Book of Common Prayer
A Song for the King’s Wedding
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation]. A love song of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
45 ·Beautiful words fill my mind [L My heart is stirred with a good word].
I ·am speaking of royal things [or address my work to the king].
My tongue is like the pen of a skilled writer [Ezra 7:6].
2 You are more ·handsome [or excellent] than anyone,
and ·you are an excellent speaker [L grace flows from your lips; Prov. 22:11],
so God has blessed you forever.
3 Put on your sword ·at your side [L on your thigh], powerful warrior.
Show your ·glory [splendor] and majesty.
4 In your majesty ·win [L ride forth for] the victory
for what is ·true [faithful] and ·right [righteous].
Your ·power [L right hand] ·will do [L teaches you] amazing things.
5 Your sharp arrows will ·enter [pierce]
the hearts of the king’s enemies.
·Nations [Peoples] will ·be defeated before [L fall beneath] you.
6 ·God, your throne will last [or Your throne is a throne of God] forever and ever.
·You will rule your kingdom with fairness [L A scepter of virtue will be the scepter of your kingdom].
7 You love ·right [righteousness] and hate ·evil [wickedness],
so God has ·chosen [anointed] you from among your ·friends [companions];
·he has set you apart with much joy [L …with the oil of joy; C kings were anointed with oil at their coronation; 1 Sam. 10:1; 16:13; Heb. 1:8–9].
8 Your clothes smell like myrrh, aloes, and cassia.
From palaces of ivory
·music [stringed instruments] comes to make you happy.
9 Kings’ daughters are among your honored women.
Your ·bride [queen; consort] stands at your right side
wearing gold from Ophir [C perhaps a region in southern Arabia].
10 Listen to me, daughter; look and ·pay attention [L incline your ear].
Forget your people and your father’s ·family [L house; Gen. 2:24].
11 The king ·loves [L desires; longs for] your beauty.
Because he is your ·master [lord], you should ·obey [L bow yourself before] him.
12 ·People from the city [L The daughter] of Tyre have brought ·a gift [tribute].
Wealthy people ·will want to meet you [seek your favor].
13 The ·princess [L daughter of the king] is ·very beautiful [L all glorious within].
Her gown is woven with gold.
14 In her ·beautiful [embroidered] clothes she is brought to the king.
·Her bridesmaids [Virgins] follow behind her,
and ·they are also brought to him [L her friends follow].
15 They come with happiness and joy;
they enter the king’s palace.
16 You will have sons to replace your fathers [C addressed to the king].
You will make them ·rulers [princes] through all the land.
17 I will make your name famous from now on,
so people will praise you forever and ever.
God, the King of the World
For the director of music. A psalm of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
47 Clap your hands, all you people.
Shout to God with ·joy [jubilant shouts/cries/L sound].
2 The Lord Most High is ·wonderful [awesome].
He is the great King over all the earth!
3 He ·defeated [subdues] ·nations [or armies] ·for [L under] us
and ·put them under our control [L peoples under our feet].
4 He chose ·the land we would inherit [L for us our heritage/inheritance].
We are the ·children [L pride] of Jacob, whom he loved. ·
5 God has risen with a shout of joy;
the Lord has risen ·as the trumpets sounded [L with the sound of the ram’s horn].
6 Sing praises to God. Sing praises.
Sing praises to our King. Sing praises.
7 God is King of all the earth,
so sing a ·song of praise [psalm; a skillful psalm; meditation; L maskil] to him.
8 God is King over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The ·leaders [princes] of the ·nations [or armies] ·meet [L gather together]
with the ·people [or army] of the God of Abraham,
because the ·leaders [L shields; C military leaders] of the earth belong to God.
He is ·supreme [highly exalted].
Jerusalem, the City of God
A psalm of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
48 The Lord is great; ·he should [L and greatly to] be praised
in the city of our God, on his holy mountain [C Mount Zion, the location of the Temple].
