Book of Common Prayer
55 To the Overseer with stringed instruments. -- An instruction, by David. Give ear, O God, [to] my prayer, And hide not from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and answer me, I mourn in my meditation, and make a noise,
3 Because of the voice of an enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked, For they cause sorrow to move against me, And in anger they hate me.
4 My heart is pained within me, And terrors of death have fallen on me.
5 Fear and trembling come in to me, And horror doth cover me.
6 And I say, `Who doth give to me a pinion as a dove? I fly away and rest,
7 Lo, I move far off, I lodge in a wilderness. Selah.
8 I hasten escape for myself, From a rushing wind, from a whirlwind.
9 Swallow up, O Lord, divide their tongue, For I saw violence and strife in a city.
10 By day and by night they go round it, on its walls. Both iniquity and perverseness [are] in its midst,
11 Mischiefs [are] in its midst. Fraud and deceit depart not from its street.
12 For an enemy reproacheth me not, or I bear [it], He who is hating me Hath not magnified himself against me, Or I hide from him.
13 But thou, a man -- as mine equal, My familiar friend, and mine acquaintance.
14 When together we sweeten counsel, Into the house of God we walk in company.
15 Desolations [are] upon them, They go down [to] Sheol -- alive, For wickedness [is] in their dwelling, in their midst.
16 I -- to God I call, and Jehovah saveth me.
17 Evening, and morning, and noon, I meditate, and make a noise, and He heareth my voice,
18 He hath ransomed in peace my soul From him who is near to me, For with the multitude they were with me.
19 God doth hear and afflict them, And He sitteth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, and fear not God,
20 He hath sent forth his hands against his well-wishers, He hath polluted his covenant.
21 Sweeter than honey hath been his mouth, And his heart [is] war! Softer have been his words than oil, And they [are] drawn [swords].
22 Cast on Jehovah that which He hath given thee, And He doth sustain thee, He doth not suffer for ever the moving of the righteous.
23 And Thou, O God, dost bring them down To a pit of destruction, Men of blood and deceit reach not to half their days, And I -- I do trust in Thee!
138 By David. I confess Thee, with all my heart, Before the gods I do praise Thee.
2 I bow myself toward Thy holy temple, And I confess Thy name, For Thy kindness, and for Thy truth, For Thou hast made great Thy saying above all Thy name.
3 In the day I called, when Thou dost answer me, Thou dost strengthen me in my soul [with] strength.
4 O Jehovah, all kings of earth confess Thee, When they have heard the sayings of Thy mouth.
5 And they sing in the ways of Jehovah, For great [is] the honour of Jehovah.
6 For high [is] Jehovah, and the lowly He seeth, And the haughty from afar He knoweth.
7 If I walk in the midst of distress Thou quickenest me, Against the anger of mine enemies Thou sendest forth Thy hand, And Thy right hand doth save me.
8 Jehovah doth perfect for me, O Jehovah, Thy kindness [is] to the age, The works of Thy hands let not fall!
139 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm by David. Jehovah, Thou hast searched me, and knowest.
2 Thou -- Thou hast known my sitting down, And my rising up, Thou hast attended to my thoughts from afar.
3 My path and my couch Thou hast fanned, And [with] all my ways hast been acquainted.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, Lo, O Jehovah, Thou hast known it all!
5 Behind and before Thou hast besieged me, And Thou dost place on me Thy hand.
6 Knowledge too wonderful for me, It hath been set on high, I am not able for it.
7 Whither do I go from Thy Spirit? And whither from Thy face do I flee?
8 If I ascend the heavens -- there Thou [art], And spread out a couch in Sheol, lo, Thee!
9 I take the wings of morning, I dwell in the uttermost part of the sea,
10 Also there Thy hand doth lead me, And Thy right hand doth hold me.
11 And I say, `Surely darkness bruiseth me, Then night [is] light to me.
12 Also darkness hideth not from Thee, And night as day shineth, as [is] darkness so [is] light.
13 For Thou -- Thou hast possessed my reins, Thou dost cover me in my mother's belly.
14 I confess Thee, because that [with] wonders I have been distinguished. Wonderful [are] Thy works, And my soul is knowing [it] well.
15 My substance was not hid from Thee, When I was made in secret, Curiously wrought in the lower part of earth.
16 Mine unformed substance Thine eyes saw, And on Thy book all of them are written, The days they were formed -- And not one among them.
