Book of Common Prayer

1 O the happiness of that one, who Hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked. And in the way of sinners hath not stood, And in the seat of scorners hath not sat;

² But -- in the law of Jehovah [is] his delight, And in His law he doth meditate by day and by night:

³ And he hath been as a tree, Planted by rivulets of water, That giveth its fruit in its season, And its leaf doth not wither, And all that he doth he causeth to prosper.

⁴ Not so the wicked: But -- as chaff that wind driveth away!

⁵ Therefore the wicked rise not in judgment, Nor sinners in the company of the righteous,

⁶ For Jehovah is knowing the way of the righteous, And the way of the wicked is lost!

2 Why have nations tumultuously assembled? And do peoples meditate vanity?

² Station themselves do kings of the earth, And princes have been united together, Against Jehovah, and against His Messiah:

³ `Let us draw off Their cords, And cast from us Their thick bands.'

⁴ He who is sitting in the heavens doth laugh, The Lord doth mock at them.

⁵ Then doth He speak unto them in His anger, And in His wrath He doth trouble them:

⁶ `And I -- I have anointed My King, Upon Zion -- My holy hill.'

⁷ I declare concerning a statute: Jehovah said unto me, `My Son Thou [art], I to-day have brought thee forth.

⁸ Ask of Me and I give nations -- thy inheritance, And thy possession -- the ends of earth.

⁹ Thou dost rule them with a sceptre of iron, As a vessel of a potter Thou dost crush them.'

¹⁰ And now, O kings, act wisely, Be instructed, O judges of earth,

¹¹ Serve ye Jehovah with fear, And rejoice with trembling.

¹² Kiss the Chosen One, lest He be angry, And ye lose the way, When His anger burneth but a little, O the happiness of all trusting in Him!

3 A Psalm of David, in his fleeing from the face of Absalom his son. Jehovah, how have my distresses multiplied! Many are rising up against me.

² Many are saying of my soul, `There is no salvation for him in God.' Selah.

³ And Thou, O Jehovah, [art] a shield for me, My honour, and lifter up of my head.

⁴ My voice [is] unto Jehovah: I call: And He answereth me from his holy hill, Selah.

⁵ I -- I have lain down, and I sleep, I have waked, for Jehovah sustaineth me.

⁶ I am not afraid of myriads of people, That round about they have set against me.

⁷ Rise, O Jehovah! save me, my God. Because Thou hast smitten All mine enemies [on] the cheek. The teeth of the wicked Thou hast broken.

⁸ Of Jehovah [is] this salvation; On Thy people [is] Thy blessing! Selah.

4 To the Overseer with Stringed Instruments. -- A Psalm of David. In my calling answer Thou me, O God of my righteousness. In adversity Thou gavest enlargement to me; Favour me, and hear my prayer.

² Sons of men! till when [is] my glory for shame? Ye love a vain thing, ye seek a lie. Selah.

³ And know ye that Jehovah Hath separated a saintly one to Himself. Jehovah heareth in my calling to Him.

⁴ `Tremble ye, and do not sin;' Say ye [thus] in your heart on your bed, And be ye silent. Selah.

⁵ Sacrifice ye sacrifices of righteousness, And trust ye unto Jehovah.

⁶ Many are saying, `Who doth show us good?' Lift on us the light of Thy face, O Jehovah,

⁷ Thou hast given joy in my heart, From the time their corn and their wine Have been multiplied.

⁸ In peace together I lie down and sleep, For Thou, O Jehovah, alone, In confidence dost cause me to dwell!

7 `The Erring One,' by David, that he sung to Jehovah concerning the words of Cush a Benjamite. O Jehovah, my God, in Thee I have trusted, Save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me.

² Lest he tear as a lion my soul, Rending, and there is no deliverer.

³ O Jehovah, my God, if I have done this, If there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴ If I have done my well-wisher evil, And draw mine adversary without cause,

⁵ An enemy pursueth my soul, and overtaketh, And treadeth down to the earth my life, And my honour placeth in the dust. Selah.

⁶ Rise, O Jehovah, in Thine anger, Be lifted up at the wrath of mine adversaries, And awake Thou for me: Judgment Thou hast commanded:

⁷ And a company of peoples compass Thee, And over it on high turn Thou back,

⁸ Jehovah doth judge the peoples; Judge me, O Jehovah, According to my righteousness, And according to mine integrity on me,

⁹ Let, I pray Thee be ended the evil of the wicked, And establish Thou the righteous, And a trier of hearts and reins is the righteous God.

¹⁰ My shield [is] on God, Saviour of the upright in heart!

¹¹ God [is] a righteous judge, And He is not angry at all times.

¹² If [one] turn not, His sword he sharpeneth, His bow he hath trodden -- He prepareth it,

¹³ Yea, for him He hath prepared Instruments of death, His arrows for burning pursuers He maketh.

¹⁴ Lo, he travaileth [with] iniquity, And he hath conceived perverseness, And hath brought forth falsehood.

¹⁵ A pit he hath prepared, and he diggeth it, And he falleth into a ditch he maketh.

¹⁶ Return doth his perverseness on his head, And on his crown his violence cometh down.

¹⁷ I thank Jehovah, According to His righteousness, And praise the name of Jehovah Most High!

15 And Samuel saith unto Saul, `Me did Jehovah send to anoint thee for king over His people, over Israel; and now, hearken to the voice of the words of Jehovah:

² `Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, I have looked after that which Amalek did to Israel, that which he laid for him in the way in his going up out of Egypt.

