Book of Common Prayer
70 To the Overseer, by David. -- `To cause to remember.' O God, to deliver me, O Jehovah, for my help, haste.
2 Let them be ashamed and confounded Who are seeking my soul, Let them be turned backward and blush Who are desiring my evil.
3 Let them turn back because of their shame, Who are saying, `Aha, aha.'
4 Let all those seeking Thee joy and be glad in Thee, And let those loving Thy salvation Say continually, `God is magnified.'
5 And I [am] poor and needy, O God, haste to me, My help and my deliverer [art] Thou, O Jehovah, tarry Thou not!
71 In Thee, O Jehovah, I have trusted, Let me not be ashamed to the age.
2 In Thy righteousness Thou dost deliver me, And dost cause me to escape, Incline unto me Thine ear, and save me.
3 Be to me for a rock -- a habitation, To go in continually, Thou hast given command to save me, For my rock and my bulwark [art] Thou.
4 O my God, cause me to escape From the hand of the wicked, From the hand of the perverse and violent.
5 For Thou [art] my hope, O Lord Jehovah, My trust from my youth.
6 By Thee I have been supported from the womb, From my mother's bowels Thou dost cut me out, In Thee [is] my praise continually.
7 As a wonder I have been to many, And Thou [art] my strong refuge.
8 Filled is my mouth [with] Thy praise, All the day [with] Thy beauty.
9 Cast me not off at the time of old age, According to the consumption of my power forsake me not.
10 For mine enemies have spoken against me, And those watching my soul have taken counsel together,
11 Saying, `God hath forsaken him, Pursue and catch him, for there is no deliverer.'
12 O God, be not far from me, O my God, for my help make haste.
13 They are ashamed, they are consumed, Who are opposing my soul, They are covered [with] reproach and blushing, Who are seeking my evil,
14 And I continually do wait with hope, And have added unto all Thy praise.
15 My mouth recounteth Thy righteousness, All the day Thy salvation, For I have not known the numbers.
16 I come in the might of the Lord Jehovah, I mention Thy righteousness -- Thine only.
17 God, Thou hast taught me from my youth, And hitherto I declare Thy wonders.
18 And also unto old age and grey hairs, O God, forsake me not, Till I declare Thy strength to a generation, To every one that cometh Thy might.
19 And Thy righteousness, O God, [is] unto the heights, Because Thou hast done great things, O God, who [is] like Thee?
20 Because Thou hast showed me many and sad distresses, Thou turnest back -- Thou revivest me, And from the depths of the earth, Thou turnest back -- Thou bringest me up.
21 Thou dost increase my greatness, And Thou surroundest -- Thou comfortest me,
22 I also thank Thee with a vessel of psaltery, Thy truth, O my God, I sing to Thee with a harp, O Holy One of Israel,
23 My lips cry aloud when I sing praise to Thee, And my soul that Thou hast redeemed,
24 My tongue also all the day uttereth Thy righteousness, Because ashamed -- because confounded, Have been those seeking my evil!
74 An Instruction of Asaph. Why, O God, hast Thou cast off for ever? Thine anger smoketh against the flock of Thy pasture.
2 Remember Thy company. Thou didst purchase of old, Thou didst redeem the rod of Thy inheritance, This mount Zion -- Thou didst dwell in it.
3 Lift up Thy steps to the perpetual desolations, Everything the enemy did wickedly in the sanctuary.
4 Roared have thine adversaries, In the midst of Thy meeting-places, They have set their ensigns as ensigns.
5 He is known as one bringing in on high Against a thicket of wood -- axes.
6 And now, its carvings together With axe and hatchet they break down,
7 They have sent into fire Thy sanctuary, to the earth they polluted the tabernacle of Thy name,
8 They said in their hearts, `Let us oppress them together,' They did burn all the meeting-places of God in the land.
9 Our ensigns we have not seen, There is no more a prophet, Nor with us is one knowing how long.
10 Till when, O God, doth an adversary reproach? Doth an enemy despise thy name for ever?
11 Why dost Thou turn back Thy hand, Even Thy right hand? From the midst of Thy bosom remove [it].
12 And God [is] my king of old, Working salvation in the midst of the earth.
13 Thou hast broken by Thy strength a sea-[monster], Thou hast shivered Heads of dragons by the waters,
14 Thou hast broken the heads of leviathan, Thou makest him food, For the people of the dry places.
15 Thou hast cleaved a fountain and a stream, Thou hast dried up perennial flowings.
16 Thine [is] the day, also Thine [is] the night, Thou hast prepared a light giver -- the sun.
17 Thou hast set up all the borders of earth, Summer and winter Thou hast formed them.
18 Remember this -- an enemy reproached Jehovah, And a foolish people have despised Thy name.
19 Give not up to a company, The soul of Thy turtle-dove, The company of Thy poor ones forget not for ever.
20 Look attentively to the covenant, For the dark places of earth, Have been full of habitations of violence.
21 Let not the oppressed turn back ashamed, Let the poor and needy praise Thy name,
22 Arise, O God, plead Thy plea, Remember Thy reproach from a fool all the day.
23 Forget not the voice of Thine adversaries, The noise of Thy withstanders is going up continually!
7 And after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah,
2 son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub,
3 son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth,
4 son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki,
5 son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the head priest;
6 Ezra himself hath come up from Babylon, and he [is] a scribe ready in the law of Moses, that Jehovah God of Israel gave, and the king giveth to him -- according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him -- all his request.
