Book of Common Prayer
God Saved Israel from Egypt
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
78 My people, ·listen [give ear] to my ·teaching [instruction; law];
·listen [L incline your ear] to ·what I say [L the words of my mouth].
2 I will ·speak [L open my mouth] ·using stories [L with a proverb/parable];
I will ·tell [expound] ·secret things [L riddles] from long ago [C the past contains lessons for the present generation].
3 We have heard them and known them
by what our ·ancestors [fathers] have ·told [recounted to] us.
4 We will not ·keep [hide] them from our children;
we will ·tell [recount them to] ·those who come later [a later generation]
about the praises of the Lord.
We will tell about his power
and the ·miracles [wonderful acts] he has done.
5 The Lord ·made an agreement [established a decree/testimony] with Jacob
and gave the ·teachings [instructions; laws] to Israel [Ex. 19–24],
which he commanded our ·ancestors [fathers]
to ·teach [make known] to their children [Deut. 6:6–9, 20–22].
6 Then ·their children [L the later generation] would know them,
even their children not yet born.
And they would ·tell [L rise up and recount them to] their children.
7 So they would ·all trust [L place their trust/confidence in] God
and would not forget what he had done
but would ·obey [protect] his commands.
8 They would not be like their ·ancestors [fathers]
who were ·stubborn and disobedient [L a stubborn and rebellious generation].
Their hearts were not ·loyal [steadfast; L set] to God,
and they were not ·true [faithful] to him [Deut. 9:6–7, 13, 24; 31:27; 32:5; Acts 2:40].
9 The men of Ephraim ·had bows for weapons [L were armed for shooting the bow],
but they ·ran away [turned back] on the day of battle [C perhaps 1 Sam. 4:1–4 or 1 Sam. 28–31].
10 They didn’t ·keep [observe; guard] their ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with God
and refused to ·live [L walk] by his ·teachings [instructions; laws].
11 They forgot what he had done
and the ·miracles [wonderful acts] he had shown them.
12 He did ·miracles [wonderful acts] while their ·ancestors [fathers] watched,
in the fields of Zoan [C a city in the Nile Delta also known as Tanis] in Egypt [C the plagues; Ex. 7–12].
13 He divided the ·Red Sea [L Sea; C probably a lake north of the Gulf of Suez] and led them through [Ex. 14–15].
He made the water stand up like a ·wall [or heap; Ex. 15:8].
14 He led them with a cloud by day
and by the light of a fire by night [105:39; Ex. 13:21; Num. 10:34].
15 He split the rocks in the ·desert [wilderness]
and gave them more ·than enough water, as if from the deep ocean [L water, as much as the deeps].
16 He brought streams out of the rock
and caused water to flow down like rivers [Ex. 17:6; Num. 20:8; 1 Cor. 10:4].
17 But the people continued to sin against him;
in the ·desert [wasteland; wilderness] they ·turned [rebelled] against God Most High.
18 They ·decided to test God [L tested God in their hearts]
by asking for the food ·they wanted [L for their appetite].
19 Then they spoke against God,
saying, “Can God prepare ·food [L a table] in the ·desert [wilderness]?
20 When he ·hit [L struck] the rock, water ·poured out [gushed]
and rivers flowed down.
But can he give us bread also?
Will he provide his people with meat [Ex. 16]?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was very angry.
·His anger was like fire to the people of [L A fire was ignited against] Jacob;
his anger ·grew against the people of [L rose up against] Israel [Num. 11].
22 They had not ·believed [trusted; been faithful to] God
and had not ·trusted [put confidence in] him to ·save them [give them victory].
23 But he gave a command to the clouds above
and opened the doors of heaven.
24 He rained manna down on them to eat;
he gave them grain from heaven.
25 So they ate the bread of ·angels [L strong ones].
He sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He sent the east wind from heaven
and ·led [guided] the south wind by his power.
27 He rained meat on them like dust.
The birds were as many as the sand of the sea.
28 He made the birds fall inside the camp,
all around the ·tents [L residences].
29 So the people ate and became very ·full [satisfied; satiated].
God had given them what they ·wanted [desired].
30 While ·they were still eating [L their desire had not turned aside],
and while the food was still in their mouths,
31 ·God became angry with them [L the anger of God came up on them].
He killed some of the ·healthiest [most robust; sturdiest] of them;
he ·struck down [laid low] the best young men of Israel.
32 But they kept on sinning;
they did not believe even with the ·miracles [wonderful acts].
33 So he ended their days without ·meaning [purpose; Eccl. 1:2]
and their years in terror.
