Book of Common Prayer

A song celebrating the king’s marriage.

For the Chief Musician; set to ^[a]Shoshannim. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Maschil. A Song of loves.

God the King of the Earth.

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.

The beauty and glory of Zion.

A Song; a Psalm of the sons of Korah.

²³ In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, and reigned twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah. ²⁴ And he bought the hill ^[a]Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver; and he ^[b]built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, ^[c]Samaria. ²⁵ And Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and dealt wickedly above all that were before him. ²⁶ For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sins wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger with their vanities. ²⁷ Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? ²⁸ So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria; and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

²⁹ And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years. ³⁰ And Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah above all that were before him. ³¹ And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife ^[d]Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. ³² And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. ³³ And Ahab made the Asherah; and Ahab did yet more to provoke Jehovah, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. ³⁴ In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof with the loss of Abiram his first-born, and set up the gates thereof with the loss of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

¹² Now I would have you know, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the progress of the ^[a]gospel; ¹³ so that my bonds became manifest in Christ ^[b]throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest; ¹⁴ and that most of the brethren in the Lord, ^[c]being confident through my bonds, are more abundantly bold to speak the word of God without fear. ¹⁵ Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: ^16 [d]the one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the ^[e]gospel; ^17 [f]but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds. ¹⁸ What then? only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. ¹⁹ For I know that this shall turn out to my salvation, through your supplication and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, ²⁰ according to my earnest expectation and hope, that in nothing shall I be put to shame, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death. ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ^22 [g]But if to live in the flesh,—if ^[h]this shall bring fruit from my work, then ^[i]what I shall choose I know not. ²³ But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better: ²⁴ yet to abide in the flesh is more needful for your sake. ²⁵ And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide, yea, and abide with you all, for your progress and joy ^[j]in the faith; ²⁶ that your glorying may abound in Christ Jesus in me through my presence with you again. ²⁷ Only ^[k]let your manner of life be worthy of the ^[l]gospel of Christ: that, whether I come and see you or be absent, I may hear of your state, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one soul striving ^[m]for the faith of the ^[n]gospel; ²⁸ and in nothing affrighted by the adversaries: which is for them an evident token of perdition, but of your salvation, and that from God; ²⁹ because to you it hath been granted in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer in his behalf: ³⁰ having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

16 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of ^[a]James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. ² And very early on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb when the sun was risen. ³ And they were saying among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb? ⁴ and looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back: for it was exceeding great. ⁵ And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe; and they were amazed. ⁶ And he saith unto them, Be not amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who hath been crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold, the place where they laid him! ⁷ But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. ⁸ And they went out, and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them: and they said nothing to any one; for they were afraid.

^9 [b]Now when he was risen early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. ¹¹ And they, when they heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, disbelieved.

¹² And after these things he was manifested in another form unto two of them, as they walked, on their way into the country. ¹³ And they went away and told it unto the rest: neither believed they them.

¹⁴ And afterward he was manifested unto the eleven themselves as they sat at meat; and he upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them that had seen him after he was risen. ¹⁵ And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the ^[c]gospel to the whole creation. ¹⁶ He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with ^[d]new tongues; ¹⁸ they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

¹⁹ So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken unto them, was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. ²⁰ And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen.