Book of Common Prayer
Israelites in Captivity
137 By the rivers in Babylon we sat and ·cried [wept; C during the Babylonian exile]
when we remembered ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple].
2 On the ·poplar [or willow] trees nearby
we hung our harps.
3 ·Those who captured us [Our captors] asked us to sing;
our ·enemies [oppressors] wanted happy songs.
They said, “Sing us a song about ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]!”
4 But we cannot sing songs about the Lord
while we are in this foreign ·country [land]!
5 Jerusalem, if I forget you,
let my right hand ·lose its skill [L forget; C its skill of playing a musical instrument].
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not ·think about Jerusalem
as my greatest joy [or go up to Jerusalem with joy on my head].
7 Lord, remember ·what the Edomites did [L the sons of Edom]
on the day ·Jerusalem fell [L of Jerusalem; Lam. 4:21; Ezek. 25:12–14; 35:5–15; Obad. 11–14].
They said, “Tear it down!
Tear it down to its foundations!”
8 ·People [L Daughter] of Babylon, you will be destroyed.
The people who pay you back for what you did to us will be ·happy [blessed].
9 They will grab your ·babies [little ones]
and throw them against the rocks.
A Prayer for Victory
Of David.
144 ·Praise [Blessed be] the Lord, my Rock [61:2],
who trains ·me [L my hands] for war,
who trains ·me [L my fingers] for battle.
2 ·He protects me like a strong, walled city, and he loves me [L He is my loyal one and my fortress].
He is my ·defender [stronghold] and my ·Savior [rescuer],
my shield ·and my protection [L in whom I find refuge].
He ·helps me keep my people under control [L subdues my people under me].
3 Lord, ·why are people important to you [L what are people that you care about them]?
·Why do you even think about human beings [L What are human beings that you think about them; 8:4]?
4 People are like ·a breath [vapor; 39:5, 11; 62:9; Eccl. 1:2];
their ·lives [L days] are like passing shadows [102:11; 109:23; Eccl. 6:12].
5 Lord, ·tear open [bend] the ·sky [heavens] and come down.
Touch the mountains so they will smoke [18:9; Ex. 19:11, 18–19].
6 Send the lightning and scatter ·my enemies [L them].
Shoot your arrows and ·force them away [rout them; 18:14].
7 ·Reach down [L Send forth your hand] from above.
·Save me [Set me free] and ·rescue [protect] me ·out of this sea of enemies [L from the mighty waters; C symbolizing chaos],
from ·these [L the hand/power of] foreigners.
8 ·They are liars [L Their mouths speak vanities/falsehood];
·they are dishonest [L their right hand is a false right hand].
9 God, I will sing a new song [C celebrating victory; 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 149:1; Is. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3] to you;
I will ·play [make a psalm] to you on the ten-stringed harp.
10 You give ·victory [salvation] to kings.
You ·save [set free] your servant David from ·cruel [evil] swords.
11 ·Save me [Set me free], ·rescue [protect] me from ·these [L the hand/power of the] foreigners.
·They are liars [L Their mouths speak vanities/falsehood]; ·they are dishonest [L their right hand is a false right hand].
12 Let our sons in their youth
·grow like plants [or be like full-grown plants; C robust and vital; 128:3].
Let our daughters be
like the ·decorated [cut] ·stones [or pillars] in the ·Temple [or palace; C stately and beautiful].
13 Let our barns be filled
with crops of all kinds.
Let our sheep in the fields have
thousands and tens of thousands of lambs.
14 Let our cattle be ·strong [well fed; or heavy with young].
Let ·no one break in [L there be no breach; or no miscarriage; C in the city walls].
Let there be no ·war [L going out; C in war or exile, or perhaps referring to premature birth],
no screams in our ·streets [public areas].
15 ·Happy [Blessed] are ·those [L the people] who are like this;
·happy [blessed] are the people whose God is the Lord.
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.
12 But the Lord will bring a terrible ·disease [plague] on the nations that fought against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot away while they are still standing up. Their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 ·At that time [L On that day] the Lord will cause panic. Everybody will grab ·his [L the hand of his] neighbor, and they will ·attack each other [L raise his hand against the hand of his neighbor]. 14 ·The people of Judah [L Judah] will fight in Jerusalem. And the wealth of the nations around them will be collected—much gold, silver, and clothes. 15 A similar ·disease [plague] will strike the horses, mules, camels, donkeys, and all the animals in the camps.
