BLESSED is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven, * and whose sin is covered.
 
Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth no sin, * and in whose spirit there is no guile.
 
For whilst I held my tongue, * my bones consumed away through my daily complaining.
 
For thy hand was heavy upon me day and night, * and my moisture was like the drought in summer.
 
I acknowledged my sin unto thee; * and mine unrighteousness have I not hid.
 
I said, I will confess my sins unto the LORD; * and so thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin.
 
For this shall every one that is godly make his prayer unto thee, in a time when thou mayest be found; * surely the great water-floods shall not come nigh him.
 
Thou art a place to hide me in; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; * thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.
 
I will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go; * and I will guide thee with mine eye.
 
Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have no understanding; * whose mouths must be held with bit and bridle, else they will not obey thee.
 
Great plagues remain for the ungodly; * but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD, mercy embraceth him on every side.
 
Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; * and be joyful, all ye that are true of heart.

MY heart showeth me the wickedness of the ungodly, * that there is no fear of God before his eyes.
 
For he flattereth himself in his own sight, * until his abominable sin be found out.
 
The words of his mouth are unrighteous and full of deceit: * he hath left off to behave himself wisely, and to do good.
 
He imagineth mischief upon his bed, and hath set himself in no good way; * neither doth he abhor any thing that is evil.
 

 
vs 5 Thy mercy, O LORD, reacheth unto the heavens, * and thy faithfulness unto the clouds.
 
Thy righteousness standeth like the strong mountains: * thy judgments are like the great deep.
 
Thou, LORD, shalt save both man and beast: how excellent is thy mercy, O God! * and the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
 
They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house; * and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures, as out of the river.
 
For with thee is the well of life; * and in thy light shall we see light.
 
O continue forth thy loving-kindness unto them that know thee, * and thy righteousness unto them that are true of heart.
 
O let not the foot of pride come against me; and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down.
 
There are they fallen, all that work wickedness; * they are cast down, and shall not be able to stand.

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.

GIVE the King thy judgments, O God, * and thy righteousness unto the King's son.
 
Then shall he judge thy people according unto right, * and defend the poor.
 
The mountains also shall bring peace, * and the little hills righteousness unto the people.
 
He shall keep the simple folk by their right, * defend the children of the poor, and punish the wrong doer.
 
They shall fear thee, as long as the sun and moon endureth, * from one generation to another.
 
He shall come down like the rain upon the mown grass, * even as the drops that water the earth.
 
In his time shall the righteous flourish; * yea, and abundance of peace, so long as the moon endureth.
 
His dominion shall be also from the one sea to the other, * and from the River unto the world's end.
 
They that dwell in the wilderness shall kneel before him; * his enemies shall lick the dust.
 
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall give presents; * the kings of Arabia and Saba shall bring gifts.
 
All kings shall fall down before him; * all nations shall do him service.
 
For he shall deliver the poor when he crieth; * the needy also, and him that hath no helper.
 
He shall be favourable to the simple and needy, * and shall preserve the souls of the poor.
 
He shall deliver their souls from falsehood and wrong; * and dear shall their blood be in his sight.
 
He shall live, and unto him shall be given of the gold of Arabia; * prayer shall be made ever unto him, and daily shall he be praised.
 
There shall be an heap of corn in the earth, high upon the hills ; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: * and they of the city shall flourish like grass upon the earth.
 
His Name shall endure for ever; his Name shall remain under the sun among the posterities, which shall be blessed in him; * and all the nations shall praise him.
 
Blessed be the LORD God, even the God of Israel, * which only doeth wondrous things;
 
And blessed be the Name of his majesty for ever: * and all the earth shall be filled with his majesty. Amen, Amen.

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; Therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man unto his city.

And, behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. And he spake this parable unto them, saying, What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me. And they, when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.

O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray, may, by thy mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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