Book of Common Prayer
1 ¶ Halelu-JAH. O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures for ever.
2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can show forth all his praise?
3 Happy are those that keep judgment and he that does righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou dost bear unto thy people; O visit me with thy saving health,
5 that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.
6 ¶ We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedly.
7 Our fathers did not understand thy wonders in Egypt; they did not remember the multitude of thy mercies but rebelled by the sea, even at the Red Sea.
8 Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.
9 He reprehended the Red Sea also, and it was dried up, so he led them through the depths, as through the wilderness.
10 And he saved them from the hand of him that hated them and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
11 And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.
12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.
13 ¶ They became rash. They soon forgot his works; they waited not for his counsel:
14 They gave themselves over to lust in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert.
15 And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.
16 Then they envied Moses in the camp and Aaron the saint of the LORD.
17 The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan and covered the company of Abiram.
18 And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.
19 They made a calf in Horeb and worshipped the molten image.
20 Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God of their saving health, who had done great things in Egypt,
22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things upon the Red Sea.
23 Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the breach, to turn away his wrath lest he should destroy them.
24 And they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his word:
25 But murmured in their tents and did not hearken unto the voice of the LORD.
26 Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness,
27 to overthrow their seed also among the Gentiles, and to scatter them in the lands.
28 They also joined themselves unto Baalpeor and ate the sacrifices for the dead.
29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions; and the plague broke in upon them.
30 Then Phinehas stood up and executed judgment, and so the plague was stayed.
31 And that was counted unto him for righteousness from generation to generation for evermore.
32 They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes:
33 Because they provoked his spirit to rebel, and he spoke it with his lips.
34 ¶ They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them:
35 But were mingled among the Gentiles and learned their works.
36 And they served their idols, which were a snare unto them.
37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils
38 and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood.
39 Thus they were defiled with their own works and went a whoring with their own inventions.
40 Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.
41 And he gave them into the hand of the Gentiles, and those that hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.
43 He delivered them many times, but they rebelled at his counsel and were brought low for their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless he would look upon their affliction and hear their cry
45 and remember his covenant with them and repent according to the multitude of his mercies.
46 He also caused those that carried them captives to have mercy upon them.
47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, that we might lift up thy holy name, that we might glory in thy praise.
48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting; and let all the people say, Amen. Halelu-JAH.
17 ¶ And Samuel called the people together unto the LORD to Mizpeh
18 and said unto the sons of Israel, Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, I brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all kingdoms and of those that oppressed you.
19 But ye have this day rejected your God, who saves you out of all your afflictions and your troubles, and ye have said unto him, No, but set a king over us. Now, therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands.
20 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken.
21 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their lineages, the family of Matri was taken, and from it Saul the son of Kish was taken, and when they sought him, he could not be found.
22 Therefore, they enquired of the LORD further, if the man should yet come there. And the LORD answered, Behold, he has hid himself among the stuff.
23 And they ran and took him from there, and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.
24 And Samuel said to all the people, See ye him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted and said, Long live the king.
25 Then Samuel recited unto the people the rights of the kingdom and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his house.
26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah, and there went with him some from the army, whose hearts God had touched.
27 But the sons of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no presents. But he pretended not to notice.
44 Our fathers had the tabernacle of the testimony in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses that he should make it according to the fashion that he had seen,
45 which also our fathers that came after brought in with Jesus {Joshua in Heb.} into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers unto the days of David,
46 who found grace before God and asked to provide a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.
47 But Solomon built him a house.
48 Howbeit the most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as saith the prophet,
49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool; what house will ye build me? saith the Lord, or what is the place of my rest?
50 Has not my hand made all these things?
51 ¶ Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do ye.
52 Who of the prophets have your fathers not persecuted? and they have slain those who announced before the coming of the Just One, of whom ye have now been the betrayers and murderers,
53 who have received the law by the disposition of angels and have not kept it.
54 ¶ When they heard these things, they were divided in their hearts and gnashed on him with their teeth.
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God
56 and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 And crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord;
58 and casting him out of the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, impute not this sin to their charge. And having said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.
8 ¶ And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the congregation {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} which was at Jerusalem, and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
52 Then Jesus said unto the princes of the priests and captains of the temple and the elders, who were come to him, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves?
53 When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me; but this is your hour, and the power of darkness.
54 ¶ Then they took him and led him and brought him into the house of the prince of the priests. And Peter followed afar off.
55 And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.
56 But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire and earnestly looked upon him and said, This man was also with him.
57 And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.
58 And after a little while another saw him and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not.
59 And about the space of one hour after, another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him, for he is a Galilaean.
60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately while he yet spoke, the cock crew.
61 Then the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord how he had said unto him, Before the cock crows, thou shalt deny me three times.
62 And Peter went out and wept bitterly.
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