Book of Common Prayer
God’s Love for Israel
105 Give thanks to the Lord and ·pray to him [L call on his name].
·Tell [L Make known among] the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him; ·sing praises [make a psalm] to him.
Tell about all his ·miracles [wonderful acts].
3 ·Be glad that you are his [L Exult/Glory in his holy name];
let ·those [L the heart of those] who seek the Lord ·be happy [rejoice].
4 ·Depend on [Seek] the Lord and his strength;
always ·go to him for help [L seek his face].
5 Remember the ·miracles [wonderful acts] he has done;
remember his ·wonders [signs] and ·his decisions [L the judgments of his mouth].
6 You are ·descendants [L seed] of his servant Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3],
the children of Jacob, his chosen people.
7 He is the Lord our God.
His ·laws [justice; judgments] are for all the world.
8 He will ·keep [L remember] his ·agreement [covenant; treaty] forever;
·he will keep his promises always [L the word which he commanded, for a thousand generations].
9 He will keep the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] he ·made [L cut] with Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3; 17:23]
and the ·promise [oath] he made to Isaac [Gen. 26:3–5].
10 He made it a ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] for the people of Jacob;
he made it an ·agreement [covenant; agreement] with Israel to last forever.
11 The Lord said, “I will give you the land of Canaan [Gen. 15:18],
·and it will belong to you [L as a portion of your inheritance].”
12 Then ·God’s people [L they] were few in number.
They were ·strangers [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] in the land.
13 They went from one nation to another,
from one kingdom to another.
14 But the Lord did not let anyone ·hurt [exploit; oppress] them;
he warned kings ·not to harm them [L concerning them].
15 He said, “Don’t touch my ·chosen [anointed] people,
and don’t harm my prophets.”
16 ·God [He] ·ordered [proclaimed] a ·time of hunger [famine] in the land,
and he ·destroyed all the food [L broke every staff of bread; Gen. 41:54].
17 Then he sent a man ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave [Gen. 37; 45:5; 50:20].
18 They ·put chains around his feet [L afflicted his feet with chain]
and an iron ·ring [collar] around his neck.
19 ·Then the time he had spoken of came,
and the Lord’s words proved that Joseph was right [or Until the time he had spoken of came, the words of the Lord kept testing him].
20 The king [C of Egypt] sent for Joseph and ·freed [released] him;
the ruler of the people set him free [Gen. 41:14, 40].
21 He made him the ·master [lord] of his house;
Joseph was in charge of his riches [Acts 7:10].
22 He could ·order [bind] the princes as he wished.
He taught the older men to be wise.
23 Then Israel [C another name for Jacob, Joseph’s father] came to Egypt;
Jacob lived in the land of Ham [C Egypt; Gen. 46:1–7].
24 The Lord made his people ·grow in number [fruitful; Ex. 1:7],
and he ·made them stronger than [strengthened them against] their ·enemies [foes].
25 He ·caused the Egyptians [L turned their hearts] to hate his people
and to ·make plans [L act deceptively] against his servants [Ex. 1:8].
26 Then he sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen [Ex. 3:1—4:17].
27 They did many signs among the Egyptians
and worked ·wonders [miracles; C the plagues; Ex. 7–12] in the land of Ham [C Egypt; Gen. 46:1–7].
28 The Lord sent darkness and made the land dark,
but the Egyptians ·turned against what he said [rebelled against his word; Ex. 10:21–29].
29 He changed their water into blood
and made their fish die [Ex. 7:14–25].
30 Then their country ·was filled [swarmed] with frogs,
even in the bedrooms of their ·rulers [L kings; Ex. 8:1–17].
31 The Lord spoke and flies came [Ex. 8:20–32],
and gnats were everywhere in the country [Ex. 8:16–19].
32 He made hail fall like rain
and sent lightning through their land.
33 He struck down their grapevines and fig trees,
and he ·destroyed [shattered] every tree in the country [Ex. 9:13–35].
34 He spoke and ·grasshoppers [locusts] came;
the ·locusts [young locusts] ·were too many to count [L without number].
35 They ate all the ·plants [vegetation] in the land
and ·everything the earth produced [L the fruit of the ground; Ex. 10:1–20].
36 ·The Lord [L He] also ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn sons in the land,
the oldest son of each family [L the first of their virility; Ex. 11:1—12:30].
37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold [Ex. 12:35–36].
·Not one of his people stumbled [L There was no stumbling among the tribe].
38 The Egyptians ·were glad [rejoiced] when they left,
because ·the Egyptians were afraid of them [L dread of them fell on them; C because of the plagues].
39 ·The Lord covered them with a cloud [L He spread out a cloud as a covering]
and ·lit up the night with fire [L a fire to illuminate the night; Ex. 13:21–22].
40 When they asked, he brought them quail
and filled them with bread from heaven [Ex. 16].
41 God ·split [L opened] the rock, and water flowed out;
it ran like a river through the ·desert [wasteland; Ex. 17:1–7].
42 He remembered his holy ·promise [word]
to his servant Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3].
43 So God brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them lands of other nations,
so they received ·what others had worked for [L the labors of peoples].
45 This was so they would ·keep [observe; guard] his ·orders [statutes; ordinances; requirements]
and ·obey [protect] his ·teachings [instructions; laws].
Praise the Lord!
Rules for Priests
2 “Priests, this ·command [warning] is for you. 2 Listen to me. Pay attention to what I say. Honor my name,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. “If you don’t, I will send a curse on you and on your blessings. I have already cursed them, because you don’t ·pay attention to what I say [take my warning to heart].
3 “I will ·punish [discipline; rebuke] your descendants. I will smear your faces with ·the animal insides [offal; entrails; or dung] left from your feasts, and you will be thrown away with it. 4 Then you will know that I am giving you this ·command [warning] so my ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with Levi will continue,” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 5 “My ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with ·the Levites [L him; C Levi] was to bring life and peace so they would ·honor [fear] me. And they did ·honor [fear] me and ·fear me [L stood in awe of my name; Prov. 1:7]. 6 ·They taught the true teachings [True law/instruction/L Torah was in his mouth] and ·spoke no lies [no iniquity was found on his lips]. With peace and ·honesty [integrity] they ·did what I said they should do [walked with me], and they kept many people from sinning.
7 “·A priest [L The lips of a priest] should ·teach what he knows [preserve/guard knowledge; Deut. 33:10], and people should ·learn the teachings [seek instruction] from ·him [L his mouth], because he is the messenger of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 8 But you priests have ·stopped obeying me [L turned from the way/path]. With your teachings you have caused many people to ·do wrong [stumble]. You have ·broken [corrupted] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with ·the tribe of Levi [L Levi]!” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts]. 9 “You have not been careful to ·do what I say [follow my ways/paths], but instead you ·take sides [show favoritism/partiality] in ·court [legal] cases. So I have caused you to be ·hated [despised] and ·disgraced [humiliated] in front of everybody.”
Judah Was Not Loyal to God
10 ·We all have the same [L Do we not have one….?] father; the ·same [one] God created us. So why do people ·break their promises to [betray] each other and ·show no respect for [profane; defile] the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] our ·ancestors [fathers] made with God [Ex. 19–24]? 11 ·The people of Judah [L Judah] have ·broken their promises [been unfaithful]. They have done ·something God hates [an abomination/detestable thing] in Israel and Jerusalem: ·The people of Judah [L Judah] ·did not respect [desecrated] the ·Temple [sanctuary; or holy things] that the Lord loves, and the men of Judah married ·women who worship [L the daughter of] foreign gods. 12 Whoever does this might bring offerings to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], but the Lord will still cut that person off from the ·community of Israel [L tents of Jacob].
13 This is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with your tears. You ·cry [weep] and moan, because he does not ·accept [look with favor on] your offerings and is not pleased with what you bring. 14 You ask, “Why?” It is because the Lord ·sees how you treated [L is the witness between you and] the wife ·you married when you were young [L of your youth]. You ·broke your promise [have been unfaithful] to her, even though she was your partner and ·you had an agreement with her [your wife by solemn covenant]. 15 ·God made [L Did not God make…?] husbands and wives to become one body and one spirit for his purpose—so they would have ·children who are true to God [godly offspring].
So ·be careful [L guard yourself in your spirit], and do not ·break your promise [be unfaithful] to the wife ·you married when you were young [L of your youth].
16 The Lord God of Israel says, “·I hate divorce. And I hate the person who [or The one who hates and divorces] ·does cruel things as easily as he puts on clothes [L covers his clothes in violence],” says the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
So be ·careful [on your guard]. And do not ·break your trust [be unfaithful].
