Morning Prayer
Psalm 102. Domine, exaudi.
1 HEAR my prayer, O LORD, * and let my crying come unto thee.
2 Hide not thy face from me in the time of my trouble; * incline thine ear unto me when I call; O hear me, and that right soon.
3 For my days are consumed away like smoke, * and my bones are burnt up as it were a firebrand.
4 My heart is smitten down, and withered like grass; * so that I forget to eat my bread.
5 For the voice of my groaning, * my bones will scarce cleave to my flesh.
6 I am become like a pelican in the wilderness, * and like an owl that is in the desert.
7 I have watched, and am even as it were a sparrow, * that sitteth alone upon the housetop.
8 Mine enemies revile me all the day long; * and they that are mad upon me are sworn together against me.
9 For I have eaten ashes as it were bread, * and mingled my drink with weeping;
10 And that, because of thine indignation and wrath; * for thou hast taken me up, and cast me down.
11 My days are gone like a shadow, * and I am withered like grass.
12 But thou, O LORD, shalt endure for ever, * and thy remembrance throughout all generations.
13 Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Sion; * for it is time that thou have mercy upon her, yea, the time is come.
14 And why? thy servants think upon her stones, * and it pitieth them to see her in the dust.
15 The nations shall fear thy Name, O LORD; * and all the kings of the earth thy majesty;
16 When the LORD shall build up Sion, * and when his glory shall appear;
17 When he turneth him unto the prayer of the poor destitute, * and despiseth not their desire.
18 This shall be written for those that come after, * and the people which shall be born shall praise the LORD.
19 For he hath looked down from his sanctuary; * out of the heaven did the LORD behold the earth;
20 That he might hear the mournings of such as are in captivity, * and deliver them that are appointed unto death;
21 That they may declare the Name of the LORD in Sion, * and his worship at Jerusalem;
22 When the peoples are gathered together, * and the kingdoms also, to serve the LORD.
23 He brought down my strength in my journey, * and shortened my days.
24 But I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of mine age; * as for thy years, they endure throughout all generations.
25 Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, * and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: * they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
27 And as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed; * but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, * and their seed shall stand fast in thy sight.
First Lesson:
Judges 7:16
16)And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. 17)And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. 18)When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 19)So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 20)And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 21)And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. 22)And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. 23)And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. 24)And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. 25)And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
Second Lesson:
Luke 7:36
36)And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. 37)And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, 38)And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. 39)Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40)And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41)There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42)And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? 43)Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. 44)And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45)Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46)My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47)Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48)And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. 49)And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? 50)And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
Evening Prayer
Psalm 116. Dilexi, quoniam.
1 MY delight is in the LORD; * because he hath heard the voice of my prayer;
2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me; * therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death compassed me round about, * and the pains of hell gat hold upon me.
4 I found trouble and heaviness; then called I upon the Name of the LORD; * O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; * yea, our God is merciful.
6 The LORD preserveth the simple: * I was in misery, and he helped me.
7 Turn again then unto thy rest, O my soul; * for the LORD hath rewarded thee.
8 And why? thou hast delivered my soul from death, * mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling.
9 I will walk before the LORD * in the land of the living.
10 I believed, and therefore will I speak; but I was sore troubled: * I said in my haste, All men are liars.
11 What reward shall I give unto the LORD * for all the benefits that he hath done unto me?
12 I will receive the cup of salvation, * and call upon the Name of the LORD.
13 I will pay my vows now in the presence of all his people: * right dear in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
14 Behold, O LORD, how that I am thy servant; * I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid; thou hast broken my bonds in sunder.
15 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, * and will call upon the Name of the LORD.
16 I will pay my vows unto the LORD, in the sight of all his people, * in the courts of the LORD’S house; even in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD.
First Lesson:
Neh. 13:15-22
15)In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the sabbath day: and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. 16)There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 17)Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the sabbath day? 18)Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath. 19)And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day. 20)So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. 21)Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the sabbath. 22)And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the sabbath day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.
Second Lesson:
Acts 15:13-21
13)And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: 14)Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15)And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, 16)After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: 17)That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. 18)Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. 19)Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20)But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. 21)For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.