Book of Common Prayer
Prayer of a suffering penitent.
A Psalm of David, [a]to bring to remembrance.
38 O Jehovah, rebuke me not in thy wrath;
Neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2 For thine arrows [b]stick fast in me,
And thy hand [c]presseth me sore.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine indignation;
Neither is there any [d]health in my bones because of my sin.
4 For mine iniquities are gone over my head:
As a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds are loathsome and corrupt,
Because of my foolishness.
6 I am [e]pained and bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are filled with burning;
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am faint and sore bruised:
I have [f]groaned by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before thee;
And my groaning is not hid from thee.
10 My heart throbbeth, my strength faileth me:
As for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
11 My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my plague;
And my kinsmen stand afar off.
12 They also that seek after my life lay snares for me;
And they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things,
And meditate deceits all the day long.
13 But I, as a deaf man, hear not;
And I am as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
14 Yea, I am as a man that heareth not,
And in whose mouth are no [g]reproofs.
15 For in thee, O Jehovah, do I hope:
Thou wilt answer, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, Lest they rejoice over me:
When my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
17 For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will declare mine iniquity;
I will be sorry for my sin.
19 But mine enemies are lively, and are strong;
And they that hate me [h]wrongfully are multiplied.
20 They also that render evil for good
Are adversaries unto me, because I follow the thing that is good.
21 Forsake me not, O Jehovah:
O my God, be not far from me.
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation.
ד Daleth.
25 My soul cleaveth unto the dust:
Quicken thou me according to thy word.
26 I declared my ways, and thou answeredst me:
Teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts:
So shall I meditate on thy wondrous works.
28 My soul [a]melteth for heaviness:
Strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
29 Remove from me the way of falsehood;
And grant me thy law graciously.
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness:
Thine ordinances have I set before me.
31 I cleave unto thy testimonies:
O Jehovah, put me not to shame.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments,
When thou shalt enlarge my heart.
ה He.
33 Teach me, O Jehovah, the way of thy statutes;
And I shall keep it unto the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;
Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments;
For therein do I delight.
36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,
And not to covetousness.
37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity,
And quicken me in thy ways.
38 Confirm unto thy servant thy word,
[b]Which is in order unto the fear of thee.
39 Turn away my reproach whereof I am afraid;
For thine ordinances are good.
40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts:
Quicken me in thy righteousness.
ו Vav.
41 Let thy lovingkindnesses also come unto me, O Jehovah,
Even thy salvation, according to thy word.
42 So shall I have an answer for him that reproacheth me;
For I trust in thy word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth;
For I have hoped in thine ordinances.
44 So shall I observe thy law continually
For ever and ever.
45 And I shall walk at liberty;
For I have sought thy precepts.
46 I will also speak of thy testimonies before kings,
And shall not be put to shame.
47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments,
Which I have loved.
48 I will lift up my hands also unto thy commandments, which I have loved;
And I will meditate on thy statutes.
17 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith,
Than a house full of [a]feasting with strife.
2 A servant that dealeth wisely shall have rule over a son that [b]causeth shame,
And shall have part in the inheritance among the brethren.
3 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold;
But Jehovah trieth the hearts.
4 An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips;
And [c]a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue.
5 Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker;
And he that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
6 Children’s children are the crown of old men;
And the glory of children are their fathers.
7 [d]Excellent speech becometh not a fool;
Much less do lying lips a prince.
8 A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it;
Whithersoever [e]it turneth, [f]it [g]prospereth.
9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love;
But he that harpeth on a matter separateth chief friends.
10 A rebuke entereth deeper into one that hath understanding
Than a hundred stripes into a fool.
11 [h]An evil man seeketh only rebellion;
Therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
12 Let a bear robbed of her whelps meet a man,
Rather than a fool in his folly.
13 Whoso rewardeth evil for good,
Evil shall not depart from his house.
14 The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water:
Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.
15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,
Both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.
16 Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,
Seeing he hath no [i]understanding?
17 A friend loveth at all times;
And [j]a brother is born for adversity.
18 A man void of [k]understanding striketh hands,
And becometh surety in the presence of his neighbor.
19 [l]He loveth transgression that loveth strife:
He that raiseth high his gate seeketh destruction.
20 He that hath a wayward heart findeth no good;
And he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into [m]mischief.
3 [a]Faithful is the saying, If a man seeketh the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 The [b]bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 [c]no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money; 4 one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; 5 (but if a man knoweth not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) 6 not a novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the [d]condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover he must have good testimony from them that are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. 8 Deacons in like manner must be grave, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; 9 holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them serve as deacons, if they be blameless. 11 Women in like manner must be grave, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For they that have served well as deacons gain to themselves a good standing, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly; 15 but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know [e]how men ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and [f]ground of the truth. 16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness;
43 But the unclean spirit, when [a]he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. 44 Then [b]he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when [c]he is come, [d]he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth [e]he, and taketh with [f]himself seven other spirits more evil than [g]himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation.
46 While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him. 47 [h]And one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak to thee. 48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49 And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren! 50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
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