2 It is ·high and beautiful [beautiful in elevation]
·and brings joy to [L the joy of] the whole world [Lam. 2:15].
Mount Zion ·is like the high mountains [L on the sides] of ·the north [or Zaphon; C comparing Yahweh’s mountain with the mountain of Baal];
it is the city of the Great King.
3 God is within its ·palaces [citadels];
he is known as its defender.
4 Kings joined together
and came ·to attack the city [L on together; 2:1].
5 But when they saw it, they were ·amazed [astonished].
They ran away in ·fear [panic].
6 ·Fear [L Trembling] ·took hold of [seized] them;
they ·hurt [were in pain] like a woman ·having a baby [in labor].
7 You ·destroyed [broke up] the ·large trading ships [L ships of Tarshish; C large trading vessels capable of going to distant ports; Tarshish may have been in Spain (Tartessus) or an island in the eastern Mediterranean; Is. 2:16; Jon. 1:3]
with an east wind.
8 First we heard
and now we have seen
that God ·will always keep his city safe [establishes forever].
It is the city of the Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
the city of our God. ·
9 God, we come into your Temple
to ·think [ponder; meditate] about your ·love [loyalty].
10 God, your name is known everywhere;
·all over the earth people [L the ends of the earth] praise you.
Your right hand is full of ·goodness [righteousness; or victory].
11 Mount Zion is happy
and ·all the towns [L the daughters] of Judah rejoice,
because ·your decisions are fair [or of your judgments].
12 Walk around Jerusalem
and count its towers.
13 ·Notice how strong they are [L Set your heart on its ramparts].
Look at the ·palaces [citadels].
Then you can ·tell [recount it to] ·your children about them [L a later generation].
14 This God is our God forever and ever.
He will guide us from now on.
A New Day Is Coming
9 ·But suddenly [or Nevertheless] there will be no more gloom for ·the land that suffered [or those who suffered/were distressed]. In the ·past [former time] God made the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali [C two northern tribes that bore the brunt of the Assyrian invasion] ·hang their heads in shame [humbled; humiliated], but ·in the future [later; afterwards] he ·will bring honor to [will glorify; L has honored/glorified; C the prophet sees the future as already fulfilled] the ·road along the Mediterranean Sea [L Way of the Sea], the land beyond the Jordan River [C probably Gilead in Transjordan], Galilee of the ·nations [Gentiles; C called this because it was overrun by foreigners]. [C Assyria created provinces from these three regions; though devastated in the invasion, they would be the first to see God’s salvation; Matt. 4:13–15.]
2 The people who ·lived [or are living/walking] in darkness,
·have seen [or will see] a great light.
On those who ·lived [are living/dwelling] in ·a dark land [or the shadow of death],
a light ·has shined [or will shine].
3 God, you have caused the nation to ·grow [expand; enlarge]
and ·made the people happy [increased their joy].
And they have ·shown their happiness to [L rejoiced before] you,
like the joy during harvest time,
like the joy of people
·taking what they have won in war [L dividing the spoil/plunder].
4 Like the time you defeated Midian [Judg. 7–8],
you have ·taken away [broken; shattered] their ·heavy load [L yoke of burden]
and the heavy ·pole [bar; staff] from their ·backs [or shoulders]
and the rod ·the enemy used to punish them [of the oppressor].
5 Every boot ·that marched in battle [L marching with shaking]
and every ·uniform [garment] ·stained with [L rolled in] blood
·has been thrown into [or will be used as fuel for] the fire.
6 A child ·has been [or will be; C the prophet views the future as though it had already happened] born to us;
·God has given a son [L a son has been given] to us.
·He will be responsible for leading the people [L The government/rule/dominion will be on his shoulder].
His name will be ·Wonderful Counselor [or Wonderful! Counselor!; or Extraordinary Advisor], ·Powerful [Mighty] God,
·Father Who Lives Forever [Eternal Father], Prince of Peace.
