Book of Common Prayer

108 Unto the end, a psalm for David.

² O God, be not thou silent in my praise: for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful man is opened against me.

³ They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues; and they have compassed me about with words of hatred; and have fought against me without cause.

⁴ Instead of making me a return of love, they detracted me: but I gave myself to prayer.

⁵ And they repaid me evil for good: and hatred for my love.

⁶ Set thou the sinner over him: and may the devil stand at his right hand.

⁷ When he is judged, may he go out condemned; and may his prayer be turned to sin.

⁸ May his days be few: and his bishopric let another take.

⁹ May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

¹⁰ Let his children be carried about vagabonds, and beg; and let them be cast out of their dwellings.

¹¹ May the usurer search all his substance: and let strangers plunder his labours.

¹² May there be none to help him: nor none to pity his fatherless offspring.

¹³ May his posterity be cut off; in one generation may his name be blotted out.

33 For David, when he changed his countenance before Achimelech, who dismissed him, and he went his way. [1 Kings 21.]

² I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall be always in my mouth.

³ In the Lord shall my soul be praised: let the meek hear and rejoice.

⁴ O magnify the Lord with me; and let us extol his name together.

⁵ I sought the Lord, and he heard me; and he delivered me from all my troubles.

⁶ Come ye to him and be enlightened: and your faces shall not be confounded.

⁷ This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him: and saved him out of all his troubles.

⁸ The angel of the Lord shall encamp round about them that fear him: and shall deliver them.

⁹ O taste, and see that the Lord is sweet: blessed is the man that hopeth in him.

¹⁰ Fear the Lord, all ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

¹¹ The rich have wanted, and have suffered hunger: but they that seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good.

¹² Come, children, hearken to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

¹³ Who is the man that desireth life: who loveth to see good days?

¹⁴ Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.

¹⁵ Turn away from evil and do good: seek after peace and pursue it.

¹⁶ The eyes of the Lord are upon the just: and his ears unto their prayers.

¹⁷ But the countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil things: to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁸ The just cried, and the Lord heard them: and delivered them out of all their troubles.

¹⁹ The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart: and he will save the humble of spirit.

²⁰ Many are the afflictions of the just; but out of them all will the Lord deliver them.

²¹ The Lord keepeth all their bones, not one of them shall be broken.

²² The death of the wicked is very evil: and they that hate the just shall be guilty.

²³ The Lord will redeem the souls of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall offend.

11 As the morning passeth, so hath the king of Israel passed away. Because Israel was a child, and I loved him: and I called my son out of Egypt.

² As they called them, they went away from before their face: they offered victims to Baalim, and sacrificed to idols.

³ And I was like a foster father to Ephraim, I carried them in my arms: and they knew not that I healed them.

⁴ I will draw them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of love: and I will be to them as one that taketh off the yoke on their jaws: and I put his meat to him that he might eat.

⁵ He shall not return into the land of Egypt, but the Assyrian shall be his king: because they would not be converted.

⁶ The sword hath begun in his cities, and it shall consume his chosen men, and shall devour their heads.

⁷ And my people shall long for my return: but a yoke shall be put upon them together, which shall not be taken off.

⁸ How shall I deal with thee, O Ephraim, shall I protect thee, O Israel? how shall I make thee as Adama, shall I set thee as Seboim? my heart is turned within me, my repentance is stirred up.

⁹ I will not execute the fierceness of my wrath: I will not return to destroy Ephraim: because I am God, and not man: the holy one in the midst of thee, and I will not enter into the city.

¹⁷ And it came to pass, when I was come again to Jerusalem, and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance,

¹⁸ And saw him saying unto me: Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; because they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.

¹⁹ And I said: Lord, they know that I cast into prison, and beat in every synagogue, them that believed in thee.

²⁰ And when the blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I stood by and consented, and kept the garments of them that killed him.

²¹ And he said to me: Go, for unto the Gentiles afar off, will I send thee.

²² And they heard him until this word, and then lifted up their voice, saying: Away with such an one from the earth; for it is not fit that he should live.

²³ And as they cried out and threw off their garments, and cast dust into the air,

²⁴ The tribune commanded him to be brought into the castle, and that he should be scourged and tortured: to know for what cause they did so cry out against him.

²⁵ And when they had bound him with thongs, Paul saith to the centurion that stood by him: Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

²⁶ Which the centurion hearing, went to the tribune, and told him, saying: What art thou about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.

²⁷ And the tribune coming, said to him: Tell me, art thou a Roman? But he said: Yea.

²⁸ And the tribune answered: I obtained the being free of this city with a great sum. And Paul said: But I was born so.

²⁹ Immediately therefore they departed from him that were about to torture him. The tribune also was afraid after he understood that he was a Roman citizen, and because he had bound him.

²⁷ But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.

²⁸ Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you.

²⁹ And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.

³⁰ Give to every one that asketh thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.

³¹ And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner.

³² And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also love those that love them.

³³ And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also do this.

³⁴ And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much.

³⁵ But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil.

³⁶ Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

³⁷ Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.

³⁸ Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.