Book of Common Prayer
The Word of God
119 ·Happy [Blessed] are those ·who live pure lives [L whose way is blameless],
who follow the Lord’s ·teachings [instructions; law].
2 Happy are those who keep his ·rules [decrees; testimonies],
who ·try to obey [L seek] him with their whole heart.
3 They don’t do what is wrong;
they follow his ways.
4 Lord, you ·gave [commanded] your ·orders [precepts]
to be obeyed completely.
5 ·I wish I [L O that my ways] were more ·loyal [steadfast; established; set]
in obeying your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
6 Then I would not be ashamed
·when I study [staring/gazing at] your commands.
7 When I learned that your ·laws [judgments] are fair,
I ·praised [thanked] you with an ·honest [upright] heart.
8 I will obey your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements],
so please don’t ever ·leave [abandon; forsake] me.
9 How can a young person ·live a pure life [L keep his way pure]?
By ·obeying [guarding; keeping] your word.
10 With all my heart I ·try to obey [seek] you.
Don’t let me ·break [stray from] your commands.
11 I have ·taken your words to heart [treasured/stored your words in my heart]
so I would not sin against you.
12 Lord, you ·should be praised [are blessed].
Teach me your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
13 My lips will ·tell about [recount]
all the ·laws you have spoken [L judgments of your mouth].
14 I enjoy ·living by your rules [the way of your decrees/testimonies]
as people enjoy great riches.
15 I ·think about [meditate on] your ·orders [precepts]
and ·study [look at] your ways.
16 I enjoy ·obeying your demands [your statutes/ordinances/requirements],
and I will not forget your word.
17 ·Do good [Grant this] to me, your servant, so I can live,
so I can ·obey [keep; guard] your word.
18 Open my eyes to see
the ·miracles [wonders] in your ·teachings [instructions; law].
19 I am a ·stranger [sojourner; alien resident] ·on earth [or in the land].
Do not hide your commands from me.
20 ·I wear myself out [My soul pines away] with ·desire [longing]
for your ·laws [judgments] all the time.
21 You ·scold [rebuke; reprimand] ·proud [arrogant] people;
those who ·ignore [wander from] your commands are cursed.
22 ·Don’t let me be insulted and hated [L Take away insult and contempt]
because I keep your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
23 Even if princes sit around and speak against me,
I, your servant, will ·think [meditate] about your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
24 Your ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] give me pleasure;
they ·give me good advice [L are my advisors/counselors].
A Prayer Against Liars
For the director of music. Upon the ·sheminith [L eighth; C a reference to an eight-stringed instrument or possibly the manner of singing]. A psalm of David.
12 Save me, Lord, because the ·good [faithful; godly; covenantal; loyal] people are all gone;
·no true believers are left on earth [L the faithful have vanished among humanity].
2 Everyone ·lies [L speaks falsehood] to his neighbors;
they ·say one thing and mean another [speak with flattering lips and with a double heart/L heart and heart].
3 The Lord will ·stop [L cut off] those flattering lips
and those bragging tongues.
4 They say, “Our tongues will ·help us win [prevail].
·We can say what we wish [L Our lips belong to us]; ·no one [L who…?] is our master.”
5 But the Lord says,
“I will now rise up,
because the ·poor [weak] are ·being hurt [destroyed; plundered; oppressed].
Because of the ·moans [groans; sighs] of the ·helpless [needy],
I will give them the ·help [victory] they ·want [long for].”
6 The Lord’s ·words [or promises] are ·pure [flawless],
like silver ·purified [refined] ·by fire [or in a furnace],
·purified [refined] seven times over [18:30; 119:140].
7 Lord, you will ·keep us safe [L guard/protect them];
you will always ·protect [guard] us from such ·people [a generation].
8 But the wicked ·are [L walk] all around us;
·everyone loves what is wrong [L what is vile is lifted up among the sons of man/humanity].
A Prayer for God to Be Near
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
13 How long will you forget me, Lord? Forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I ·worry [or bear pain; L hold counsels]
and ·feel sad [hold sorrow] in my heart all day?
How long will my enemy ·win [rise up] over me?
3 Lord, look at me.
Answer me, my God;
·tell me [L light up my eyes], or I will ·die [L sleep the sleep of death].
4 Otherwise my enemy will say, “I have ·won [finished him off]!”
·Those against me [My foes] will rejoice that I’ve been ·defeated [shaken; moved].
5 I ·trust [have confidence] in your ·love [loyalty; covenant love].
My heart ·is happy [rejoices] because ·you saved me [of your victory/salvation].
6 I sing to the Lord
because he has ·taken care of [been good to] me.
The Unbelieving Fool
For the director of music. Of David.
14 Fools say ·to themselves [L in their hearts],
“There is no God [C Psalm 53 largely parallels this psalm].”
·Fools are evil [L They are corrupt] and do ·terrible [detestable] things [Deut. 32:5];
there is no one who does anything good.
2 The Lord looked down from heaven on all people
to see if anyone ·understood [L was wise/insightful],
if anyone was ·looking to God for help [seeking God].
3 But all have ·turned [wandered] away.
Together, everyone has become ·evil [perverse].
There is no one who does anything good,
not even one [Rom. 3:10–12].
4 Don’t ·the wicked [L those who do evil] ·understand [know]?
They ·destroy [consume; L eat] my people as if they were ·eating [consuming] bread.
They do not ·ask the Lord for help [call on the Lord].
5 But the wicked are ·filled [terrified] with terror,
because God is with ·those who do what is right [the company of the righteous].
6 The wicked ·upset [confuse; frustrate] the plans of the poor,
but the Lord ·will protect them [is their refuge].
7 I pray that ·victory [salvation] will come to Israel from Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple]!
May the Lord ·bring them back [restore the fortunes of his people; C perhaps at the end of the exile].
Then the people of Jacob will rejoice,
and the people of Israel will be glad.
17 The Lord ·caused [appointed; provided] a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was ·inside [in the belly of] the fish three days and three nights.
2 While Jonah was ·inside [L in the belly/innards of] the fish, he prayed to the Lord his God and said,
2 “When I was in ·danger [distress],
I called to the Lord,
and he answered me.
·I was about to die [L From the belly of Sheol; C the place of the dead],
so I cried to you,
and you heard my voice.
3 You threw me into the ·sea [ocean depths; deep],
down, down into the ·deep [L heart of the] sea.
The ·water [flood] ·was all around [engulfed] me,
and your ·powerful [surging; billowing] waves ·flowed [swept] over me.
4 I said, ‘I was ·driven out of your presence [banished from your sight],
·but I hope to see [yet I will look toward] your Holy Temple again.’
5 The waters of the sea closed around my ·throat [or soul].
The deep sea ·was all around [surrounded; closed in on] me;
seaweed was wrapped around my head.
6 When I ·went [sank] down to ·where the mountains of the sea start to rise [L the roots of the mountains],
·I thought I was locked in this prison [the earth’s bars held me] forever,
but you ·saved me [L brought up my life] from the pit of death,
Lord my God.
7 “When my life ·had almost gone [was slipping/fainting away],
I remembered the Lord.
·I prayed [L My prayer went up] to you,
·and you heard my prayers in [L in] your Holy Temple.
8 “People who ·worship [cling to] ·useless [worthless; false] idols
·give up their loyalty to you [or forfeit the mercy/lovingkindness that is theirs].
9 But ·I will praise and thank you
while I [L with a voice of thanksgiving I will] give sacrifices to you,
and I will ·keep my promises to you [L pay what I have vowed].
Salvation comes from the Lord!”
10 Then the Lord spoke to the fish, and the fish ·threw up [vomited] Jonah onto the dry land.
9 We had lost much time, and it was now dangerous to sail, because it was already after ·the Day of Cleansing [L the Fast; C the Day of Atonement; Yom Kippur in Hebrew; Lev. 16; either late September or early October]. So Paul ·warned [advised] them, 10 “Men, I can see there will be ·a lot of trouble [L disaster and heavy loss] on this trip. The ship, the cargo, and even our lives may be lost.” 11 But the centurion was more persuaded by the ·captain [pilot] and the owner of the ship than by what Paul said. 12 Since that harbor was not a ·good [suitable; safe] place for the ship to stay for the winter, ·most of the men [the majority] decided that the ship ·should leave [put to sea]. They hoped we could go to Phoenix and stay there for the winter. Phoenix, a ·city [or port; or harbor] on the island of Crete, had a harbor which faced southwest and northwest.