7 There will be no end to the ·growth [abundance; increase] of his ·rule [dominion; government],
nor to the peace he will bring.
He will rule as king on David’s throne
and over David’s kingdom [2 Sam. 7:11–16].
He will ·make it strong [establish and sustain it]
by ruling with justice and ·goodness [righteousness]
from now on and forever.
·The Lord All-Powerful will do this
because of his strong love for his people [L The zeal/jealousy of the Lord Almighty/of Heaven’s Armies/T of hosts will accomplish this].
12 You know these things, and you are ·very strong [established] in the truth [that has come to you; that you now have], but I will always ·help you remember [remind you of] them. 13 I think it is right for me to ·help you remember [L arouse you with a reminder] as long as I am in this ·body [L tent; C a metaphor for the transitory earthly body]. 14 I know I must soon ·leave this body [L put off my tent; C die; 1:13; 2 Cor. 5:1, 4], as our Lord Jesus Christ ·has shown [made clear to] me [John 21:18]. 15 I will ·try my best [make every effort; strive] so that you may be able [L always] to remember these things even after ·I am gone [L my departure; C Peter’s death].
We Saw Christ’s Glory
16 [L For] When we ·told [made known to] you about the ·powerful coming [or power and coming] of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not ·telling [following; repeating] ·just clever stories that someone invented [or cleverly-concocted myths]. But we ·saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes [L were eyewitness of his majesty]. 17 [L For] ·Jesus heard the voice of God, the Greatest Glory [L When that voice came to him from the Majestic Glory], when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him [C a reference to the Transfiguration; Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35].” 18 We heard that voice from heaven while we were with Jesus on the ·holy [sacred] mountain.
19 ·This makes us more sure about the message the prophets gave [or And we also have a reliable message from the prophets; L And we have the prophetic word confirmed; C probably referring to the Old Testament]. ·It is good for you [You do well] to follow closely what they said as you would follow a ·light [L lamp] shining in a dark place, until the day ·begins [L dawns] and the morning star rises in your hearts [Num. 24:17; Rev. 22:16; C the planet Venus as seen before sunrise, here symbolizing Christ]. 20 ·Most [First] of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures ·ever comes from the prophet’s own interpretation [or is a matter of one’s own interpretation]. 21 No prophecy ever came from ·what a person wanted to say [L human will/intention], but people ·led [carried; moved] by the Holy Spirit spoke words from God. [C True prophecy originates with God, not with the prophet.]
Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus(A)
54 They ·arrested [seized] Jesus, and led him away, and brought him into the house of the high priest. Peter followed ·far behind them [at a distance]. 55 After ·the soldiers [L they] started a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat together, Peter sat with them. 56 A servant girl saw Peter sitting there in the firelight, and looking closely at him, she said, “This man was also with him.”
57 But Peter ·said this was not true [denied it]; he said, “Woman, I don’t know him.”
58 A short time later, another person saw Peter and said, “You are also one of them.”
But Peter said, “Man, I am not!”
59 About an hour later, another man insisted, “Certainly this man was with him, because he is ·from Galilee [a Galilean], too.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!”
At once, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. And Peter remembered what the Lord had said: “Before the rooster crows this day, you will ·say three times that you don’t know me [deny me three times].” 62 Then Peter went outside and ·cried painfully [wept bitterly].
The People Make Fun of Jesus
63 The men who were guarding Jesus began ·making fun of [mocking] him and beating him.
64 They blindfolded him and said, “·Prove that you are a prophet [L Prophesy!], and tell us who hit you.” 65 They said many ·cruel [insulting; blasphemous] things to Jesus.
Jesus Before the Leaders
66 When day came, the council of the elders of the people, both the ·leading [T chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes], came together and led Jesus to ·their highest court [the high council/Sanhedrin]. 67 They said, “If you are the ·Christ [Messiah], tell us.”
Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe me. 68 And if I ask you, you will not answer. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of the powerful God [Ps. 110:1].”
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