Book of Common Prayer
119 [Aleph.] O the happiness of those perfect in the way, They are walking in the law of Jehovah,
2 O the happiness of those keeping His testimonies, With the whole heart they seek Him.
3 Yea, they have not done iniquity, In His ways they have walked.
4 Thou hast commanded us Thy precepts to keep diligently,
5 O that my ways were prepared to keep Thy statutes,
6 Then I am not ashamed In my looking unto all Thy commands.
7 I confess Thee with uprightness of heart, In my learning the judgments of Thy righteousness.
8 Thy statutes I keep, leave me not utterly!
9 [Beth.] With what doth a young man purify his path? To observe -- according to Thy word.
10 With all my heart I have sought Thee, Let me not err from Thy commands.
11 In my heart I have hid Thy saying, That I sin not before Thee.
12 Blessed [art] Thou, O Jehovah, teach me Thy statutes.
13 With my lips I have recounted All the judgments of Thy mouth.
14 In the way of Thy testimonies I have joyed, As over all wealth.
15 In Thy precepts I meditate, And I behold attentively Thy paths.
16 In Thy statutes I delight myself, I do not forget Thy word.
17 [Gimel.] Confer benefits on Thy servant, I live, and I keep Thy word.
18 Uncover mine eyes, and I behold wonders out of Thy law.
19 A sojourner I [am] on earth, Hide not from me Thy commands.
20 Broken hath my soul for desire Unto Thy judgments at all times.
21 Thou hast rebuked the cursed proud, Who are erring from Thy commands.
22 Remove from me reproach and contempt, For Thy testimonies I have kept.
23 Princes also sat -- against me they spoke, Thy servant doth meditate in Thy statutes,
24 Thy testimonies also [are] my delight, The men of my counsel!
12 To the Overseer, on the octave. -- A Psalm of David. Save, Jehovah, for the saintly hath failed, For the stedfast have ceased From the sons of men:
2 Vanity they speak each with his neighbour, Lip of flattery! With heart and heart they speak.
3 Jehovah doth cut off all lips of flattery, A tongue speaking great things,
4 Who said, `By our tongue we do mightily: Our lips [are] our own; who [is] lord over us?'
5 Because of the spoiling of the poor, Because of the groaning of the needy, Now do I arise, saith Jehovah, I set in safety [him who] doth breathe for it.
6 Sayings of Jehovah [are] pure sayings; Silver tried in a furnace of earth refined sevenfold.
7 Thou, O Jehovah, dost preserve them, Thou keepest us from this generation to the age.
8 Around the wicked walk continually, According as vileness is exalted by sons of men!
13 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. Till when, O Jehovah, Dost Thou forget me? -- for ever? Till when dost Thou hide Thy face from me?
2 Till when do I set counsels in my soul? Sorrow inn my heart daily? Till when is mine enemy exalted over me?
3 Look attentively; Answer me, O Jehovah, my God, Enlighten mine eyes, lest I sleep in death,
4 Lest mine enemy say, `I overcame him,' Mine adversaries joy when I am moved.
5 And I, in Thy kindness I have trusted, Rejoice doth my heart in Thy salvation.
6 I do sing to Jehovah, For He hath conferred benefits upon me!
14 To the Overseer. -- By David. A fool hath said in his heart, `God is not;' They have done corruptly, They have done abominable actions, There is not a doer of good.
2 Jehovah from the heavens Hath looked on the sons of men, To see if there is a wise one -- seeking God.
3 The whole have turned aside, Together they have been filthy: There is not a doer of good, not even one.
4 Have all working iniquity not known? Those consuming my people have eaten bread, Jehovah they have not called.
5 There they have feared a fear, For God [is] in the generation of the righteous.
6 The counsel of the poor ye cause to stink, Because Jehovah [is] his refuge.
7 `Who doth give from Zion the salvation of Israel? When Jehovah doth turn back [To] a captivity of His people, Jacob doth rejoice -- Israel is glad!
12 Thus said Jehovah: As the shepherd delivereth from the lion's mouth Two legs, or a piece of an ear, So delivered are the sons of Israel, Who are sitting in Samaria on the corner of a bed, And in Damascus [on that of] a couch.
13 Hear ye and testify to the house of Jacob, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, God of Hosts.
14 For in the day of My charging the transgressions of Israel on him, I have laid a charge on the altars of Beth-El, And cut off have been the horns of the altar, And they have fallen to the earth.
15 And I have smitten the winter-house with the summer-house, And perished have houses of ivory, And consumed have been many houses, An affirmation of Jehovah!
4 Hear this word, ye kine of Bashan, Who [are] in the mountain of Samaria, Who are oppressing the poor, Who are bruising the needy, Who are saying to their lords: `Bring in, and we do drink.'
2 Sworn hath the Lord Jehovah by His holiness, That lo, days are coming upon you, And he hath taken you away with hooks, And your posterity with fish-hooks.
3 And [by] breaches ye go forth, A woman [at that] over-against her, And ye have cast down the high place, An affirmation of Jehovah.
4 Enter ye Beth-El, and transgress, At Gilgal multiply transgression, And bring in every morning your sacrifices, Every third year your tithes.
5 And perfume with leaven a thank-offering, And proclaim willing gifts, sound ye! For so ye have loved, O sons of Israel, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
3 This, now, beloved, a second letter to you I write, in both which I stir up your pure mind in reminding [you],
2 to be mindful of the sayings said before by the holy prophets, and of the command of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour,
3 this first knowing, that there shall come in the latter end of the days scoffers, according to their own desires going on,
4 and saying, `Where is the promise of his presence? for since the fathers did fall asleep, all things so remain from the beginning of the creation;'
5 for this is unobserved by them willingly, that the heavens were of old, and the earth out of water and through water standing together by the word of God,
6 through which the then world, by water having been deluged, was destroyed;
7 and the present heavens and the earth, by the same word are treasured, for fire being kept to a day of judgment and destruction of the impious men.
8 And this one thing let not be unobserved by you, beloved, that one day with the Lord [is] as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day;
9 the Lord is not slow in regard to the promise, as certain count slowness, but is long-suffering to us, not counselling any to be lost but all to pass on to reformation,
10 and it will come -- the day of the Lord -- as a thief in the night, in which the heavens with a rushing noise will pass away, and the elements with burning heat be dissolved, and earth and the works in it shall be burnt up.
23 And he having come to the temple, there came to him when teaching the chief priests and the elders of the people, saying, `By what authority dost thou do these things? and who gave thee this authority?'
24 And Jesus answering said to them, `I will ask you -- I also -- one word, which if ye may tell me, I also will tell you by what authority I do these things;
25 the baptism of John, whence was it? -- from heaven, or from men?' And they were reasoning with themselves, saying, `If we should say, From heaven; he will say to us, Wherefore, then, did ye not believe him?
26 and if we should say, From men, we fear the multitude, for all hold John as a prophet.'
27 And answering Jesus they said, `We have not known.' He said to them -- he also -- `Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things.
28 `And what think ye? A man had two children, and having come to the first, he said, Child, go, to-day be working in my vineyard.'
29 And he answering said, `I will not,' but at last, having repented, he went.
30 `And having come to the second, he said in the same manner, and he answering said, I [go], sir, and went not;
31 which of the two did the will of the father?' They say to him, `The first.' Jesus saith to them, `Verily I say to you, that the tax-gatherers and the harlots do go before you into the reign of God,
32 for John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye did not believe him, and the tax-gatherers and the harlots did believe him, and ye, having seen, repented not at last -- to believe him.