Book of Common Prayer
A Song About God’s Loyalty
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of Ethan the Ezrahite [C a wise man; 1 Kin. 4:31].
89 I will always sing about the Lord’s ·love [loyalty];
I will ·tell of [L make known with my mouth] his ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·from now on [for generations].
2 I will say, “Your ·love [loyalty] ·continues [L is built] forever;
your ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·goes on and on [is established] like the ·sky [heavens].”
3 You said, “I ·made an agreement [L cut a covenant/treaty] with the man of my choice;
I made a promise to my servant David.
4 I told him, ‘I will ·make your family continue [L establish your seed] forever.
·Your kingdom will go on and on [L I will build your throne for generations; 2; 72; 78:70–72; 2 Sam. 7:11–16; 1 Chr. 17:10–14].’” ·
5 Lord, the heavens praise you for your ·miracles [wonderful acts]
and for your ·loyalty [faithfulness] in the ·meeting [assembly] of your holy ones.
6 Who in ·heaven [the skies] ·is equal to [ranks with] the Lord?
None of the ·angels [gods; divine council/assembly; L sons of God; 82:1] is like the Lord.
7 When the ·holy ones [L council of holy ones] meet, it is God they fear.
He is more ·frightening [awesome] than all who surround him.
8 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], who is like you?
Lord, you are powerful and completely ·trustworthy [faithful].
9 You rule the ·mighty [raging; surging] sea
and ·calm [still] the ·stormy [rising] waves.
10 You crushed the Rahab [C a sea monster, representing chaos (Job 26:12; Is. 51:9) and in some contexts Egypt defeated at the Sea (87:4; Is. 30:7; Ezek. 29:3; 32:3)] like a corpse;
by your ·power [L strong arm] you scattered your enemies.
11 The ·skies [heavens] and the earth belong to you.
You ·made [founded] the world and ·everything in it [L its fullness].
12 You created the north and the south.
Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon [C majestic mountains] sing for joy at your name.
13 Your arm has great power.
Your hand is strong; your right hand is lifted up.
14 Your ·kingdom [L throne] is ·built [established] on ·what is right and fair [righteousness and judgment/justice].
·Love [Loyalty] and ·truth [faithfulness] are ·in all you do [L before your face].
15 ·Happy [Blessed] are the people who know how to ·praise [shout to] you.
Lord, let them ·live [L walk] in the light of your ·presence [L face].
16 In your name they rejoice
and continually ·praise [exalt] your ·goodness [righteousness].
17 You are their ·glorious [beautiful] strength,
and in your ·kindness [favor] you ·honor our king [L lift up our horn; C symbol of power and here of the king].
18 Our shield [C the king] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.
19 ·Once [Then], in a vision [2 Sam. 7:4], you spoke
to ·those who worship you [your faithful ones/saints].
You said, “I have ·given strength to [L set help on] a warrior;
I have raised up a ·young man [chosen one] from my people [1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22].
20 I have found my servant David;
I ·appointed him by pouring [L have anointed him with] holy oil on him [1 Sam. 16:1–13].
21 I will steady him with my hand
and strengthen him with my arm.
22 No enemy will ·make him give forced payments [make him pay tribute; or prevail over/or outwit him],
and wicked people will not ·defeat [afflict; humble] him.
23 I will ·crush [pound] his enemies in front of him;
I will ·defeat [strike down] those who hate him.
24 My ·loyalty [faithfulness] and ·love [loyalty] will be with him.
Through ·me [L my name] ·he will be strong [L his horn will be raised up; v. 17].
25 I will ·give him power [L set his hand] over the sea
·and control [L his right hand] over the rivers [C the waters represent chaos].
26 He will ·say [proclaim] to me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my ·Savior [Victor].’
27 I will make him my firstborn son,
the ·greatest [highest] king on earth [2:7; 2 Sam. 7:14].
28 My ·love [loyalty] will ·watch over [keep; guard] him forever,
and my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with him will ·never end [be faithful].
29 I will ·make his family continue [L set his seed forever],
and his ·kingdom [L throne] ·will last as long as the skies [L like the days of the skies/heavens].
30 “If his descendants ·reject [leave; abandon] my ·teachings [instructions; laws]
and do not ·follow [L walk in] my ·laws [judgments],
31 if they ·ignore [profane] my ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements]
and ·disobey [L do not keep/guard] my commands,
32 then I will punish their ·sins [transgressions] with a rod
and their ·wrongs [guilt] with ·a whip [lashes].
33 But I will not ·hold back [break; invalidate] my ·love [loyalty] from ·David [L him],
nor will I ·stop being loyal [L deal falsely with my faithfulness].
34 I will not ·break [profane; violate] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]
nor ·change [alter] what ·I have said [L came out of my lips].
