Book of Common Prayer
80 1 A lamentable prayer to God to help the miseries of his Church, 8 Desiring him to consider their first estate, when his favor shined toward them, to the intent that he might finish that work which he had begun.
To him that excelleth on Shoshannim Eduth, A Psalm committed to Asaph.
1 Hear, [a]O thou shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like sheep: show thy brightness, thou that sittest between the [b]Cherubims.
2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh stir up thy strength, and come to help us.
3 [c]Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be [d]angry against the prayer of thy people?
5 Thou hast fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink with great measure.
6 Thou hast made us a [e]strife unto our neighbors, and our enemies laugh at us among themselves.
7 [f]Turn us again, O God of hosts: cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
8 Thou hast brought a [g]vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it.
9 Thou madest room for it, and didst cause it to take root, and it filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the [h]goodly cedars.
11 She stretched out her branches unto the Sea, and her boughs unto the [i]river.
12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they, which pass by the way, have plucked her?
13 The wild [j]boar out of the wood hath destroyed it, and the wild beasts of the field have eaten it up.
14 Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down [k]from heaven and behold, and visit this vine,
15 And the vineyard, that thy right hand hath planted, and the young vine, which thou madest [l]strong for thyself.
16 It is burnt with fire, and cut down: and they perish at the [m]rebuke of thy countenance.
17 Let thine hand be upon the [n]man of thy right hand, and upon the son of man, whom thou madest strong for thine own self.
18 So will not we go back from thee, [o]revive thou us, and we shall call upon thy Name.
19 Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts: cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
77 1 The Prophet in the Name of the Church rehearseth the greatness of his affliction, and his grievous temptations, 6 Whereby he was driven to this end to consider his former conversation, 11 and the continual course of God’s works in the preservation of his servants, and so he confirmeth his faith against these temptations.
For the excellent Musician (A)Jeduthun. A Psalm committed to Asaph.
1 My [a]voice came to God, when I cried: my voice came to God; and he heard me.
2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: [b]my sore ran and ceased not in the night: my soul refused comfort.
3 I did think upon God, and was [c]troubled: I prayed, and my spirit was full of anguish. Selah.
4 Thou keepest mine eyes [d]waking: I was astonied, and could not speak.
5 Then I considered the days of old: and the years of ancient time.
6 I called to remembrance my [e]song in the night: I communed with mine own heart, and my spirit searched [f]diligently.
7 Will the Lord absent himself forever? and will he show no more favor?
8 Is his [g]mercy clean gone forever? doth his promise fail forevermore?
9 Hath God forgotten to be merciful? hath he shut up his tender mercies in displeasure? Selah.
10 And I said, This is my [h]death: yet I remembered the years of the right hand of the most High.
11 I remembered the works of the Lord: certainly I remembered thy wonders of old.
12 I did also meditate all thy works, and did devise of thine acts, saying,
13 Thy way, O God, is [i]in the Sanctuary: who is so great a [j]God, as our God!
14 Thou art the God that doest wonders; thou hast declared thy power among the people.
15 Thou hast redeemed thy people with thine arm, even the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.
16 The [k]waters saw thee, O God: the waters saw thee, and were afraid: yea, the depths trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water: the heavens gave a [l]sound: yea, thine arrows went abroad.
18 The voice of thy thunder was round about; the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.
19 Thy way is in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not [m]known.
20 Thou didst lead thy people like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
79 1 The Israelites complain to God for the great calamity and oppression that they suffered by God’s enemies, 8 and confessing their sins, flee to God’s mercies with full hope of deliverance, 10 Because their calamities were joined with the contempt of his Name, 13 for the which they promise to be thankful.
A Psalm committed to Asaph.
1 O God, [a]the heathen are come into thine inheritance: thine holy Temple have they defiled, and made Jerusalem heaps of stones.
2 The [b]dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto fowls of the heaven, and the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth.
3 Their blood have they shed like waters, round about Jerusalem, and there was none to [c]bury them.
4 We are a reproach to our [d]neighbors, even a scorn and derision unto them that are round about us.
5 Lord, how long wilt thou be angry, forever? shall thy jealousy [e]burn like fire?
6 (A)Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee, and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy Name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob, and made his dwelling place desolate.
8 Remember not against us the [f]former iniquities, but [g]make haste, and let thy tender mercies prevent us: for we are in great misery.
