Book of Common Prayer
78 An Instruction of Asaph. Give ear, O my people, to my law, Incline your ear to sayings of my mouth.
2 I open with a simile my mouth, I bring forth hidden things of old,
3 That we have heard and do know, And our fathers have recounted to us.
4 We do not hide from their sons, To a later generation recounting praises of Jehovah, And His strength, and His wonders that He hath done.
5 And He raiseth up a testimony in Jacob, And a law hath placed in Israel, That He commanded our fathers, To make them known to their sons.
6 So that a later generation doth know, Sons who are born, do rise and recount to their sons,
7 And place in God their confidence, And forget not the doings of God, But keep His commands.
8 And they are not like their fathers, A generation apostate and rebellious, A generation! it hath not prepared its heart, Nor stedfast with God [is] its spirit.
9 Sons of Ephraim -- armed bearers of bow, Have turned in a day of conflict.
10 They have not kept the covenant of God, And in His law they have refused to walk,
11 And they forget His doings, And His wonders that He shewed them.
12 Before their fathers He hath done wonders, In the land of Egypt -- the field of Zoan.
13 He cleft a sea, and causeth them to pass over, Yea, He causeth waters to stand as a heap.
14 And leadeth them with a cloud by day, And all the night with a light of fire.
15 He cleaveth rocks in a wilderness, And giveth drink -- as the great deep.
16 And bringeth out streams from a rock, And causeth waters to come down as rivers.
17 And they add still to sin against Him, To provoke the Most High in the dry place.
18 And they try God in their heart, To ask food for their lust.
19 And they speak against God -- they said: `Is God able to array a table in a wilderness?'
20 Lo, He hath smitten a rock, And waters flow, yea, streams overflow. `Also -- bread [is] He able to give? Doth He prepare flesh for His people?'
21 Therefore hath Jehovah heard, And He sheweth Himself wroth, And fire hath been kindled against Jacob, And anger also hath gone up against Israel,
22 For they have not believed in God, Nor have they trusted in His salvation.
23 And He commandeth clouds from above, Yea, doors of the heavens He hath opened.
24 And He raineth on them manna to eat, Yea, corn of heaven He hath given to them.
25 Food of the mighty hath each eaten, Venison He sent to them to satiety.
26 He causeth an east wind to journey in the heavens, And leadeth by His strength a south wind,
27 And He raineth on them flesh as dust, And as sand of the seas -- winged fowl,
28 And causeth [it] to fall in the midst of His camp, Round about His tabernacles.
29 And they eat, and are greatly satisfied, And their desire He bringeth to them.
30 They have not been estranged from their desire, Yet [is] their food in their mouth,
31 And the anger of God hath gone up against them, And He slayeth among their fat ones, And youths of Israel He caused to bend.
32 With all this they have sinned again, And have not believed in His wonders.
33 And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.
34 If He slew them, then they sought Him, And turned back, and sought God earnestly,
35 And they remember that God [is] their rock, And God Most High their redeemer.
36 And -- they deceive Him with their mouth, And with their tongue do lie to Him,
37 And their heart hath not been right with Him, And they have not been stedfast in His covenant.
38 And He -- the Merciful One, Pardoneth iniquity, and destroyeth not, And hath often turned back His anger, And waketh not up all His fury.
39 And He remembereth that they [are] flesh, A wind going on -- and it returneth not.
40 How often do they provoke Him in the wilderness, Grieve Him in the desolate place?
41 Yea, they turn back, and try God, And the Holy One of Israel have limited.
42 They have not remembered His hand The day He ransomed them from the adversary.
43 When He set His signs in Egypt, And His wonders in the field of Zoan,
44 And He turneth to blood their streams, And their floods they drink not.
45 He sendeth among them the beetle, and it consumeth them, And the frog, and it destroyeth them,
46 And giveth to the caterpillar their increase, And their labour to the locust.
47 He destroyeth with hail their vine, And their sycamores with frost,
48 And delivereth up to the hail their beasts, And their cattle to the burning flames.
49 He sendeth on them the fury of His anger, Wrath, and indignation, and distress -- A discharge of evil messengers.
50 He pondereth a path for His anger, He kept not back their soul from death, Yea, their life to the pestilence He delivered up.
51 And He smiteth every first-born in Egypt, The first-fruit of the strong in tents of Ham.
52 And causeth His people to journey as a flock, And guideth them as a drove in a wilderness,
53 And He leadeth them confidently, And they have not been afraid, And their enemies hath the sea covered.
54 And He bringeth them in unto the border of His sanctuary, This mountain His right hand had got,
55 And casteth out nations from before them, And causeth them to fall in the line of inheritance, And causeth the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents,
56 And they tempt and provoke God Most High, And His testimonies have not kept.
57 And they turn back, And deal treacherously like their fathers, They have been turned like a deceitful bow,
58 And make Him angry with their high places, And with their graven images make Him zealous,
59 God hath heard, and sheweth Himself wroth. And kicketh exceedingly against Israel.
60 And He leaveth the tabernacle of Shiloh, The tent He had placed among men,
61 And He giveth His strength to captivity, And His beauty into the hand of an adversary,
62 And delivereth up to the sword His people, And with His inheritance shewed Himself angry.
63 His young men hath fire consumed, And His virgins have not been praised.
64 His priests by the sword have fallen, And their widows weep not.
65 And the Lord waketh as a sleeper, As a mighty one crying aloud from wine.
66 And He smiteth His adversaries backward, A reproach age-during He hath put on them,
67 And He kicketh against the tent of Joseph, And on the tribe of Ephraim hath not fixed.
68 And He chooseth the tribe of Judah, With mount Zion that He loved,
69 And buildeth His sanctuary as a high place, Like the earth, He founded it to the age.
70 And He fixeth on David His servant, And taketh him from the folds of a flock,
71 From behind suckling ones He hath brought him in, To rule over Jacob His people, And over Israel His inheritance.
72 And he ruleth them according to the integrity of his heart, And by the skilfulness of his hands leadeth them!
18 And king David cometh in and sitteth before Jehovah, and saith, `Who [am] I, Lord Jehovah? and what my house, that Thou hast brought me hitherto?
