Evening Prayer Readings
Pentecost (Whitsunday)

The First Lesson
The Second Lesson
The Collect
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The Psalter

First Set of Propers     Second Set of Propers



 

The Psalter (First Set of Propers)


Psalm 104


The One Hundred Fourth Psalm

Benedic, anima mea.


PRAISE the LORD, O my soul: * O LORD my God, thou art become exceeding glorious; thou art clothed with majesty and honour.
 
Thou deckest thyself with light as it were with a garment, * and spreadest out the heavens like a curtain.
 
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters, * and maketh the clouds his chariot, and walketh upon the wings of the wind.
 
He maketh his angels winds, * and his ministers a flaming fire.
 
He laid the foundations of the earth, * that it never should move at any time.
 
Thou coveredst it with the deep like as with a garment; * the waters stand above the hills.
 
At thy rebuke they flee; * at the voice of thy thunder they haste away.
 
They go up as high as the hills, and down to the valleys beneath; * even unto the place which thou hast appointed for them.
 
Thou hast set them their bounds, which they shall not pass, * neither turn again to cover the earth.
 
He sendeth the springs into the rivers, * which run among the hills.
 
All beasts of the field drink thereof, * and the wild asses quench their thirst.
 
Beside them shall the fowls of the air have their habitation, * and sing among the branches.
 
He watereth the hills from above; * the earth is filled with the fruit of thy works.
 
He bringeth forth grass for the cattle, * and green herb for the service of men;
 
That he may bring food out of the earth, and wine that maketh glad the heart of man; * and oil to make him a cheerful countenance, and bread to strengthen man's heart.
 
The trees of the LORD also are full of sap; * even the cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted;
 
Wherein the birds make their nests; * and the firtrees are a dwelling for the stork.
 
The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; * and so are the stony rocks for the conies.
 
He appointed the moon for certain seasons, * and the sun knoweth his going down.
 
Thou makest darkness that it may be night; * wherein all the beasts of the forest do move.
 
The lions, roaring after their prey, * do seek their meat from God.
 
The sun ariseth, and they get them away together, * and lay them down in their dens.
 
Man goeth forth to his work, and to his labour, * until the evening.
 
O LORD, how manifold are thy works! * in wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy riches.
 
So is the great and wide sea also; * wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.
 
There go the ships, and there is that leviathan, * whom thou hast made to take his pastime therein.
 
These wait all upon thee, * that thou mayest give them meat in due season.
 
When thou givest it them, they gather it; * and when thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good.
 
When thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: * when thou takest away their breath, they die, and are turned again to their dust.
 
When thou lettest thy breath go forth, they shall be made; * and thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
 
The glorious majesty of the LORD shall endure for ever; * the LORD shall rejoice in his works.
 
The earth shall tremble at the look of him; * if he do but touch the hills, they shall smoke.
 
I will sing unto the LORD as long as I live; * I will praise my God while I have my being.
 
And so shall my words please him: * my joy shall be in the LORD.
 
As for sinners, they shall be consumed out of the earth, * and the ungodly shall come to an end.
 
Praise thou the LORD, O my soul. * Praise the LORD.



 

The Psalter (Second Set of Propers)


Psalm 48


The Forty-Eighth Psalm

Magnus Dominus.


GREAT is the LORD, and highly to be praised * in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill.
 
The hill of Sion is a fair place, and the joy of the whole earth; * upon the north side lieth the city of the great King: God is well known in her palaces as a sure refuge.
 
For lo, the kings of the earth * were gathered, and gone by together.
 
They marvelled to see such things; * they were astonished, and suddenly cast down.
 
Fear came there upon them; and sorrow, * as upon a woman in her travail.
 
Thou dost break the ships of the sea * through the east-wind.
 
Like as we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God; * God upholdeth the same for ever.
 
We wait for thy loving-kindness, O God, * in the midst of thy temple.
 
O God, according to thy Name, so is thy praise unto the world's end; * thy right hand is full of righteousness.
 
Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughters of Judah be glad, * because of thy judgments.
 
Walk about Sion, and go round about her; * and tell the towers thereof.
 
Mark well her bulwarks, consider her palaces, * that ye may tell them that come after.
 
For this God is our God for ever and ever: * he shall be our guide unto death.


Psalm 122


The One Hundred Twenty Second Psalm

Laetatus sum.


I WAS glad when they said unto me, * We will go into the house of the LORD.
 
Our feet shall stand in thy gates, * O Jerusalem.
 
Jerusalem is built as a city * that is at unity in itself.
 
For thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the LORD, * to testify unto Israel, to give thanks unto the Name of the LORD.
 
For there is the seat of judgment, * even the seat of the house of David.
 
O pray for the peace of Jerusalem; * they shall prosper that love thee.
 
Peace be within thy walls, * and plenteousness within thy palaces.
 
For my brethren and companions' sakes, * I will wish thee prosperity.
 
Yea, because of the house of the LORD our God, * I will seek to do thee good.



 

First Set of Propers     Second Set of Propers

 

The First Lesson (First Set of Propers)


Wisdom 7:22 - 8:1


For wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me: for in her is an understanding spirit holy, one only, manifold, subtil, lively, clear, undefiled, plain, not subject to hurt, loving the thing that is good, quick, which cannot be letted, ready to do good, Kind to man, steadfast, sure, free from care, having all power, overseeing all things, and going through all understanding, pure, and most subtil, spirits. For wisdom is more moving than any motion: she passeth and goeth through all things by reason of her pureness. For she is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her. For she is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness. And being but one, she can do all things: and remaining in herself, she maketh all things new: and in all ages entering into holy souls, she maketh them friends of God, and prophets. For God loveth none but him that dwelleth with wisdom. For she is more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of stars: being compared with the light, she is found before it. For after this cometh night: but vice shall not prevail against wisdom. Wisdom reacheth from one end to another mightily: and sweetly doth she order all things.

 

The First Lesson (Second Set of Propers)


Isaiah 11:1-9


And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.



 

First Set of Propers     Second Set of Propers

 

The Second Lesson (First Set of Propers)


I Corinthians 2


And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

 

The Second Lesson (Second Set of Propers)


St. John 6:53-69


Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.



 

The Collect

Pentecost (Whitsunday)

O GOD, who as at this time didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit; Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.



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