IN the LORD put I my trust; * how say ye then to my soul, that she should flee as a bird unto the hill?
For lo, the ungodly bend their bow, and make ready their arrows within the quiver, * that they may privily shoot at them which are true of heart.
If the foundations be destroyed, * what can the righteous do?
The LORD is in his holy temple; * the LORD'S seat is in heaven.
His eyes consider the poor, * and his eyelids try the children of men.
The LORD approveth the righteous: * but the ungodly, and him that delighteth in wickedness, doth his soul abhor.
Upon the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, storm and tempest: * this shall be their portion to drink.
For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; * his countenance will behold the thing that is just.

HELP me, LORD, for there is not one godly man left; * for the faithful are minished from among the children of men.
They talk of vanity every one with his neighbour; * they do but flatter with their lips, and dissemble in their double heart.
The LORD shall root out all deceitful lips, * and the tongue that speaketh proud things;
Which have said, With our tongue will we prevail; * we are they that ought to speak; who is lord over us?

Now, for the comfortless troubles' sake of the needy, * and because of the deep sighing of the poor,
I will up, saith the LORD; * and will help every one from him that swelleth against him, and will set him at rest.
The words of the LORD are pure words; * even as the silver which from the earth is tried, and purified seven times in the fire.
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD; * thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
The ungodly walk on every side: * when they are exalted, the children of men are put to rebuke.

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.

NOT unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy Name give the praise; * for thy loving mercy, and for thy truth's sake.
Wherefore shall the heathen say, * Where is now their God?
As for our God, he is in heaven: * he hath done whatsoever pleased him.
Their idols are silver and gold, * even the work of men's hands.
They have mouths, and speak not; * eyes have they, and see not.
They have ears, and hear not; * noses have they, and smell not.
They have hands, and handle not; feet have they, and walk not; * neither speak they through their throat.
They that make them are like unto them; * and so are all such as put their trust in them.
But thou, house of Israel, trust thou in the LORD; * he is their helper and defender.
Ye house of Aaron, put your trust in the LORD; * he is their helper and defender.
Ye that fear the LORD, put your trust in the LORD; * he is their helper and defender.
The LORD hath been mindful of us, and he shall bless us; * even he shall bless the house of Israel, he shall bless the house of Aaron.
He shall bless them that fear the LORD, * both small and great.
The LORD shall increase you more and more, * you and your children.
Ye are the blessed of the LORD, * who made heaven and earth.
All the whole heavens are the LORD'S; * the earth hath he given to the children of men.
The dead praise not thee, O LORD, * neither all they that go down into silence.
But we will praise the LORD, * from this time forth for evermore. Praise the LORD.

Yet ye say, Wherefore? Because the Lord hath been witness between thee and the wife of thy youth, against whom thou hast dealt treacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant. And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. For the Lord, the God of Israel, saith that he hateth putting away: for one covereth violence with his garment, saith the Lord of hosts: therefore take heed to your spirit, that ye deal not treacherously. Ye have wearied the Lord with your words. Yet ye say, Wherein have we wearied him? When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good in the sight of the Lord, and he delighteth in them; or, Where is the God of judgment?

For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin -; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery. Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread. Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?

O ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things which thou commandest; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Copyright © 2000-2024, CommonPrayer.org See our home page for further information

Privacy Policy

For information about this web page, please contact the Webmaster at: