The epistle is taken from the book of Saint John, the Divine, chapter 17.

 

The Gospel. The Gospel bells are ringing, over land from sea to sea. Blessed news of free salvation, Fari offers you and me.

 

The Gospel trumpet sound, the news of Zion grace. We happy souls draw near, and behold King Rasta's face. The year of Jubilee has come. Return your ransoms to your home.

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The Epistle:

These words spake Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify thy son, that thy son will also glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he will give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that we will know thee. The only true God, and Jesus Christus whom Thou hast sent.

I have glorified Thee on the earth. I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.

I have manifested Thy name unto the men which Thou gavest me out of the world. Thine they were, and Thou gavest them me, and they have kept Thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever Thou hast given me are of Thee. For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest me, and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send me. 

I pray for them, I pray not for the world, yet for them which Thou hast given me. For they are Thine, and all mine are Thine, and Thine are mine, and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world. Yet these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own name those whom Thou hast given me, that they will be one, as we are. 

While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Thy name. Those that Thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, yet the son of perdition, that the Scriptures be fulfilled. And now come I to Thee, and these things speak I in the world, that they will have my joy fulfilled within themselves. I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 

I pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, yet that thou shouldst keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth, for thy word is true. As Thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also will be sanctified through the truth. 

Neither pray I for these alone, yet for them also which will believe on me through their word. That they all will be one, as Thou, Father, art in me and I in Thee. That they also will be one in us. That the world will believe that Thou hast sent me.

O Righteous Father, the world hath not known Thee, yet I have known me, and these have known that Thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them Thy name, and will declare it, that the love wherewith Thou hast loved me will be in them, and I in them. A Man, Selah.

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Will the meditation of our hearts and the words of our mouth, be acceptable in thy sight, O Jah, our strength and our Redeemer, who liveth and reigneth forever. Selah. 

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of the sinner, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  Our delight is in the law of our Lord, and in His law do we meditate day and night. And we are the tree that is planted by the rivers of the waters, that bringeth forth our fruit in due season.

Our leaves also will not wither, and whatsoever we doth will prosper.  The ungodly are not so, they are the chaff which the Word driveth away. Therefore the ungodly will not stand in this judgment, nor the sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For our Lord knoweth the way of the righteous. The way of the ungodly will perish, Selah.

We ever open our lips to Allah Jah, and our mouths to show forth thy praise. For in the congregation of the saints do we bless our Lord. Allah, into thy hand we commit our spirit. Thou art redeemed us, O Lord, God of truth, a man, Selah.

Glory to God on high, let heaven and earth reply. Angels, who's love adore, whom all our sorrows bore. Saints now cry forevermore, worthy as the Lamb, Selah.

Love beloved, love brethren, love sisters, love. Let perfect love and friendship reign, through all eternity. Eternity draweth nigh, draweth nigh unto God. For God draweth nigh unto thee. For with the spirit of love he has stirred us, to be one in this coming year.

On this blessed day our calling to fulfill, to whom will all our prayers engage to do Rastafari's will. For his will is a blessed will, and his will must be done. On earth, so it is in Zion. Zion, choice and happy place, adorned with wondrous grace. As walls of strength embrace thee round, in these our tribes appear. To pray and praise and hear. The sacred, gospel, joyful sound. The sound prolonged, in a man's heart.

Thump them down, Niahman's sound. Lick them down, Coptic sound. The sound prolonged, in a man's heart. 

Ethiopia, the land of our fathers. The land where all gods love to be. With them swiftly to all, so then gather. His children are gathering to Thee.

With our red, gold, and green, floating o're us. And our emperor to shield us from wrong. With our God and our future before us, we hail and we shout and we chant. 

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God bless our Negus, Negus, I, who keeps Ethiopia free. To advance with truth and right, to advance with love and light. With righteousness leading, we haste to Jah's call.  Humanity pleading, one God for us all.