Book of Common Prayer
1 ¶ The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him; righteousness and judgment are the seat of his throne.
3 A fire shall go before him and burn up his enemies round about.
4 His lightnings enlightened the world; the earth saw and trembled.
5 The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.
7 Let all those that serve graven images be confounded, those that boast of idols; worship him, all ye gods.
8 ¶ Zion heard and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD.
9 For thou, O LORD, art high above all the earth; thou art exalted far above all gods.
10 Ye that love the LORD are to hate evil; he preserves the souls of his saints; he delivers them out of the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
1 ¶ The LORD reigns; the peoples shall tremble; he who sits above the cherubim reigns; the earth shall be moved.
2 The LORD is great in Zion, and he is high above all the peoples.
3 Let them praise thy great and terrible name, for it is holy.
4 The king’s strength is that he loves judgment; thou dost establish equity; thou dost execute judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Exalt ye the LORD our God and worship at the footstool of his feet, which is holy.
6 ¶ Moses and Aaron are among his priests and Samuel among those that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke unto them in the pillar of fire; they kept his testimonies and the order that he gave them.
8 Thou didst answer them, O LORD our God; thou wast a God that didst forgive them, and an avenger for their works.
9 Exalt the LORD our God and worship at the mountain of his holiness, for the LORD our God is holy.
A Psalm of praise.
1 ¶ Make a joyful noise unto the LORD all the earth.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness; come before his presence with joy.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God; it is he that has made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations.
1 ¶ O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs; O God, to whom vengeance belongs, show thyself.
2 Lift up thyself, thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.
3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?
4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?
5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thy heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger and murder the fatherless.
7 Yet they say, JAH shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.
8 Understand, ye carnal ones among the people, and, ye fools, when will ye be wise?
9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?
10 He that chastens the Gentiles, shall he not correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall not he know?
11 The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.
12 ¶ Blessed is the man whom thou dost chasten, O JAH, and teach him out of thy law,
13 to cause him to rest in the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
15 But the judgment shall be returned unto righteousness, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
16 Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul would have quickly dwelt with the dead.
18 When I said, My foot slips, thy mercy, O LORD, held me up.
19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.
20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, who creates toil under the guise of law?
21 They gather themselves together as an army against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent blood.
22 But the LORD is my refuge, and my God is the rock of my trust.
23 And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.
1 ¶ O come, let us bring joy unto the LORD; let us sing with joy unto the rock of our saving health.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and sing unto him with joy.
3 For the LORD is a great God and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, and he made it; and his hands formed the dry land.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
7 ¶ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice,
8 harden not your heart, as in the provocation and as in the day of trials in the wilderness
9 When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work.
10 Forty years long I was grieved with this generation and said, It is a people that err from the heart, who have not known my ways;
11 unto whom I swore in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.
6 ¶ And the ark of the LORD was in the land of the Philistines seven months.
2 Then the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do with the ark of the LORD? Tell us how we shall return it to his place.
3 And they said, If ye send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty, but ye shall pay unto him the expiation of guilt; then ye shall be healed, and ye shall know why his hand was not removed from you.
4 Then said they, What shall be the expiation of guilt which we shall pay unto him? They answered, Five golden hemorrhoids and five golden rats, according to the number of the cardinals of the Philistines, for the same plague that is on you is also on your cardinals.
5 Therefore, ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your rats that destroy the land, and ye shall give glory unto the God of Israel; peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you and from off your gods and from off your land.
6 Why then do ye harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When he had dealt thus among them, did they not let the people go, and they departed?
7 Now, therefore, make a new cart and take two milk cows, on which no yoke has been placed and tie the cows to the cart and bring their calves home from them.
8 Then ye shall take the ark of the LORD and lay it upon the cart and put the jewels of gold, which ye pay him for expiation of guilt, in a coffer by the side thereof, and let it go.
9 And see if it goes up by the way of his own border to Bethshemesh, then he has done us this great evil, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that smote us; it was an accident that happened to us.
10 ¶ And the men did so and took two milk cows and tied them to the cart and shut up their calves at home.
11 Then they laid the ark of the LORD upon the cart and the coffer with the rats of gold and the images of their hemorrhoids.
12 And the cows went straight down the way of Bethshemesh and went along the highway, lowing as they went and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left, and the cardinals of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.
13 And those of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it.
14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stopped there, for there was a great stone there; and they clave the wood of the cart and offered the cows in a burnt offering unto the LORD.
15 And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the coffer that was with it, in which were the jewels of gold, and put them on the great stone, and the men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.
16 And when the five cardinals of the Philistines had seen it, they returned to Ekron the same day.
27 And when they had brought them, they set them before the council, and the prince of the priests asked them,
28 saying, Did we not strictly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We must persuade God rather than men.
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew, hanging him on a tree.
31 God has exalted him with his right hand as Prince and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
32 And we are his witnesses of these things, and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those that persuade him.
33 When they heard that, they were divided and took counsel to slay them.
34 Then a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, who had a reputation among all the people, stood up in the council and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space
35 and said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as concerning these men.
36 For before these days, rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves; who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered and brought to nought.
37 After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing and drew away many people after him; he also perished, and all those that consented with him were dispersed.
38 And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men and let them alone; for if this counsellor or this work is of men, it will come to nought,
39 but if it is of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest ye be found fighting against God.
40 And they agreed with him; and when they had called the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.
42 And daily in the temple and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach the gospel of Jesus the Christ.
37 And in the daytime he was teaching in the temple, and at night he went out and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.
38 And all the people came unto him early in the morning to hear him in the temple.
22 ¶ Now the feast of unleavened bread drew near, which is called the Passover.
2 And the princes of the priests and scribes sought how they might kill him, but they feared the people.
3 Then Satan entered into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
4 And he went and spoke with the princes of the priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
5 And they were glad and covenanted to give him money.
6 And he promised and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.
7 ¶ Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover lamb must be killed.
8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover lamb that we may eat.
9 And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare?
10 And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there ye shall find a man bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he enters in.
11 And ye shall say unto the husband of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber where I shall eat the passover lamb with my disciples?
12 And he shall show you a large upper room furnished; there make ready.
13 And they went and found as he had said unto them; and they made ready the passover lamb.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International