Book of Common Prayer

80 To the Overseer. -- `On the Lilies.' A testimony of Asaph. -- A Psalm. Shepherd of Israel, give ear, Leading Joseph as a flock, Inhabiting the cherubs -- shine forth,

² Before Ephraim, and Benjamin, and Manasseh, Wake up Thy might, and come for our salvation.

³ O God, cause us to turn back, And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved.

⁴ Jehovah, God of Hosts, till when? Thou hast burned against the prayer of Thy people.

⁵ Thou hast caused them to eat bread of tears, And causest them to drink With tears a third time.

⁶ Thou makest us a strife to our neighbors, And our enemies mock at it.

⁷ God of Hosts, turn us back, And cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved.

⁸ A vine out of Egypt Thou dost bring, Thou dost cast out nations, and plantest it.

⁹ Thou hast looked before it, and dost root it, And it filleth the land,

¹⁰ Covered have been hills [with] its shadow, And its boughs [are] cedars of God.

¹¹ It sendeth forth its branches unto the sea, And unto the river its sucklings.

¹² Why hast Thou broken down its hedges, And all passing by the way have plucked it?

¹³ A boar out of the forest doth waste it, And a wild beast of the fields consumeth it.

¹⁴ God of Hosts, turn back, we beseech Thee, Look from heaven, and see, and inspect this vine,

¹⁵ And the root that Thy right hand planted, And the branch Thou madest strong for Thee,

¹⁶ Burnt with fire -- cut down, From the rebuke of Thy face they perish.

¹⁷ Let Thy hand be on the man of Thy right hand, On the son of man Thou hast strengthened for Thyself.

¹⁸ And we do not go back from Thee, Thou dost revive us, and in Thy name we call.

¹⁹ O Jehovah, God of Hosts, turn us back, Cause Thy face to shine, and we are saved!

77 To the Overseer, for Jeduthun. -- A Psalm of Asaph. My voice [is] to God, and I cry, my voice [is] to God, And He hath given ear unto me.

² In a day of my distress the Lord I sought, My hand by night hath been spread out, And it doth not cease, My soul hath refused to be comforted.

³ I remember God, and make a noise, I meditate, and feeble is my spirit. Selah.

⁴ Thou hast taken hold of the watches of mine eyes, I have been moved, and I speak not.

⁵ I have reckoned the days of old, The years of the ages.

⁶ I remember my music in the night, With my heart I meditate, and my spirit doth search diligently:

⁷ To the ages doth the Lord cast off? Doth He add to be pleased no more?

⁸ Hath His kindness ceased for ever? The saying failed to all generations?

⁹ Hath God forgotten [His] favours? Hath He shut up in anger His mercies? Selah.

¹⁰ And I say: `My weakness is, The changes of the right hand of the Most High.'

¹¹ I mention the doings of Jah, For I remember of old Thy wonders,

¹² And I have meditated on all Thy working, And I talk concerning Thy doings.

¹³ O God, in holiness [is] Thy way, Who [is] a great god like God?

¹⁴ Thou [art] the God doing wonders. Thou hast made known among the peoples Thy strength,

¹⁵ Thou hast redeemed with strength Thy people, The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

¹⁶ The waters have seen Thee, O God, The waters have seen Thee, They are afraid -- also depths are troubled.

¹⁷ Poured out waters have thick clouds, The skies have given forth a noise, Also -- Thine arrows go up and down.

¹⁸ The voice of Thy thunder [is] in the spheres, Lightnings have lightened the world, The earth hath trembled, yea, it shaketh.

¹⁹ In the sea [is] Thy way, And Thy paths [are] in many waters, And Thy tracks have not been known.

²⁰ Thou hast led as a flock Thy people, By the hand of Moses and Aaron!

79 A Psalm of Asaph. O God, nations have come into Thy inheritance, They have defiled Thy holy temple, They made Jerusalem become heaps,

² They gave the dead bodies of Thy servants Food for the fowls of the heavens, The flesh of Thy saints For the wild beast of the earth.

³ They have shed their blood As water round about Jerusalem, And there is none burying.

⁴ We have been a reproach to our neighbours, A scorn and a derision to our surrounders.

⁵ Till when, O Jehovah? art Thou angry for ever? Thy jealousy doth burn as fire.

⁶ Pour Thy fury on the nations who have not known Thee, And on kingdoms that have not called in Thy name.

⁷ For [one] hath devoured Jacob, And his habitation they have made desolate.

⁸ Remember not for us the iniquities of forefathers, Haste, let Thy mercies go before us, For we have been very weak.

⁹ Help us, O God of our salvation, Because of the honour of Thy name, And deliver us, and cover over our sins, For Thy name's sake.

¹⁰ Why do the nations say, `Where [is] their God?' Let be known among the nations before our eyes, The vengeance of the blood of Thy servants that is shed.

¹¹ Let the groaning of the prisoner come in before Thee, According to the greatness of Thine arm, Leave Thou the sons of death.

¹² And turn Thou back to our neighbours, Sevenfold unto their bosom, their reproach, Wherewith they reproached Thee, O Lord.

¹³ And we, Thy people, and the flock of Thy pasture, We give thanks to Thee to the age, To all generations we recount Thy praise!