16 All of those left alive of the ·people [nations] who came to fight Jerusalem will come back to Jerusalem year after year to worship the King, the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], and to celebrate the Feast of ·Shelters [Booths; Tabernacles; Deut. 31:9–13]. 17 Anyone from the nations who does not go to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], will not have rain fall on his land. 18 If the Egyptians do not go to Jerusalem, they will not have rain. Then the Lord will send them the same ·terrible disease [plague] he sent the other nations that did not celebrate the Feast of ·Shelters [Booths; Tabernacles]. 19 This will be the punishment for Egypt and any nation that does not go up to celebrate the Feast of Shelters.
20 ·At that time [L On that day] the horses’ bells will have written on them: holy to the lord. The cooking pots in the Temple of the Lord will be like the holy altar bowls. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], and everyone who offers sacrifices will be able to take food from them and cook in them. ·At that time [L On that day] there will not be any ·buyers or sellers [or Canaanite] in the Temple of the Lord [Matt. 21:12–13; John 2:13–16] ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts].
2 [L Therefore,] ·Does your life in Christ give you strength? [L If there is any encouragement in Christ…] ·Does his love comfort you? [L …if any comfort from (his) love…] ·Do we share together in the Spirit? [L …if any fellowship/sharing of the Spirit…] ·Do you have mercy and kindness? [L …if any mercy/affection and kindness/compassion…] 2 ·If so […then], ·make me very happy [L fulfill/complete my joy] by ·having the same thoughts [being like-minded/of one mind], sharing the same love, and having one ·mind [heart; soul] and ·purpose [goal; mind]. 3 When you do things, do not let ·selfishness [rivalry; selfish ambition] or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more ·honor [regard; value] to others than to yourselves. 4 Do not ·be interested only in your own life [look out for your own interests], but ·be interested in the lives of others [look out for others’ interests].
Be Unselfish like Christ
5 In your lives you must ·think and act like [have the same attitude as] Christ Jesus. [C What follows may be from an early Christian hymn.]
6 ·Christ himself was like God in everything [L Who, being in the form of God].
But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be ·used for his own benefit [or grasped; seized; held on to].
7 But he ·gave up his place with God and made himself nothing [L emptied himself].
He ·became like [L took the form of] a ·servant [slave; bondservant]
and was born ·as a man [L in the likeness of humanity/men].
8 And ·when he was living [L being found in appearance/likeness] as a ·man [human being],
he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God,
even ·when that caused his [to the point of] death—death on a cross.
9 So God ·raised [exalted] him to the highest place.
God ·made his name [or gave him the name] ·greater than [far above] every other name
10 so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus—
everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.
11 And ·everyone [L every tongue] will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
and bring glory to God the Father.
Jesus Cries for Jerusalem
41 As Jesus came near Jerusalem, he saw the city and ·cried for [wept over] it, 42 saying, “·I wish you [L If you, even you,] ·knew [recognized] today what would bring you peace. But now it is hidden from ·you [L your eyes]. 43 ·The time is coming [L For the days will come upon you] when your enemies will build ·a wall around you [ramparts against your walls] and will ·hold you in [L surround and close you in] on all sides. 44 They will ·destroy you [level you; smash you to the ground] and all your ·people [L children within your walls], and not one stone will be left on another. All this will happen because you did not recognize the time ·when God came to save you [L of your visitation; C the failure to recognize God’s “visit” in Jesus (see 1:68, 78) will result in a divine “visit” in judgment].”
Jesus Goes to the Temple(A)
45 Jesus went into the Temple and began to ·throw [drive] out the people who were selling things there. 46 He said, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My ·Temple [L House] will be a house for prayer [Is. 56:7].’ But you have ·changed [made] it into a ‘·hideout for robbers’ [T den of thieves; Jer. 7:11]!”
47 Jesus ·taught [was teaching] in the Temple every day. The ·leading [T chief] priests, the ·experts on the law [scribes], and some of the leaders of the people ·wanted [were looking for a way] to ·kill [destroy] Jesus. 48 But they ·did not know how they could [could not find a way to] do it, because all the people were ·listening closely to him [hanging on his every word].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.