Book of Common Prayer
137 By rivers of Babylon -- There we did sit, Yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On willows in its midst we hung our harps.
3 For there our captors asked us the words of a song, And our spoilers -- joy: `Sing ye to us of a song of Zion.'
4 How do we sing the song of Jehovah, On the land of a stranger?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand forgetteth!
6 My tongue doth cleave to my palate, If I do not remember thee, If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, Jehovah, for the sons of Edom, The day of Jerusalem, Those saying, `Rase, rase to its foundation!'
8 O daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, O the happiness of him who repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us.
9 O the happiness of him who doth seize, And hath dashed thy sucklings on the rock!
144 By David. Blessed [is] Jehovah my rock, who is teaching My hands for war, my fingers for battle.
2 My kind one, and my bulwark, My tower, and my deliverer, My shield, and in whom I have trusted, Who is subduing my people under me!
3 Jehovah, what [is] man that Thou knowest him? Son of man, that Thou esteemest him?
4 Man to vanity hath been like, His days [are] as a shadow passing by.
5 Jehovah, incline Thy heavens and come down, Strike against mountains, and they smoke.
6 Send forth lightning, and scatter them, Send forth Thine arrows, and trouble them,
7 Send forth Thy hand from on high, Free me, and deliver me from many waters, From the hand of sons of a stranger,
8 Because their mouth hath spoken vanity, And their right hand [is] a right hand of falsehood.
9 O God, a new song I sing to Thee, On a psaltery of ten strings I sing praise to Thee.
10 Who is giving deliverance to kings, Who is freeing David His servant from the sword of evil.
11 Free me, and deliver me From the hand of sons of a stranger, Because their mouth hath spoken vanity, And their right hand [is] a right hand of falsehood,
12 Because our sons [are] as plants, Becoming great in their youth, Our daughters as hewn stones, Polished -- the likeness of a palace,
13 Our garners [are] full, bringing out from kind to kind, Our flocks are bringing forth thousands, Ten thousands in our out-places,
14 Our oxen are carrying, there is no breach, And there is no outgoing, And there is no crying in our broad places.
15 O the happiness of the people that is thus, O the happiness of the people whose God [is] Jehovah!
104 Bless, O my soul, Jehovah! Jehovah, my God, Thou hast been very great, Honour and majesty Thou hast put on.
2 Covering himself [with] light as a garment, Stretching out the heavens as a curtain,
3 Who is laying the beam of His upper chambers in the waters, Who is making thick clouds His chariot, Who is walking on wings of wind,
4 Making His messengers -- the winds, His ministers -- the flaming fire.
5 He hath founded earth on its bases, It is not moved to the age and for ever.
6 The abyss! as with clothing Thou hast covered it, Above hills do waters stand.
7 From Thy rebuke they flee, From the voice of Thy thunder haste away.
8 They go up hills -- they go down valleys, Unto a place Thou hast founded for them.
9 A border Thou hast set, they pass not over, They turn not back to cover the earth.
10 Who is sending forth fountains in valleys, Between hills they go on.
11 They water every beast of the field, Wild asses break their thirst.
12 By them the fowl of the heavens doth dwell, From between the branches They give forth the voice.
13 Watering hills from His upper chambers, From the fruit of Thy works is the earth satisfied.
14 Causing grass to spring up for cattle, And herb for the service of man, To bring forth bread from the earth,
15 And wine -- it rejoiceth the heart of man, To cause the face to shine from oil, And bread -- the heart of man it supporteth.
16 Satisfied [are] the trees of Jehovah, Cedars of Lebanon that He hath planted,
17 Where birds do make nests, The stork -- the firs [are] her house.
18 The high hills [are] for wild goats, Rocks [are] a refuge for conies,
19 He made the moon for seasons, The sun hath known his place of entrance.
20 Thou settest darkness, and it is night, In it doth every beast of the forest creep.
21 The young lions are roaring for prey, And to seek from God their food.
22 The sun riseth, they are gathered, And in their dens they crouch.
23 Man goeth forth to his work, And to his service -- till evening.
24 How many have been Thy works, O Jehovah, All of them in wisdom Thou hast made, Full is the earth of thy possessions.
25 This, the sea, great and broad of sides, There [are] moving things -- innumerable, Living creatures -- small with great.
26 There do ships go: leviathan, That Thou hast formed to play in it.
27 All of them unto Thee do look, To give their food in its season.
28 Thou dost give to them -- they gather, Thou dost open Thy hand -- they [are] satisfied [with] good.
29 Thou hidest Thy face -- they are troubled, Thou gatherest their spirit -- they expire, And unto their dust they turn back.
30 Thou sendest out Thy Spirit, they are created, And Thou renewest the face of the ground.
31 The honour of Jehovah is to the age, Jehovah rejoiceth in His works,
32 Who is looking to earth, and it trembleth, He cometh against hills, and they smoke.
33 I sing to Jehovah during my life, I sing praise to my God while I exist.
34 Sweet is my meditation on Him, I -- I do rejoice in Jehovah.
35 Consumed are sinners from the earth, And the wicked are no more. Bless, O my soul, Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah!
