Book of Common Prayer
The Prayer of an Innocent Believer
Of David.
26 Lord, ·defend [vindicate] me because I have ·lived an innocent life [L walked in innocence; Job 1:1].
I have ·trusted [confidence in] the Lord and never ·doubted [wavered; faltered].
2 Lord, try me and test me;
look closely into my ·heart and mind [L kidneys and heart; C the seat of emotions and mind in Hebrew thought].
3 ·I see your love [L Your loyalty/covenant love is before my eyes],
and I ·live by your truth [walk in your truth/faithfulness].
4 I do not ·spend time [L sit] with ·liars [or worthless people],
nor do I ·make friends [L go] with ·those who hide their sin [hypocrites].
5 I hate the ·company [assembly] of evil people,
and I won’t sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands ·to show I am innocent [L in innocence],
and I ·come to [L go around] your altar, Lord.
7 I raise my voice in ·praise [or thanks]
and tell of all the ·miracles [wonderful things] you have done.
8 Lord, I love the ·Temple [L house] where you live,
where your glory [C manifest presence] ·is [dwells].
9 Do not ·kill me [take me away] with those sinners
or take my life with ·those murderers [the bloodthirsty; L men of blood].
10 ·Evil is [Schemes are] in their hands,
and ·they do wrong for money [L their right hand is full of bribes].
11 But I have ·lived an innocent life [L walked in innocence; v. 1],
so ·save [redeem; ransom] me and have mercy on me.
12 ·I stand in a safe place [L My feet stand on level ground].
Lord, I ·praise [bless] you in the great ·meeting [assembly].
A Prayer in Troubled Times
Of David.
28 Lord, my Rock [C providing protection], I ·call out to you for help [pray].
Do not be ·deaf [silent] to me.
If you are silent,
I will be like those ·in the grave [L who go down to the Pit; 16:10].
2 Hear the sound of my ·prayer [supplication],
when I cry out to you for help.
I raise my hands
toward your Most Holy Place [C the place where God made his presence known, the sanctuary].
3 Don’t drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil.
They say “Peace” to their neighbors,
but evil is in their hearts.
4 Pay them back for what they have done,
for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for ·what they have done [L the work of their hands];
give them their reward.
5 They don’t understand what the Lord has done
or ·what he has made [L the work of his hands].
So he will ·knock [tear] them down
and not ·lift [L build] them up.
6 ·Praise [L Blessed be] the Lord,
because he heard ·my prayer for help [L the sound of my supplication].
7 The Lord is my strength [Ex. 15:2] and shield.
·I trust [My heart has confidence in] him, and he helps me.
·I am [L My heart is] very happy,
and I ·praise [give thanks to] him with my song.
8 The Lord is powerful;
he ·gives victory [is a saving refuge] to his ·chosen one [anointed].
9 ·Save [L Give victory to] your people
and bless ·those who are your own [L your inheritance].
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Wicked People and a Good God
For the director of music. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
36 ·Sin speaks to the wicked in their hearts [L Oracle/Decree of transgression to the wicked in the midst of their heart].
They have no ·fear [terror] of God [Prov. 1:7; Rom. 3:18].
2 They ·think too much of themselves [L flatter themselves in their own eyes]
so they don’t ·see [discover; find] their sin and ·hate [or change] it.
3 ·Their words [L The words of their mouth] are ·wicked lies [mischief and deceit];
they ·are no longer wise or good [L have stopped being wise/insightful in order to do good].
4 ·At night [L In their bed] they make evil plans;
·what they do leads to nothing [L they are set on a way that does no] good.
They don’t ·refuse [reject] things that are evil.
5 Lord, your ·love [loyalty; covenant love] ·reaches [extends] to the heavens,
your ·loyalty [faithfulness] to the skies.
6 Your ·goodness [righteousness] is like the mighty mountains [C majestic].
Your ·justice [judgment] is like the great ocean [C deep].
Lord, you ·protect [save] both people and animals.
7 God, ·your love is so precious [L how precious is your loyalty/covenant love?]!
You ·protect [provide refuge for] people in the shadow of your wings.
8 They ·eat [feast on; are filled with] ·the rich food [L from the fat/abundance] in your house,
and you let them drink from your river of ·pleasure [delights].
9 You are the ·giver [L fountain] of life.
·Your light lets us enjoy life [L In your light we see light].
10 Continue to ·love [show loyalty/covenant love to] those who know you
and ·to do good [L your good/righteousness] to those who are ·good [upright/virtuous in heart].
11 Don’t let ·proud people attack me [L the foot of the arrogant come near me]
·and the wicked [L or the hand of the wicked] ·force [drive] me away.
12 Those who do evil ·have been defeated [L fall there].
They are overwhelmed;
they cannot ·do evil any longer [L arise again].
Life Is Short
For the director of music. For Jeduthun [C Levitical musician; 1 Chr. 16:41–42; 25:1, 6; 2 Chr. 5:12]. A psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will ·be careful how I act [L guard my way]
and will not sin ·by what I say [L with my tongue].
I will ·be careful what I say [L keep a muzzle on my mouth]
around wicked people.”
2 So I kept ·very quiet [silent and still].
I didn’t even say anything good,
but ·I became even more upset [L my agony/sorrow got worse].
3 ·I became very angry inside [L My heart grew hot within me],
and as I ·thought [meditated] about it, ·my anger [L a fire] burned.
So I ·spoke [L said with my tongue]:
4 “Lord, ·tell [inform; reveal to] me when ·the end [or my end] will come
and how long ·I will live [L will be my days].
Let me know how ·long I have [L fleeting I am; 90:1–12].
5 You have given ·me only a short life [L my days a handbreadth; C about four inches];
my lifetime is like nothing to you.