Let God Plan Your Life
13 ·Some of you say [L Come now, you who say], “Today or tomorrow we will go to some city. We will stay there a year, do business, and make money.” 14 But you do not know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a ·mist [vapor; puff of smoke]. ·You can see it [It appears] for a short time, but then it ·goes away [vanishes; Prov. 27:1]. 15 ·So [or Instead] you should say, “If the Lord ·wants [wills; wishes], we will live and do this or that [Matt. 6:10].” 16 But now you are ·proud [arrogant; C probably referring to their plans for the future] and you brag [boast]. All of this bragging [boasting] is wrong [L evil; wicked; 3:14]. 17 [L Therefore] Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, ·is sinning [L for him it is sin].
A Warning to the Rich
5 You rich people, ·listen [L Come now; 4:13]! Cry [Weep] and be very sad because of the ·troubles [miseries] that are coming to you. 2 Your riches have rotted, and your clothes have been eaten by moths. 3 Your gold and silver have ·rusted [corroded], and that ·rust [corrosion] will be a ·proof that you were wrong [L witness/testimony/evidence against you]. It will eat your ·bodies [flesh] like fire. You ·saved [hoarded; stored up] your treasure ·for [or in] the last days [C just before judgment day, when such treasures will be useless]. 4 [L Listen; T Behold] The ·pay [wages] you ·did not give [defrauded from] the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you [Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14–15], and the cries of the ·workers [L harvesters] have ·been heard by [L reached the ears of] the Lord ·All-Powerful [of Hosts/Armies; L Sabaoth; C God’s warrior name referring to the angelic army]. 5 Your life on earth was full of ·rich living [luxury] and ·pleasing yourselves with everything you wanted [pleasure; self-indulgence]. You made ·yourselves [L your hearts] fat, ·like an animal ready to be killed [in/for a day of slaughter; C a farm animal gorging itself, unaware it is being fattened for slaughter]. 6 You have ·judged guilty [condemned] and then murdered innocent people, who ·were not against [did not resist/oppose] you.
God’s Kingdom Is Within You
20 Some of the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the kingdom of God come?”
Jesus answered, “God’s kingdom ·is coming, but not in a way that you will be able to see with your eyes [L is not coming with observable/visible signs; C perhaps the heavenly signs described in Jewish apocalyptic literature]. 21 People will not say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ because God’s kingdom is ·within you [or among you; in your midst].”
When Jesus, the Son of Man, Comes Again(A)
22 Then Jesus said to ·his followers [the disciples], “The time will come when you will ·want very much [long] to see one of the days of the Son of Man [C the full revelation of the kingdom at Jesus’ return]. But you will not see it. 23 People will say to you, ‘Look, ·there he is [or over there]!’ or, ‘Look, ·here he is [or over here]!’ ·Stay where you are [L Don’t leave/go out]; don’t go away and ·search [pursue; chase after].
24 “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so ·it will be when the Son of Man comes again [L will be the Son of Man in his day].[a] 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by ·the people of this time [L this generation]. 26 Just as it was ·when Noah lived [L in the days of Noah; Gen. 6—9], so it will be ·when the Son of Man comes again [L in the days of the Son of Man]. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying, and ·giving their children to be married [or being given in marriage] until the day Noah entered the boat. Then the flood came and ·killed [destroyed] them all. 28 It will be the same as ·during the time [L in the days] of Lot. People were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and ·sulfur [T brimstone] rained down from ·the sky [heaven] and ·killed [destroyed] them all [Gen. 19]. 30 This is how it will be ·when [L the day] the Son of Man ·comes again [L is revealed].
31 “On that day, a person who is on the roof [C roofs were typically flat and used as extra rooms] and whose belongings are in the house should not ·go inside [L come down] to get them. A person who is in the field should not ·go back home [L turn back]. 32 Remember Lot’s wife [C who was judged for longingly looking back at Sodom; Gen. 19:15–17, 26]. 33 Those who try to ·keep [preserve; keep secure] their lives will lose them. But those who ·give up [lose; let go of] their lives will save them. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be sleeping in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. 35 There will be two women grinding grain together; one will be taken, and the other will be left. |36 Two people will be in the field. One will be taken, and the other will be left.|”[b]
37 ·The followers [L They] asked Jesus, “·Where will this be [L Where], Lord?”
Jesus answered, “Where there is a ·dead body [corpse], there the vultures will gather [C the carnage will make the place of judgment obvious to all].”
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