23 And these [are] the last words of David: -- `The affirmation of David son of Jesse -- And the affirmation of the man raised up -- Concerning the Anointed of the God of Jacob, And the Sweetness of the Songs of Israel:
2 The Spirit of Jehovah hath spoken by me, And His word [is] on my tongue.
3 He said -- the God of Israel -- to me, He spake -- the Rock of Israel: He who is ruling over man [is] righteous, He is ruling in the fear of God.
4 And as the light of morning he riseth, A morning sun -- no clouds! By the shining, by the rain, Tender grass of the earth!
5 For -- not so [is] my house with God; For -- a covenant age-during He made with me, Arranged in all things, and kept; For -- all my salvation, and all desire, For -- He hath not caused [it] to spring up.
6 As to the worthless -- As a thorn driven away [are] all of them, For -- not by hand are they taken;
7 And the man who cometh against them Is filled with iron and the staff of a spear, And with fire they are utterly burnt In the cessation.'
13 And three of the thirty heads go down and come unto the harvest, unto David, unto the cave of Adullam, and the company of the Philistines are encamping in the valley of Rephaim,
14 and David [is] then in a fortress, and the station of the Philistines [is] then in Beth-Lehem,
15 and David longeth and saith, `Who doth give me a drink of the water of the well of Beth-Lehem, which [is] by the gate?'
16 And the three mighty ones cleave through the camp of the Philistines, and draw water out of the well of Beth-Lehem, which [is] by the gate, and take [it] up, and bring in unto David; and he was not willing to drink it, and poureth it out to Jehovah,
17 and saith, `Far be it from me, O Jehovah, to do this; is it the blood of the men who are going with their lives?' and he was not willing to drink it; these [things] did the three mighty ones.
13 And certain days having passed, Agrippa the king, and Bernice, came down to Caesarea saluting Festus,
14 and as they were continuing there more days, Festus submitted to the king the things concerning Paul, saying, `There is a certain man, left by Felix, a prisoner,
15 about whom, in my being at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid information, asking a decision against him,
16 unto whom I answered, that it is not a custom of Romans to make a favour of any man to die, before that he who is accused may have the accusers face to face, and may receive place of defence in regard to the charge laid against [him].
17 `They, therefore, having come together -- I, making no delay, on the succeeding [day] having sat upon the tribunal, did command the man to be brought,
18 concerning whom the accusers, having stood up, were bringing against [him] no accusation of the things I was thinking of,
19 but certain questions concerning their own religion they had against him, and concerning a certain Jesus who was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive;
20 and I, doubting in regard to the question concerning this, said, If he would wish to go on to Jerusalem, and there to be judged concerning these things --
21 but Paul having appealed to be kept to the hearing of Sebastus, I did command him to be kept till I might send him unto Caesar.'
22 And Agrippa said unto Festus, `I was wishing also myself to hear the man;' and he said, `To-morrow thou shalt hear him;'
23 on the morrow, therefore -- on the coming of Agrippa and Bernice with much display, and they having entered into the audience chamber, with the chief captains also, and the principal men of the city, and Festus having ordered -- Paul was brought forth.
24 And Festus said, `King Agrippa, and all men who are present with us, ye see this one, about whom all the multitude of the Jews did deal with me, both in Jerusalem and here, crying out, He ought not to live any longer;
25 and I, having found him to have done nothing worthy of death, and he also himself having appealed to Sebastus, I decided to send him,
26 concerning whom I have no certain thing to write to [my] lord, wherefore I brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, king Agrippa, that the examination having been made, I may have something to write;
27 for it doth seem to me irrational, sending a prisoner, not also to signify the charges against him.'
13 And as he is going forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith to him, `Teacher, see! what stones! and what buildings!'
2 and Jesus answering said to him, `Seest thou these great buildings? there may not be left a stone upon a stone, that may not be thrown down.'
3 And as he is sitting at the mount of the Olives, over-against the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, were questioning him by himself,
4 `Tell us when these things shall be? and what [is] the sign when all these may be about to be fulfilled?'
5 And Jesus answering them, began to say, `Take heed lest any one may lead you astray,
6 for many shall come in my name, saying -- I am [he], and many they shall lead astray;
7 and when ye may hear of wars and reports of wars, be not troubled, for these behove to be, but the end [is] not yet;
8 for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles; beginnings of sorrows [are] these.
9 `And take ye heed to yourselves, for they shall deliver you up to sanhedrims, and to synagogues, ye shall be beaten, and before governors and kings ye shall be set for my sake, for a testimony to them;
10 and to all the nations it behoveth first that the good news be proclaimed.
11 `And when they may lead you, delivering up, be not anxious beforehand what ye may speak, nor premeditate, but whatever may be given to you in that hour, that speak ye, for it is not ye who are speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12 `And brother shall deliver up brother to death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents, and shall put them to death,
13 and ye shall be hated by all because of my name, but he who hath endured to the end -- he shall be saved.