35 Once and for all I have ·promised [sworn] by my holiness,
I will not lie to David.
36 His ·family [L seed] will go on forever.
His ·kingdom [L throne] will last before me like the sun.
37 It will ·continue [be established] forever, like the moon,
like a ·dependable [reliable; faithful] witness in the sky.” ·
38 But now you have ·refused [spurned] and rejected him.
You have been angry with your ·appointed king [L anointed; v. 20].
39 You have ·abandoned [disavowed] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with your servant
and ·thrown [profaned; defiled] his crown ·to [or in] the ground [Jer. 13:18–19].
40 You have ·torn down [broken up] all his city walls;
you have turned his strong cities into ruins.
41 Everyone who passes by ·steals from [plunders] him.
·His neighbors insult him [L He is scorned by/a reproach to his neighbors].
42 You have ·given strength of [L exalted the right hand of] his ·enemies [foes]
and have made ·them all [L all his enemies] happy.
43 You have ·made his sword useless [turned back the blade/L rock of his sword];
you did not help him stand in battle.
44 You have ·kept him from winning [or put aside his purity]
and have thrown his throne to the ground.
45 You have cut ·his life [L the days of his youth] short
and ·covered [wrapped] him with shame. ·
46 Lord, how long will this go on?
Will you ·ignore [hide from] us forever?
How long will your anger burn like a fire?
47 Remember how ·short [fleeting] my life is.
Why did you create us? For ·nothing [futility; vanity; no purpose]?
48 What person alive will not ·die [L see death]?
Who can escape ·the grave [L from the hand/power of Sheol; C the grave or the underworld]? ·
49 Lord, where is your ·love [loyalty] from times past,
which in your ·loyalty [faithfulness] you ·promised [swore] to David [2 Sam. 7:11–14]?
50 Lord, remember ·how they insulted [L the reproach/scorn of] your servant;
remember how I ·have suffered the insults of the nations [L carry in my bosom all of the many peoples].
51 Lord, remember how your enemies ·insulted [reproached; scorned] you
and how they ·insulted [reproached; scorned] ·your appointed king wherever he went [L the footsteps of your anointed; v. 20].
52 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord forever!
Amen and amen.
30 When Rachel saw that she was not having children for Jacob, she ·envied [was jealous of] her sister Leah. She said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” 2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “·Can I do what only God can do [L Am I in the place of God]? He ·is the one who has kept you from having children [L has withheld the fruit of your womb].”
3 Then Rachel said, “Here is my slave girl Bilhah. ·Have sexual relations with [L Go to] her so she can ·give birth to a child for me [L bear a child on my knees]. Then I can ·have my own family [L be built up] through her.”
4 So Rachel gave Bilhah, her slave girl, to Jacob as a ·wife [or concubine], and he ·had sexual relations with [L went to] her. 5 Bilhah ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave Jacob a son. 6 Rachel said, “God has ·judged me innocent [vindicated me]. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son,” so she named him Dan [C sounds like “he has judged” in Hebrew].
7 Bilhah ·became pregnant [conceived] again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel said, “I have ·struggled [or wrestled] hard with my sister, and I have won.” So she named that son Naphtali [C sounds like “my struggle/wrestling” in Hebrew].
9 Leah saw that she had stopped having children, so she gave her slave girl Zilpah to Jacob as a ·wife [or concubine]. 10 When Zilpah, the slave girl of Leah, ·got pregnant [conceived] and had a son, 11 Leah said, “·I am lucky [Good fortune],” so she named him Gad [C sounds like “lucky” in Hebrew]. 12 Zilpah, the slave girl of Leah, gave birth to another son, 13 and Leah said, “I am very ·happy [or blessed]! Now women will call me ·happy [or blessed],” so she named him Asher [C sounds like “happy/blessed” in Hebrew].
14 During the wheat harvest Reuben went into the field and found some mandrake plants [C an aphrodisiac, also thought to increase fertility] and brought them to his mother Leah. But Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
15 Leah answered, “·You have already [L Is it a minor matter that you have] taken away my husband, and now you are trying to take away my son’s mandrakes.”
But Rachel answered, “If you will give me your son’s mandrakes, you may ·sleep [L lie] with Jacob tonight.”
16 When Jacob came in from the field ·that night [in the evening], Leah went out to meet him. She said, “You will ·have sexual relations with [L come to] me tonight because I have ·paid for [bought; hired] you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob ·slept [L lay] with her that night.
17 Then God ·answered Leah’s prayer [L heard Leah], and she ·became pregnant [L conceived] again. She gave birth to a fifth son 18 and said, “God has given me what I ·paid for [bought; hired], because I gave my slave girl to my husband.” So Leah named her son Issachar [C sounds like “paid for” in Hebrew].
