Book of Common Prayer
A Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
140 Lord, rescue me from evil people;
protect me from ·cruel [violent] people
2 who ·make evil plans [L consider evil in their hearts],
who ·always start fights [L every day stir up war; Prov. 15:18; 29:22].
3 They make their tongues sharp as a snake’s;
·their words are like snake poison [L the venom of vipers is under their lips; Rom. 3:13]. ·
4 Lord, ·guard [keep] me from the ·power [L hand] of wicked people;
protect me from ·cruel [violent] people
who plan ·to trip me up [my downfall].
5 The ·proud [arrogant] hid a trap for me.
They spread out a net [L with cords] beside the road;
they set ·traps [snares] for me. ·
6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Lord, ·listen [L give ear] to my prayer ·for help [of supplication].
7 Lord God, my ·mighty [strong] ·savior [victor],
you ·protect me in [L cover my head in the day of] battle.
8 Lord, do not give the wicked what they ·want [desire].
Don’t let their plans succeed,
or they will become ·proud [exalted]. ·
9 Those around me have ·planned trouble [L uplifted heads].
Now let ·it [L the trouble of their lips] come to them.
10 Let burning coals ·fall [rain] on them.
·Throw them [Let them fall] into the fire
or into pits from which they cannot ·escape [get up].
11 Don’t let ·liars [L a tongue-man] ·settle [be established] in the land.
Let evil ·quickly [or with blows] hunt down ·cruel [violent] people.
12 I know the Lord will get justice for the poor
and will defend the needy in court.
13 ·Good [Righteous] people will ·praise [thank] his name;
·honest [virtuous] people will live in his presence.
A Prayer for Safety
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of David when he was in the cave [C at Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1, 4) or En-Gedi (1 Sam. 24:1–22)]. A prayer.
142 I cry out to the Lord;
I ·pray [cry out] to the Lord for ·mercy [grace].
2 I pour out my ·problems [complaint] to him;
I tell him my ·troubles [distress].
3 When ·I am afraid [I am depressed; L my spirit is faint],
you, Lord, know ·the way out [L my way].
In the path where I walk,
·a trap is hidden [L they have hidden a trap] for me.
4 Look ·around me [L at/on my right hand] and see.
No one cares about me.
·I have no place of safety [L A place of refuge perishes from me];
no one ·cares if I live [L seeks for my soul].
5 Lord, I cry out to you.
I say, “You are my ·protection [refuge].
·You are all I want in this life [L …my portion in the land of the living].”
6 ·Listen [Pay attention] to my cry,
because I am ·helpless [brought very low].
·Save [Protect] me from those who are ·chasing [pursuing; persecuting] me,
because they are too strong for me.
7 ·Free me [L Bring me out] from my prison,
and then I will ·praise [thank] your name.
Then ·good [righteous] people will surround me,
because you have ·taken care of me [given me my reward].
A Prayer Not to Sin
A psalm of David.
141 Lord, I ·call [pray] to you. Come quickly to me.
·Listen to me [L Give ear to my voice] when I ·call [pray] to you.
2 Let my prayer be like incense placed before you [Ex. 30:7–8; Rev. 5:8],
and ·my praise [L the lifting of my hands] like the evening sacrifice.
3 Lord, ·help me control my tongue [L set a guard on my mouth];
·help me be careful about what I say [L keep watch on the door of my mouth; Prov. 13:3; 21:23; James 3:1–12].
4 ·Take away my desire to do evil [L Don’t incline my heart to an evil matter]
or to join others in doing wrong.
Don’t let me eat tasty food
with those who do evil.
5 If a ·good [righteous] person ·punished [L hit] me, that would be ·kind [an act of loyalty].
If he corrected me, that would be like perfumed oil on my head.
·I [L My head] shouldn’t refuse it.
But I pray against those who do evil.
6 Let their ·leaders [judges] be thrown down the cliffs.
Then people will ·know that I have spoken correctly [L listen to my words for they are pleasant]:
7 “·The ground [or The rock; L Like it] is plowed and broken up.
In the same way, our bones have been scattered at the ·grave [L mouth of Sheol; C the grave or the underworld].”
8 God, ·I look to you for help [L my eyes are to you].
I ·trust [find refuge] in you, Lord. Don’t let ·me die [L my life pour out].
9 ·Protect [Guard; Keep] me from the traps they set for me
and from the net that evil people have spread.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
but let me pass by safely.
A Prayer Not to Be Killed
A psalm of David.
143 Lord, hear my prayer;
·listen [L give ear] to my ·cry for mercy [prayer of supplication].
Answer me
because you are ·loyal [faithful] and ·good [righteous].
2 Don’t ·judge me [L bring me into judgment], your servant,
because no one alive is ·right [righteous] before you [Rom. 3:22; Gal. 2:16].
3 My enemies are ·chasing [pursuing; persecuting] me;
they crushed me to the ground.
They made me ·live [sit] in darkness
like those long dead [Lam. 3:6].
4 ·I am afraid [I am depressed; L my spirit is faint; 142:3];
my ·courage is gone [L heart within me is desolated].
5 I remember ·what happened long ago [L the former days];
I ·consider [meditated on] everything you have done.
I ·think [considered] ·about all you have made [L the work of your hands].
6 I ·lift my hands to you in prayer [L spread out my hands to you].
·As a dry land needs rain, I thirst [L My life/soul is like a thirsty/parched land] for you. ·
7 Lord, answer me quickly,
because ·I am getting weak [L my spirit languishes].
Don’t ·turn away [L hide your face] from me,
or I will be like those who ·are dead [L go down to the pit].
8 ·Tell me [Make me hear] in the morning about your ·love [loyalty],
because I ·trust [have confidence in] you.
·Show me what I should do [L Make me know the way I should walk],
because ·my prayers go up [L I lift up my soul] to you.
9 Lord, ·save [protect] me from my enemies;
I hide in you.
10 Teach me to do ·what you want [your will],
because you are my God.
Let your good Spirit [or spirit]
·lead [guide] me on level ground.
11 Lord, let me live
·so people will praise you [L for the sake of your name].
In your ·goodness [righteousness]
·save me [L bring me out] from my ·troubles [distress].
12 In your ·love [loyalty] ·defeat [destroy] my enemies.
·Destroy [L Make perish] all those who ·trouble [distress] me,
because I am your servant.
21 “I will ·show [display] my glory [C manifest presence] among the nations. All the nations will see ·my power when I punish [L the judgment I executed and the hand I laid on] them. 22 From that time onward the ·people [L house] of Israel will know that I am the Lord their God. 23 The nations will know [L the house of] Israel ·was taken away captive [went into exile] because they sinned and were unfaithful to me. So I ·turned away [L hid my face] from them and handed them over to their enemies until all of them died ·in war [L by the sword]. 24 Because of their uncleanness [C ritual] and their ·sins [transgressions], I ·punished [dealt with] them and ·turned away [hid my face] from them.
25 “So this is what the Lord God says: Now I will ·bring the people of Jacob back from captivity [L restore the fortunes of Jacob], and I will have ·mercy [compassion] on the whole ·nation [L house] of Israel. I will ·not let them dishonor me [L be zealous/jealous for my holy name]. 26 The people will forget their shame and ·how they rejected [their unfaithfulness to] me when they live again in safety on their own land with no one to make them afraid. 27 I will bring the people back from ·other lands [the nations/peoples] and gather them from the lands of their enemies. So I will use my people to ·show many nations that I am holy [L display my holiness in the eyes of many nations.]. 28 Then my people will know that I am the Lord their God, because I sent them into ·captivity [exile] among the nations, but then I ·brought them back [gathered them] to their own land, leaving no one behind. 29 I will not ·turn away [L hide my face] from them anymore, because I will put my ·Spirit [or spirit] into the ·people [L house] of Israel, says the Lord God [11:19; 36:26–27; 37:14].”
