had a kinsman, a powerful man, and very rich, whose name was Booz.

² And Ruth the Moabitess said to her mother in law: If thou wilt, I will go into the field, and glean the ears of corn that escape the hands of the reapers, wheresoever I shall find grace with a householder that will be favourable to me. And she answered her: Go, my daughter.

³ She went therefore and gleaned the ears of corn after the reapers. And it happened that the owner of that field was Booz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

⁴ And behold, he came out of Bethlehem, and said to the reapers: The Lord be with you. And they answered him: The Lord bless thee.

⁵ And Booz said to the young man that was set over the reapers: Whose maid is this?

⁶ And he answered him: This is the Moabitess who came with Noemi, from the land of Moab,

⁷ And she desired leave to glean the ears of corn that remain, following the steps of the reapers: and she hath been in the field from morning till now, and hath not gone home for one moment.

⁸ And Booz said to Ruth: Hear me, daughter, do not go to glean in any other field, and do not depart from this place: but keep with my maids,

⁹ And follow where they reap. For I have charged my young men, not to molest thee: and if thou art thirsty, go to the vessels, and drink of the waters whereof the servants drink.

¹⁰ She fell on her face and worshipping upon the ground, said to him: Whence cometh this to me, that I should find grace before thy eyes, and that thou shouldst vouchsafe to take notice of me a woman of another country?

¹¹ And he answered her: All hath been told me, that thou hast done to thy mother in law after the death of thy husband: and how thou hast left thy parents, and the land wherein thou wast born, and art come to a people which thou knewest not heretofore.

¹² The Lord render unto thee for thy work, and mayest thou receive a full reward of the Lord the God of Israel, to whom thou art come, and under whose wings thou art fled.

¹³ And she said: I have found grace in thy eyes, my lord, who hast comforted me and hast spoken to the heart of thy handmaid, who am not like to one of thy maids.

²³ But I call God to witness upon my soul, that to spare you, I came not any more to Corinth: not because we exercise dominion over your faith: but we are helpers of your joy: for in faith you stand.

2 But I determined this with myself, not to come to you again in sorrow.

² For if I make you sorrowful, who is he then that can make me glad, but the same who is made sorrowful by me?

³ And I wrote this same to you; that I may not, when I come, have sorrow upon sorrow, from them of whom I ought to rejoice: having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

⁴ For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote to you with many tears: not that you should be made sorrowful: but that you might know the charity I have more abundantly towards you.

⁵ And if any one have caused grief, he hath not grieved me; but in part, that I may not burden you all.

⁶ To him who is such a one, this rebuke is sufficient, which is given by many:

⁷ So that on the contrary, you should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

⁸ Wherefore, I beseech you, that you would confirm your charity towards him.

⁹ For to this end also did I write, that I may know the experiment of you, whether you be obedient in all things.

¹⁰ And to whom you have pardoned any thing, I also. For, what I have pardoned, if I have pardoned any thing, for your sakes have I done it in the person of Christ.

¹¹ That we be not overreached by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his devices.

¹² And when I was come to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and a door was opened unto me in the Lord,

¹³ I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother; but bidding them farewell, I went into Macedonia.

¹⁴ Now thanks be to God, who always maketh us to triumph in Christ Jesus, and manifesteth the odour of his knowledge by us in every place.

¹⁵ For we are the good odour of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish.

¹⁶ To the one indeed the odour of death unto death: but to the others the odour of life unto life. And for these things who is so sufficient?

¹⁷ For we are not as many, adulterating the word of God; but with sincerity, but as from God, before God, in Christ we speak.

²¹ You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.

²² But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

²³ If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath any thing against thee;

²⁴ Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother: and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.

²⁵ Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

²⁶ Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing.