Book of Common Prayer
120 1 The prayer of David being vexed by the false reports of Saul’s flatterers. 5 And therefore he lamenteth his long abode among those infidels, 7 Who were given to all kinds of wickedness and contention.
A song of [a]degrees.
1 I called unto the Lord in my [b]trouble, and he heard me.
2 Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
3 What doth thy [c]deceitful tongue bring unto thee? or what doth it avail thee?
4 It is as the [d]sharp arrows of a mighty man, and as the coals of Juniper.
5 Woe is to me that I remain in [e]Meshech, and dwell in the tents of [f]Kedar.
6 My soul hath too long dwelt with him that hateth peace.
7 I seek [g]peace, and when I speak thereof, they are bent to war.
121 1 This Psalm teacheth that the faithful ought only to look for help at God, 7 who only doth maintain, preserve and prosper his Church.
A song of degrees.
1 I will lift up mine eyes [h]unto the mountains, from whence my help shall come.
2 Mine help cometh from the Lord, which hath made the [i]heaven and the earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to slip: for he that keepeth thee, will not [j]slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel, will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shadow at thy right hand.
6 The sun shall not [k]smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall keep thy soul.
8 The Lord shall preserve thy [l]going out, and thy coming in from henceforth and forever.
122 1 David rejoiceth in the name of the faithful, that God hath accomplished his promise and placed his Ark in Zion. 5 For the which he giveth thanks, 8 And prayeth for the prosperity of the Church.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of David.
1 I (A)[m]rejoiced when they said to me, We will go into the house of the Lord.
2 Our [n]feet shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem is built as a city, that is [o]compact together in itself:
4 Whereunto [p]the Tribes, even the Tribes of the Lord go up according to the testimony to Israel, to praise the Name of the Lord.
5 For there are thrones set for judgment, even the thrones of the house of [q]David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: let them prosper that love thee.
7 Peace be within thy [r]walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
8 For my [s]brethren and neighbors’ sakes, I will wish thee now prosperity.
9 Because of the House of the Lord our God, I will procure thy wealth.
123 A prayer of the faithful, which were afflicted either in Babylon or under Antiochus, by the wicked worldlings and contemners of God.
A song of degrees.
1 I lift up mine eyes to thee, that dwellest in the heavens.
2 Behold, as the eyes of [t]servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress: so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy unto us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we have [u]suffered too much contempt.
4 Our soul is filled too full of the mocking of the wealthy, and of the despitefulness of the proud.
124 The people of God, escaping a great peril, do acknowledge themselves to be delivered, not by their own force, but by the power of God. 4 They declare the greatness of the peril. 6 And praise the Name of God.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of David.
1 If the Lord had not been [v]on our side, (may Israel now say)
2 If the Lord had [not] been on our side, when men rose up against us,
3 They had then swallowed us up [w]quick, when their wrath was kindled against us.
4 Then the [x]waters had drowned us, and the stream had gone over our soul:
5 Then had the swelling waters gone over our soul.
6 Praised be the Lord, which hath not given us as a prey unto their teeth.
7 Our soul is escaped, even as a bird out of the [y]snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are delivered.
8 Our help is in the Name of the Lord, which hath made heaven and earth.
125 1 He describeth the assurance of the faithful in their afflictions. 4 And desireth their wealth, 5 And the destruction of the wicked.
A song of degrees.
1 They that trust in the Lord, shall be as mount Zion, which cannot [z]be removed, but remaineth forever.
2 As the mountains are about Jerusalem: so is the Lord about his people from henceforth and forever.
3 For the [aa]rod of the wicked shall not rest on the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hand unto wickedness.
4 Do well, O Lord, unto those that be good and true in their hearts.
5 [ab]But these that turn aside by their crooked ways, them shall the Lord lead with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.
126 1 This Psalm was made after the return of the people from Babylon, and showeth that the means of their deliverance was wonderful after the seventy years of captivity forspoken by Jeremiah, in Jer. 25:12 and 29:10.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of David.
1 When the Lord brought again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that [ac]dream.
2 Then was our mouth [ad]filled with laughter, and our tongue with joy: then said they among the [ae]heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them.
3 The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we rejoice.
4 O Lord, bring again our captivity, as the [af]rivers in the South.
5 They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy.
6 They went weeping, and carried [ag]precious seed: but they shall return with joy, and bring their sheaves.
127 1 He showeth that the whole estate of the world, both domestical and political, standeth by God’s mere providence and blessing, 3 And that to have children well nurtured, is an especial grace and gift of God.