9 Help us, O God of our [h]salvation, for the glory of thy Name, and deliver us, and be merciful unto our sins for thy Name’s sake.
10 Wherefore should the heathen say, Where is their God? let them be known among the heathen in our sight by the vengeance of the blood of thy servants that is shed.
11 Let the sighing of the [i]prisoners come before thee: according to thy mighty arm preserve [j]the children of death,
12 And render to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom their reproach, wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.
13 So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture shall praise thee forever: and from generation to generation [k]we will set forth thy praise.
Joel
1 1 A prophecy against the Jews. 2 He exhorteth the people to prayer and fasting for the misery that was at hand.
1 The word of the Lord that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
2 Hear ye this, O [a]Elders, and hearken ye all inhabitants of the land, whether [b]such a thing hath been in your days, or yet in the days of your fathers.
3 Tell you your children of it, and let your children show to their children, and their children, to another generation.
4 That which is left of the palmerworm, hath the grasshopper eaten, and the residue of the grasshopper hath the cankerworm eaten, and the residue of the cankerworm hath the caterpillar eaten.
5 Awake ye [c]drunkards, and weep and howl all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it shall be pulled from your mouth.
6 Yea, [d]a nation cometh upon my land, mighty and without number, whose teeth are like the teeth of a lion, and he hath the jaws of a great lion.
7 He maketh my vine waste, and pilleth off the bark of my fig tree: he maketh it bare, and casteth it down: the branches thereof are made white.
8 Mourn like a virgin girded with sackcloth, for the [e]husband of her youth.
9 The meat offering and the drink offering is [f]cut off from the house of the Lord: the Priests the Lord’s ministers mourn.
10 The field is wasted: the land mourneth: for the corn is destroyed: [g]the new wine is dried up, and the oil is decayed.
11 Be ye ashamed, O husbandmen: howl, O ye vinedressers for the wheat and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished.
12 The vine is dried up, and the fig tree is decayed: the pomegranate tree and the palm tree, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field are withered: surely the joy is withered away from the sons of men.
13 [h]Gird yourselves and lament ye Priests: howl ye ministers of the altar: come, and lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering, and the drink offering is taken away from the house of your God.
15 The merchants of these things which were waxed rich, shall stand afar off from her, for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing.
16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen and purple, and scarlet, and gilded with gold, and precious stones, and pearls.
17 [a]For in one hour so great riches are come to desolation. And every shipmaster, and all the people that occupy ships and shipmen, and whosoever traffic on the sea, shall stand afar off.
18 And cry, when they see that smoke of that her burning, saying, What city was like unto this great city?
19 And they shall cast dust on their heads, and cry, weeping, and wailing, and say, Alas, alas that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships on the sea by her coastlines: for in one hour she is made desolate.
20 [b]O heaven, rejoice of her, and ye holy Apostles and Prophets: for God hath punished her, to be revenged on her for your sakes.
21 [c]Then a mighty Angel took up a stone, like a great millstone, (A)and cast it into the sea, saying, With such violence shall that great city Babylon be cast and shall be found no more.
22 [d]And the voice of harpers, and musicians and of pipers, and trumpeters shall be heard no more in thee, and no craftsman, of whosoever craft he be, shall be found anymore in thee: and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more in thee.
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more in thee: and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth: and with thine enchantment were deceived all nations.
24 And in her was found the [e]blood of the Prophets [f]and of the Saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
12 ¶ [a]Then said he also to him that had bidden him, (A)When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor the rich neighbors, lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind,
14 And thou shalt be blessed, because they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
15 ¶ Now when one of them that sat at table heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that eateth bread in the kingdom of God.
16 Then said he to him, (B)A certain man made a great supper, and bade many,
17 And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come: for all things are now ready.
18 [b]But they all with [c]one mind began to make excuse: The first said unto him, I have bought a farm, and I must needs go out and see it: I pray thee have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.
21 So that servant returned, and showed his master these things. Then was the good man of the house angry, and said to his servant, Go out quickly into the [d]streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.
22 And the servant said, Lord, it is done as thou hast commanded, and yet there is room.
23 Then the master said to the servant, Go out into the highways, and hedges, and compel them to come in, that mine house may be filled.
24 For I say unto you, that none of those men which were bidden, shall taste of my supper.
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