Book of Common Prayer
Praise to God the King
A psalm of praise. Of David.
145 I ·praise your greatness [exalt you], my God the King;
I will ·praise [bless] ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
2 I will ·praise [bless] you every day;
I will praise ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and ·worthy of our praise [greatly to be praised; 48:1];
·no one can understand how great he is [L there is no searching out/limit to his greatness].
4 ·Parents [L A generation] will ·tell their children [L praise to a generation] what you have done.
They will ·retell [proclaim] your mighty acts,
5 ·wonderful majesty, and glory [L and the majestic glory of your splendor; C God’s manifest presence].
And I will ·think about [meditate on] your ·miracles [wonderful works].
6 They will tell about the ·amazing things you do [L might of your awesomeness],
and I will ·tell [recount] how great you are.
7 They will ·remember [bubble forth with] ·your great goodness [L the remembrance of your goodness]
and will sing about your ·fairness [righteousness].
8 The Lord is ·kind [gracious] and ·shows mercy [compassionate].
He ·does not become angry quickly [is slow to anger] but ·is full of love [has great loyalty].
9 The Lord is good to everyone;
he is ·merciful [compassionate] to all he has made [86:15; 103:8; Ex. 34:6–7; Neh. 9:17, 31; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2].
10 Lord, everything you have made will ·praise [bless] you;
·those who belong to you [your saints/loyal ones] will bless you.
11 They will tell about the glory of your kingdom
and will speak about your ·power [strength].
12 Then everyone will know the mighty things you do
and the glory and ·majesty [splendor] of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom ·will go on and on [L is an eternal kingdom],
and you will rule ·forever [L from generation to generation; Dan. 4:3].
The Lord ·will keep all his promises [L is faithful/true in all his words];
he is loyal to all he has made.[a]
14 The Lord ·helps [supports] those who have ·been defeated [L fallen]
and ·takes care of [L lifts up] those who are ·in trouble [bowed down].
15 ·All living things look to you for food [L The eyes of all look to you],
and you give ·it [L their food] to them at the right time.
16 You open your hand,
and you satisfy the desire of all living things [Matt. 6:25–27].
17 ·Everything the Lord does is right [L The Lord is righteous in all his ways].
He is loyal ·to all he has made [or in all his deeds].
18 The Lord is ·close [near] to everyone who ·prays to [calls on] him,
to all who ·truly pray to him [call on him in truth/faithfulness].
19 He ·gives those who respect him what they want [L accomplishes the desire of all who fear him; Prov. 1:7].
He listens when they cry, and he ·saves them [gives them victory].
20 The Lord ·protects [guards; keeps] everyone who loves him,
but he will destroy the wicked.
21 ·I will praise [L My mouth will speak the praise of] the Lord.
Let ·everyone [L all flesh] ·praise [bless] his holy name forever.
Praise to God Who Made the World
104 ·My whole being [T O my soul], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
Lord my God, you are very great.
You are clothed with ·glory [splendor] and ·majesty [beauty];
2 you ·wear [L wrap yourself in] light like a robe [Hab. 3:4; 1 John 1:5].
You stretch out the ·skies [heavens] like a tent [Is. 40:22].
3 You ·build your room above the clouds [L set the beams of your upper room on the waters].
You make the clouds your chariot [18:10–19; 68:4; Is. 19:1; Dan. 7:13–14; Luke 21:27; Rev. 1:7],
and you ride on the wings of the wind.
4 You make the winds your messengers,
and flames of fire are your ·servants [ministers; Heb. 1:7].
5 You ·built [founded] the earth on its foundations
so it can never be moved.
6 You covered the earth with ·oceans [L the deeps];
the water ·was above [L stood over] the mountains.
7 But at your ·command [reprimand; rebuke], the water ·rushed away [fled].
·When you thundered your orders [L At the sound of your thunder], it hurried away.
8 The mountains rose; the valleys sank.
The water went to the places you ·made [founded] for it.
