Book of Common Prayer

1 Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence.

² But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night.

³ And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.

⁴ Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.

⁵ Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.

⁶ For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

2 Why have the Gentiles raged, and the people devised vain things?

² The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met together, against the Lord and against his Christ.

³ Let us break their bonds asunder: and let us cast away their yoke from us.

⁴ He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them: and the Lord shall deride them.

⁵ Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.

⁶ But I am appointed king by him over Sion his holy mountain, preaching his commandment.

⁷ The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.

⁸ Ask of me, and I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession.

⁹ Thou shalt rule them with a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

¹⁰ And now, O ye kings, understand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth.

¹¹ Serve ye the Lord with fear: and rejoice unto him with trembling.

¹² Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way.

¹³ When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.

3 The psalm of David when he fled from the face of his son Absalom.

² Why, O Lord, are they multiplied that afflict me? many are they who rise up against me.

³ Many say to my soul: There is no salvation for him in his God.

⁴ But thou, O Lord art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.

⁵ I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.

⁶ I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the Lord hath protected me.

⁷ I will not fear thousands of the people, surrounding me: arise, O Lord; save me, O my God.

⁸ For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause: thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.

⁹ Salvation is of the Lord: and thy blessing is upon thy people.

4 Unto the end, in verses. A psalm for David.

² When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me. Have mercy on me: and hear my prayer.

³ O ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart? why do you love vanity, and seek after lying?

⁴ Know ye also that the Lord hath made his holy one wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him.

⁵ Be angry, and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds.

⁶ Offer up the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord: many say, Who sheweth us good things?

⁷ The light of thy countenance O Lord, is signed upon us: thou hast given gladness in my heart.

⁸ By the fruit of their corn, their wine and oil, they are multiplied.

⁹ In peace in the selfsame I will sleep, and I will rest:

¹⁰ For thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.

7 The psalm of David which he sung to the Lord for the words of Chusi the son of Jemini. [2 Kings 16.]

² O Lord my God, in thee have I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me.

³ Lest at any time he seize upon my soul like a lion, while there is no one to redeem me, nor to save.

⁴ O Lord my God, if I have done this thing, if there be iniquity in my hands:

⁵ If I have rendered to them that repaid me evils, let me deservedly fall empty before my enemies.

⁶ Let the enemy pursue my soul, and take it, and tread down my life on the earth, and bring down my glory to the dust.

⁷ Rise up, O Lord, in thy anger: and be thou exalted in the borders of my enemies. And arise, O Lord my God, in the precept which thou hast commanded:

⁸ And a congregation of people shall surround thee. And for their sakes return thou on high.

⁹ The Lord judgeth the people. Judge me, O Lord, according to my justice, and according to my innocence in me.

¹⁰ The wickedness of sinners shall be brought to nought: and thou shalt direct the just: the searcher of hearts and reins is God.

¹¹ Just is my help from the Lord: who saveth the upright of heart.

¹² God is a just judge, strong and patient: is he angry every day?

¹³ Except you will be converted, he will brandish his sword: he hath bent his bow and made it ready.

¹⁴ And in it he hath prepared the instruments of death, he hath made ready his arrows for them that burn.

¹⁵ Behold he hath been in labour with injustice; he hath conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity.

¹⁶ He hath opened a pit and dug it; and he is fallen into the hole he made.

¹⁷ His sorrow shall be turned on his own head: and his iniquity shall comedown upon his crown.

¹⁸ I will give glory to the Lord according to his justice: and will sing to the name of the Lord the most high.

7 Woe is me, for I am become as one that gleaneth in autumn the grapes of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat, my soul desired the firstripe figs.

² The holy man is perished out of the earth, and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood, every one hunteth his brother to death.

³ The evil of their hands they call good: the prince requireth, and the judge is for giving: and the great man hath uttered the desire of his soul, and they have troubled it.

