Book of Common Prayer
78 An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.
2 I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,
3 That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.
4 We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.
5 And He raiseth up a testimony in Jacob, And a law hath placed in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.
6 So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,
7 And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.
8 And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God [is] its spirit.
9 Sons of Ephraim -- armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.
10 They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,
11 And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.
12 Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt -- the field of Zoan.
13 He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.
14 And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.
15 He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink -- as the great deep.
16 And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.
17 And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.
18 And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.
19 And they speak against God -- they said: `Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'
20 Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. `Also -- bread [is] He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?'
21 Therefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,
22 For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.
23 And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.
24 And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.
25 Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.
26 He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,
27 And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas -- winged fowl,
28 And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.
29 And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.
30 They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,
31 And the anger of God hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused to bend.
32 With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.
33 And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.
34 If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,
35 And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
36 And -- they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,
37 And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.
38 And He -- the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.
39 And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on -- and it returneth not.
40 How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?
41 Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.
42 They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.
43 When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,
44 And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.
45 He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,
46 And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.
47 He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,
48 And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.
49 He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress -- A discharge of evil messengers.
50 He pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.
51 And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.
52 And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,
53 And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.
54 And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,
55 And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,
56 And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.
57 And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,
58 And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,
59 God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.
60 And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,
61 And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,
62 And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.
63 His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.
64 His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.
65 And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
66 And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,
67 And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.
68 And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,
69 And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.
70 And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,
71 From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.
72 And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!
21 And the man Elkanah goeth up, and all his house, to sacrifice to Jehovah the sacrifice of the days, and his vow.
22 And Hannah hath not gone up, for she said to her husband, `Till the youth is weaned -- then I have brought him in, and he hath appeared before the face of Jehovah, and dwelt there -- unto the age.'
23 And Elkanah her husband saith to her, `Do that which is good in thine eyes; abide till thy weaning him; only, Jehovah establish His word;' and the woman abideth and suckleth her son till she hath weaned him,
24 and she causeth him to go up with her when she hath weaned him, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and she bringeth him into the house of Jehovah at Shiloh, and the youth [is but] a youth.
25 And they slaughter the bullock, and bring in the youth unto Eli,
26 and she saith, `O, my lord, thy soul liveth! my lord, I [am] the woman who stood with thee in this [place], to pray unto Jehovah;
27 for this youth I prayed, and Jehovah doth give to me my petition which I asked of Him;
28 and also I have caused him to be asked for Jehovah, all the days that he hath lived -- he is asked for Jehovah;' and he boweth himself there before Jehovah.
2 And Hannah prayeth, and saith: `My heart hath exulted in Jehovah, My horn hath been high in Jehovah, My mouth hath been large over mine enemies, For I have rejoiced in Thy salvation.
2 There is none holy like Jehovah, For there is none save Thee, And there is no rock like our God.
3 Ye multiply not -- ye speak haughtily -- The old saying goeth out from your mouth, For a God of knowledge [is] Jehovah, And by Him actions are weighed.
4 Bows of the mighty are broken, And the stumbling have girded on strength.
5 The satiated for bread hired themselves, And the hungry have ceased. While the barren hath borne seven, And she abounding with sons hath languished.
6 Jehovah putteth to death, and keepeth alive, He bringeth down to Sheol, and bringeth up.
7 Jehovah dispossesseth, and He maketh rich, He maketh low, yea, He maketh high.
8 He raiseth from the dust the poor, From a dunghill He lifteth up the needy, To cause [them] to sit with nobles, Yea, a throne of honour He doth cause them to inherit, For to Jehovah [are] the fixtures of earth, And He setteth on them the habitable world.
9 The feet of His saints He keepeth, And the wicked in darkness are silent, For not by power doth man become mighty.
10 Jehovah -- broken down are His adversaries, Against them in the heavens He thundereth: Jehovah judgeth the ends of earth, And giveth strength to His king, And exalteth the horn of His anointed.'
11 And Elkanah goeth to Ramath, unto his house, and the youth hath been serving Jehovah, [in] the presence of Eli the priest;
15 And in these days, Peter having risen up in the midst of the disciples, said, (the multitude also of the names at the same place was, as it were, an hundred and twenty,)
16 `Men, brethren, it behoved this Writing that it be fulfilled that beforehand the Holy Spirit spake through the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who became guide to those who took Jesus,
17 because he was numbered among us, and did receive the share in this ministration,
18 this one, indeed, then, purchased a field out of the reward of unrighteousness, and falling headlong, burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed forth,
19 and it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, insomuch that that place is called, in their proper dialect, Aceldama, that is, field of blood,
20 for it hath been written in the book of Psalms: Let his lodging-place become desolate, and let no one be dwelling in it, and his oversight let another take.
21 `It behoveth, therefore, of the men who did go with us during all the time in which the Lord Jesus went in and went out among us,
22 beginning from the baptism of John, unto the day in which he was received up from us, one of these to become with us a witness of his rising again.'
23 And they set two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias,
24 and having prayed, they said, `Thou, Lord, who art knowing the heart of all, shew which one thou didst choose of these two
25 to receive the share of this ministration and apostleship, from which Judas, by transgression, did fall, to go on to his proper place;'
26 and they gave their lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
19 And the chief priests and the scribes sought to lay hands on him in that hour, and they feared the people, for they knew that against them he spake this simile.
20 And, having watched [him], they sent forth liers in wait, feigning themselves to be righteous, that they might take hold of his word, to deliver him up to the rule and to the authority of the governor,
21 and they questioned him, saying, `Teacher, we have known that thou dost say and teach rightly, and dost not accept a person, but in truth the way of God dost teach;
22 Is it lawful to us to give tribute to Caesar or not?'
23 And he, having perceived their craftiness, said unto them, `Why me do ye tempt?
24 shew me a denary; of whom hath it an image and superscription?' and they answering said, `Of Caesar:'
25 and he said to them, `Give back, therefore, the things of Caesar to Caesar, and the things of God to God;'
26 and they were not able to take hold on his saying before the people, and having wondered at his answer, they were silent.