LORD, thou hast been our refuge, * from one generation to another.
 
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made, * thou art God from everlasting, and world without end.
 
Thou turnest man to destruction; * again thou sayest, Come again, ye children of men.
 
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, * and as a watch in the night.
 
As soon as thou scatterest them they are even as a sleep; * and fade away suddenly like the grass.
 
In the morning it is green, and groweth up; * but in the evening it is cut down, dried up, and withered.
 
For we consume away in thy displeasure, * and are afraid at thy wrathful indignation.
 
Thou hast set our misdeeds before thee; * and our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
 
For when thou art angry all our days are gone: * we bring our years to an end, as it were a tale that is told.
 
The days of our age are threescore years and ten; and though men be so strong that they come to fourscore years, * yet is their strength then but labour and sorrow; so soon passeth it away, and we are gone.
 
But who regardeth the power of thy wrath? * or feareth aright thy indignation?
 
So teach us to number our days, * that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
 
Turn thee again, O LORD, at the last, * and be gracious unto thy servants.
 
O satisfy us with thy mercy, and that soon: * so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
 
Comfort us again now after the time that thou hast plagued us; * and for the years wherein we have suffered adversity.
 
Show thy servants thy work, * and their children thy glory.
 
And the glorious majesty of the LORD our God be upon us: * prosper thou the work of our hands upon us; O prosper thou our handy-work.

When thou dost lend thy brother any thing, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with his pledge: In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge again when the sun goeth down, that he may sleep in his own raiment, and bless thee: and it shall be righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger, nor of the fatherless; nor take a widow's raiment to pledge: But thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence: therefore I command thee to do this thing.

Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers: Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; Knowing brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost: So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

O LORD, we beseech thee, absolve thy people from their offences; that through thy bountiful goodness we may all be delivered from the bands of those sins, which by our frailty we have committed. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen.

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