34 Anytime he killed them, they would ·look to him for help [seek him];
they would ·come back to God [repent] and ·follow [be intent on] him.
35 They would remember that God was their Rock [C the one who protected them],
that God Most High had ·saved [redeemed] them.
36 But ·their words were false [L they deceived/or flattered him with their mouths],
and with their tongues they lied to him.
37 Their hearts were not really ·loyal to [steadfast toward] God;
they ·did not keep [were not faithful to] his ·agreement [covenant].
38 Still God was ·merciful [compassionate].
He ·forgave their sins [made atonement for their guilt]
and did not destroy them.
Many times he held back his anger
and did not stir up all his ·anger [wrath].
39 He remembered that they were ·only human [flesh; 38:3; 56:4; 103:14–15; Gen. 6:3; Is. 2:22],
like a wind that blows and does not come back.
40 They ·turned [rebelled] against God so often in the ·desert [wilderness]
and grieved him ·there [L in the wasteland].
41 Again and again they tested God
and ·brought pain to [provoked] the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his ·power [L hand]
or the ·time [L day] he ·saved [ransomed] them from the ·enemy [foe].
43 They forgot the signs he did in Egypt
and his wonders in the fields of Zoan [v. 12].
44 He turned their rivers to blood
so no one could drink ·the water [L from their streams; 105:29; Ex. 7:17–20; Rev. 16:4].
45 He sent flies that ·bit [L consumed] the people [Ex. 8:20–32].
He sent frogs that destroyed them [Ex. 7:25—8:15].
46 He gave their crops to grasshoppers
and ·what they worked for [L their labor] to locusts [Ex. 10:1–20].
47 He ·destroyed [L killed] their vines with hail
and their ·sycamore [or fig] trees with ·sleet [or frost; or floods; Ex. 9:13–35].
48 He ·killed their animals with [L handed over their beasts to the] hail
and their cattle with lightning [Ex. 9:1–7].
49 He ·showed [L sent against] them his hot anger.
He sent his strong anger against them,
his ·destroying angels [or messengers of evil/harm].
50 He ·found a way to show [L made a path for] his anger.
He did not ·keep them from dying [L hold back their lives from death]
but ·let them die by a terrible disease [L handed their lives over to plague].
51 God ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn sons in Egypt [Ex. 12],
the ·oldest son of each family [L first of their virility in the tents] of Ham [C the ancestor of the Egyptians; Gen. 10:6].
52 But God led his people out like sheep
and he guided them like a flock through the ·desert [wilderness].
53 He led them to safety so they had nothing to fear,
but ·their enemies drowned in the sea [L the sea covered their enemies].
54 So God brought them to his holy ·land [L boundary],
to the mountain country ·he took with his own power [L his hand acquired].
55 He ·forced out [dispossessed before them] the other nations,
and he ·had his people inherit the land [L alloted the land as an inheritance].
He let the tribes of Israel settle there in tents.
56 But they tested God
and ·turned [rebelled] against God Most High;
they did not ·keep [observe; guard] his ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
57 They ·turned away [recoiled] and were disloyal just like their ·ancestors [fathers].
They ·were like [turned into] a ·crooked bow that does not shoot straight [slack bow; C unreliable and ineffective].
58 They made God angry ·by building places to worship gods [L with their high places; C worship sites associated with pagan worship or inappropriate worship of God; Deut. 12:2–3];
they made him jealous with their idols.
59 When God heard them, he became very angry
and rejected the people of Israel completely.
60 He ·left [cast off] his dwelling at Shiloh,
the Tent where he lived among the people.
61 He let his ·Power [Strength; C the Ark] be captured;
he let his ·glory [beauty; C the Ark] be taken by ·enemies [L the hand of the foe; 1 Sam. 4–5].
62 He ·let his people be killed [L handed his people over to the sword];
he was very angry with his ·children [L inheritance].
63 The young men ·died [L were consumed] by fire,
and the young women ·had no one to marry [had no wedding songs; or could not sing a lament for them].
64 Their priests fell by the sword [1 Sam. 4:12–22],
but their widows were not allowed to cry.
65 Then the Lord ·got up [awoke] as if he had been asleep;
·he awoke like a man [L like a soldier] who had been ·drunk with [shouting/singing because of] wine.
66 He struck ·down [L back] his enemies
and ·disgraced them forever [L placed on them eternal scorn/reproach].
67 But God rejected the ·family [L tent] of Joseph [C the tribe of Ephraim];
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim [C the most important northern tribe, here representing the house of Saul].
68 Instead, he chose the tribe of Judah
and Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple], which he loves.