We Are God’s Children
3 ·The Father has loved us so much [L See what sort of love the Father has given us…!] that we are called children of God. ·And we really are his children [L And we are!]. The reason ·the people in the world do [L the world does] not know us is that they have not known him. 2 ·Dear friends [L Beloved], now we are children of God, and ·we have not yet been shown [it has not yet been revealed] what we will be in the future. But we know that when ·Christ comes again [L he/it is revealed], we will be like him, because we will see him as he really is. 3 And all who have this hope in ·Christ [L him] keep themselves pure, just as ·Christ [L he] is pure.
4 ·The person [L Everyone] who ·sins [commits sin] ·breaks God’s law [commits lawlessness/iniquity; C referring to the false teachers; 2:19–20]. Yes, sin is ·living against God’s law [lawlessness; iniquity]. 5 You know that ·Christ came [L he has appeared/was revealed] to take away sins and that there is no sin in ·Christ [L him]. 6 So anyone who ·lives [abides; remains] in ·Christ [L him] does not ·go on sinning [or sin; C the Christian ideal, an implicit call to avoid sin]. Anyone who ·goes on sinning [or sins] has ·never really understood Christ and has never known him [L neither seen him nor known him].
7 Dear children [2:1], do not let anyone ·lead you the wrong way [deceive you]. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as ·Christ [L he] is righteous. 8 Anyone who ·continues to sin [or sins] belongs to the devil [John 8:44], because the devil has been sinning since the beginning. The Son of God ·came [was revealed; appeared] for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work [Matt. 4:1–11; 12:25–29; Luke 10:18; John 12:31; Rev. 12:7–12; 20:1–3].
9 ·Those [L All] who are ·God’s children [L born of/begotten by God; 2:29] do not ·continue sinning [or sin], because ·the new life from God [or God’s message; or God’s Spirit; L his seed/sperm] ·remains [abides] in them. They are not able to ·go on sinning [or sin], because they ·have become children of God [L are born of/begotten by God]. 10 ·So we can see [L In this way it is apparent/revealed/evident] who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are: Those who do not ·do what is right [practice righteousness] are not ·God’s children [L from/of God], and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not ·God’s children [L from/of God].
24 “A ·student [disciple; follower] is not ·better than [superior to; L above] his teacher, and a ·servant [slave] is not ·better than [superior to; L above] his ·master [lord]. 25 ·A student should be satisfied [L It is enough for a student/disciple/follower] to become like his teacher; ·a servant should be satisfied to become [L and a servant/slave] like his master. If the head of the family [C here referring to Jesus] is called Beelzebul [C another name for Satan], ·then the other members of the family will be called worse names [L how much more the members of his household]!
Fear God, Not People(A)
26 “So don’t be afraid of those people, because everything that is ·hidden [concealed; covered up] will be ·shown [revealed; uncovered; disclosed]. Everything that is ·secret [hidden] will be made ·known [clear]. 27 I tell you these things in the dark, but I want you to tell them in the ·light [daylight]. What you hear whispered in your ear you should ·shout [proclaim] from the housetops. 28 Don’t be afraid of people, who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is the one who can destroy [L both] the soul and the body in ·hell [L Gehenna; 5:22]. 29 Two sparrows are sold [L Are not two sparrows sold…?] for only a penny [C Greek: assarion; a copper coin of very low value], but not even one of them can ·die [L fall to the ground] ·without your Father’s knowing it [or apart from your Father’s will]. 30 God even ·knows [numbers; counts] how many hairs are on your head. 31 So don’t be afraid. You are ·worth much more [more valuable] than many sparrows.
32 “All those who ·stand before others and say they believe in me [L confess/acknowledge me before people], I will ·say before my Father in heaven that they belong to me [L confess/acknowledge them before my Father in heaven]. 33 But all who ·stand before others and say they do not believe in me [L deny/disown me before people] I will ·say before my Father in heaven that they do not belong to me [L also deny/disown them before my Father in heaven].
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