Book of Common Prayer
102 A Prayer of the afflicted when he is feeble, and before Jehovah poureth out his plaint. O Jehovah, hear my prayer, yea, my cry to Thee cometh.
2 Hide not Thou Thy face from me, In a day of mine adversity, Incline unto me Thine ear, In the day I call, haste, answer me.
3 For consumed in smoke have been my days, And my bones as a fire-brand have burned.
4 Smitten as the herb, and withered, is my heart, For I have forgotten to eat my bread.
5 From the voice of my sighing Hath my bone cleaved to my flesh.
6 I have been like to a pelican of the wilderness, I have been as an owl of the dry places.
7 I have watched, and I am As a bird alone on the roof.
8 All the day mine enemies reproached me, Those mad at me have sworn against me.
9 Because ashes as bread I have eaten, And my drink with weeping have mingled,
10 From Thine indignation and Thy wrath, For Thou hast lifted me up, And dost cast me down.
11 My days as a shadow [are] stretched out, And I -- as the herb I am withered.
12 And Thou, O Jehovah, to the age abidest, And Thy memorial to all generations.
13 Thou -- Thou risest -- Thou pitiest Zion, For the time to favour her, For the appointed time hath come.
14 For Thy servants have been pleased with her stones, And her dust they favour.
15 And nations fear the name of Jehovah, And all kings of the earth Thine honour,
16 For Jehovah hath builded Zion, He hath been seen in His honour,
17 He turned unto the prayer of the destitute, And He hath not despised their prayer.
18 This is written for a later generation, And the people created do praise Jah.
19 For He hath looked From the high place of His sanctuary. Jehovah from heaven unto earth looked attentively,
20 To hear the groan of the prisoner, To loose sons of death,
21 To declare in Zion the name of Jehovah, And His praise in Jerusalem,
22 In the peoples being gathered together, And the kingdoms -- to serve Jehovah.
23 He hath humbled in the way my power, He hath shortened my days.
24 I say, `My God, take me not up in the midst of my days,' Through all generations [are] Thine years.
25 Beforetime the earth Thou didst found, And the work of Thy hands [are] the heavens.
26 They -- They perish, and Thou remainest, And all of them as a garment become old, As clothing Thou changest them, And they are changed.
27 And Thou [art] the same, and Thine years are not finished.
28 The sons of Thy servants do continue, And their seed before Thee is established!
107 `Give ye thanks to Jehovah, For good, for to the age [is] His kindness:'
2 Let the redeemed of Jehovah say, Whom He redeemed from the hand of an adversary.
3 And from the lands hath gathered them, From east and from west, From north, and from the sea.
4 They wandered in a wilderness, in a desert by the way, A city of habitation they have not found.
5 Hungry -- yea -- thirsty, Their soul in them becometh feeble,
6 And they cry unto Jehovah in their adversity, From their distress He delivereth them,
7 And causeth them to tread in a right way, To go unto a city of habitation.
8 They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men.
9 For He hath satisfied a longing soul, And a hungry soul hath filled [with] goodness.
10 Inhabitants of dark places and death-shade, Prisoners of affliction and of iron,
11 Because they changed the saying of God, And the counsel of the Most High despised.
12 And He humbleth with labour their heart, They have been feeble, and there is no helper.
13 And they cry unto Jehovah in their adversity, From their distresses He saveth them.
14 He bringeth them out from the dark place, And death-shade, And their bands He draweth away.
15 They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men.
16 For He hath broken doors of brass, And bars of iron He hath cut.
17 Fools, by means of their transgression, And by their iniquities, afflict themselves.
18 All food doth their soul abominate, And they come nigh unto the gates of death,
19 And cry unto Jehovah in their adversity, From their distresses He saveth them,
20 He sendeth His word and healeth them, And delivereth from their destructions.
21 They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men,
22 And they sacrifice sacrifices of thanksgiving, And recount His works with singing.
23 Those going down [to] the sea in ships, Doing business in many waters,
24 They have seen the works of Jehovah, And His wonders in the deep.
25 And He saith, and appointeth a tempest, And it lifteth up its billows,
26 They go up [to] the heavens, they go down [to] the depths, Their soul in evil is melted.
27 They reel to and fro, and move as a drunkard, And all their wisdom is swallowed up.
28 And they cry to Jehovah in their adversity, And from their distresses He bringeth them out.
29 He establisheth a whirlwind to a calm, And hushed are their billows.
30 And they rejoice because they are quiet, And He leadeth them to the haven of their desire.
31 They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men,
32 And they exalt Him in the assembly of the people, And in the seat of the elders praise Him.
9 And there is a man of Benjamin, and his name [is] Kish, son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Bechorath, son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, mighty of valour,
2 and he hath a son, and his name [is] Saul, a choice youth and goodly, and there is not a man among the sons of Israel goodlier than he -- from his shoulder and upward, higher than any of the people.
