Book of Common Prayer

78 A psalm for Asaph. O God, the heathens are come into thy inheritance, they have defiled thy holy temple: they have made Jerusalem as a place to keep fruit.

² They have given the dead bodies of thy servants to be meat for the fowls of the air: the flesh of thy saints for the beasts of the earth.

³ They have poured out their blood as water, round about Jerusalem and there was none to bury them.

⁴ We are become a reproach to our neighbours: a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.

⁵ How long, O Lord, wilt thou be angry for ever: shall thy zeal be kindled like a fire?

⁶ Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that have not known thee: and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.

⁷ Because they have devoured Jacob; and have laid waste his place.

⁸ Remember not our former iniquities: let thy mercies speedily prevent us, for we are become exceeding poor.

⁹ Help us, O God, our saviour: and for the glory of thy name, O Lord, deliver us: and forgive us our sins for thy name's sake:

¹⁰ Lest they should say among the Gentiles: Where is their God? And let him be made known among the nations before our eyes, By the revenging the blood of thy servants, which hath been shed:

¹¹ Let the sighing of the prisoners come in before thee. According to the greatness of thy arm, take possession of the children of them that have been put to death.

¹² And render to our neighbours sevenfold in their bosom: the reproach wherewith they have reproached thee, O Lord.

¹³ But we thy people, and the sheep of thy pasture, will give thanks to thee for ever. We will shew forth thy praise, unto generation and generation.

5 And on the third day Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's hall: now he sat upon his throne in the hall of the palace, over against the door of the house.

² And when he saw Esther the queen standing, she pleased his eyes, and he held out toward her the golden sceptre, which he held in his hand: and she drew near, and kissed the top of his sceptre.

³ And the king said to her: What wilt then, queen Esther? what is thy request? if thou shouldst even ask one half of the kingdom, it shall be given to thee.

⁴ But she answered: If it please the king. I beseech thee to come to me this day, and Aman with thee to the banquet which I have prepared.

⁵ And the king said forthwith: Call ye Aman quickly, that he may obey Esther's will. So the king and Aman came to the banquet which the queen had prepared for them.

⁶ And the king said to her, after he had drunk wine plentifully: What dost thou desire should be given thee? and for what thing askest thou? although thou shouldst ask the half of my kingdom, thou shalt have it.

⁷ And Esther answered: My petition and request is this:

⁸ If I have found favour in the king's sight, and if it please the king to give me what I ask, and to fulfill my petition: let the king and Aman come to the banquet which I have prepared them, and to morrow I will open my mind to the king.

⁹ So Aman went out that day joyful and merry. And when he saw Mardochai sitting before the gate of the palace, and that he not only did not rise up to honour him, but did not so much as move from the place where he sat, he was exceedingly angry:

¹⁰ But dissembling his anger, and returning into his house, he called together to him his friends, and Zares his wife:

¹¹ And he declared to them the greatness of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and with how great glory the king had advanced him above all his princes and servants.

¹² And after this he said: Queen Esther also hath invited no other to the banquet with the king, but me: and with her I am also to dine to morrow with the king:

¹³ And whereas I have all these things, I think I have nothing, so long as I see Mardochai the Jew sitting before the king's gate.

¹⁴ Then Zares his wife, and the rest of his friends answered him: Order a great beam to be prepared, fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king, that Mardochai may be hanged upon it, and so thou shalt go full of joy with the king to the banquet. The counsel pleased him, and he commanded a high gibbet to be prepared.

¹² But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,

¹³ Saying: This man persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

¹⁴ And when Paul was beginning to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews: If it were some matter of injustice, or an heinous deed, O Jews, I should with reason bear with you.

¹⁵ But if they be questions of word and names, and of your law, look you to it: I will not be judge of such things.

¹⁶ And he drove them from the judgment seat.

¹⁷ And all laying hold on Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, beat him before the judgment seat; and Gallio cared for none of those things.

¹⁸ But Paul, when he had stayed yet many days, taking his leave of the brethren, sailed thence into Syria (and with him Priscilla and Aquila), having shorn his head in Cenchrae: for he had a vow.

¹⁹ And he came to Ephesus, and left them there. But he himself entering into the synagogue, disputed with the Jews.

²⁰ And when they desired him, that he would tarry a longer time, he consented not;

²¹ But taking his leave, and saying: I will return to you again, God willing, he departed from Ephesus.

²² And going down to Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem, and saluted the church, and so came down to Antioch.

²³ And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went through the country of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, confirming all the disciples.

²⁴ Now a certain Jew, named Apollo, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus, one mighty in the scriptures.

²⁵ This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, spoke, and taught diligently the things that are of Jesus, knowing only the baptism of John.

²⁶ This man therefore began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Whom when Priscilla and Aquila had heard, they took him to them, and expounded to him the way of the Lord more diligently.

²⁷ And whereas he was desirous to go to Achaia, the brethren exhorting, wrote to the disciples to receive him. Who, when he was come, helped them much who had believed.

²⁸ For with much vigour he convinced the Jews openly, shewing by the scriptures, that Jesus is the Christ.

¹⁵ And as the people were of opinion, and all were thinking in their hearts of John, that perhaps he might be the Christ;

¹⁶ John answered, saying unto all: I indeed baptize you with water; but there shall come one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

¹⁷ Whose fan is in his hand, and he will purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

¹⁸ And many other things exhorting, did he preach to the people.

¹⁹ But Herod the tetrarch, when he was reproved by him for Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done;

²⁰ He added this also above all, and shut up John in prison.

²¹ Now it came to pass, when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also being baptized and praying, heaven was opened;

²² And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape, as a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.