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.
4 1 Boaz speaketh to Ruth’s next kinsman touching her marriage. 7 The ancient custom in Israel. 10 Boaz marrieth Ruth, of whom he begetteth Obed. 18 The generation of Perez.
1 Then went Boaz up to the [a]gate, and sat there, and behold, the kinsman, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by: and he said, [b]Ho, such one, come, sit down here. And he turned, and sat down.
2 Then he took ten men of the Elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down.
3 And he said unto the kinsman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, will sell a parcel of land, which was our brother Elimelech’s.
4 And I thought to advertise thee, saying, Buy it before the [c]assistants, and before the Elders of my people. If thou wilt redeem it, redeem it: but if thou wilt not redeem it, tell me: for I know that there is none [d]besides thee to redeem it, and I am after thee. Then he answered, I will redeem it.
5 Then said Boaz, What day thou buyest the field of the hand of Naomi, thou must also buy it of Ruth the Moabitess the wife of the dead, to stir up the name of the dead, upon his [e]inheritance.
6 And the kinsman answered, I cannot redeem it, lest I destroy mine own inheritance: redeem my right to thee, for I can not redeem it.
7 Now this was the manner beforetime in Israel, concerning redeeming and changing for to stablish all things: a man did pluck off his shoe, and gave it his neighbor: and this was a sure [f]witness in Israel.
8 Therefore the kinsman said to Boaz, Buy it for thee: and he drew off his shoe.
9 And Boaz said unto the Elders and unto all the people, Ye are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech’s, and all that was Chilion’s and Mahlon’s, of the hand of Naomi.
10 And moreover, Ruth the Moabitess the wife of Mahlon, have I bought to be my wife, to stir up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, and that the name of the dead be not put out from among his brethren, and from the gate of his [g]place: ye are witnesses this day.
11 And all the people that were in the gate, and the Elders said, We are witnesses: the Lord make the wife that cometh into thine house, like Rachel and like Leah, which twain did build the house of Israel: and that thou mayest do worthily in [h]Ephrathah, and be famous in Bethlehem.
12 And that thine house be like the house of Perez ((A)whom Tamar bare unto Judah) of the seed which the Lord shall give thee of this young woman.
13 ¶ So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave that she conceived, and bare a son.
14 And the women said unto Naomi, Blessed be the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinsman, and [i]his name shall be continued in Israel.
15 And this shall bring thy life again, and cherish thine old age: for thy daughter-in-law which loveth thee, hath borne unto him, and she is better to thee than [j]seven sons.
16 And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her lap, and became nurse unto it.
17 And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, There is a child born to Naomi, and called the name thereof Obed: the same was the father of Jesse, the father of David.
13 [a]And because we have the same [b]spirit of faith, according as it is written, (A)I believed, and therefore have I spoken, we also believe, and therefore speak,
14 Knowing that he which hath raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise us up also by Jesus, and shall set us with you.
15 [c]For all things are for your sakes, [d]that that most plenteous grace by the thanksgiving of many, may redound to the praise of God.
16 Therefore we faint not, [e]but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is [f]renewed daily.
17 For our [g]light affliction which is but for a moment, causeth unto us a far most excellent and an eternal weight of [h]glory:
18 While we look not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen for the things which are seen, are temporal: but the things which are not seen, are eternal.
5 1 He continueth in the same argument, 5 touching the certain hope of salvation 7 through faith, 12 not to praise himself, 14 seeing he hath God and his Church before his eyes, 17 and esteemeth nothing, but newness of life in Christ.
1 For [i]we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle be destroyed, we have a building given of God, that is, an house not made with hands, but eternal in the heavens.
2 For therefore we sigh, desiring to be [j]clothed with our house, which is from [k]heaven.
3 [l]Because that if we be clothed, we shall not be found (B)naked.
4 For indeed we that are in this tabernacle, sigh and are burdened because we would not be unclothed, but would be clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
5 And he that hath [m]created us for this thing, is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
6 [n]Therefore we are always [o]bold, though we know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.
7 (For we walk by [p]faith, and not by sight.)
8 Nevertheless, we are [q]bold, and love rather to remove out of the body, and to dwell with the Lord.
9 Wherefore also we [r]covet, that both dwelling at home, and removing from home, we may be acceptable to him.
10 (C)[s]For we must all [t]appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every man may receive the things which are done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil.
6 1 Alms. 5 Prayer. 14 Forgiving our brother. 16 Fasting. 19 Our treasure. 20 We must succor the poor. 24 God and riches. 25 Careful seeking for meat and drink, and apparel, forbidden. 33 The kingdom of God and his righteousness.
1 Take heed that ye give not your [a]alms before men to be seen of them, or else ye shall have no [b]reward of your Father which is in heaven.
2 (A)Therefore when thou givest thine alms, thou shalt not make a trumpet to be blown before thee, as the [c]hypocrites do in the Synagogues and in the streets, to be praised of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
3 But when thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth,
4 That thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father that seeth in secret, he will reward thee openly.
5 [d]And when thou prayest, be not as the hypocrites: for they love to stand and pray in the Synagogues, and in the corners of the streets, because they would be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
6 But when thou prayest, enter into thy chamber: and when thou hast shut thy door, pray unto thy Father which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
7 Also when ye pray, use no [e]vain repetitions as the Heathen: for they think to be heard for their much babbling.
8 Be ye not like them therefore: for your Father knoweth whereof ye have need, before ye ask of him.
9 [f]After this manner therefore pray ye, (B)Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done even in earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our [g]daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us (C)from [h]evil: for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.
14 (D)[i]For if ye do forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
15 But if ye do not forgive men their trespasses, no more will your father forgive you your trespasses.
16 [j]Moreover, when ye fast, look not sour as the hypocrites: for they [k]disfigure their faces, that they might seem unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you that they have their reward.
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