³ Now, go, and thou hast smitten Amalek, and devoted all that it hath, and thou hast no pity on it, and hast put to death from man unto woman, from infant unto suckling, from ox unto sheep, from camel unto ass.'

⁷ And Saul smiteth Amalek from Havilah -- thy going in to Shur, which [is] on the front of Egypt,

⁸ and he catcheth Agag king of Amalek alive, and all the people he hath devoted by the mouth of the sword;

⁹ and Saul hath pity -- also the people -- on Agag, and on the best of the flock, and of the herd, and of the seconds, and on the lambs, and on all that [is] good, and have not been willing to devote them; and all the work, despised and wasted -- it they devoted.

¹⁰ And the word of Jehovah is unto Samuel, saying,

¹¹ `I have repented that I caused Saul to reign for king, for he hath turned back from after Me, and My words he hath not performed;' and it is displeasing to Samuel, and he crieth unto Jehovah all the night.

¹² And Samuel riseth early to meet Saul in the morning, and it is declared to Samuel, saying, `Saul hath come in to Carmel, and lo, he is setting up to himself a monument, and goeth round, and passeth over, and goeth down to Gilgal.'

¹³ And Samuel cometh in unto Saul, and Saul saith to him, `Blessed [art] thou of Jehovah; I have performed the word of Jehovah.'

¹⁴ And Samuel saith, `And what [is] the noise of this flock in mine ears -- and the noise of the herd which I am hearing?'

¹⁵ And Saul saith, `From Amalek they have brought them, because the people had pity on the best of the flock, and of the herd, in order to sacrifice to Jehovah thy God, and the remnant we have devoted.'

¹⁶ And Samuel saith unto Saul, `Desist, and I declare to thee that which Jehovah hath spoken unto me to-night;' and he saith to him, `Speak.'

¹⁷ And Samuel saith, `Art not thou, if thou [art] little in thine own eyes, head of the tribes of Israel? and Jehovah doth anoint thee for king over Israel,

¹⁸ and Jehovah sendeth thee in the way, and saith, Go, and thou hast devoted the sinners, the Amalekite, and fought against them till they are consumed;

¹⁹ and why hast thou not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah -- and dost fly unto the spoil, and dost do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah?'

²⁰ And Saul saith unto Samuel, `Because -- I have hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, and I go in the way which Jehovah hath sent me, and bring in Agag king of Amalek, and Amalek I have devoted;

²¹ and the people taketh of the spoil of the flock and herd, the first part of the devoted thing, for sacrifice to Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.'

²² And Samuel saith, `Hath Jehovah had delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as [in] hearkening to the voice of Jehovah? lo, hearkening than sacrifice is better; to give attention than fat of rams;

²³ for a sin of divination [is] rebellion, and iniquity and teraphim [is] stubbornness; because thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, He also doth reject thee from [being] king.'

¹⁹ and having received nourishment, was strengthened, and Saul was with the disciples in Damascus certain days,

²⁰ and immediately in the synagogues he was preaching the Christ, that he is the Son of God.

²¹ And all those hearing were amazed, and said, `Is not this he who laid waist in Jerusalem those calling on this name, and hither to this intent had come, that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?'

²² And Saul was still more strengthened, and he was confounding the Jews dwelling in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ.

²³ And when many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel together to kill him,

²⁴ and their counsel against [him] was known to Saul; they were also watching the gates both day and night, that they may kill him,

²⁵ and the disciples having taken him, by night did let him down by the wall, letting down in a basket.

²⁶ And Saul, having come to Jerusalem, did try to join himself to the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he is a disciple,

²⁷ and Barnabas having taken him, brought [him] unto the apostles, and did declare to them how in the way he saw the Lord, and that he spake to him, and how in Damascus he was speaking boldly in the name of Jesus.

²⁸ And he was with them, coming in and going out in Jerusalem,

²⁹ and speaking boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, he was both speaking and disputing with the Hellenists, and they were taking in hand to kill him,

³⁰ and the brethren having known, brought him down to Cesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.

³¹ Then, indeed, the assemblies throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, had peace, being built up, and, going on in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

⁴⁴ And it was, as it were, the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land till the ninth hour,

⁴⁵ and the sun was darkened, and the vail of the sanctuary was rent in the midst,

⁴⁶ and having cried with a loud voice, Jesus said, `Father, to Thy hands I commit my spirit;' and these things having said, he breathed forth the spirit.

⁴⁷ And the centurion having seen what was done, did glorify God, saying, `Really this man was righteous;'

⁴⁸ and all the multitudes who were come together to this sight, beholding the things that came to pass, smiting their breasts did turn back;

⁴⁹ and all his acquaintances stood afar off, and women who did follow him from Galilee, beholding these things.

⁵⁰ And lo, a man, by name Joseph, being a counsellor, a man good and righteous,

⁵¹ -- he was not consenting to their counsel and deed -- from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who also himself was expecting the reign of God,

⁵² he, having gone near to Pilate, asked the body of Jesus,

⁵³ and having taken it down, he wrapped it in fine linen, and placed it in a tomb hewn out, where no one was yet laid.

⁵⁴ And the day was a preparation, and sabbath was approaching,

⁵⁵ and the women also who have come with him out of Galilee having followed after, beheld the tomb, and how his body was placed,

⁵⁶ and having turned back, they made ready spices and ointments, and on the sabbath, indeed, they rested, according to the command.