Book of Common Prayer
137 1 The people of God in their banishment seeing God’s true Religion decay, lived in great anguish and sorrow of heart: the which grief the Chaldeans did so little pity, 3 That they rather increased the same daily with taunts, reproaches and blasphemies against God. 7 Wherefore the Israelites desire God, first to punish the Edomites, who provoked the Babylonians against them, 8 And moved by the Spirit of God, prophesy the destruction of Babylon, where they were handled so tyrannously.
1 By the rivers of Babel we [a]sat, and there we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst [b]thereof.
3 Then they that led us captive, [c]required of us songs and mirth, when we had hanged up our harps, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
4 How shall we sing, said we, a song of the Lord in a strange land?
5 [d]If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget to play.
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth: yea, if I prefer not Jerusalem to my [e]chief joy.
7 Remember the children of [f]Edom, O Lord, in the [g]day of Jerusalem, which said, Raze it, raze it to the foundation thereof.
8 O daughter of Babel, worthy to be destroyed, blessed shall he be that rewardeth thee, as thou hast served us.
9 [h]Blessed shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy children against the stones.
144 He praiseth the Lord with great affection and humility for his kingdom restored, and for his victories obtained. 5 Demanding help, and the destruction of the wicked, 9 Promising to acknowledge the same with songs of praises, 15 And declareth wherein the felicity of any people consisteth.
A Psalm of David.
1 Blessed be the Lord my strength, which [a]teacheth mine hands to fight, and my fingers to battle.
2 He is my goodness and my fortress, my tower and [b]my deliverer, my shield and in him I trust, [c]which subdueth my people under me.
3 Lord, what is man that thou [d]regardest him! or the son of man that thou thinkest upon him?
4 Man is like to vanity; his days are like a shadow that vanisheth.
5 [e]Bow thine heavens, O Lord, and come down; touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
6 [f]Cast forth the lightning and scatter them; shoot out thine arrows and consume them.
7 Send thine hand from above: deliver me, and take me out of the great [g]waters, and from the hand of strangers,
8 Whose mouth talketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand [h]of falsehood.
9 I will sing a [i]new song unto thee, O God, and sing unto thee upon a viol, and an instrument of ten strings.
10 It is he that giveth deliverance unto kings, and rescueth David his [j]servant from the hurtful sword.
11 Rescue me, and deliver me from the hand of strangers, whose mouth talketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
12 [k]That our sons may be as the plants growing up in their youth, and our daughters as the corner stones, graven after the similitude of a palace:
13 That our [l]corners may be full and abounding with divers sorts, and that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousand in our streets.
14 That our [m]oxen may be strong to labor; that there be none invasion, nor going out, nor no crying in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people, that be [n]so, yea blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.
104 1 An excellent Psalm to praise God for the creation of the world, and the governance of the same by his marvelous providence. 35 Wherein the Prophet prayeth against the wicked, who are occasions that God diminisheth his blessings.
1 My soul, praise thou the Lord: O Lord my God, thou art exceeding great, thou art [a]clothed with glory and honor.
2 Which covereth himself with light, as with a garment, and spreadeth the heavens like a curtain.
3 Which layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, and maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind.
4 Which [b]maketh the spirits his messengers, and a flaming fire his ministers.
5 He set the earth upon her foundations, so that it shall never move.
6 Thou coverest it with the [c]deep as with a garment: the [d]waters would stand above the mountains.
7 But at thy rebuke they flee: at the voice of thy thunder they haste away.
8 And the mountains ascend, and the valleys descend to the place which thou hast established for them.
9 But thou hast set them a bound which they shall not pass: they shall not return to cover the earth.
10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run between the mountains.
11 They shall give drink to all the [e]beasts of the field, and the wild asses shall quench their thirst.
12 By these [f]springs shall the fowls of the heaven dwell, and sing among the branches.
13 He watereth the mountains from his [g]chambers, and the earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.
14 He causeth grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the use of [h]man, that he may bring forth bread out of the earth,
15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, and oil to make his face to shine, and bread that strengtheneth man’s heart.
16 The high trees are satisfied, even the cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted,
17 That the birds may make their nests there: the stork dwelleth in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the [i]goats: the rocks are a refuge for the conies.
19 He appointed [j]the moon for certain seasons: [k]the sun knoweth his going down.
20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth.
21 The lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat [l]at God.
22 When the sun riseth, they retire, and couch in their dens.
23 [m]Then goeth man forth to his work, and to his labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how [n]manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches.
