Book of Common Prayer
140 I have cried to the, O Lord, hear me: hearken to my voice, when I cry to thee.
2 Let my prayer be directed as incense in thy sight; the lifting up of my hands, as evening sacrifice.
3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth: and a door round about my lips.
4 Incline not my heart to evil words; to make excuses in sins. With men that work iniquity: and I will not communicate with the choicest of them.
5 The just shall correct me in mercy, and shall reprove me: but let not the oil of the sinner fatten my head. For my prayer also shall still be against the things with which they are well pleased:
6 Their judges falling upon the rock have been swallowed up. They shall hear my words, for they have prevailed:
7 As when the thickness of the earth is broken up upon the ground: Our bones are scattered by the side of hell.
8 But o to thee, O Lord, Lord, are my eyes: in thee have I put my trust, take not away my soul.
9 Keep me from the snare, which they have laid for me, and from the stumblingblocks of them that work iniquity.
10 The wicked shall fall in his net: I am alone until I pass.
142 Hear, O Lord, my prayer: give ear to my supplication in thy truth: hear me in thy justice.
2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight no man living shall be justified.
3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul: he hath brought down my life to the earth. He hath made me to dwell in darkness as those that have been dead of old:
4 And my spirit is in anguish within me: my heart within me is troubled.
5 I remembered the days of old, I meditated on all thy works: I meditated upon the works of thy hands.
6 I stretched forth my hands to thee: my soul is as earth without water unto thee.
7 Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit hath fainted away. Turn not away thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
8 Cause me to hear thy mercy in the morning; for in thee have I hoped. Make the way known to me, wherein I should walk: for I have lifted up my soul to thee.
9 Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, to thee have I fled:
10 Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right land:
11 For thy name's sake, O Lord, thou wilt quicken me in thy justice. Thou wilt bring my soul out of trouble:
12 And in thy mercy thou wilt destroy my enemies. And thou wilt cut off all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.
141 Of understanding for David. A prayer when he was in the cave. [1 Kings 24.]
2 I cried to the Lord with my voice: with my voice I made supplication to the Lord.
3 In his sight I pour out my prayer, and before him I declare my trouble:
4 When my spirit failed me, then thou newest my paths. In this way wherein I walked, they have hidden a snare for me.
5 I looked on my right hand, and beheld, and there was no one that would know me. Flight hath failed me: and there is no one that hath regard to my soul.
6 I cried to thee, O Lord: I said: Thou art my hope, my portion in the land of the living.
7 Attend to my supplication: for I am brought very low. Deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
8 Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name: the just wait for me, until thou reward me.
143 Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war.
2 My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me.
3 Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?
4 Man is like to vanity: his days pass away like a shadow.
5 Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend: touch the mountains and they shall smoke.
6 Send forth lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: shoot out thy arrows, and thou shalt trouble them.
7 Put forth thy hand from on high, take me out, and deliver me from many waters: from the hand of strange children:
8 Whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity.
9 To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle: on the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises to thee.
10 Who givest salvation to kings: who hast redeemed thy servant David from the malicious sword:
11 Deliver me, And rescue me out of the hand of strange children; whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity:
12 Whose sons are as new plants in their youth: Their daughters decked out, adorned round about after the similitude of a temple:
13 Their storehouses full, flowing out of this into that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding in their goings forth:
14 Their oxen fat. There is no breach of wall, nor passage, nor crying out in their streets.
15 They have called the people happy, that hath these things: but happy is that people whose God is the Lord.
9 Hear this, ye princes of the house of Jacob, and ye judges of the house of Israel: you that abhor judgment, and pervert all that is right.
10 You that build up Sion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11 Her princes have judged for bribes, and her priests have taught for hire, and her prophets divined for money: and they leaned upon the Lord, saying: Is not the Lord in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us.
12 Therefore, because of you, Sion shall be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be as a heap of stones, and the mountain of the temple as the high places of the forests.
4 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of mountains, and high above the hills: and people shall flow to it.
2 And many nations shall come in haste, and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob: and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth out of Sion, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem.
3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into spades: nation shall not take sword against nation: neither shall they learn war any more.
4 And every man shall sit under his vine, and under his fig tree, and there shall be none to make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken.
5 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god: but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
24 And after some days, Felix, coming with Drusilla his wife, who was a Jew, sent for Paul, and heard of him the faith, that is in Christ Jesus.
25 And as he treated of justice, and chastity, and of the judgment to come, Felix being terrified, answered: For this time, go thy way: but when I have a convenient time, I will send for thee.
26 Hoping also withal, that money should be given him by Paul; for which cause also oftentimes sending for him, he spoke with him.
27 But when two years were ended, Felix had for successor Portius Festus. And Felix being willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.
25 Now when Festus was come into the province, after three days, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.
2 And the chief priests, and principal men of the Jews, went unto him against Paul: and they besought him,
3 Requesting favour against him, that he would command him to be brought to Jerusalem, laying wait to kill him in the way.
4 But Festus answered: That Paul was kept in Caesarea, and that he himself would very shortly depart thither.
5 Let them, therefore, saith he, among you that are able, go down with me, and accuse him, if there be any crime in the man.
6 And having tarried among them no more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he sat in the judgment seat; and commanded Paul to be brought.
7 Who being brought, the Jews stood about him, who were come down from Jerusalem, objecting many and grievous causes, which they could not prove;
8 Paul making answer for himself: Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I offended in any thing.
9 But Festus, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, answering Paul, said: Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me?
10 Then Paul said: I stand at Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no injury, as thou very well knowest.
11 For if I have injured them, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die. But if there be none of these things whereof they accuse me, no man may deliver me to them: I appeal to Caesar.
12 Then Festus having conferred with the council, answered: Hast thou appealed to Caesar? To Caesar shalt thou go.
8 And it came to pass afterwards, that he travelled through the cities and towns, preaching and evangelizing the kingdom of God; and the twelve with him:
2 And certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities; Mary who is called Magdalen, out of whom seven devils were gone forth,
3 And Joanna the wife of Chusa, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who ministered unto him of their substance.
4 And when a very great multitude was gathered together, and hastened out of the cities unto him, he spoke by a similitude.
5 The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6 And other some fell upon a rock: and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture.
7 And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it, choked it.
8 And other some fell upon good ground; and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundredfold. Saying these things, he cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9 And his disciples asked him what this parable might be.
10 To whom he said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing may not understand.
11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12 And they by the way side are they that hear; then the devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved.
13 Now they upon the rock, are they who when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no roots; for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation, they fall away.
14 And that which fell among thorns, are they who have heard, and going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit.
15 But that on the good ground, are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience.
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