9 You set borders for the seas that they cannot ·cross [pass],
so water will never cover the earth again [C as before the third day creation or during the Flood; Gen. 1:9–10; 9:9–17; Job 38:8–11; Prov. 8:29].
10 You make springs pour into the ·ravines [wadis];
they flow between the mountains.
11 They water all the ·wild animals [L creatures of the field];
the wild donkeys ·come there to drink [L quench their thirst].
12 ·Wild birds [Birds of the sky/heavens] ·make nests by the water [L dwell by them];
they ·sing [L give voice] among the tree branches.
13 You water the mountains from ·above [L your high dwelling].
The earth is ·full of [or satisfied by] ·the things you made [L the fruit of your works].
14 You make the grass grow for cattle
and ·vegetables [plants] for the people to ·use [cultivate].
You make ·food [or bread] ·grow [L come out] from the earth.
15 You give us wine that ·makes happy hearts [rejoices the hearts of people; John 2:1–12]
and olive oil that makes our faces shine [C soothing skin in a dry climate; Luke 7:46].
You give us bread that gives us ·strength [sustenance].
16 The Lord’s trees ·have plenty of water [flourish];
they are the cedars of Lebanon [C the most majestic trees known], which he planted.
17 The birds make their nests there;
the stork’s home is in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats.
The rocks are ·hiding places [refuge] for the badgers.
19 You made the moon ·to mark the seasons [for appointed times; Gen. 1:14; Lev. 23:2, 4, 37, 44],
and the sun always knows when to set.
20 You make it dark, and it becomes night.
Then all the ·wild animals [L creatures of the forest] ·creep [swarm] around.
21 The lions roar ·as they attack [L for prey].
They ·look to [seek] God for food.
22 When the sun rises, they leave
and go back to their dens to lie down.
23 Then people go to work
and ·work [labor] until evening.
24 Lord, ·you have made many things;
with your wisdom you made them all [Prov. 8:22–31].
The earth is full of your ·riches [or creatures].
25 Look at the sea, so big and wide,
with creatures large and small, ·creeping [swarming] things that cannot be counted.
26 Ships travel over the ocean,
and there is Leviathan [C a sea monster and symbol of chaos; 74:14; Job 3:8; 41:1; Is. 27:1],
which you made to play there.
27 All these things ·depend [hope; wait] on you
to give them their food at the right time.
28 When you give it to them,
they gather it up.
When you open your hand,
they are ·filled [satisfied] with good food.
29 When you ·turn away [L hide your face] from them,
they ·become frightened [are terrified].
When you take away their breath,
they ·die [expire] and turn to dust [Gen. 2:7; Eccl. 12:7].
30 When you ·breathe [L send your breath/or Spirit] on them,
they are created [Gen. 2:7],
and you make the land new again.
31 May the glory of the Lord [C his manifest presence] be forever.
May the Lord ·enjoy [rejoice in] what he has made.
32 He just looks at the earth, and it ·shakes [trembles].
He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life;
I will ·sing praises [make a psalm] to my God as long as I live.
34 May my ·thoughts [meditations] please him;
I ·am happy [will rejoice] in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be ·destroyed [obliterated] from the earth,
and let the wicked live no longer.
·My whole being [T O my soul], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
The Way Out of Egypt
17 When ·the king [L Pharaoh] ·sent the people out of Egypt [L let the people go], God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was the shortest way. God said, “If they ·have to fight [L see battle], they might change their minds and go back to Egypt.” 18 So God led them through the ·desert [wilderness] toward the ·Red [or Reed; 10:19] Sea. The Israelites were ·dressed for fighting [prepared for battle] when they left the land of Egypt.
19 Moses carried the bones of Joseph with him, because before Joseph died, he had made the ·Israelites [L sons of Israel; C here Joseph’s brothers, the sons of Israel (Jacob)] promise to do this [Gen. 50:22–26]. He had said, “When God ·saves [shows concern toward; visits] you, remember to carry my bones with you out of Egypt.”
