Book of Common Prayer
God the Judge
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12]. A song.
75 God, we ·thank [praise] you;
we ·thank [praise] you because ·you [L your name] are near.
We tell about the ·miracles [wonders] you do.
2 You say, “I set ·the time for trial [L an appointed time],
and I will judge ·fairly [with integrity].
3 The earth with all its people may ·shake [totter],
but I ·am the one who holds it steady [L set/establish its pillars; C the idea was that the earth was supported by pillars]. ·
4 I say to those who ·are proud [brag; boast], ‘Don’t ·be proud [brag; boast],’
and to the wicked, ‘Don’t ·show your power [L exalt your horn; C a horn is a symbol of strength].
5 Don’t ·try to use your power [L exalt your horn] against ·heaven [L the heights; or on high].
Don’t ·be stubborn [L speak with an insolent neck].’”
6 No one from the east or the west
or the ·desert [wilderness] ·can judge you [comes exalting].
7 God is the judge;
he ·judges one person as guilty [L puts one down] and ·another as innocent [L raises another up].
8 The Lord holds a cup in his hand;
it is ·full of wine mixed with [foaming wine full of] spices [C the cup of God’s wrath; 60:3; Jer. 25:15–29; Nah. 3:11; Matt. 26:39].
He pours it out ·even to the last drop [until its dregs drain out],
and the wicked drink it all.
9 I will tell about this forever;
I will ·sing praise [make a psalm] to the God of Jacob.
10 ·He will take all power away from [L I will cut off all the horns of] the wicked [v. 4],
but the ·power [L horn] of ·good [righteous] people will ·grow [be exalted].
The God Who Always Wins
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12]. A song.
76 ·People in Judah know God [L God is known in Judah];
his ·fame [name] is great in Israel.
2 His Tent is in ·Jerusalem [L Salem; C shortened name of Jerusalem];
his ·home [abode] is on Mount Zion [Ps. 48].
3 There God broke the flaming arrows,
the shields, the swords, and the weapons of war. ·
4 God, how ·wonderful [glorious; awesome; or radiant] you are!
You are more ·splendid [majestic] than the ·hills full of animals [hills full of prey; or everlasting mountains].
5 The ·brave soldiers [L strong of heart] were ·stripped [plundered]
as they ·lay asleep in death [sleep their last sleep].
Not one ·warrior [valiant person]
·had the strength to stop it [L could lift their hand].
6 God of Jacob, ·when you spoke strongly [L at your rebuke/reprimand],
horses and riders ·fell dead [L were in deep sleep; or lay stupefied].
7 You are ·feared [awesome];
·no one [L who…?] can stand against you when you are angry.
8 From heaven you ·gave the decision [made your judgment heard],
and the earth was afraid and silent.
9 God, you ·stood [rose] up to judge
and to ·save [give victory to] the needy people of the earth. ·
10 ·People praise you for your anger against evil [or Human anger praises you].
·Those who live through your anger are stopped from doing more evil [Those who survive your wrath are restrained; L You gird the remains of wrath on you].
11 Make and keep your ·promises [vows] to the Lord your God.
From all around, gifts should come to the God ·we worship [L who is awesome].
12 God ·breaks [cuts off] the spirits of ·great leaders [princes];
the kings on earth fear him.
The Lord the Shepherd
A psalm of David.
23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I ·have everything I need [L will lack nothing].
2 He ·lets me rest [makes me lie down] in green pastures.
He leads me to ·calm [quiet] water.
3 He ·gives me new strength [T renews my soul].
He leads me on paths that are ·right [righteous; or straight]
for the ·good [sake] of his ·name [reputation].
4 Even if I walk through ·a very dark valley [or the shadow of death],
I will ·not be afraid [T fear no evil],
because you are with me.
Your rod and your shepherd’s staff comfort me.
5 You prepare a ·meal [L table] for me
in ·front [the presence] of my enemies.
You ·pour oil of blessing on my head [anoint my head with oil; C oil was a means of refreshment in a hot, dry environment];
you ·fill my cup to overflowing [L make my cup overflow; C a cup of blessing].
6 Surely your goodness and ·love [loyalty; T mercy] will ·be with [pursue; T follow] me
all my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord ·forever [L for length of days].
A Song of Trust in God
Of David.
27 The Lord is my light [18:28; 43:3; Is. 9:2; John 1:4, 9; 8:12; 1 John 1:5] and ·the one who saves me [my salvation].
·So why should I fear anyone [L Whom should I fear]?
The Lord ·protects [L is the stronghold/refuge of] my life.
·So why [L Of whom] should I be afraid?
