Book of Common Prayer
89 An instruction, by Ethan the Ezrahite. Of the kind acts of Jehovah, to the age I sing, To all generations I make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth,
2 For I said, `To the age is kindness built, The heavens! Thou dost establish Thy faithfulness in them.'
3 I have made a covenant for My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant:
4 `Even to the age do I establish thy seed, And have built to generation and generation thy throne. Selah.
5 and the heavens confess Thy wonders, O Jehovah, Thy faithfulness also [is] in an assembly of holy ones.
6 For who in the sky, Compareth himself to Jehovah? Is like to Jehovah among sons of the mighty?
7 God is very terrible, In the secret counsel of His holy ones, And fearful over all surrounding Him.
8 O Jehovah, God of Hosts, Who [is] like Thee -- a strong Jah? And Thy faithfulness [is] round about Thee.
9 Thou [art] ruler over the pride of the sea, In the lifting up of its billows Thou dost restrain them.
10 Thou hast bruised Rahab, as one wounded. With the arm of Thy strength Thou hast scattered Thine enemies.
11 Thine [are] the heavens -- the earth also [is] Thine, The habitable world and its fulness, Thou hast founded them.
12 North and south Thou hast appointed them, Tabor and Hermon in Thy name do sing.
13 Thou hast an arm with might, Strong is Thy hand -- high Thy right hand.
14 Righteousness and judgment [Are] the fixed place of Thy throne, Kindness and truth go before Thy face.
15 O the happiness of the people knowing the shout, O Jehovah, in the light of Thy face they walk habitually.
16 In Thy name they rejoice all the day, And in Thy righteousness they are exalted,
17 For the beauty of their strength [art] Thou, And in Thy good will is our horn exalted,
18 For of Jehovah [is] our shield, And of the Holy One of Israel our king.
19 Then Thou hast spoken in vision, To Thy saint, yea, Thou sayest, I have placed help upon a mighty one, Exalted a chosen one out of the people,
20 I have found David My servant, With My holy oil I have anointed him.
21 With whom My hand is established, My arm also doth strengthen him.
22 An enemy exacteth not upon him, And a son of perverseness afflicteth him not.
23 And I have beaten down before him his adversaries, And those hating him I plague,
24 And My faithfulness and kindness [are] with him, And in My name is his horn exalted.
25 And I have set on the sea his hand, And on the rivers his right hand.
26 He proclaimeth me: `Thou [art] my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.'
27 I also first-born do appoint him, Highest of the kings of the earth.
28 To the age I keep for him My kindness, And My covenant [is] stedfast with him.
29 And I have set his seed for ever, And his throne as the days of the heavens.
30 If his sons forsake My law, And in My judgments do not walk;
31 If My statutes they pollute, And My commands do not keep,
32 I have looked after with a rod their transgression, And with strokes their iniquity,
33 And My kindness I break not from him, Nor do I deal falsely in My faithfulness.
34 I profane not My covenant, And that which is going forth from My lips I change not.
35 Once I have sworn by My holiness, I lie not to David,
36 His seed is to the age, And his throne [is] as the sun before Me,
37 As the moon it is established -- to the age, And the witness in the sky is stedfast. Selah.
38 And Thou, Thou hast cast off, and dost reject, Thou hast shown Thyself wroth With Thine anointed,
39 Hast rejected the covenant of Thy servant, Thou hast polluted to the earth his crown,
40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges, Thou hast made his fenced places a ruin.
41 Spoiled him have all passing by the way, He hath been a reproach to his neighbours,
42 Thou hast exalted the right hand of his adversaries, Thou hast caused all his enemies to rejoice.
43 Also -- Thou turnest back the sharpness of his sword, And hast not established him in battle,
44 Hast caused [him] to cease from his brightness, And his throne to the earth hast cast down.
45 Thou hast shortened the days of his youth, Hast covered him over [with] shame. Selah.
46 Till when, O Jehovah, art Thou hidden? For ever doth Thy fury burn as fire?
47 Remember, I pray Thee, what [is] life-time? Wherefore in vain hast Thou created All the sons of men?
48 Who [is] the man that liveth, and doth not see death? He delivereth his soul from the hand of Sheol. Selah.
49 Where [are] Thy former kindnesses, O Lord. Thou hast sworn to David in Thy faithfulness,
50 Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Thy servants, I have borne in my bosom all the strivings of the peoples,
51 Wherewith Thine enemies reproached, O Jehovah, Wherewith they have reproached The steps of Thine anointed.
52 Blessed [is] Jehovah to the age. Amen, and amen!
23 And it cometh to pass, after two years of days, that Absalom hath shearers in Baal-Hazor, which [is] with Ephraim, and Absalom calleth for all the sons of the king.
24 And Absalom cometh unto the king, and saith, `Lo, I pray thee, thy servant hath shearers, let the king go, I pray thee, and his servants, with thy servant.'
25 And the king saith unto Absalom, `Nay, my son, let us not all go, I pray thee, and we are not too heavy on thee;' and he presseth on him, and he hath not been willing to go, and he blesseth him.