25 So is the sea great and wide: for therein are things creeping innumerable, both small beasts and great.
26 There go the ships, yea that [o]Leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
27 [p]All these wait upon thee, that thou mayest give them food in due season.
28 Thou givest it to them, and they gather it, thou openest thy hand, and they are filled with good things.
29 But if thou [q]hide thy face, they are troubled: if thou take away their breath, they die and return to their dust:
30 Again if thou [r]send forth thy spirit, they are created, and thou renewest the face of the earth.
31 Glory be to the Lord forever: let the Lord rejoice in his works.
32 He looketh on the earth and it trembleth: he toucheth the mountains, and they [s]smoke.
33 I will sing unto the Lord all my life: I will praise my God, while I live.
34 Let my words be acceptable unto him: I will rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let the sinners be [t]consumed out of the earth, and the wicked till there be no more: O my soul, praise thou the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
5 1 The destruction of Jerusalem. 2 The excellency of Bethlehem.
1 Now assemble thy garrisons, O daughter [a]of garrisons: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
2 And thou Bethlehem Ephrathah art [b]little to be among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me, that shall be the ruler in Israel: whose [c]goings forth have been from the beginning and from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that [d]she which shall bear, shall travail: then the remnant of their brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4 And he shall [e]stand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, and in the majesty of the Name of the Lord his God, and they shall dwell still: for now shall he be magnified unto the ends of the world.
10 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thine [a]horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots.
11 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and overthrow all thy strongholds.
12 And I will cut off thine enchanters out of thine hand: and thou shalt have no more soothsayers.
13 Thine idols also will I cut off, and thine images out of the midst of thee: and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thine enemies.
15 And I will execute a vengeance in my wrath and indignation upon the heathen, [b]which they have not heard.
13 ¶ [a]And after certain days, King [b]Agrippa and Bernice came down to Caesarea to salute Festus.
14 And when they had remained there many days, Festus declared Paul’s cause unto the king, saying, There is a certain man left in prison by Felix,
15 Of whom when I came to Jerusalem, the high Priests and Elders of the Jews informed me, and desired to have judgment against him.
16 To whom I answered, that it is not the manner of the Romans for favor to [c]deliver any man to the death, before that he which is accused, have the accusers before him, and have place to defend himself, concerning the crime.
17 Therefore when they were come hither, without delay the day following I sat on the judgment seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth.
18 Against whom when the accusers stood up, they brought no crime of such things as I supposed:
19 [d]But had certain questions against him of their own [e]superstitions, and of one Jesus which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive.
20 And because I doubted of such manner of question, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things.
21 But because he appealed to be reserved to the examination of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept, till I might send him to Caesar.
22 [f]Then Agrippa said unto Festus, I would also hear the man myself. Tomorrow, said he, thou shalt hear him.
23 And on the morrow when Agrippa was come, and Bernice with great [g]pomp, and were entered into the Common hall with the chief captains and chief men of the city, at Festus’s commandment Paul was brought forth.
24 And Festus said, King Agrippa, and all men which are present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have called upon me, both at Jerusalem, and here, crying, that he ought not to live any longer.
25 Yet have I found nothing worthy of death, that he hath committed: nevertheless, seeing that he hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.
26 Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my [h]lord: wherefore I have brought him forth unto you, and especially unto thee, King Agrippa, that after examination had, I might have somewhat to write.
27 For me thinketh it unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not to show the causes which are laid against him.
16 ¶ (A)[a]No man when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it under a vessel, neither putteth it under the bed, but setteth it on a candlestick, that they that enter in, may see the light.
17 (B)For nothing is secret, that shall not be evident: neither anything hid, that shall not be known, and come to light.
18 [b]Take [c]heed therefore how ye hear: for (C)whosoever hath, to him shall be given: and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that [d]which it seemeth that he hath.
19 ¶ (D)[e]Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come near to him for the press.
20 And it was told him by certain which said, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, and would see thee.
21 But he answered, and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.
22 ¶ (E)[f]And it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples, and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.
23 And as they sailed, he fell [g]asleep, and there came down a storm of wind on the lake, and [h]they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.
24 Then they went to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, Master, we perish. And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and the waves of water: and they ceased, and it was calm.
25 Then he said unto them, Where is your faith? and they feared, and wondered among themselves, saying, Who is this that commandeth both the winds and water, and they obey him!
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