19 Leah ·became pregnant [conceived] again and gave birth to a sixth son. 20 ·She [L Leah] said, “God has given me a fine ·gift [dowry]. Now surely Jacob will ·honor [exalt] me, because I have given him six sons,” so she named him Zebulun [C sounds like “honor” in Hebrew]. 21 Later Leah gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah [ch. 34].
22 Then God remembered Rachel and ·answered her prayer [L heard her], ·making it possible for her to have children [L and opened her womb]. 23 When she ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son, she said, “God has taken away my ·shame [reproach],” 24 and she named him Joseph [C sounds like “he adds” in Hebrew]. Rachel said, “I wish the Lord would ·give [L add to] me another son.”
1 We ·write [announce/proclaim to] you now about what ·has always existed [was from the beginning; Gen. 1:1; John 1:1], which we have heard, [L which] we have seen with our own eyes, [L which] we have looked at, and we have touched with our hands. We ·write [announce/proclaim] to you about the ·Word that gives life [Word of life; C associating the logos or “word” with Jesus suggests he is God’s communication with humanity; John 1:4; 11:25; 14:6]. 2 ·He who gives life [L The life] ·was shown [appeared; was revealed] to us. We saw him and can ·give proof about [testify/witness to] it. And now we ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you ·that he has life that continues forever [L the eternal life]. He was with ·God the Father [L the Father] and ·was shown [appeared; was revealed] to us. 3 We ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you what we have seen and heard, ·because we want you also to have [so that you also may have] fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with ·God the Father [L the Father] and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to you so ·we[a] may be full of joy [our joy may be complete/perfect/come to full expression].
God Forgives Our Sins
5 Here is the message we have heard from ·Christ [L him] and now ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you: God is light [C referring to God’s truth and goodness], and in him there is no darkness [C referring to falsehood and evil] at all. 6 So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we ·continue living [L are walking] in darkness, we are liars and do not ·follow [perform; practice; act according to] the truth [John 8:12; 12:35]. 7 But if we ·live [L walk] in the light, as ·God [L he] is in the light, we ·can share [have] fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.
8 If we say we ·have no sin [or have no sin nature; or are not guilty of sinning], we are ·fooling [deceiving] ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because ·we can trust God to do what is right [L he is faithful and righteous/just; Deut. 32:4]. He will ·cleanse [purify] us from all ·the wrongs we have done [unrighteousness]. 10 If we ·say [claim] we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and ·we do not accept God’s teaching [L his word is not in us].
Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind
9 As Jesus ·was walking along [passed by; went along], he saw a man who had been born blind. 2 His ·followers [disciples] asked him, “·Teacher [L Rabbi], whose sin caused this man to be born blind—his own sin or his parents’ sin?” [C The disciples, like the friends of Job, viewed suffering as the result of a person’s own sins.]
3 Jesus answered, “It is not this man’s sin or his parents’ sin that made him blind. This man was born blind so that God’s ·power [L works] could be ·shown [displayed; revealed; manifest] in him. 4 While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the One who sent me. Night is coming [C Jesus’ death], when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world [see 8:12].”
6 After Jesus said this, he spit on the ground and made some mud with ·it [L the saliva] and ·put [spread; anointed] the mud on the man’s eyes [C the significance of the mud made with spit is unclear]. 7 Then he told the man, “Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam.” (Siloam [C from a Hebrew word] means Sent.) So the man went, washed, and came back seeing.
8 The neighbors and some people who had earlier seen this man begging said, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?”
9 Some said, “He is the one,” but others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
The man himself said, “I am the man.”
10 [L Therefore] They asked him, “How [L then] ·did you get your sight [L were your eyes opened]?”
11 He answered, “The man named Jesus made some mud and ·put [spread; anointed] it on my eyes. Then he told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 They asked him, “Where is this man?”
“I don’t know,” he answered.
Pharisees Question the Healing
13 Then the people took to the Pharisees [C a religious party which strictly observed OT laws and later customs] the man who had been blind. 14 The day Jesus had made mud and healed his eyes was a Sabbath day [C on which no work was allowed]. 15 So now the Pharisees asked the man, “How did you get your sight?”
He answered, “He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and now I see.”
16 So some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man does not keep the Sabbath day [C according to rabbinic tradition neither kneading nor healing were permitted on the Sabbath], so he is not from God.”
But others said, “·A man who is a sinner can’t [L How can a man who is a sinner…?] do ·miracles [L signs] like these.” So ·they could not agree with each other [L there was a division among them].
17 [L Therefore; So; Then] They asked the man again, “What do you say about him, since it was your eyes he opened?”
The man answered, “He is a prophet.”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.