2 Evil people may try to ·destroy my body [L approach me and devour/consume my flesh].
My enemies and those who hate me ·are overwhelmed and defeated [L stumble and fall].
3 If an army ·surrounds [L camps around] me,
·I [L my heart] will not be afraid.
If war ·breaks out [rises against me],
I will ·trust [have confidence in] ·the Lord [L in this; Rom. 8:31–39].
4 I ask only one thing from the Lord.
This is what I ·want [L seek after]:
Let me ·live [dwell] in the Lord’s house [C the sanctuary]
all the days of my life.
Let me see the Lord’s beauty
and ·look with my own eyes [L make inquiry; C discover God’s will] at his Temple.
5 ·During danger [L In the day of trouble] he will ·keep me safe [L hide me] in his shelter.
He will ·hide [conceal] me in his Holy Tent,
or he will ·keep me safe [L set me high] on a ·high mountain [L rock].
6 My head is higher than my enemies around me.
I will offer joyful sacrifices in his Holy Tent [C the Tabernacle].
I will sing and praise the Lord.
7 Lord, hear ·me [L my voice] when I ·call [pray];
have mercy and answer me.
8 My heart said of you, “Go, ·worship him [L seek his face].”
So I ·come to worship you [L seek your face], Lord.
9 Do not ·turn away [L hide your face] from me.
Do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have helped me.
Do not push me away or ·leave me alone [abandon me],
God, my Savior.
10 If my father and mother ·leave [abandon] me,
the Lord will take me in.
11 Lord, teach me your ways,
and guide me ·to do what is right [L on a straight/right path]
because ·I have [L of my] enemies.
12 Do not hand me over to my enemies,
because ·they tell lies about [L false witnesses rise up against] me [Ex. 20:16]
and ·say they will hurt me [L they breathe out violence].
13 I truly believe
I will see the Lord’s goodness ·during my life [L in the land of the living].
14 ·Wait for [Hope in] the Lord’s help.
Be strong and let your heart be brave,
and ·wait for [hope in] the Lord’s help.
The Feast of Trumpets
23 Again the Lord said to Moses, 24 “Tell the ·people [L sons] of Israel: ‘On the first day of the seventh month you must have a special day of rest, a holy ·meeting [convocation], when you blow the trumpet for a special time of remembering. 25 Do not do any work, and bring an offering made by fire to the Lord [Num. 29:1–6].’”
The Day of Cleansing
26 The Lord said to Moses, 27 “The Day of ·Cleansing [Atonement] will be on the tenth day of the seventh month. There will be a holy ·meeting [convocation], and you will deny yourselves and bring an offering made by fire to the Lord. 28 Do not do any work on that day, because it is the Day of ·Cleansing [Atonement]. On that day the priests will go before the Lord and ·perform the acts to make you clean from sin so you will belong to the Lord [make atonement for you].
29 “Anyone who ·refuses to give up food [or does not deny himself] on this day must be cut off from the people. 30 If anyone works on this day, I will destroy that person from among the people. 31 You must not do any work at all; this ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] will continue ·for people from now on [L throughout your generations] wherever you live. 32 It will be a special day of rest for you, and you must ·deny yourselves [or fast]. You will start this special day of rest on the evening after the ninth day of the month, and it will continue from that evening until the next evening [ch. 16; Num. 9:7–11].”
The Feast of Shelters
33 Again the Lord said to Moses, 34 “Tell the ·people [L sons; children] of Israel: ‘On the fifteenth day of the seventh month is the ·Feast [Festival] of ·Shelters [Booths]. This ·feast [festival] to the Lord will continue for seven days. 35 There will be a holy ·meeting [convocation] on the first day; do not do any work. 36 You will bring an offering made by fire to the Lord each day for seven days. On the eighth day you will have another holy ·meeting [convocation], and you will bring an offering made by fire to the Lord. This will be a holy ·meeting [convocation]; do not do any work.
37 (“‘These are the Lord’s special ·feasts [festivals], when there will be holy ·meetings [convocations] and when you bring offerings made by fire to the Lord. You will bring whole burnt offerings [1:1–17], ·grain [L gift; tribute] offerings [2:1], sacrifices, and drink offerings—each at the right time. 38 These offerings are in addition to those for the Lord’s Sabbath days, in addition to offerings you give as payment for ·special promises [vows], and in addition to ·special offerings you want to give to the Lord [freewill offerings].)