Everyone’s life is only ·a breath [vapor; Eccl. 1:2]. ·
6 People are like shadows moving about.
All their ·work [or wealth; or turmoil] is ·for nothing [a breath/vapor; Luke 12:13–21; James 4:3–17];
they ·collect things [accumulate riches/wealth] but don’t know who will ·get [gather] them.
7 “So, Lord, what ·hope do I have [do I wait for]?
You are my hope.
8 Save me from all my ·sins [transgressions].
Don’t ·let wicked fools make fun of me [L set the scorn of fools on me].
9 I am quiet; I do not open my mouth,
because you are the one who has done this.
10 ·Quit punishing me [L Turn your blows/scourge away from me];
·your beating is about to kill me [L I am exhausted/finished from the hostility/beatings of your hand].
11 You correct and punish people for their sins;
like a moth, you destroy what they ·love [covet; desire].
Everyone’s life is only a ·breath [vapor; Eccl. 1:2]. ·
12 “Lord, hear my prayer,
and listen to my cry.
Do not ignore my tears.
I am like a ·visitor [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] with you.
Like my ·ancestors [fathers], I’m only ·here a short time [a temporary resident].
13 Leave me alone so I can be happy
before I leave and am no more.”
The Great Crowd Worships God
9 After ·the vision of these things [L these things] I looked, and ·there was a great number of people [L behold a great crowd/multitude], so many that no one could count them. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language of the earth. They were all standing before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes [C signifying high status and purity] and holding palm branches [C used to celebrate a festive occasion, specifically a victory] in their hands. 10 They were ·shouting [crying out] in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” 11 [L And] All the angels were standing around the throne and the elders [4:4] and the four living creatures. They all ·bowed [fell] down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen [C Hebrew for “so be it”]! ·Praise [Blessing], glory, wisdom, thanks, honor, power, and ·strength [might] belong to our God forever and ever. Amen!”
13 Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these people dressed in white robes? Where did they come from?”
14 I answered, “You know, ·sir [or my lord].”
And the elder said to me, “These are the people who have come out of the great ·distress [persecution; tribulation]. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [C having believed in Jesus, their sins are forgiven through Christ’s death and resurrection]. 15 Because of this, they are before the throne of God. They worship him day and night in his temple. And the One who sits on the throne will ·be present with [dwell with; or shelter; spread his tent over] them. 16 Those people will never be hungry again, and they will never be thirsty again. The sun will not ·hurt [strike; beat on; Is. 49:10] them, and no [scorching] heat will burn them, 17 because the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd [Ps. 23; John 10]. He will ·lead [guide] them to springs of ·water that give life [living water; the water of life; John 4:14]. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes [21:4; Is. 25:8].”
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two(A)
10 After this, the Lord ·chose [appointed] ·seventy-two[a] [C the number may reflect the 70 nations listed in the “table of nations” in Genesis 10 (the Greek text of which reads “72”) and so foreshadows the mission to the Gentiles] others and sent them out in pairs ahead of him into every town and place where he ·planned [was about] to go. 2 He said to them, “·There are a great many people to harvest [L The harvest is great/large], but ·there are only a few workers [L the workers/laborers are few]. So pray to the Lord ·who owns [who is in charge of; L of] the harvest, that he will send more ·workers [laborers] ·to gather [L into] his harvest. 3 Go now, but ·listen [L look; T behold]! I am sending you out like ·sheep [lambs] among wolves. 4 Don’t carry ·a purse [money bag], a ·bag [traveling bag], or sandals, and don’t ·waste time talking with people [greet anyone] on the road [C because of the urgency of the task]. 5 ·Before [When] you go into a house, [L first] say, ‘Peace be with this house.’ 6 If ·peace-loving people [L a son/child of peace] live there, your ·blessing of peace [L peace] will ·stay with [rest on] them, but if not, then ·your blessing [L it] will come back to you. 7 Stay in the same house, eating and drinking what the people there give you. [L For] A worker ·should be given his pay [deserves his wages; T is worthy of his hire; 1 Tim. 5:18]. Don’t move from house to house [C to avoid the temptation of constantly seeking better accommodations]. 8 If you go into a town and the people welcome you, eat what they give you. 9 Heal the sick who live there, and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ 10 But if you go into a town, and the people don’t welcome you, then go into the streets and say, 11 ‘Even the ·dirt [dust] from your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you [C in protest and as a warning of judgment]. But ·remember [know; recognize] that the kingdom of God ·is near [has come near; is at hand].’ 12 I tell you, on ·the Judgment Day [L that day] it will be ·better [more bearable/tolerable] for the people of Sodom [C a city God destroyed because the people were so evil; Gen. 19] than for the people of that town.
Jesus Warns Unbelievers(B)
13 “·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, Korazin! ·How terrible for [L Woe to] you, Bethsaida [C towns in Galilee where Jesus ministered]! If the ·miracles [powerful deeds] ·I did [L that occurred] in you had happened in Tyre and Sidon [C cities in Phoenicia notorious for their wickedness], those people would have ·changed their lives [repented] long ago. ·They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed [L …sitting in sackcloth/burlap and ashes; C signs of sorrow and deep remorse]. 14 But ·on the judgment day [L at the judgment] it will be ·better [more bearable/tolerable] for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum [C a town in Galilee where Jesus lived and ministered], will you be ·lifted up to [honored/exalted in] heaven? No! You will be thrown down to ·the depths [the place of the dead; hell; L Hades; Is. 14:13–15]!
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me [Matt. 10:40; John 13:20], and whoever ·refuses to accept [rejects] you ·refuses to accept [rejects] me. And whoever ·refuses to accept [rejects] me ·refuses to accept [rejects] the One who sent me.”
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