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.

WHEN the LORD turned again the captivity of Sion, * then were we like unto them that dream.
 
Then was our mouth filled with laughter, * and our tongue with joy.
 
Then said they among the heathen, * The LORD hath done great things for them.
 
Yea, the LORD hath done great things for us already; * whereof we rejoice.
 
Turn our captivity, O LORD, * as the rivers in the south.
 
They that sow in tears * shall reap in joy.
 
He that now goeth on his way weeping, and beareth forth good seed, * shall doubtless come again with joy, and bring his sheaves with him.

I WILL love thee, O LORD, my strength. * The LORD is my stony rock, and my defence;
 
My Saviour, my God, and my might, in whom I will trust; * my buckler, the horn also of my salvation, and my refuge.
 
I will call upon the LORD, which is worthy to be praised; * so shall I be safe from mine enemies.
 
The sorrows of death compassed me, * and the overflowings of ungodliness made me afraid.
 
The pains of hell came about me; * the snares of death overtook me.
 
In my trouble I called upon the LORD, * and complained unto my God:
 
So he heard my voice out of his holy temple, * and my complaint came before him; it entered even into his ears.
 
The earth trembled and quaked, * the very foundations also of the hills shook, and were removed, because he was wroth.
 
There went a smoke out in his presence, * and a consuming fire out of his mouth, so that coals were kindled at it.
 
He bowed the heavens also, and came down, * and it was dark under his feet.
 
He rode upon the Cherubim, and did fly; * he came flying upon the wings of the wind.
 
He made darkness his secret place, * his pavilion round about him with dark water, and thick clouds to cover him.
 
At the brightness of his presence his clouds removed; * hailstones and coals of fire.
 
The LORD also thundered out of heaven, and the Highest gave his thunder; * hailstones and coals of fire.
 
He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; * he cast forth lightnings, and destroyed them.
 
The springs of waters were seen, and the foundations of the round world were discovered, * at thy chiding, O LORD, at the blasting of the breath of thy displeasure.
 
He sent down from on high to fetch me, * and took me out of many waters.
 
He delivered me from my strongest enemy, and from them which hate me; * for they were too mighty for me
 
They came upon me in the day of my trouble; * but the LORD was my upholder.
 
He brought me forth also into a place of liberty; * he brought me forth, even because he had a favour unto me.
 

 
vs 21 The LORD rewarded me after my righteous dealing, * according to the cleanness of my hands did he recompense me.
 
Because I have kept the ways of the LORD, * and have not forsaken my God, as the wicked doth.
 
For I have an eye unto all his laws, * and will not cast out his commandments from me.
 
I was also uncorrupt before him, * and eschewed mine own wickedness.
 
Therefore the LORD rewarded me after my righteous dealing, * and according unto the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
 
With the holy thou shalt be holy, * and with a perfect man thou shalt be perfect.
 
With the clean thou shalt be clean, * and with the froward thou shalt be froward.
 
For thou shalt save the people that are in adversity, * and shalt bring down the high looks of the proud.
 
Thou also shalt light my candle; * the LORD my God shall make my darkness to be light.
 
For in thee I shall discomfit an host of men, * and with the help of my God I shall leap over the wall.
 
The way of God is an undefiled way: * the word of the LORD also is tried in the fire; he is the defender of all them that put their trust in him.
 
For who is God, but the LORD? * or who hath any strength, except our God?
 
It is God that girdeth me with strength of war, * and maketh my way perfect.
 
He maketh my feet like harts' feet, * and setteth me up on high.
 
He teacheth mine hands to fight, * and mine arms shall bend even a bow of steel.
 

 
vs 36 Thou hast given me the defence of thy salvation; * thy right hand also shall hold me up, and thy loving correction shall make me great.
 
Thou shalt make room enough under me for to go, * that my footsteps shall not slide.
 
I will follow upon mine enemies, and overtake them; * neither will I turn again till I have destroyed them.
 
I will smite them, that they shall not be able to stand, * but fall under my feet.
 
Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; * thou shalt throw down mine enemies under me.
 
Thou hast made mine enemies also to turn their backs upon me, * and I shall destroy them that hate me.
 
They shall cry, but there shall be none to help them; * yea, even unto the LORD shall they cry, but he shall not hear them.
 
I will beat them as small as the dust before the wind: * I will cast them out as the clay in the streets.
 
Thou shalt deliver me from the strivings of the people, * and thou shalt make me the head of the nations; a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
 
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me; * the strangers shall feign obedience unto me.
 
The strangers shall fail, * and come trembling out of their strongholds.
 
The LORD liveth; and blessed be my strong helper, * and praised be the God of my salvation;
 
Even the God that seeth that I be avenged, * and subdueth the people unto me.
 
It is he that delivereth me from my cruel enemies, and setteth me up above mine adversaries: * thou shalt rid me from the wicked man.
 
For this cause will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the Gentiles, * and sing praises unto thy Name.
 
Great prosperity giveth he unto his King, * and showeth loving-kindness unto David his anointed, and unto his seed for evermore.

For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou has laboured: But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness. Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

ALMIGHTY God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

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