12th December

¹ Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble.² He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.³ And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee?⁴ Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.⁵ Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;⁶ Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day.⁷ For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease.⁸ Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;⁹ Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.¹⁰ But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?¹¹ As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:¹² So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.¹³ O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!¹⁴ If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.¹⁵ Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.¹⁶ For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?¹⁷ My transgression is sealed up in a bag, and thou sewest up mine iniquity.¹⁸ And surely the mountains falling cometh to nought, and the rock is removed out of his place.¹⁹ The waters wear the stones: thou washest away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth; and thou destroyest the hope of man.²⁰ Thou prevailest for ever against him, and he passeth: thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away.²¹ His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.²² But his flesh upon him shall have pain, and his soul within him shall mourn.

¹ The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.² O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!³ Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.⁴ Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.⁵ Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you.⁶ For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not their's.⁷ They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.⁸ Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.⁹ They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.¹⁰ And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.¹¹ Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.¹² Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.¹³ Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?¹⁴ And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?¹⁵ They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.¹⁶ Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.¹⁷ Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?

¹ Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, all evil speakings,² As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:³ If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.⁴ To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,⁵ Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.⁶ Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.⁷ Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,⁸ And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.⁹ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;¹⁰ Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.¹¹ Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;¹² Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.¹³ Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;¹⁴ Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.¹⁵ For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:¹⁶ As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.¹⁷ Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.¹⁹ For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully.²⁰ For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.²¹ For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:²² Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:²³ Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:²⁴ Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.²⁵ For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.