17 And to me how precious have been Thy thoughts, O God, how great hath been their sum!
18 I recount them! than the sand they are more, I have waked, and I am still with Thee.
19 Dost Thou slay, O God, the wicked? Then, men of blood, turn aside from me!
20 Who exchange Thee for wickedness, Lifted up to vanity [are] Thine enemies.
21 Do not I hate, Jehovah, those hating Thee? And with Thy withstanders grieve myself?
22 [With] perfect hatred I have hated them, Enemies they have become to me.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart, Try me, and know my thoughts,
2 And Moses calleth unto all Israel, and saith unto them, `Ye -- ye have seen all that which Jehovah hath done before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land;
3 the great trials which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great wonders;
4 and Jehovah hath not given to you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, till this day,
5 and I cause you to go forty years in a wilderness; your garments have not been consumed from off you, and thy shoe hath not worn away from off thy foot;
6 bread ye have not eaten, and wine and strong drink ye have not drunk, so that ye know that I [am] Jehovah your God.
7 `And ye come in unto this place, and Sihon king of Heshbon -- also Og king of Bashan -- doth come out to meet us, to battle, and we smite them,
8 and take their land, and give it for an inheritance to the Reubenite, and to the Gadite, and to the half of the tribe of Manasseh;
9 and ye have kept the words of this covenant, and done them, so that ye cause all that ye do to prosper.
10 `Ye are standing to-day, all of you, before Jehovah your God -- your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your authorities -- every man of Israel;
11 your infants, your wives, and thy sojourner who [is] in the midst of thy camps, from the hewer of thy wood unto the drawer of thy water --
12 for thy passing over into the covenant of Jehovah thy God, and into His oath which Jehovah thy God is making with thee to-day;
13 in order to establish thee to-day to Him for a people, and He Himself is thy God, as He hath spoken to thee, and as He hath sworn to thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
14 `And not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath;
15 but with him who is here with us, standing to-day before Jehovah our God, and with him who is not here with us to-day,
9 For, indeed, concerning the ministration that [is] for the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you,
2 for I have known your readiness of mind, which in your behalf I boast of to Macedonians, that Achaia hath been prepared a year ago, and the zeal of you did stir up the more part,
3 and I sent the brethren, that our boasting on your behalf may not be made vain in this respect; that, according as I said, ye may be ready,
4 lest if Macedonians may come with me, and find you unprepared, we -- we may be put to shame (that we say not -- ye) in this same confidence of boasting.
5 Necessary, therefore, I thought [it] to exhort the brethren, that they may go before to you, and may make up before your formerly announced blessing, that this be ready, as a blessing, and not as covetousness.
6 And this: He who is sowing sparingly, sparingly also shall reap; and he who is sowing in blessings, in blessings also shall reap;
7 each one, according as he doth purpose in heart, not out of sorrow or out of necessity, for a cheerful giver doth God love,
8 and God [is] able all grace to cause to abound to you, that in every thing always all sufficiency having, ye may abound to every good work,
9 (according as it hath been written, `He dispersed abroad, he gave to the poor, his righteousness doth remain to the age,')
10 and may He who is supplying seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11 in every thing being enriched to all liberality, which doth work through us thanksgiving to God,
12 because the ministration of this service not only is supplying the wants of the saints, but is also abounding through many thanksgivings to God,
13 through the proof of this ministration glorifying God for the subjection of your confession to the good news of the Christ, and [for] the liberality of the fellowship to them and to all,
14 and by their supplication in your behalf, longing after you because of the exceeding grace of God upon you;
15 thanks also to God for His unspeakable gift!
15 And they were bringing near also the babes, that he may touch them, and the disciples having seen did rebuke them,
16 and Jesus having called them near, said, `Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the reign of God;
17 verily I say to you, Whoever may not receive the reign of God as a little child, may not enter into it.'
18 And a certain ruler questioned him, saying, `Good teacher, what having done -- shall I inherit life age-during?'
19 And Jesus said to him, `Why me dost thou call good? no one [is] good, except One -- God;
20 the commands thou hast known: Thou mayest not commit adultery, Thou mayest do no murder, Thou mayest not steal, Thou mayest not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.'
21 And he said, `All these I did keep from my youth;'
22 and having heard these things, Jesus said to him, `Yet one thing to thee is lacking; all things -- as many as thou hast -- sell, and distribute to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven, and come, be following me;'
23 and he, having heard these things, became very sorrowful, for he was exceeding rich.
24 And Jesus having seen him become very sorrowful, said, `How hardly shall those having riches enter into the reign of God!
25 for it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to enter, than for a rich man into the reign of God to enter.'
26 And those who heard, said, `And who is able to be saved?'
27 and he said, `The things impossible with men are possible with God.'
28 And Peter said, `Lo, we left all, and did follow thee;'
29 and he said to them, `Verily I say to you, that there is not one who left house, or parents, or brothers, or wife, or children, for the sake of the reign of God,
30 who may not receive back manifold more in this time, and in the coming age, life age-during.'