3 And the asses of Kish, father of Saul, are lost, and Kish saith unto Saul his son, `Take, I pray thee, with thee, one of the young men, and rise, go, seek the asses.'
4 And he passeth over through the hill-country of Ephraim, and passeth over through the land of Shalisha, and they have not found; and they pass over through the land of Shaalim, and they are not; and he passeth over through the land of Benjamin, and they have not found.
5 They have come in unto the land of Zuph, and Saul hath said to his young man who [is] with him, `Come, and we turn back, lest my father leave off from the asses, and hath been sorrowful for us.'
6 And he saith to him, `Lo, I pray thee, a man of God [is] in this city, and the man is honoured; all that he speaketh doth certainly come; now, we go there, it may be he doth declare to us our way on which we have gone.'
7 And Saul saith to his young man, `And lo, we go, and what do we bring in to the man? for the bread hath gone from our vessels, and a present there is not to bring in to the man of God -- what [is] with us?'
8 And the young man addeth to answer Saul, and saith, `Lo, there is found with me a fourth of a shekel of silver: and I have given to the man of God, and he hath declared to us our way.'
9 Formerly in Israel, thus said the man in his going to seek God, `Come and we go unto the seer,' for the `prophet' of to-day is called formerly `the seer.'
10 And Saul saith to his young man, `Thy word [is] good; come, we go;' and they go unto the city where the man of God [is].
11 They are going up in the ascent of the city, and have found young women going out to draw water, and say to them, `Is the seer in this [place]?'
12 And they answer them and say, `He is; lo, before thee! haste, now, for to-day he hath come in to the city, for the people hath a stated sacrifice in a high place.
13 At your going in to the city so ye do find him, before he doth go up in to the high place to eat; for the people do not eat till his coming, for he doth bless the sacrifice; afterwards they eat, who are called, and now, go up, for at this time ye find him.'
14 And they go up in to the city; they are coming in to the midst of the city, and lo, Samuel is coming out to meet them, to go up to the high place;
17 `And according as the time of the promise was drawing nigh, which God did swear to Abraham, the people increased and multiplied in Egypt,
18 till another king rose, who had not known Joseph;
19 this one, having dealt subtilely with our kindred, did evil to our fathers, causing to expose their babes, that they might not live;
20 in which time Moses was born, and he was fair to God, and he was brought up three months in the house of his father;
21 and he having been exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up, and did rear him to herself for a son;
22 and Moses was taught in all wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful in words and in works.
23 `And when forty years were fulfilled to him, it came upon his heart to look after his brethren, the sons of Israel;
24 and having seen a certain one suffering injustice, he did defend, and did justice to the oppressed, having smitten the Egyptian;
25 and he was supposing his brethren to understand that God through his hand doth give salvation; and they did not understand.
26 `On the succeeding day, also, he shewed himself to them as they are striving, and urged them to peace, saying, Men, brethren are ye, wherefore do ye injustice to one another?
27 and he who is doing injustice to the neighbour, did thrust him away, saying, Who set thee a ruler and a judge over us?
28 to kill me dost thou wish, as thou didst kill yesterday the Egyptian?
29 `And Moses fled at this word, and became a sojourner in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons,
31 And the Lord said, `Simon, Simon, lo, the Adversary did ask you for himself to sift as the wheat,
32 and I besought for thee, that thy faith may not fail; and thou, when thou didst turn, strengthen thy brethren.'
33 And he said to him, `Sir, with thee I am ready both to prison and to death to go;'
34 and he said, `I say to thee, Peter, a cock shall not crow to-day, before thrice thou mayest disown knowing me.'
35 And he said to them, `When I sent you without bag, and scrip, and sandals, did ye lack anything?' and they said, `Nothing.'
36 Then said he to them, `But, now, he who is having a bag, let him take [it] up, and in like manner also a scrip; and he who is not having, let him sell his garment, and buy a sword,
37 for I say to you, that yet this that hath been written it behoveth to be fulfilled in me: And with lawless ones he was reckoned, for also the things concerning me have an end.'
38 And they said, `Sir, lo, here [are] two swords;' and he said to them, `It is sufficient.'