⁴ He that is best among them, is as a brier: and he that is righteous, as the thorn of the hedge. The day of thy inspection, thy visitation cometh: now shall be their destruction.

⁵ Believe not a friend, and trust not in a prince: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that sleepeth in thy bosom.

⁶ For the son dishonoureth the father, and the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law: and a man's enemies are they of his own household.

⁷ But I will look towards the Lord, I will wait for God my Saviour: my God will hear me.

26 Then Agrippa said to Paul: Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretching forth his hand, began to make his answer.

² I think myself happy, O king Agrippa, that I am to answer for myself this day before thee, touching all the things whereof I am accused by the Jews.

³ Especially as thou knowest all, both customs and questions that are among the Jews: Wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.

⁴ And my life indeed from my youth, which was from the beginning among my own nation in Jerusalem, all the Jews do know:

⁵ Having known me from the beginning (if they will give testimony) that according to the most sure sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

⁶ And now for the hope of the promise that was made by God to the fathers, do I stand subject to judgment:

⁷ Unto which, our twelve tribes, serving night and day, hope to come. For which hope, O king, I am accused by the Jews.

⁸ Why should it be thought a thing incredible, that God should raise the dead?

⁹ And I indeed did formerly think, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

¹⁰ Which also I did at Jerusalem, and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority of the chief priests: and when they were put to death, I brought the sentence.

¹¹ And oftentimes punishing them, in every synagogue, I compelled them to blaspheme: and being yet more mad against them, I persecuted them even unto foreign cities.

¹² Whereupon when I was going to Damascus with authority and permission of the chief priest,

¹³ At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me, and them that were in company with me.

¹⁴ And when we were all fallen down on the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew tongue: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goad.

¹⁵ And I said: Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord answered: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

¹⁶ But rise up, and stand upon thy feet: for to this end have I appeared to thee, that I may make thee a minister, and a witness of those things which thou hast seen, and of those things wherein I will appear to thee,

¹⁷ Delivering thee from the people, and from the nations, unto which now I send thee:

¹⁸ To open their eyes, that they may be converted from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and a lot among the saints, by the faith that is in me.

¹⁹ Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not incredulous to the heavenly vision:

²⁰ But to them first that are at Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and unto all the country of Judea, and to the Gentiles did I preach, that they should do penance, and turn to God, doing works worthy of penance.

²¹ For this cause the Jews, when I was in the temple, having apprehended me, went about to kill me.

²² But being aided by the help of God, I stand unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other thing than those which the prophets, and Moses did say should come to pass:

²³ That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light to the people, and to the Gentiles.

²⁶ And they sailed to the country of the Gerasens, which is over against Galilee.

²⁷ And when he was come forth to the land, there met him a certain man who had a devil now a very long time, and he wore no clothes, neither did he abide in a house, but in the sepulchres.

²⁸ And when he saw Jesus, he fell down before him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said: What have I to do with thee, Jesus, Son of the most high God? I beseech thee, do not torment me.

²⁹ For he commanded the unclean spirit to go out of the man. For many times it seized him, and he was bound with chains, and kept in fetters; and breaking the bonds, he was driven by the devil into the deserts.

³⁰ And Jesus asked him, saying: What is thy name? But he said: Legion; because many devils were entered into him.

³¹ And they besought him that he would not command them to go into the abyss.

³² And there was there a herd of many swine feeding on the mountain; and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.

³³ The devils therefore went out of the man, and entered into the swine; and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were stifled.

³⁴ Which when they that fed them saw done, they fled away, and told it in the city and in the villages.

³⁵ And they went out to see what was done; and they came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at his feet, clothed, and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

³⁶ And they also that had seen, told them how he had been healed from the legion.

³⁷ And all the multitude of the country of the Gerasens besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear. And he, going up into the ship, returned back again.

³⁸ Now the man, out of whom the devils were departed, besought him that he might be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying:

³⁹ Return to thy house, and tell how great things God hath done to thee. And he went through the whole city, publishing how great things Jesus had done to him.