Morning Prayer
Psalm 56. Miserere mei, Deus.
1 BE merciful unto me, O God, for man goeth about to devour me; * he is daily fighting, and troubling me.
2 Mine enemies are daily at hand to swallow me up; * for they be many that fight against me, O thou Most Highest.
3 Nevertheless, though I am sometime afraid, * yet put I my trust in thee.
4 I will praise God, because of his word: * I have put my trust in God, and will not fear what flesh can do unto me.
5 They daily mistake my words; * all that they imagine is to do me evil.
6 They hold all together, and keep themselves close, * and mark my steps, when they lay wait for my soul.
7 Shall they escape for their wickedness? * thou, O God, in thy displeasure shalt cast them down.
8 Thou tellest my wanderings; put my tears into thy bottle: * are not these things noted in thy book?
9 Whensoever I call upon thee, then shall mine enemies be put to flight: * this I know; for God is on my side.
10 In God’s word will I rejoice; * in the LORD’S word will I comfort me.
11 Yea, in God have I put my trust; * I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.
12 Unto thee, O God, will I pay my vows; * unto thee will I give thanks.
13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, * that I may walk before God in the light of the living.
First Lesson:
1 Sam. 2:18-26
18)But Samuel ministered before the LORD, being a child, girded with a linen ephod. 19)Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20)And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD. And they went unto their own home. 21)And the LORD visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the LORD. 22)Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 23)And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. 24)Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’s people to transgress. 25)If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them. 26)And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.
Second Lesson:
Luke 12:13-21
13)And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. 14)And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? 15)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. 16)And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17)And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18)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. 19)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. 20)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? 21)So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
Evening Prayer
Psalm 62. Nonne Deo?
1 MY soul truly waiteth still upon God; * for of him cometh my salvation.
2 He verily is my strength and my salvation; * he is my defence, so that I shall not greatly fall.
3 How long will ye imagine mischief against every man? * Ye shall be slain all the sort of you; yea, as a tottering wall shall ye be, and like a broken hedge.
4 Their device is only how to put him out whom God will exalt; * their delight is in lies; they give good words with their mouth, but curse with their heart.
5 Nevertheless, my soul, wait thou still upon God; * for my hope is in him.
6 He truly is my strength and my salvation; * he is my defence, so that I shall not fall.
7 In God is my health and my glory; * the rock of my might; and in God is my trust.
8 O put your trust in him alway, ye people; * pour out your hearts before him, for God is our hope.
9 As for the children of men, they are but vanity; the children of men are deceitful; * upon the weights they are altogether lighter than vanity itself.
10 O trust not in wrong and robbery; give not yourselves unto vanity: * if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.
11 God spake once, and twice I have also heard the same, * that power belongeth unto God;
12 And that thou, Lord, art merciful; * for thou rewardest every man according to his work.
Psalm 63. Deus, Deus meus.
1 O GOD, thou art my God; * early will I seek thee.
2 My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh also longeth after thee, * in a barren and dry land where no water is.
3 Thus have I looked for thee in the sanctuary, * that I might behold thy power and glory.
4 For thy loving-kindness is better than the life itself: * my lips shall praise thee.
5 As long as I live will I magnify thee in this manner, * and lift up my hands in thy Name.
6 My soul shall be satisfied, even as it were with marrow and fatness, * when my mouth praiseth thee with joyful lips.
7 Have I not remembered thee in my bed, * and thought upon thee when I was waking?
8 Because thou hast been my helper; * therefore under the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
9 My soul hangeth upon thee; * thy right hand hath upholden me.
10 These also that seek the hurt of my soul, * they shall go under the earth.
11 Let them fall upon the edge of the sword, * that they may be a portion for foxes.
12 But the King shall rejoice in God; all they also that swear by him shall be commended; * for the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.
First Lesson:
Dan. 2:36-45
36)This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. 37)Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. 38)And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. 39)And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. 40)And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. 41)And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. 42)And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. 43)And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. 44)And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. 45)Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
Second Lesson:
Acts 21:15-26
15)And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 16)There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. 17)And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18)And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19)And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 20)And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: 21)And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 22)What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. 23)Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24)Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 25)As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. 26)Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purifcation, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.