The Storm
13 When a ·good [moderate; gentle] wind began to blow from the south, the men on the ship thought they ·could reach their goal [or had achieved their objective; or had the opportunity they were waiting for]. So they pulled up the anchor, and we sailed very close to the island of Crete. 14 But ·then [L not long after this] a ·very strong [violent; hurricane-like] wind named the “northeaster” came from ·the island [L it]. 15 The ship was caught in it and could not sail against it. So we stopped trying and ·let the wind carry us [L were driven along]. 16 When we went ·below [under the lee/shelter of] a small island named Cauda [C 23 miles off the south coast of Crete], we were barely able to bring in the lifeboat. 17 After the men took the lifeboat in, they tied ·ropes [or cables] ·around [or under] the ship to hold it together. The men were afraid that the ship would ·hit [run aground on] the sandbanks of Syrtis [C off the coast of North Africa], so they lowered the ·sail [or sea anchor; L gear] and let the wind carry the ship. 18 The next day the storm was blowing us so hard that the men threw out some of the cargo. 19 ·A day later [L On the third day] with their own hands they threw out the ship’s ·equipment [rigging; tackle; gear]. 20 When we could not see the sun or the stars for many days, and ·the storm was very bad [L no small storm raged], we lost all hope of being saved.
21 After ·the men [many] had ·gone without food [or lost their appetite] for a long time, Paul stood up before them and said, “Men, you should have ·listened to me [obeyed me; taken my advice]. You should not have sailed from Crete. Then you would not have all this trouble and loss. 22 But now I ·tell [urge; advise] you to ·cheer up [keep up your courage] because none of you will ·die [be lost]. Only the ship will be lost. 23 ·Last [L This] night an angel ·came to [L stood by] me from the God I belong to and worship. 24 The angel said, ‘Paul, do not be afraid. You must stand before Caesar. And God has ·promised you that he will save the lives of [graciously granted safety to] everyone sailing with you.’ 25 So men, have courage. [L For] I trust in God that everything will happen as ·his angel told me [L I have been told]. 26 But we will ·crash [run aground] on ·an [L some/a certain] island.”
Jesus Sends Out the Apostles(A)
9 Jesus called ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] together and gave them power and authority ·over all [to cast out] demons and the ability to heal ·sicknesses [diseases]. 2 He sent the ·apostles [L them] out to ·tell about [preach; proclaim] God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your ·trip [journey], neither a ·walking stick [staff], ·bag [or beggar’s bag], ·bread [food], money, or ·extra clothes [L two shirts/tunics]. 4 When you enter a house, stay there ·until it is time to leave [L and depart from there; C probably to avoid temptation to move to better accommodations]. 5 If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off of your feet [C a sign of rejection and coming judgment] as you leave the town, as a ·warning to [testimony/evidence against] them.”
6 So the apostles went out and traveled ·through all the towns [from town to town], ·preaching [proclaiming] the ·Good News [Gospel] and healing people everywhere.
Herod Is Confused About Jesus(B)
7 [L Now; But] Herod, the ·governor [L tetrarch; C Herod Antipas; 3:1], heard about all the things that were happening and was ·confused [puzzled; perplexed], because some people said, “·John the Baptist [L John] has risen from the dead.” 8 Others said, “Elijah has ·come to us [reappeared; L appeared; C some Jews expected Elijah to return in the end times; Mal. 4:5].” And still others said, “One of the prophets who lived long ago has ·risen from the dead [or appeared once again; L arisen].” 9 Herod said, “I ·cut off John’s head [had John beheaded], so who is this man I hear such things about?” And Herod kept trying to see Jesus.
More than Five Thousand Fed(C)
10 When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then Jesus took them with him to a town called Bethsaida where they could be alone together. 11 But the ·people [crowds] learned where Jesus went and followed him. He welcomed them and talked with them about God’s kingdom and healed those who needed to be healed.
12 Late in the afternoon, ·the twelve apostles [L the Twelve] came to Jesus and said, “Send the ·people [crowd] away. They need to go to the ·towns [villages] and countryside around here and find places to sleep and something to eat, because ·no one lives in this [L we are in a remote/deserted] place.”
13 But Jesus said to them, “You give them something to eat.”
They said, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish, unless we go buy food for all these people.” 14 (There were about five thousand men there.)
Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “Tell the people to sit in groups of about fifty people.”
15 So ·the followers [L they] did this, and all the people sat down. 16 Then Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, and looking up to heaven, he ·thanked God for [L blessed] the food. Then he ·divided the food [broke it into pieces] and gave it to the ·followers [disciples] to ·give to [distribute to; L set before] the people. 17 They all ate and were ·satisfied [filled], and what was left over was gathered up, filling twelve baskets.
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