Book of Common Prayer
A Hymn About the Lord’s Power
97 The Lord ·is king [reigns; 47:2; 93:1; 96:10; 98:6; 99:1; Rev. 19:6]. Let the earth rejoice;
·faraway lands [or islands; or coastlands] should be glad.
2 Thick, dark clouds surround him.
His ·kingdom [L throne] is ·built [established] on ·what is right [righteousness] and ·fair [justice].
3 A fire goes before him
and ·burns up [flames] his enemies all around.
4 His lightning ·lights up [illuminates] the world;
when the ·people [earth] see it, they ·tremble [writhe].
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens ·tell about [declare] his ·goodness [righteousness],
and all the people see his glory [C his manifest presence].
7 Those who ·worship [serve] idols should be ·ashamed [embarrassed; Is. 42:17; 45:16];
they brag about their ·gods [worthless things].
All the gods should ·worship [bow down to] the Lord.
8 When ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple] hears this, she is glad,
and the ·towns [L daughters] of Judah rejoice.
They are happy because of your judgments, Lord.
9 You are the Lord Most High over all the earth;
you are ·supreme [exalted] over all gods.
10 People who love the Lord hate evil.
The Lord ·watches over [keeps; guards] ·those who follow him [his loyal ones/saints]
and ·frees [rescues] them from the ·power [L hand] of the wicked.
11 Light ·shines [L is sown] on ·those who do right [the righteous];
joy belongs to those who are ·honest [L virtuous/upright in heart].
12 Rejoice in the Lord, you who ·do right [are righteous].
Praise his ·holy name [or unforgettable holiness].
The Lord, the Fair and Holy King
99 The Lord ·is king [reigns; 47:2; 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 98:6; Rev. 19:6].
Let the peoples ·shake [tremble; C with fear].
He sits between the ·gold creatures with wings [L cherubim; C above the Ark of the Covenant; Ex. 25:17–22; 1 Kin. 8:7].
Let the earth shake.
2 The Lord in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple] is great;
he is ·supreme [exalted] over all the peoples.
3 Let them ·praise [thank] your name;
it is great, holy and ·to be feared [awesome].
4 The King is ·powerful [strong] and loves justice.
Lord, you ·made [established] things fair;
you have done what is ·fair [righteous] and ·right [just]
for the people of Jacob [C another name for Israel].
5 ·Praise [Exalt] the Lord our God,
and ·worship [bow down] at the footstool of his feet [C the Ark located in the Temple].
He is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
and Samuel was among ·his worshipers [L those who called on his name].
They called to the Lord,
and he answered them [Ex. 32:11–13, 30–32; Num. 12:13; 14:13–19; 1 Sam. 7:5, 8–9; 12:16–18; Jer. 15:1].
7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud [Ex. 13:21].
They ·kept [observed; guarded] the ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·laws [decrees; testimonies] he gave them.
8 Lord our God, you answered them.
You showed them that you are a forgiving God,
but you ·punished them [are an avenger] for their wrongs [Deut. 32:35; Is. 34:8; Ezek. 24:8; 25:14–17; Nah. 1:2; Rom. 12:19; 1 Thess. 4:6].
9 ·Praise [Exalt] the Lord our God,
and ·worship [bow down] at his holy mountain,
because the Lord our God is holy.
A Call to Praise the Lord
A psalm of thanks.
100 Shout to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Serve the Lord with joy;
come before him with singing.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
He made us [Gen. 1–2], and ·we belong to him [or not ourselves];
we are his people, the sheep ·he tends [L of his pasture; 74:1; 79:13; John 10:11–14].
4 Come into his ·city [L gates] with songs of thanksgiving
and into his courtyards with songs of praise.
·Thank [Praise] him and ·praise [bless] his name.
5 The Lord is good. His ·love [loyalty] is forever,
and his ·loyalty [faithfulness] ·goes on and on [L for all generations].
God Will Pay Back His Enemies
94 The Lord is a God ·who punishes [of vengeance; Deut. 32:35; Is. 34:8; Ezek. 24:8; 25:14–17; Nah. 1:2; Rom. 12:19; 1 Thess. 4:6].
·God, show your greatness and punish [L God of vengeance, shine forth]!
2 Rise up, Judge of the earth,
and give the ·proud [arrogant] ·what they deserve [their due].
3 How long will the wicked be ·happy [joyful]?
How long, Lord?
4 They ·are full of [L bubble forth, speaking] ·proud [insolent] words;
those who do evil ·brag about what they have done [L talk a lot].
5 Lord, they crush your people
and ·make your children suffer [L afflict your inheritance].
6 They kill widows and ·foreigners [sojourners; wanderers]
and murder orphans [Ex. 22:21–24].
7 They say, “The Lord doesn’t see;
the God of Jacob [C another name for Israel] doesn’t ·notice [understand].”
8 You ·stupid [senseless; dull witted] ones among the people, ·pay attention [L understand].
You fools, when will you ·understand [get insight]?
9 Can’t the ·creator [L planter] of ears hear?
Can’t the ·maker [former; shaper] of eyes see?
