Book of Common Prayer
A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance.
1 ¶ O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
2 For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presses me sore.
3 There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.
4 For my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5 My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
6 I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.
7 For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease, and there is no soundness in my flesh.
8 I am feeble and sore broken; I roar 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 pants, my strength fails me; as for the light of my eyes, it also is gone from me.
11 My friends and my companions stand aloof from my sore, and my kinsmen stand afar off.
12 ¶ Those that seek after my life lay snares for me, and those that seek my hurt speak calamities and imagine deceits all the day long.
13 But I, as a deaf man heard not, and was as a dumb man that did not open his mouth.
14 Thus I was as a man that does not hear, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
15 For thee, O LORD, do I wait; thou wilt respond, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, Let them not rejoice over me; let them not magnify themselves against me when my foot slips.
17 For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.
18 Therefore I will declare my iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
19 For my enemies are alive, and they are strong, and those that hate me wrongfully are multiplied;
20 rendering evil for good they are against me because I follow that which is good.
21 Forsake me not, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me.
22 Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.
DALETH.
25 ¶ My soul cleaves unto the dust; quicken me according to thy word.
26 ¶ I have declared my ways, and thou didst hear me; teach me thy statutes.
27 Make me to understand the way of thy precepts; so I shall meditate of thy wondrous works.
28 ¶ My soul melts for heaviness; strengthen me according to thy word.
29 Remove from me the way of lying, and from thy law grant me mercy.
30 ¶ I have chosen the way of truth; I have laid thy judgments before me.
31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies; O LORD, put me not to shame.
32 I will run the way of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart.
HE.
33 ¶ Teach me, O LORD, 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 my eyes from beholding vanity, and cause me to live in thy way.
38 ¶ Confirm thy word unto thy slave, who is devoted to thy fear.
39 ¶ Turn away my reproach which I have feared, for thy judgments are good.
40 ¶ Behold, I have longed after thy precepts; cause me to live in thy righteousness.
VAU.
41 ¶ Let thy mercy come unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation, according to thy spoken word.
42 And I shall answer him that reproaches me, by saying that I trust in thy word.
43 ¶ And take not at any time the word of truth out of my mouth; for I wait for thy judgment.
44 So shall I keep thy law continually from age to age.
45 ¶ And I will walk at liberty, for I sought thy commandments.
46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings and will not be ashamed.
47 And I will delight myself in thy commandments, which I have loved.
48 I will lift up My hands unto thy commandments, which I have loved, and I will meditate in thy statutes.
17 ¶ Better is a dry morsel in peace than the house of contention full of sacrifices for a feast.
2 ¶ A prudent slave shall have rule over a son that causes shame and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.
3 ¶ The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tries the hearts.
4 ¶ An evil doer gives heed to false lips, and a liar gives ear to the tongue which curses.
5 ¶ Whosoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker, and he that is glad regarding the calamity of someone else shall not go unpunished.
6 ¶ Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the honour of the children are their fathers.
7 ¶ Excellent speech is not suitable for a fool: much less lying lips for a prince!
8 ¶ A bribe is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that has it; wherever it turns, it prospers.
9 ¶ He that covers a transgression seeks love, but he that repeats a matter separates very friends.
10 ¶ Reproof is of more benefit to a wise man than a hundred stripes to a fool.
11 ¶ The rebellious man seeks only evil; therefore a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
12 ¶ It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
13 ¶ Whosoever rewards evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house.
14 ¶ To release the waters (to speak rashly) is the beginning of contention; therefore, leave off strife before it gets started.
15 ¶ He that justifies the wicked and he that condemns the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.
16 ¶ Of what good is the price to buy wisdom in the hand of the fool, seeing he has no heart to understand?
17 ¶ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
18 ¶ A man void of understanding strikes hands and becomes surety in the presence of his friend.
19 ¶ Transgression loves him that loves strife, and he that exalts his gate seeks destruction.
20 ¶ He that has a perverse heart shall never find good, and he that stirs up trouble with his tongue shall fall into evil.
3 ¶ The Word is faithful, If anyone desires the office of a bishop, {to be a pastor or elder in the congregation} he desires a difficult ministry.
2 It is expedient, therefore, that the bishop be blameless, the husband of only one wife, vigilant, temperate, of worldly affections mortified, given to hospitality, apt to teach;
3 not given to wine, not hurtful, not greedy of dishonest gain, but gentle, not contentious, not covetous;
4 one that rules well his own house, having his children in subjection with all integrity;
5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} of God?)
6 not a novice, lest being puffed up, he fall into judgment of the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good report of those who are outside lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
8 ¶ Likewise the deacons must be honest, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of dishonest gain;
9 holding the mystery of the faith together with a pure conscience.
10 And let these also first be proved; then let them minister, if they are blameless.
11 The wives likewise are to be honest, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things.
12 Let the deacons be the husbands of only one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
13 For those that minister well purchase to themselves a good degree 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 may know how it is expedient to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} of the living God, the pillar and base of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of the man, it walks through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44 Then it says, I will return into my house from which I came out; and when it is come, it finds it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then it goes and takes with itself seven other spirits worse than itself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it also be unto this wicked generation.
46 ¶ While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood without, desiring to speak with him.
47 Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brothers stand without, desiring to speak with thee.
48 But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brothers?
49 And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brothers!
50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in the heavens, the same is my brother and sister and mother.
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