Book of Common Prayer
God implored to confound his enemies.
A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.
83 O God, keep not thou silence:
Hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.
2 For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult;
And they that hate thee have lifted up the head.
3 They take crafty counsel against thy people,
And consult together against thy hidden ones.
4 They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation;
That the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.
5 For they have consulted together with one consent;
Against thee do they make a covenant:
6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab, and the [a]Hagarenes;
7 Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre:
8 Assyria also is joined with them;
They have [b]helped the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do thou unto them as unto Midian,
As to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;
10 Who perished at Endor,
Who became as dung for the earth.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb;
Yea, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna;
12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves in possession
The [c]habitations of God.
13 O my God, make them like the whirling dust;
As stubble before the wind.
14 As the fire that burneth the forest,
And as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with thy tempest,
And terrify them with thy storm.
16 Fill their faces with confusion,
That they may seek thy name, O Jehovah.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever;
Yea, let them be confounded and perish;
18 That they may know that [d]thou alone, whose name is Jehovah,
Art the Most High over all the earth.
Praise to Jehovah the abundant Helper.
[a]146 Praise ye Jehovah.
Praise Jehovah, O my soul.
2 While I live will I praise Jehovah:
I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
Nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth;
In that very day his [b]thoughts perish.
5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in Jehovah his God:
6 Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that in them is;
Who keepeth truth for ever;
7 Who executeth justice for the oppressed;
Who giveth food to the hungry.
Jehovah looseth the prisoners;
8 Jehovah openeth the eyes of the blind;
Jehovah raiseth up them that are bowed down;
Jehovah loveth the righteous;
9 Jehovah preserveth the sojourners;
He upholdeth the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked he [c]turneth upside down.
10 Jehovah will reign for ever,
Thy God, O Zion, unto all generations.
[d]Praise ye Jehovah.
Praise for Jerusalem’s restoration and prosperity.
[e]147 Praise ye Jehovah;
[f]For it is good to sing praises unto our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is comely.
2 Jehovah doth build up Jerusalem;
He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
3 He healeth the broken in heart,
And bindeth up their [g]wounds.
4 He counteth the number of the stars;
He calleth them all by their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
6 Jehovah upholdeth the meek:
He bringeth the wicked down to the ground.
7 Sing unto Jehovah with thanksgiving;
Sing praises upon the harp unto our God,
8 Who covereth the heavens with clouds,
Who prepareth rain for the earth,
Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
9 He giveth to the beast his food,
And to the young ravens which cry.
10 He delighteth not in the strength of the horse:
He taketh no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 Jehovah taketh pleasure in them that fear him,
In those that hope in his lovingkindness.
12 Praise Jehovah, O Jerusalem;
Praise thy God, O Zion.
13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates;
He hath blessed thy children within thee.
14 He maketh [h]peace in thy borders;
He filleth thee with the [i]finest of the wheat.
15 He sendeth out his commandment upon earth;
His word runneth very swiftly.
16 He giveth snow like wool;
He scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes.
17 He casteth forth his ice like morsels:
Who can stand before his cold?
18 He sendeth out his word, and melteth them:
He causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 He showeth his word unto Jacob,
His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel.
20 He hath not dealt so with any nation;
And as for his ordinances, they have not known them.
[j]Praise ye Jehovah.
Prayer for God’s mercy upon the nation.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
85 Jehovah, thou hast been favorable unto thy land;
Thou hast [a]brought back the captivity of Jacob.
2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people;
Thou hast covered all their sin. Selah
3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath;
Thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.
4 [b]Turn us, O God of our salvation,
And cause thine indignation toward us to cease.
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever?
Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not quicken us again,
That thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Show us thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah,
And grant us thy salvation.
8 I will hear what God Jehovah will speak;
For he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints:
But let them not turn again to folly.
9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him,
That glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth are met together;
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth springeth out of the earth;
And righteousness hath looked down from heaven.
12 Yea, Jehovah will give that which is good;
And our land shall yield its increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him,
And shall [c]make his footsteps a way to walk in.
A psalm of supplication and trust.
A Prayer of David.
86 Bow down thine ear, O Jehovah, and answer me;
For I am poor and needy.
2 Preserve my soul; for I am godly:
O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.
3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord;
For unto thee do I cry all the day long.
4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant;
For unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive,
And abundant in lovingkindness unto all them that call upon thee.
6 Give ear, O Jehovah, unto my prayer;
And hearken unto the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee;
For thou wilt answer me.
8 There is none like unto thee among the gods, O Lord;
Neither are there any works like unto thy works.
9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord;
And they shall glorify thy name.
10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things:
Thou art God alone.
11 Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; I will walk in thy truth:
Unite my heart to fear thy name.
12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with my whole heart;
And I will glorify thy name for evermore.
13 For great is thy lovingkindness toward me;
And thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest Sheol.
14 O God, the proud are risen up against me,
And a company of violent men have sought after my soul,
And have not set thee before them.
15 But thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.
16 Oh turn unto me, and [d]have mercy upon me;
Give thy strength unto thy servant,
And save the son of thy handmaid.
17 Show me a token for good,
That they who hate me may see it, and be put to shame,
Because thou, Jehovah, hast helped me, and comforted me.
9 And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber. 3 Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. 4 So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of us all? And he said, To thee, O captain. 6 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of Jehovah, even over Israel. 7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.
11 Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man and what his talk was. 12 And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I have anointed thee king over Israel. 13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him [a]on the top of the stairs, and blew the trumpet, saying, Jehu is king.
14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram was keeping Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria; 15 but king [b]Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If this be your mind, then let none escape and go forth out of the city, to go to tell it in Jezreel. 16 So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.
12 All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall bring to nought both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body: 14 and God both raised the Lord, and will raise up us through his power. 15 Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid. 16 Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, [a]The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 Or know ye not that your body is a [b]temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own; 20 for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body.
6 Take heed that ye do not your righteousness before men, to be seen of them: else ye have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 When therefore thou doest alms, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 that thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
5 And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have received their reward. 17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and wash thy face; 18 that thou be not seen of men to fast, but of thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall recompense thee.
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