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.

15 After these things the word of Jehovah came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, ^[a]and thy exceeding great reward. ² And Abram said, O Lord Jehovah, what wilt thou give me, seeing I ^[b]go childless, and he that shall be possessor of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? ³ And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. ⁴ And, behold, the word of Jehovah came unto him, saying, This man shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. ⁵ And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and number the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. ⁶ And he believed in Jehovah; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. ⁷ And he said unto him, I am Jehovah that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. ⁸ And he said, O Lord Jehovah, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? ⁹ And he said unto him, Take me a heifer three years old, and a she-goat three years old, and a ram three years old, and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon. ¹⁰ And he took him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each half over against the other: but the birds divided he not. ¹¹ And the birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

¹⁷ And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch that passed between these pieces. ¹⁸ In that day Jehovah made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: ¹⁹ the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, ²⁰ and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, ²¹ and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.

9 Now even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service, and its sanctuary, a sanctuary of this world. ² For there was a tabernacle prepared, the first, wherein ^[a]were the candlestick, and the table, and ^[b]the showbread; which is called the Holy place. ³ And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holy of holies; ⁴ having a golden ^[c]altar of incense, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein ^[d]was a golden pot holding the manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; ⁵ and above it cherubim of glory overshadowing ^[e]the mercy-seat; of which things we cannot now speak severally. ⁶ Now these things having been thus prepared, the priests go in continually into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the services; ⁷ but into the second the high priest alone, once in the year, not without blood, which he offereth for himself, and for the ^[f]errors of the people: ⁸ the Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holy place hath not yet been made manifest, while the first tabernacle is yet standing; ⁹ which is a figure for the time present; according to which are offered both gifts and sacrifices that cannot, as touching the conscience, make the worshipper perfect, ¹⁰ being only (with meats and drinks and divers washings) carnal ordinances, imposed until a time of reformation.

¹¹ But Christ having come a high priest of ^[g]the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, ¹² nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. ¹³ For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling them that have been defiled, sanctify unto the cleanness of the flesh: ¹⁴ how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through ^[h]the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish unto God, cleanse ^[i]your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

5 After these things there was ^[a]a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

² Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew ^[b]Bethesda, having five porches. ³ In these lay a multitude of them that were sick, blind, halt, withered^[c]. ⁵ And a certain man was there, who had been thirty and eight years in his infirmity. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wouldest thou be made whole? ⁷ The sick man answered him, ^[d]Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. ⁸ Jesus saith unto him, Arise, take up thy ^[e]bed, and walk. ⁹ And straightway the man was made whole, and took up his ^[f]bed and walked.

Now it was the sabbath on that day. ¹⁰ So the Jews said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for thee to take up thy ^[g]bed. ¹¹ But he answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy ^[h]bed, and walk. ¹² They asked him, Who is the man that said unto thee, Take up thy ^[i]bed, and walk? ¹³ But he that was healed knew not who it was; for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in the place. ¹⁴ Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee. ¹⁵ The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him whole. ¹⁶ And for this cause the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did these things on the sabbath. ¹⁷ But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh even until now, and I work. ¹⁸ For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only brake the sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.