Evening Prayer

¹ O GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious * and his mercy endureth for ever.

² Who can express the noble acts of the Lord * or shew forth all his praise?

³ Blessed are they that alway keep judgement * and do righteousness.

⁴ Remember me, O Lord, according to the favour that thou bearest unto thy people * O visit me with thy salvation;

⁵ That I may see the felicity of thy chosen * and rejoice in the gladness of thy people, and give thanks with thine inheritance.

⁶ We have sinned with our fathers * we have done amiss, and dealt wickedly.

⁷ Our fathers regarded not thy wonders in Egypt, neither kept they thy great goodness in remembrance * but were disobedient at the sea, even at the Red sea.

⁸ Nevertheless, he helped them for his Name's sake * that he might make his power to be known.

⁹ He rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up * so he led them through the deep, as through a wilderness.

¹⁰ And he saved them from the adversaries' hand * and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.

¹¹ As for those that troubled them, the waters overwhelmed them * there was not one of them left.

¹² Then believed they his words * and sang praise unto him.

¹³ But within a while they forgat his works * and would not abide his counsel.

¹⁴ But lust came upon them in the wilderness * and they tempted God in the desert.

¹⁵ And he gave them their desire * and sent leanness withal into their soul.

¹⁶ They angered Moses also in the tents * and Aaron the saint of the Lord.

¹⁷ So the earth opened, and swallowed up Dathan * and covered the congregation of Abiram.

¹⁸ And the fire was kindled in their company * the flame burnt up the ungodly.

¹⁹ They made a calf in Horeb * and worshipped the molten image.

²⁰ Thus they turned their glory * into the similitude of a calf that eateth hay.

²¹ And they forgat God their Saviour * who had done so great things in Egypt;

²² Wondrous works in the land of Ham * and fearful things by the Red sea.

²³ So he said, he would have destroyed them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in the gap * to turn away his wrathful indignation, lest he should destroy them.

²⁴ Yea, they thought scorn of that pleasant land * and gave no credence unto his word;

²⁵ But murmured in their tents * and hearkened not unto the voice of the lord.

²⁶ Then lift he up his hand against them * to overthrow them in the wilderness;

²⁷ To cast out their seed among the nations * and to scatter them in the lands.

²⁸ They joined themselves unto Baal-peor * and ate the offerings of the dead.

²⁹ Thus they provoked him to anger with their own inventions * and the plague was great among them.

³⁰ Then stood up Phinees and prayed * and so the plague ceased.

³¹ And that was counted unto him for righteousness * among all posterities for evermore.

³² They angered him also at the waters of strife * so that he punished Moses for their sakes;

³³ Because they provoked his spirit * so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

³⁴ Neither destroyed they the heathen * as the Lord commanded them;

³⁵ But were mingled among the heathen * and learned their works.

³⁶ Insomuch that they worshipped their idols, which turned to their own decay * yea, they offered their sons and their daughters unto devils;

³⁷ And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters * whom they had offered unto the idols of Canaan; and the land was defiled with blood.

³⁸ Thus were they stained with their own works * and went a whoring with their own inventions.

³⁹ Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people * insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

⁴⁰ And he gave them over into the hands of the heathen * and they that hated them were lords over them.

⁴¹ Their enemies oppressed them * and had them in subjection.

⁴² Many a time did he deliver them * but they rebelled against him with their own inventions, and were brought down in their wickedness.

⁴³ Nevertheless, when he saw their adversity * he heard their complaint.

⁴⁴ He thought upon his covenant, and pitied them according unto the multitude of his mercies * yea, he made all those that led them away captive to pity them.

⁴⁵ Deliver us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen * that we may give thanks unto thy holy Name, and make our boast of thy praise.

⁴⁶ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting and world without end * and let all the people say, Amen.