Book of Common Prayer
131 A Song of the Ascents, by David. Jehovah, my heart hath not been haughty, Nor have mine eyes been high, Nor have I walked in great things, And in things too wonderful for me.
2 Have I not compared, and kept silent my soul, As a weaned one by its mother? As a weaned one by me [is] my soul.
3 Israel doth wait on Jehovah, From henceforth, and unto the age!
132 A Song of the Ascents. Remember, Jehovah, for David, all his afflictions.
2 Who hath sworn to Jehovah. He hath vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 `If I enter into the tent of my house, If I go up on the couch of my bed,
4 If I give sleep to mine eyes, To mine eyelids -- slumber,
5 Till I do find a place for Jehovah, Tabernacles for the Mighty One of Jacob.
6 `Lo, we have heard it in Ephratah, We have found it in the fields of the forest.
7 We come in to His tabernacles, We bow ourselves at His footstool.
8 Arise, O Jehovah, to Thy rest, Thou, and the ark of Thy strength,
9 Thy priests do put on righteousness, And Thy pious ones cry aloud.
10 For the sake of David Thy servant, Turn not back the face of Thine anointed.
11 Jehovah hath sworn truth to David, He turneth not back from it: Of the fruit of thy body, I set on the throne for thee.
12 If thy sons keep My covenant, And My testimonies that I teach them, Their sons also for ever and ever, Do sit on the throne for thee.
13 For Jehovah hath fixed on Zion, He hath desired [it] for a seat to Himself,
14 This [is] My rest for ever and ever, Here do I sit, for I have desired it.
15 Her provision I greatly bless, Her needy ones I satisfy [with] bread,
16 And her priests I clothe [with] salvation, And her pious ones do sing aloud.
17 There I cause to spring up a horn for David, I have arranged a lamp for Mine anointed.
18 His enemies I do clothe [with] shame, And upon him doth his crown flourish!
133 A Song of the Ascents, by David. Lo, how good and how pleasant The dwelling of brethren -- even together!
2 As the good oil on the head, Coming down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, That cometh down on the skirt of his robes,
3 As dew of Hermon -- That cometh down on hills of Zion, For there Jehovah commanded the blessing -- Life unto the age!
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!
26 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, hath this word been from Jehovah, saying:
2 `Thus said Jehovah, Stand thou in the court of the house of Jehovah, and thou hast spoken unto all [those of] the cities of Judah who are coming in to bow themselves in the house of Jehovah, all the words that I have commanded thee to speak unto them, thou dost not diminish a word.
3 If so be they hearken, and turn back each from his evil way, then I have repented concerning the evil that I am thinking of doing to them, because of the evil of their doings.
4 `And thou hast said unto them: Thus said Jehovah, If ye do not hearken unto Me, to walk in My law, that I set before you,
5 To hearken to the words of My servants the prophets, whom I am sending unto you, yea, rising early and sending, and ye have not hearkened,
6 Then I have given up this house as Shiloh, and this city I give up for a reviling to all nations of the earth.'
7 And the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, hear Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of Jehovah,
8 And it cometh to pass, at the completion of Jeremiah's speaking all that Jehovah hath commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests, and the prophets, and all the people catch him, saying, Thou dost surely die,
9 Wherefore hast thou prophesied in the name of Jehovah, saying, `As Shiloh this house shall be, and this city is wasted, without inhabitant?' and all the people are assembled unto Jeremiah in the house of Jehovah.
10 And the heads of Judah hear these things, and they go up from the house of the king [to] the house of Jehovah, and sit in the opening of the new gate of Jehovah.
11 And the priests and the prophets speak unto the heads, and unto all the people, saying, `Judgment of death [is] for this man, for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.'
12 And Jeremiah speaketh unto all the heads, and unto all the people, saying, `Jehovah sent me to prophesy concerning this house, and concerning this city, all the words that ye have heard;
13 And now, amend your ways, and your doings, and hearken to the voice of Jehovah your God, and Jehovah doth repent concerning the evil that He hath spoken against you.