69 And he built his ·Temple [sanctuary; Holy Place] ·high like the mountains [or like the high heavens].
Like the earth, ·he built it to last [L its foundations are] forever.
70 He chose David to be his servant
and took him from the sheep pens.
71 He brought him from tending the ·sheep [L ewes]
so he could ·lead the flock, [shepherd] the people of Jacob,
his ·own people [inheritance], the people of Israel.
72 And David ·led [shepherded] them with an ·innocent [blameless] heart
and guided them with skillful hands.
David Prays to God
18 Then King David went in and sat ·in front of [before; in the presence of] the Lord. David said, “Lord God, who am I? What is my ·family [L house]? Why did you bring me ·to this point [this far]? 19 But even this ·is not enough for you [L was a small thing in your eyes], Lord God. You have also ·made promises about my future family [spoken about the future of my house]. ·This is extraordinary [So it is with humanity; or This is a decree/instruction/charter for the people/humanity], Lord God.
20 “What more can I say to you, Lord God, since you know me, your servant, so well! 21 You have done ·this great thing [L all this greatness] ·because you said you would [L for the sake of your word/promise] and ·because you wanted to [L according to your will/heart], and you have ·let me know about it [made it known to your servant]. 22 This is why you are great, Lord God! There is no one like you. There is no God except you. ·We have heard all this ourselves […that we have ever heard of]! 23 ·There is no nation like [L What other nation/people is like…?] your people Israel. ·They are the only [L What other…?] people on earth ·that God chose [did God choose] to be his own [Gen. 12:1–3]. ·You made your name well known. You did great and wonderful miracles for them […to make a name for himself by doing great and awesome things/miracles/wonders on their behalf?]. You went ahead of them and ·forced [drove] other nations and their gods out of the land. You ·freed [redeemed; ransomed] your people from ·slavery in Egypt [Egypt]. 24 You ·made [established] the people of Israel your very own people forever, and, Lord, you ·are [have become] their God.
25 “Now, Lord God, keep the ·promise forever that you made [word you have spoken] about my ·family [L house] and me, your servant. Do what you have said [promised]. 26 Then ·you [L your name] will be ·honored [magnified] ·always [forever], ·and people will say […by people saying], ‘The Lord ·All-Powerful [of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is God over Israel!’ And ·the family [L may the house] of your servant David will ·continue [be established/secure] before you.
27 “Lord ·All-Powerful [of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel, you have ·said to me [revealed this to me, saying], ‘I will ·make your family great [L build a house/dynasty for you].’ So I, your servant, am ·brave [bold; courageous] enough to pray to you. 28 Lord God, you are God, and your words are ·true [truth; trustworthy]. And you have promised these good things to me, your servant. 29 Please, bless ·my family [L the house of your servant]. Let it ·continue [remain] before you always. Lord God, you have ·said so [spoken]. With your blessing let ·my family [L the house of your servant] always be blessed.”
Paul Is Brought Before Gallio
12 When Gallio was the ·governor [L proconsul; C from ad 51 to 52] of Achaia [C a Roman province in present-day southern Greece], ·some people [L the Jews] ·came together [made a united attack] against Paul and took him to the ·court [tribunal; judgment seat]. 13 They said, “This man is ·teaching [L persuading] people to worship God in a way that is against our law.”
14 Paul was about to ·say something [L open his mouth], but Gallio spoke [L to the Jews], saying, “I would [L reasonably; justifiably] listen to you [L O Jews,] if you were complaining about a crime or some ·wrong [evil wrongdoing; moral evil]. 15 But the things you are saying are only questions about words and names [C the debate over whether Jesus is the Messiah]—arguments about your own law. ·So you must solve this problem [L See to it] yourselves. I don’t want to be a judge of these things.” 16 And ·Gallio [L he] ·made them leave [threw them out of] the ·court [tribunal; judgment seat].
17 Then they[a] [C probably Greeks, using the opportunity to vent their dislike for the Jewish population; less likely, the Jews, angry at Sosthenes for losing the case] all grabbed Sosthenes [C perhaps the person mentioned in 1 Cor. 1:1], the ·leader [official] of the synagogue, and beat him there before the ·court [tribunal; judgment seat]. But this ·did not bother [was of no concern to; was ignored by] Gallio.