19 And yet this [is] little in Thine eyes, Lord Jehovah, and Thou dost speak also concerning the house of Thy servant afar off; and this [is] the law of the Man, Lord Jehovah.
20 And what doth David add more to speak unto Thee? and Thou, Thou hast known Thy servant, Lord Jehovah.
21 Because of Thy word, and according to Thy heart, Thou hast done all this greatness, to cause Thy servant to know [it].
22 Therefore Thou hast been great, Jehovah God, for there is none like Thee, and there is no God save Thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 `And who [is] as Thy people, as Israel -- one nation in the earth, whom God hath gone to redeem to Him for a people, and to make for Him a name -- and to do for you the greatness -- even fearful things for Thy land, at the presence of Thy people, whom Thou hast redeemed to Thee out of Egypt -- [among the] nations and their gods?
24 Yea, Thou dost establish to Thee Thy people Israel, to Thee for a people unto the age, and Thou, Jehovah, hast been to them for God.
25 `And now, Jehovah God, the word which Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, establish unto the age, and do as Thou hast spoken;
26 And Thy Name is great unto the age, saying, Jehovah of Hosts [is] God over Israel, and the house of Thy servant David is established before Thee,
27 For Thou, Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, Thou hast uncovered the ear of Thy servant, saying, A house I build for thee, therefore hath Thy servant found his heart to pray unto Thee this prayer;
28 And now, Lord Jehovah, Thou [art] God Himself, and Thy words are truth, and Thou speakest unto Thy servant this goodness,
29 And now, begin and bless the house of Thy servant, to be unto the age before Thee, for Thou, Lord Jehovah, hast spoken, and by Thy blessing is the house of Thy servant blessed -- to the age.'
12 And Gallio being proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a rush with one accord upon Paul, and brought him unto the tribunal,
13 saying -- `Against the law this one doth persuade men to worship God;'
14 and Paul being about to open [his] mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, `If, indeed, then, it was anything unrighteous, or an act of wicked profligacy, O Jews, according to reason I had borne with you,
15 but if it is a question concerning words and names, and of your law, look ye yourselves [to it], for a judge of these things I do not wish to be,'
16 and he drave them from the tribunal;
17 and all the Greeks having taken Sosthenes, the chief man of the synagogue, were beating [him] before the tribunal, and not even for these things was Gallio caring.
18 And Paul having remained yet a good many days, having taken leave of the brethren, was sailing to Syria -- and with him [are] Priscilla and Aquilas -- having shorn [his] head in Cenchera, for he had a vow;
19 and he came down to Ephesus, and did leave them there, and he himself having entered into the synagogue did reason with the Jews:
20 and they having requested [him] to remain a longer time with them, he did not consent,
21 but took leave of them, saying, `It behoveth me by all means the coming feast to keep at Jerusalem, and again I will return unto you -- God willing.' And he sailed from Ephesus,
22 and having come down to Cesarea, having gone up, and having saluted the assembly, he went down to Antioch.
23 And having made some stay he went forth, going through in order the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
24 And a certain Jew, Apollos by name, an Alexandrian by birth, a man of eloquence, being mighty in the Writings, came to Ephesus,
25 this one was instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in the Spirit, was speaking and teaching exactly the things about the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John;
26 this one also began to speak boldly in the synagogue, and Aquilas and Priscilla having heard of him, took him to [them], and did more exactly expound to him the way of God,
27 and he being minded to go through into Achaia, the brethren wrote to the disciples, having exhorted them to receive him, who having come, did help them much who have believed through the grace,
28 for powerfully the Jews he was refuting publicly, shewing through the Writings Jesus to be the Christ.
22 And he cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring to him one blind, and call upon him that he may touch him,
23 and having taken the hand of the blind man, he led him forth without the village, and having spit on his eyes, having put [his] hands on him, he was questioning him if he doth behold anything:
24 and he, having looked up, said, `I behold men, as I see trees, walking.'
25 Afterwards again he put [his] hands on his eyes, and made him look up, and he was restored, and discerned all things clearly,
26 and he sent him away to his house, saying, `Neither to the village mayest thou go, nor tell [it] to any in the village.'
27 And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, to the villages of Cesarea Philippi, and in the way he was questioning his disciples, saying to them, `Who do men say me to be?'
28 And they answered, `John the Baptist, and others Elijah, but others one of the prophets.'
29 And he saith to them, `And ye -- who do ye say me to be?' and Peter answering saith to him, `Thou art the Christ.'
30 And he strictly charged them that they may tell no one about it,
31 and began to teach them, that it behoveth the Son of Man to suffer many things, and to be rejected by the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and after three days to rise again;
32 and openly he was speaking the word. And Peter having taken him aside, began to rebuke him,
33 and he, having turned, and having looked on his disciples, rebuked Peter, saying, `Get behind me, Adversary, because thou dost not mind the things of God, but the things of men.'