1928 Prayer Book Readings for the Saturday After the 18th Sunday in Trinity

IN thee, O LORD, have I put my trust; let me never be put to confusion, * but rid me and deliver me in thy righteousness; incline thine ear unto me, and save me.

Be thou my stronghold, whereunto I may alway resort: * thou hast promised to help me, for thou art my house of defence, and my castle.

Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the ungodly, * out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

For thou, O Lord GOD, art the thing that I long for: * thou art my hope, even from my youth.

Through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born: * thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb: my praise shall be alway of thee.

O let my mouth be filled with thy praise, * that I may sing of thy glory and honour all the day long.

Cast me not away in the time of age; * forsake me not when my strength faileth me.

For mine enemies speak against me; * and they that lay wait for my soul take their counsel together, saying,

God hath forsaken him; * persecute him, and take him, for there is none to deliver him.

Let them be confounded and perish that are against my soul; * let them be covered with shame and dishonour that seek to do me evil.

My mouth shall daily speak of thy righteousness and salvation; * for I know no end thereof.

I will go forth in the strength of the Lord GOD, *and will make mention of thy righteousness only.

Thou, O God, hast taught me from my youth up until now; * therefore will I tell of thy wondrous works.

Forsake me not, O God, in mine old age, when I am gray-headed, * until I have showed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to all them that are yet for to come.

Thy righteousness, O God, is very high, * and great things are they that thou hast done: O God, who is like unto thee!

O what great troubles and adversities hast thou showed me ! and yet didst thou turn and refresh me; * yea, and broughtest me from the deep of the earth again.

Therefore will I praise thee, and thy faithfulness, O God, playing upon an instrument of music: * unto thee will I sing upon the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.

My lips will be glad when I sing unto thee; * and so will my soul whom thou hast delivered.

My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long; * for they are confounded and brought unto shame that seek to do me evil.

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

The Psalms
71

The Prayer of an Old Man
1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust:
let me never be put to confusion.

2 Deliver me in thy righteousness,
and cause me to escape:
incline thine ear unto me,
and save me.

3 Be thou my strong habitation,
whereunto I may continually resort:
thou hast given commandment to save me;
for thou art my rock and my fortress.

4 Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

5 For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD:
thou art my trust from my youth.

6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb:
thou art he that took me out of my mother’s bowels:
my praise shall be continually of thee.

7 I am as a wonder unto many;
but thou art my strong refuge.

8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise
and with thy honor all the day.

9 Cast me not off in the time of old age;
forsake me not when my strength faileth.

10 For mine enemies speak against me;
and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together,

11 saying, God hath forsaken him:
persecute and take him;
for there is none to deliver him.

12 O God, be not far from me:
O my God, make haste for my help.

13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul;
let them be covered with reproach and dishonor that seek my hurt.

14 But I will hope continually,
and will yet praise thee more and more.

15 My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness
and thy salvation all the day;
for I know not the numbers thereof.

16 I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD:
I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only.

17 O God, thou hast taught me from my youth:
and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.

18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded,
O God, forsake me not;
until I have showed thy strength unto this generation,
and thy power to every one that is to come.

19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high,
who hast done great things:
O God, who is like unto thee!

20 Thou, which hast showed me great and sore troubles, shalt quicken me again,
and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

21 Thou shalt increase my greatness,
and comfort me on every side.

22 I will also praise thee with the psaltery,
even thy truth, O my God:
unto thee will I sing with the harp,
O thou Holy One of Israel.

23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee;
and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.

24 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long:
for they are confounded,
for they are brought unto shame, that seek my hurt.

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