20 The Israelites left Succoth and camped at Etham [C its exact location is undetermined], on the edge of the ·desert [wilderness]. 21 The Lord showed them the way; during the day he went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud, and during the night he was in a pillar of fire to give them light. In this way they could travel during the day or night. 22 The pillar of cloud ·was always with [L never withdrew from] them during the day, and the pillar of fire ·was always with [L never withdrew from] them at night.
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] to turn back to Pi Hahiroth and to camp between Migdol and the ·Red [or Reed; 10:19] Sea. Camp ·across from [opposite] Baal Zephon [C in the eastern Nile Delta; the exact locations of these sites are unknown], ·on the shore of [L by] the sea. 3 ·The king [L Pharaoh] will think, ‘The ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] are ·lost [wandering around], ·trapped [closed/shut in] by the ·desert [wilderness].’ 4 I will ·make the king stubborn [L harden the heart of Pharaoh] again so he will ·chase after [pursue] them, but I will ·defeat the king and his army, bringing honor to me [L gain glory over Pharaoh and over his army], and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” ·The Israelites [L They] did just as they were told.
Living by Faith
16 So we do not ·give up [despair; lose heart]. Though our ·physical body [L outer person] is ·becoming older and weaker [decaying; being destroyed], our ·spirit inside us [L inner (person)] is ·made new [being renewed] every day. 17 ·We have small troubles for a while now, but they [L For our brief and insignificant trials/tribulations] are ·helping us gain [or producing in us] an eternal ·glory [L burden/weight of glory] that ·is much greater than [overwhelmingly exceeds] the troubles. 18 We set our eyes not on what we see but on what we cannot see. [L For; Because] What we see ·will last only a short time [L is temporary/transitory], but what we cannot see ·will last forever [L is eternal].
5 [L For] We know that ·when [if] our ·body [L earthly house]—the tent we live in here on earth—is destroyed, ·God will have a house for us [L we have a building from God]. It will not be made by human hands, but will be an eternal home ·in heaven [or in the heavens]. 2 But now we ·groan [sigh] in this ·tent [or body; L one], longing to be clothed in our heavenly ·home [dwelling place], 3 because it will clothe us so we will not be naked. 4 While we live in this ·body [L tent], we ·have burdens [are weighed down], and we ·groan [sigh]. We do not want to be ·naked [stripped; unclothed], but we want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then ·this body that dies [L the mortal] will be ·fully covered with [L swallowed up by] life [Is. 25:8; 1 Cor. 15:54]. 5 This is what God ·made [designed; prepared] us for, and he has given us the Spirit to be a ·guarantee for this new life [deposit; down payment; 1:22].
6 So we always have courage. We know that while we ·live [L are at home] in this body, we are ·away [absent; or exiles] from the Lord. 7 We ·live [walk] by ·what we believe [faith], not by ·what we can see [sight]. 8 So I say that we ·have courage [or are confident]. We really ·want [would prefer] to be ·away [absent; or exiled] from this body and be at home with the Lord. 9 Our only ·goal [aim; ambition] is to please ·God [L him] whether we ·live here [are at home] or ·there [are absent/exiled], 10 because we must all stand before ·Christ to be judged [L the Bema/judgment seat of Christ; C the Bema was a raised platform from which civic leaders made pronouncements and rendered judgment]. [L …so that] Each of us will receive what we should get—good or bad—for the things we did in the earthly body.
Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus(A)
18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) 19 They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [L raise up offspring/seed] for his brother [Deut. 25:5]. 20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [L took a wife] and died, leaving no children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too. 23 Since all seven brothers had married her, ·when people rise from the dead [L at the resurrection], whose wife will she be?”
24 Jesus answered, “·You are mistaken [L Are you not mistaken/in error…?] because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God. 25 [L For] When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 ·Surely you have read [L Have you not read…?] what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush [Ex. 3:1–12], it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [Ex. 3:6; C God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’ 27 God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are ·wrong [greatly deceived; badly mistaken]!”
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