Paul Returns to Antioch
18 Paul stayed with the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] for many more days. Then he ·left [said farewell] and sailed for Syria, with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchrea [C a port city east of Corinth] Paul cut off his hair [C a ritual sometimes performed when a promise was accomplished; perhaps this was a Nazirite vow; Num. 6:1–21], because he had made a ·promise to God [L vow]. 19 Then they went to Ephesus [C a major city across the Aegean Sea in western Asia Minor], where Paul left ·Priscilla and Aquila [L them]. While Paul was there, he went into the synagogue and talked [or argued; reasoned] with the ·people [L Jews]. 20 When they asked him to stay with them longer, he ·refused [declined]. 21 But as he ·left [said farewell], he said, “I will come back to you again if God ·wants me to [wills].” And so he sailed away from Ephesus.
22 When Paul landed at Caesarea [C a port city to the west of Jerusalem on the Mediterranean], he went [L up] and gave greetings to the ·church in Jerusalem [L the church; C the Greek does not mention Jerusalem, but going “up” implies the church in Jerusalem; less likely, it could be the church in Caesarea]. After that, Paul went [L down] to Antioch [C in Syria; the church that sent Paul out]. 23 He stayed there for a while and then left and went through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia [C regions in north central Asia Minor; 16:6]. ·He traveled from town to town in these regions […traveling from place to place; L …passing through sequentially], ·giving strength to [building up; encouraging; 15:41] all the ·followers [disciples].
Apollos in Ephesus and Corinth
24 [L Now; Meanwhile] A Jew named Apollos came to Ephesus. He was ·born in the city [a native] of Alexandria and was ·a good speaker [or a learned man] who ·knew the Scriptures well [L was powerful/competent in the Scriptures]. 25 He had been taught about the ·way [or Way; 9:2] of the Lord and was always ·very excited [enthusiastic; L fervent in spirit] when he spoke and taught ·the truth [L accurately the things] about Jesus. But the only baptism Apollos knew about was the baptism that John [C the Baptist] taught [C baptism of repentance before the ministry of Jesus began; Luke 3]. 26 Apollos began to speak ·very boldly [confidently; fearlessly] in the synagogue, and when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they ·took him to their home [or took him aside; L received/took him] and ·helped him better understand [explained more accurately/precisely] the ·way [or Way; 9:2] of God. 27 Now Apollos wanted to ·go [cross over] to Achaia [v. 12]. So the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] ·helped [encouraged] him and wrote a letter to the ·followers [disciples] there, asking them to ·accept [welcome] him. ·When Apollos arrived, he was a great help to those who, by God’s grace, had believed in Jesus [or When Apollos arrived, by God’s grace he was a great help…]. 28 [L For] He ·argued very strongly with [vigorously refuted] the Jews ·before all the people [L in public (debate)], clearly ·proving [or showing] with the Scriptures that Jesus is the ·Christ [Messiah; 17:3; 18:5].
Jesus Heals a Blind Man
22 Jesus and his followers came to Bethsaida [6:45]. There some people brought a blind man to Jesus and begged him to touch the man. 23 So Jesus took the blind man’s hand and led him out of the village. Then he spit on the man’s eyes [see 7:33] and ·put [laid] his hands on the man and asked, “Can you see [anything] now?”
24 The man looked up and said, “Yes, I see people, but they look like trees walking around.”
25 Again Jesus ·put [laid] his hands on the man’s eyes. Then the man ·opened his eyes wide [stared intently] and ·they were healed [his sight was restored], and he was able to see everything clearly. 26 Jesus told him to go home, saying, “Don’t go into the town.”[a] [C Jesus wanted to avoid the publicity that the healing would produce.]
Peter Says Jesus Is the Christ(A)
27 Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went to the towns around Caesarea Philippi [C a city about 25 miles north of Lake Galilee]. While they were traveling, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?”
28 They answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Others say you are Elijah [a great prophet (1 Kin. 17), who was expected to return in the end times (Mal. 4:5); see 6:15], and others say you are one of the prophets.”
29 Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the ·Christ [Messiah].”
30 Jesus [strongly] warned them not to tell anyone who he was.
31 Then Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man [Dan. 7:13–14] must suffer many things and that he would be rejected by the Jewish elders, the ·leading [T chief] priests, and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. He told them that the Son of Man must be killed and then rise from the dead after three days. 32 Jesus told them ·plainly [boldly; openly] what would happen. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to ·reprimand [rebuke] him. 33 But Jesus turned and looked at his ·followers [disciples]. Then he ·reprimanded [rebuked] Peter. He said, “·Go away from me [L Get behind me], Satan [C Jesus accuses Peter of doing Satan’s work by obstructing God’s plan]! You ·don’t care about [are not setting your mind on/thinking about] the things of God, but only ·about things people think are important [on/about human concerns].”
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