5 And Naaman, head of the host of the king of Aram, was a great man before his lord, and accepted of face, for by him had Jehovah given salvation to Aram, and the man was mighty in valour -- leprous.

² And the Aramaeans have gone out [by] troops, and they take captive out of the land of Israel a little damsel, and she is before the wife of Naaman,

³ and she saith unto her mistress, `O that my lord [were] before the prophet who [is] in Samaria; then he doth recover him from his leprosy.'

⁴ And [one] goeth in and declareth to his lord, saying, `Thus and thus she hath spoken, the damsel who [is] from the land of Israel.'

⁵ And the king of Aram saith, `Go thou, enter, and I send a letter unto the king of Israel;' and he goeth and taketh in his hand ten talents of silver, and six thousand [pieces] of gold, and ten changes of garments.

⁶ And he bringeth in the letter unto the king of Israel, saying, `And now, at the coming in of this letter unto thee, lo, I have sent unto thee Naaman my servant, and thou hast recovered him from his leprosy.'

⁷ And it cometh to pass, at the king of Israel's reading the letter, that he rendeth his garments, and saith, `Am I God, to put to death and to keep alive, that this [one] is sending unto me to recover a man from his leprosy? for surely know, I pray you, and see, for he is presenting himself to me.'

⁸ And it cometh to pass, at Elisha the man of God's hearing that the king of Israel hath rent his garments, that he sendeth unto the king, saying, `Why hast thou rent thy garments? let him come, I pray thee, unto me, and he doth know that there is a prophet in Israel.'

⁹ And Naaman cometh, with his horses and with his chariot, and standeth at the opening of the house for Elisha;

¹⁰ and Elisha sendeth unto him a messenger, saying, `Go, and thou hast washed seven times in Jordan, and thy flesh doth turn back to thee -- and be thou clean.

¹¹ And Naaman is wroth, and goeth on, and saith, `Lo, I said, Unto me he doth certainly come out, and hath stood and called in the name of Jehovah his God, and waved his hand over the place, and recovered the leper.

¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? do I not wash in them and I have been clean?' and he turneth and goeth on in fury.

¹³ And his servants come nigh, and speak unto him, and say, `My father, a great thing had the prophet spoken unto thee -- dost thou not do [it]? and surely, when he hath said unto thee, Wash, and be clean.'

¹⁴ And he goeth down and dippeth in Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh doth turn back as the flesh of a little youth, and is clean.

¹⁵ And he turneth back unto the man of God, he and all his camp, and cometh in, and standeth before him, and saith, `Lo, I pray thee, I have known that there is not a God in all the earth except in Israel; and now, take, I pray thee, a blessing from thy servant.'

¹⁶ And he saith, `Jehovah liveth, before whom I have stood -- if I take [it];' and he presseth on him to take, and he refuseth.

¹⁷ And Naaman saith, `If not -- let be given, I pray thee, to thy servant, a couple of mules' burden of earth, for thy servant doth make no more burnt-offering and sacrifice to other gods, but to Jehovah.

¹⁸ For this thing Jehovah be propitious to thy servant, in the coming in of my lord into the house of Rimmon to bow himself there, and he was supported by my hand, and I bowed myself [in] the house of Rimmon; for my bowing myself in the house of Rimmon Jehovah be propitious, I pray thee, to thy servant in this thing.'

¹⁹ And he saith to him, `Go in peace.' And he goeth from him a kibrath of land,

⁸ Already ye are having been filled, already ye were rich, apart from us ye did reign, and I would also ye did reign, that we also with you may reign together,

⁹ for I think that God did set forth us the apostles last -- as appointed to death, because a spectacle we became to the world, and messengers, and men;

¹⁰ we [are] fools because of Christ, and ye wise in Christ; we [are] ailing, and ye strong; ye glorious, and we dishonoured;

¹¹ unto the present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and wander about,

¹² and labour, working with [our] own hands; being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer;

¹³ being spoken evil of, we entreat; as filth of the world we did become -- of all things an offscouring -- till now.

¹⁴ Not [as] putting you to shame do I write these things, but as my beloved children I do admonish,

¹⁵ for if a myriad of child-conductors ye may have in Christ, yet not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus, through the good news, I -- I did beget you;

¹⁶ I call upon you, therefore, become ye followers of me;

¹⁷ because of this I sent to you Timotheus, who is my child, beloved and faithful in the Lord, who shall remind you of my ways in Christ, according as everywhere in every assembly I teach.

¹⁸ And as if I were not coming unto you certain were puffed up;

¹⁹ but I will come quickly unto you, if the Lord may will, and I will know not the word of those puffed up, but the power;

²⁰ for not in word is the reign of God, but in power?

²¹ what do ye wish? with a rod shall I come unto you, or in love, with a spirit also of meekness?

²¹ `Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment;

²² but I -- I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.

²³ `If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee,

²⁴ leave there thy gift before the altar, and go -- first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.

²⁵ `Be agreeing with thy opponent quickly, while thou art in the way with him, that the opponent may not deliver thee to the judge, and the judge may deliver thee to the officer, and to prison thou mayest be cast,

²⁶ verily I say to thee, thou mayest not come forth thence till that thou mayest pay the last farthing.