26 And Absalom saith, `If not -- let, I pray thee, Amnon my brother go with us;' and the king saith to him, `Why doth he go with thee?'
27 and Absalom urgeth on him, and he sendeth with him Amnon, and all the sons of the king.
28 And Absalom commandeth his young men, saying, `See, I pray thee, when the heart of Amnon [is] glad with wine, and I have said unto you, Smite Amnon, that ye have put him to death; fear not; is it not because I have commanded you? be strong, yea, become sons of valour.'
29 And the young men of Absalom do to Amnon as Absalom commanded, and rise do all the sons of the king, and they ride, each on his mule, and flee.
30 And it cometh to pass -- they [are] in the way -- and the report hath come unto David, saying, `Absalom hath smitten all the sons of the king, and there is not left of them one;'
31 and the king riseth, and rendeth his garments, and lieth on the earth, and all his servants are standing by [with] rent garments.
32 And Jonadab son of Shimeah, David's brother, answereth and saith, `Let not my lord say, The whole of the young men, the sons of the king, they have put to death; for Amnon alone [is] dead, for by the command of Absalom it hath been appointed from the day of his humbling Tamar his sister;
33 and now, let not my lord the king lay unto his heart the word, saying, All the sons of the king have died, for Amnon alone [is] dead.'
34 And Absalom fleeth, and the young man who is watching lifteth up his eyes and looketh, and lo, much people are coming by the way behind him, on the side of the hill.
35 And Jonadab saith unto the king, `Lo, the sons of the king have come; as the word of thy servant, so it hath been.'
36 And it cometh to pass at his finishing to speak, that lo, the sons of the king have come, and they lift up their voice, and weep, and also the king and all his servants have wept -- a very great weeping.
37 And Absalom hath fled, and goeth unto Talmai, son of Ammihud, king of Geshur, and [David] mourneth for his son all the days.
38 And Absalom hath fled, and goeth to Geshur, and is there three years;
39 and [the soul of] king David determineth to go out unto Absalom, for he hath been comforted for Amnon, for [he is] dead.
17 And from Miletus, having sent to Ephesus, he called for the elders of the assembly,
18 and when they were come unto him, he said to them, `Ye -- ye know from the first day in which I came to Asia, how, with you at all times I was;
19 serving the Lord with all humility, and many tears, and temptations, that befell me in the counsels of the Jews against [me];
20 how nothing I did keep back of what things are profitable, not to declare to you, and to teach you publicly, and in every house,
21 testifying fully both to Jews and Greeks, toward God reformation, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 `And now, lo, I -- bound in the Spirit -- go on to Jerusalem, the things that shall befall me in it not knowing,
23 save that the Holy Spirit in every city doth testify fully, saying, that for me bonds and tribulations remain;
24 but I make account of none of these, neither do I count my life precious to myself, so that I finish my course with joy, and the ministration that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify fully the good news of the grace of God.
25 `And now, lo, I have known that no more shall ye see my face, -- ye all among whom I did go preaching the reign of God;
26 wherefore I take you to witness this day, that I [am] clear from the blood of all,
27 for I did not keep back from declaring to you all the counsel of God.
28 `Take heed, therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit made you overseers, to feed the assembly of God that He acquired through His own blood,
29 for I have known this, that there shall enter in, after my departing, grievous wolves unto you, not sparing the flock,
30 and of your own selves there shall arise men, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
31 `Therefore, watch, remembering that three years, night and day, I did not cease with tears warning each one;
32 and now, I commend you, brethren, to God, and to the word of His grace, that is able to build up, and to give you an inheritance among all those sanctified.
33 `The silver or gold or garments of no one did I covet;
34 and ye yourselves know that to my necessities, and to those who were with me, minister did these hands;
35 all things I did shew you, that, thus labouring, it behoveth [us] to partake with the ailing, to be mindful also of the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
36 And these things having said, having bowed his knees, with them all, he did pray,
37 and there came a great weeping to all, and having fallen upon the neck of Paul, they were kissing him,
38 sorrowing most of all for the word that he had said -- that they are about no more to see his face; and they were accompanying him to the ship.
42 and whoever may cause to stumble one of the little ones believing in me, better is it for him if a millstone is hanged about his neck, and he hath been cast into the sea.
43 `And if thy hand may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee maimed to enter into the life, than having the two hands, to go away to the gehenna, to the fire -- the unquenchable --
44 where there worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched.
45 `And if thy foot may cause thee to stumble, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into the life lame, than having the two feet to be cast to the gehenna, to the fire -- the unquenchable --
46 where there worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched.
47 And if thine eye may cause thee to stumble, cast it out; it is better for thee one-eyed to enter into the reign of God, than having two eyes, to be cast to the gehenna of the fire --
48 where their worm is not dying, and the fire is not being quenched;
49 for every one with fire shall be salted, and every sacrifice with salt shall be salted.
50 The salt [is] good, but if the salt may become saltless, in what will ye season [it]? Have in yourselves salt, and have peace in one another.'