39 “‘So on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, after you have gathered in the crops of the land, celebrate the Lord’s ·festival [feast] for seven days. You must rest on the first day and the eighth day. 40 On the first day you will take good fruit from the fruit trees, as well as branches from palm trees, poplars, and other leafy trees. You will celebrate before the Lord your God for seven days. 41 Celebrate this ·festival [feast] to the Lord for seven days each year. This ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] will continue ·from now on [L throughout your generations]; you will celebrate it in the seventh month. 42 Live in ·shelters [booths] for seven days. All the people born in Israel must live in ·shelters [booths] 43 so that all your descendants will know I made Israel live in ·shelters [booths] during the time I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God [Ex. 23:16–17; Num. 29:12–39; Deut. 16:13–15; 31:9–13].’”
44 So Moses told the people of Israel about all of the Lord’s appointed ·feast [festival] days.
Pray for Us
3 ·And now [or Finally], brothers and sisters, pray for us that the Lord’s ·teaching [message; word] ·will continue to spread quickly [L might run (forward)] and ·that people will give honor to that teaching [L be honored/glorified], just as happened with you. 2 And pray that we will be ·protected [or rescued; delivered] from ·stubborn [or perverse; worthless; wicked] and evil people, because not all people ·believe [have faith].
3 But the Lord is faithful and will give you strength and will protect you from the Evil One [C Satan]. 4 ·The Lord makes us feel sure [L We have confidence about you in the Lord] that you are doing and will continue to do the things we ·told [instructed; commanded] you. 5 May the Lord ·lead [guide; direct] your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s ·patience [endurance; perseverance].
The Duty to Work
6 Brothers and sisters, ·by the authority [L in the name] of our Lord Jesus Christ we command you to stay away from any ·believer [L brother (or sister)] who ·refuses to work [or behaves irresponsibly; L lives/walks in idleness/disorder] and does not follow the ·teaching we gave you [L tradition you received from us]. 7 [L For] You yourselves know that you should ·live as we live [follow our example; imitate us]. [L Because] We were not ·lazy [idle; undisciplined] when we were with you. 8 And when we ate another person’s ·food [bread], we always paid for it. We worked ·very hard [L with labor and toil] night and day so we would not be an ·expense [financial burden] to any of you. 9 ·We had [L It was not because we do not have] the right to ask you to help us, but we worked ·to take care of ourselves so we would [L in order to] be an example for you to ·follow [imitate]. 10 [L For even] When we were with you, we gave you this ·rule [instruction; command]: “Anyone who ·refuses [is not willing] to work should not eat.”
11 [L For; or Yet] We hear that some people in your group ·refuse to work [or are behaving irresponsibly; L are living/walking in idleness/disorder]. They do nothing but ·busy themselves [meddle; interfere] in other people’s lives. 12 We command ·those [such] people and ·beg [urge; encourage; exhort] them in the Lord Jesus Christ to ·work quietly [or settle down] and ·earn [L eat] their own ·food [bread]. 13 But you, brothers and sisters, never become tired of doing good.
14 If some people do not obey what we tell you in this letter, then take note of them. ·Have nothing to do [Do not associate] with them so they will ·feel ashamed [or be shamed]. 15 But do not ·treat [regard] them as enemies. ·Warn [Admonish] them as ·fellow believers [L a brother (or sister)].
Final Words
16 Now may the Lord of peace [L himself] give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
17 I, Paul, ·end this letter now [write this greeting] in my own ·handwriting [L hand]. All my letters have this ·to show they are from me [sign]. This is the way I write.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
The Way to Heaven Is Hard(A)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. [L Because] The gate is wide and the road is ·wide [broad; spacious; or easy] that leads to ·hell [L destruction; ruin], and many people enter through that gate. 14 But the gate is small and the road is ·narrow [or difficult; hard] that leads to true life. ·Only a few people [And there are few who] find that road.
People Know You by Your Actions(B)
15 “·Be careful of [Beware of; Watch out for] false prophets. They come to you ·looking gentle like sheep [disguised like sheep; L in sheep’s clothing], but ·they are really dangerous like wolves [L underneath/inwardly they are ravenous/vicious/ferocious wolves]. 16 You will know these people by ·what they do [L their fruit]. ·Grapes don’t come [L Can you pick grapes…?] from thornbushes, ·and figs don’t come from [L and figs from…?] ·thorny weeds [thistles]. 17 In the same way, every ·good [healthy; sound] tree produces good fruit, but a ·bad [rotten; diseased] tree produces bad fruit. 18 A ·good [healthy; sound] tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a ·bad [rotten; diseased] tree cannot produce good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 In the same way, you will know ·these false prophets [L them] by ·what they do [L their fruit].
21 “Not all those who say [L to me] ·‘You are our Lord’ [L ‘Lord! Lord!’] will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only those who do ·what my Father in heaven wants [the will of my Father in heaven].
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