14 `And I, lo, I [am] in your hand, do to me as is good and as is right in your eyes;
15 Only, know ye certainly, that if ye are putting me to death, surely innocent blood ye are putting on yourselves, and on this city, and on its inhabitants; for truly hath Jehovah sent me unto you to speak in your ears all these words.'
16 And the heads and all the people say unto the priests and unto the prophets, `There is not for this man a judgment of death, for in the name of Jehovah our God he hath spoken unto us.'
11 I say, then, Did God cast away His people? let it not be! for I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin:
2 God did not cast away His people whom He knew before; have ye not known -- in Elijah -- what the Writing saith? how he doth plead with God concerning Israel, saying,
3 `Lord, Thy prophets they did kill, and Thy altars they dug down, and I was left alone, and they seek my life;'
4 but what saith the divine answer to him? `I left to Myself seven thousand men, who did not bow a knee to Baal.'
5 So then also in the present time a remnant according to the choice of grace there hath been;
6 and if by grace, no more of works, otherwise the grace becometh no more grace; and if of works, it is no more grace, otherwise the work is no more work.
7 What then? What Israel doth seek after, this it did not obtain, and the chosen did obtain, and the rest were hardened,
8 according as it hath been written, `God gave to them a spirit of deep sleep, eyes not to see, and ears not to hear,' -- unto this very day,
9 and David saith, `Let their table become for a snare, and for a trap, and for a stumbling-block, and for a recompense to them;
10 let their eyes be darkened -- not to behold, and their back do Thou always bow down.'
11 I say, then, Did they stumble that they might fall? let it not be! but by their fall the salvation [is] to the nations, to arouse them to jealousy;
12 and if the fall of them [is] the riches of a world, and the diminution of them the riches of nations, how much more the fulness of them?
19 Therefore, again, there came a division among the Jews, because of these words,
20 and many of them said, `He hath a demon, and is mad, why do ye hear him?'
21 others said, `These sayings are not those of a demoniac; is a demon able blind men's eyes to open?'
22 And the dedication in Jerusalem came, and it was winter,
23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the porch of Solomon,
24 the Jews, therefore, came round about him, and said to him, `Till when our soul dost thou hold in suspense? if thou art the Christ, tell us freely.'
25 Jesus answered them, `I told you, and ye do not believe; the works that I do in the name of my Father, these testify concerning me;
26 but ye do not believe, for ye are not of my sheep,
27 according as I said to you: My sheep my voice do hear, and I know them, and they follow me,
28 and life age-during I give to them, and they shall not perish -- to the age, and no one shall pluck them out of my hand;
29 my Father, who hath given to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to pluck out of the hand of my Father;
30 I and the Father are one.'
31 Therefore, again, did the Jews take up stones that they may stone him;
32 Jesus answered them, `Many good works did I shew you from my Father; because of which work of them do ye stone me?'
33 The Jews answered him, saying, `For a good work we do not stone thee, but for evil speaking, and because thou, being a man, dost make thyself God.'
34 Jesus answered them, `Is it not having been written in your law: I said, ye are gods?
35 if them he did call gods unto whom the word of God came, (and the Writing is not able to be broken,)
36 of him whom the Father did sanctify, and send to the world, do ye say -- Thou speakest evil, because I said, Son of God I am?
37 if I do not the works of my Father, do not believe me;
38 and if I do, even if me ye may not believe, the works believe, that ye may know and may believe that in me [is] the Father, and I in Him.'
39 Therefore were they seeking again to seize him, and he went forth out of their hand,
40 and went away again to the other side of the Jordan, to the place where John was at first baptizing, and remained there,
41 and many came unto him, and said -- `John, indeed, did no sign, and all things, as many as John said about this one were true;'
42 and many did believe in him there.