O HEAR ye this, all ye people; * ponder it with your ears, all ye that dwell in the world;
High and low, rich and poor, * one with another.
My mouth shall speak of wisdom, * and my heart shall muse of understanding.
I will incline mine ear to the parable, * and show my dark speech upon the harp.
Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, * when wickedness at my heels compasseth me round about?
There be some that put their trust in their goods, * and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.
But no man may deliver his brother, * nor give a ransom unto God for him,
(For it cost more to redeem their souls, * so that he must let that alone for ever;)
That he shall live alway, * and not see the grave.
For he seeth that wise men also die and perish together, * as well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for other.
And yet they think that their houses shall continue for ever, and that their dwelling-places shall endure from one generation to another; * and call the lands after their own names.
Nevertheless, man being in honour abideth not, * seeing he may be compared unto the beasts that perish;
This their way is very foolishness; * yet their posterity praise their saying.
They lie in the grave like sheep; death is their shepherd; and the righteous shall have dominion over them in the morning: * their beauty shall consume in the sepulchre, and have no abiding.
But God hath delivered my soul from the power of the grave; * for he shall receive me.
Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich, * or if the glory of his house be increased;
For he shall carry nothing away with him when he dieth, * neither shall his pomp follow him.
For while he lived, he counted himself an happy man; * and so long as thou doest well unto thyself, men will speak good of thee.
He shall follow the generation of his fathers, * and shall never see light.
Man that is in honour but hath no understanding * is compared unto the beasts that perish.

PRAISE the LORD, O my soul; * and all that is within me, praise his holy Name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul, * and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thy sin, * and healeth all thine infirmities;
Who saveth thy life from destruction, * and crowneth thee with mercy and loving-kindness;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things, * making thee young and lusty as an eagle.
The LORD executeth righteousness and judgment * for all them that are oppressed with wrong.
He showed his ways unto Moses, * his works unto the children of Israel.
The LORD is full of compassion and mercy, * long-suffering, and of great goodness.
He will not alway be chiding; * neither keepeth he his anger for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; * nor rewarded us according to our wickednesses.
For look how high the heaven is in comparison of the earth; * so great is his mercy also toward them that fear him.
Look how wide also the east is from the west; * so far hath he set our sins from us.
Yea, like as a father pitieth his own children; * even so is the LORD merciful unto them that fear him.
For he knoweth whereof we are made; * he remembereth that we are but dust.
The days of man are but as grass; * for he flourisheth as a flower of the field.
For as soon as the wind goeth over it, it is gone; * and the place thereof shall know it no more.
But the merciful goodness of the LORD endureth for ever and ever upon them that fear him; * and his righteousness upon children's children;
Even upon such as keep his covenant, * and think upon his commandments to do them.
The LORD hath prepared his seat in heaven, * and his kingdom ruleth over all.
O praise the LORD, ye angels of his, ye that excel in strength; * ye that fulfil his commandment, and hearken unto the voice of his word.
O praise the LORD, all ye his hosts; * ye servants of his that do his pleasure.
O speak good of the LORD, all ye works of his, in all places of his dominion: * praise thou the LORD, O my soul.

BLESSED is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, * and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; * and in his law will he exercise himself day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the water-side, * that will bring forth his fruit in due season.
His leaf also shall not wither; * and look, whatsoever he doeth, it shall prosper.
As for the ungodly, it is not so with them; * but they are like the chaff, which the wind scattereth away from the face of the earth.
Therefore the ungodly shall not be able to stand in the judgment, * neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
But the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous; * and the way of the ungodly shall perish.

LORD, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? * or who shall rest upon thy holy hill?
Even he that leadeth an uncorrupt life, * and doeth the thing which is right, and speaketh the truth from his heart.
He that hath used no deceit in his tongue, nor done evil to his neighbour, * and hath not slandered his neighbour.
He that setteth not by himself, but is lowly in his own eyes, * and maketh much of them that fear the LORD.
He that sweareth unto his neighbour, and disappointeth him not, * though it were to his own hindrance.
He that hath not given his money upon usury, * nor taken reward against the innocent.
Whoso doeth these things * shall never fall.

Set not thy heart upon thy goods; and say not, I have enough for my life. Follow not thine own mind and thy strength, to walk in the ways of thy heart: And say not, Who shall controul me for my works? for the Lord will surely revenge thy pride. Say not, I have sinned, and what harm hath happened unto me? for the Lord is longsuffering, he will in no wise let thee go. Concerning propitiation, be not without fear to add sin unto sin: And say not His mercy is great; he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins: for mercy and wrath come from him, and his indignation resteth upon sinners. Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord, and put not off from day to day: for suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance. Set not thine heart upon goods unjustly gotten, for they shall not profit thee in the day of calamity. Winnow not with every wind, and go not into every way: for so doth the sinner that hath a double tongue. Be stedfast in thy understanding; and let thy word be the same.

For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him. And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children. Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon today? And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.

And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

KEEP, we beseech thee O Lord, thy church with thy perpetual mercy; and, because the frailty of man without thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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