7 And there go up of the sons of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the gatekeepers, and the Nethinim, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.
8 And he cometh in to Jerusalem in the fifth month, that [is in] the seventh year of the king,
9 for on the first of the month he hath founded the ascent from Babylon, and on the first of the fifth month he hath come in unto Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him,
10 for Ezra hath prepared his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do, and to teach in Israel statute and judgment.
11 And this [is] a copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a scribe of the words of the commands of Jehovah, and of His statutes on Israel:
12 `Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a perfect scribe of the law of the God of heaven, and at such a time:
13 By me hath been made a decree that every one who is willing, in my kingdom, of the people of Israel and of its priests and Levites, to go to Jerusalem with thee, doth go;
14 because that from the king and his seven counsellors thou art sent, to inquire concerning Judah and concerning Jerusalem, with the law of God that [is] in thy hand,
15 and to carry silver and gold that the king and his counsellors willingly offered to the God of Israel, whose tabernacle [is] in Jerusalem,
16 and all the silver and gold that thou findest in all the province of Babylon, with the free-will offerings of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly, for the house of their God that [is] in Jerusalem,
17 therefore thou dost speedily buy with this money, bullocks, rams, lambs, and their presents, and their libations, and dost bring them near to the altar of the house of your God that [is] in Jerusalem,
18 and that which to thee and to thy brethren is good to do with the rest of the silver and gold, according to the will of your God ye do.'
19 `And the vessels that are given to thee, for the service of the house of thy God, make perfect before the God of Jerusalem;
20 and the rest of the needful things of the house of thy God, that it falleth to thee to give, thou dost give from the treasure-house of the king.
21 `And by me -- I Artaxerxes the king -- is made a decree to all treasurers who [are] beyond the river, that all that Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of heaven, doth ask of you, be done speedily:
22 Unto silver a hundred talents, and unto wheat a hundred cors, and unto wine a hundred baths, and unto oil a hundred baths, and salt without reckoning;
23 all that [is] by the decree of the God of heaven, let be done diligently for the house of the God of heaven; for why is there wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons?
24 `And to you we are making known, that upon any of the priests and Levites, singers, gatekeepers, Nethinim, and servants of the house of God, tribute and custom there is no authority to lift up.
25 `And thou, Ezra, according to the wisdom of thy God, that [is] in thy hand, appoint magistrates and judges who may be judges to all the people who are beyond the river, to all knowing the law of thy God, and he who hath not known ye cause to know;
26 and any who doth not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, speedily is judgment done upon him, whether to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of riches, and to bonds.'
14 And I saw, and lo, a Lamb having stood upon the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty-four thousands, having the name of his Father written upon their foreheads;
2 and I heard a voice out of the heaven, as a voice of many waters, and as a voice of great thunder, and a voice I heard of harpers harping with their harps,
3 and they sing, as it were, a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the elders, and no one was able to learn the song except the hundred forty-four thousands, who have been bought from the earth;
4 these are they who with women were not defiled, for they are virgin; these are they who are following the Lamb whithersoever he may go; these were bought from among men -- a first-fruit to God and to the Lamb --
5 and in their mouth there was not found guile, for unblemished are they before the throne of God.
6 And I saw another messenger flying in mid-heaven, having good news age-during to proclaim to those dwelling upon the earth, and to every nation, and tribe, and tongue, and people,
7 saying in a great voice, `Fear ye God, and give to Him glory, because come did the hour of His judgment, and bow ye before Him who did make the heaven, and the land, and sea, and fountains of waters.'
8 And another messenger did follow, saying, `Fall, fall, did Babylon, the great city, because of the wine of the wrath of her whoredom she hath given to all nations to drink.'
9 And a third messenger did follow them, saying in a great voice, `If any one the beast doth bow before, and his image, and doth receive a mark upon his forehead, or upon his hand,
10 he also shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, that hath been mingled unmixed in the cup of His anger, and he shall be tormented in fire and brimstone before the holy messengers, and before the Lamb,
11 and the smoke of their torment doth go up to ages of ages; and they have no rest day and night, who are bowing before the beast and his image, also if any doth receive the mark of his name.
12 Here is endurance of the saints: here [are] those keeping the commands of God, and the faith of Jesus.'
13 And I heard a voice out of the heaven saying to me, `Write: Happy are the dead who in the Lord are dying from this time!' `Yes, (saith the Spirit,) That they may rest from their labours -- and their works do follow them!'
14 At that time did Herod the tetrarch hear the fame of Jesus,
2 and said to his servants, `This is John the Baptist, he did rise from the dead, and because of this the mighty energies are working in him.'
3 For Herod having laid hold on John, did bind him, and did put him in prison, because of Herodias his brother Philip's wife,
4 for John was saying to him, `It is not lawful to thee to have her,'
5 and, willing to kill him, he feared the multitude, because as a prophet they were holding him.
6 But the birthday of Herod being kept, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and did please Herod,
7 whereupon with an oath he professed to give her whatever she might ask.
8 And she having been instigated by her mother -- `Give me (says she) here upon a plate the head of John the Baptist;
9 and the king was grieved, but because of the oaths and of those reclining with him, he commanded [it] to be given;
10 and having sent, he beheaded John in the prison,
11 and his head was brought upon a plate, and was given to the damsel, and she brought [it] nigh to her mother.
12 And his disciples having come, took up the body, and buried it, and having come, they told Jesus,