A song of degrees, or Psalm of Solomon.
1 Except the Lord [ah]build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the [ai]city, the keeper watcheth in vain.
2 It is in vain for [aj]you to rise early, and to lie down late, and eat the bread [ak]of sorrow: but he will surely give [al]rest to his beloved.
3 Behold, children are the inheritance of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb his reward.
4 As are the arrows in the hand of the strong man; so are the [am]children of youth.
5 Blessed is the man that hath his quiver full of them: for they [an]shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.
8 Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, Because ye have not heard my words,
9 Behold, I will send and take to me all the [a]families of the North, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babel my [b]servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations [c]round about, and will destroy them, and make them an astonishment and an hissing, and a continual desolation.
10 (A)Moreover I will [d]take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the noise of the [e]millstones, and the light of the candle.
11 And this whole land shall be desolate, and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babel seventy years.
12 And when the [f]seventy years are accomplished, I will visit [g]the king of Babel and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquities, even the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it a perpetual desolation.
13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all nations.
14 For many nations, and great kings shall even [h]serve themselves of them: thus will I recompense them according to their deeds, and according to the works of their own hands.
15 For thus hath the Lord God of Israel spoken unto me, [i]Take the cup of wine of this mine indignation at mine hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.
16 And they shall drink, and be moved, and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them.
17 Then took I the cup at the Lord’s hand, and made all people to drink, unto whom the Lord had sent me:
10 1 He handleth the effects of election, 3 that some refuse, and some embrace. 4 Christ, who is the end of the Law. 15 He showeth that Moses foretold the calling of the Gentiles, 20 and Isaiah the hardening of the Jews.
1 Brethren, [a]mine hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have the zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
3 [b]For they, [c]being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and going about to [d]establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God.
4 (A)[e]For Christ is the [f]end of the Law for righteousness unto [g]everyone that believeth.
5 [h]For Moses thus describeth the righteousness which is of the Law, (B)That the man which doeth these things, shall live thereby.
6 But the righteousness which is of faith, speaketh on this wise, (C)[i]Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is to bring Christ from above.)
7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is to bring Christ again from the dead.)
8 [j]But what saith it? (D)The [k]word is near thee, even in thy mouth, and in thine heart. This is the word of faith which we preach.
9 [l]For if thou shalt [m]confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart, that [n]God raised him up from the dead, thou shalt be saved:
10 For with the heart man [o]believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth man confesseth to salvation.
11 [p]For the Scripture saith, (E)Whosoever [q]believeth in him, shall not be ashamed.
12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Grecian: for he that is Lord over all, is rich unto all that call on him.
13 (F)[r]For whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord, shall be saved.
18 Then the Jews did not believe him (that he had been blind, and received his sight) until they had called the parents of him that had received sight.
19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, whom ye say was born blind? How doth he now see then?
20 His parents answered them, and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21 But by what means he now seeth, we know not: or who hath opened his eyes, can we not tell: he is old enough: ask him: he shall answer for himself.
22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had ordained already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be excommunicated out of the Synagogue.
23 Therefore said his parents, He is old enough: ask him.
24 Then again called they the man that had been blind, and said unto him, [a]Give glory unto God: we know that this man is a [b]sinner.
25 Then he answered, and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I cannot tell: one thing I know, that I was blind, and now I see.
26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye have not heard it: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples?
28 [c]Then reviled they him, and said, Be thou his disciple: we be Moses’ disciples.
29 We know that God spake with Moses: but this man we know not from whence he is.
30 The man answered, and said unto them, Doubtless, this is a marvelous thing, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes.
31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him heareth he.
32 Since the world began, was it not heard, that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
33 If this man were not of God, he could have done nothing.
34 They answered, and said unto him, [d]Thou art altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? so they cast him out.
35 [e]Jesus heard that they had cast him out: and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe in the Son of God?
36 He answered, and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe in him?
37 And Jesus said unto him, Both thou hast seen him, and he it is that talketh with thee.
38 Then he said, Lord, I believe, and worshipped him.
39 [f]And Jesus said, I am come unto [g]judgment into this world, that they [h]which see not, might see: and that they (A)which see, might be made blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him, heard these things, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should not have sin: but now ye say, We see: therefore your sin remaineth.
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