10 Won’t the one who ·corrects [instructs; disciplines] nations ·punish [reprimand; reprove] you?
Doesn’t the teacher of people know everything?
11 The Lord knows ·what people think [L the thoughts of humans].
He knows their thoughts are ·just a puff of wind [a bubble/vapor/meaningless/futile; Eccl. 1:2].
12 Lord, those you ·correct [instruct; discipline] are ·happy [blessed];
you teach them from your ·law [instruction; teaching].
13 You give them ·rest [peace; quiet] from ·times [L days] of ·trouble [harm; evil]
until a pit is dug for the wicked [Prov. 26:7; Eccl. 10:8].
14 The Lord won’t ·leave [abandon; cast off] his people
nor ·give up [abandon; forsake] his ·children [L inheritance].
15 Judgment will again be ·fair [just; righteous],
and all who are ·honest [L upright/virtuous of heart] will follow it.
16 Who will ·help me fight [L rise up with me] against the wicked?
Who will stand with me against those who do evil?
17 If the Lord had not helped me,
I would have ·died in a minute [L quickly dwelled in silence].
18 I said, “·I am about to fall [L My feet totter],”
but, Lord, your ·love [loyalty] ·kept me safe [steadied/supported me].
19 ·I was very worried [L In my many disquieting thoughts in my insides],
but you comforted me and ·made me happy [cheered me up].
20 ·Crooked leaders [L Ruinous thrones] cannot be your ·friends [allies].
They use the ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] to cause ·suffering [distress].
21 They ·join forces [band together] against ·people who do right [righteous people]
and ·sentence [condemn] to death the innocent.
22 But the Lord is my ·defender [stronghold; fortress];
my God is the rock [28:1; 42:9; 62:2; Deut. 32:4] of my ·protection [refuge].
23 God will pay them back for their ·sins [guilt; iniquity]
and will destroy them for their evil.
The Lord our God will destroy them.
A Call to Praise and Obedience
95 Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord.
Let’s shout praises to the Rock [28:1; 42:9; 62:2; Deut. 32:4] who ·saves us [gives us victory].
2 Let’s ·come [present ourselves] to him with ·thanksgiving [praise].
Let’s ·sing songs [shout psalms] to him,
3 because the Lord is the great God,
the great King over all gods [Ex. 15:11].
4 The deepest places on earth are ·his [L in his hand],
and the ·highest [peaks of the] mountains belong to him.
5 The sea is his because he made it,
and he created the ·land [dry ground] with his own hands.
6 Come, let’s ·worship him [bow down] and ·bow down [bend the knee].
Let’s kneel before the Lord who made us,
7 because he is our God
and we are the people ·he takes care of [L of his pasture],
the sheep ·that he tends [L of his hand; 74:1; 79:13; 100:3; John 10:11–14].
Today listen to ·what he says [L his voice]:
8 “Do not ·be stubborn [L harden your heart], as at Meribah [C “contending”; 81:7; 106:32; Ex. 17:1–17; Num. 20:1–13],
as that day at Massah [C “testing”] in the ·desert [wilderness; Heb. 4:7].
9 There your ·ancestors [fathers] tested me
and tried me even though they saw what I did.
10 I ·was angry with [felt disgust for] ·those people [L that generation] for forty years.
I said, ‘They are ·not loyal to me [L a people whose hearts wander/go astray]
and have not understood my ways.’
11 I was angry and made a promise,
‘They will never enter my rest.’”
Joab Sends a Wise Woman to David
14 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that ·King David missed Absalom very much [L David’s heart longed for/mind was on Absalom]. 2 So Joab sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He said to her, “Pretend ·to be very sad [L you are in mourning]. Put on ·funeral [mourning] clothes and don’t put ·lotion [perfume; anointing oil] on yourself. Act like a woman who has been ·crying [mourning] many days for someone who died. 3 Then go to the king and say these words.” Then Joab ·told her what to say [L put the words in her mouth].
4 ·So [When…] the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king. She bowed facedown on the ground ·to show respect [L and prostrated herself] and said, “My king, help me!”
5 King David asked her, “What is ·the matter [troubling you]?”
The woman said, “I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 I had two sons. They were out in the field fighting, and no one was there to ·stop [separate] them. So one ·son [L struck and] killed the other son. 7 Now ·all the family group [the whole family/clan] ·is [L has risen] against me. They said to me, ‘·Bring [Hand over; Give up] the son who ·killed [L struck] his brother so we may ·kill [execute] him for ·killing [murdering; taking the life of] his brother. That way we will ·also get rid of the one who would receive what belonged to his father [destroy the heir as well; C so he doesn’t profit from his crime].’ ·My son is like the last spark of a fire. He is all [L They want to extinguish/quench the only coal/ember] I have left. ·If they kill him, my [L My] husband’s name and ·property [or family; descendents; L remnant] will be gone from the ·earth [L face of the earth].”
8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go home. I will ·take care of this for [L give orders concerning] you.”
9 The woman of Tekoa said to him, “Let the ·blame [guilt] be on me and my father’s family. My ·master and [lord the] king, you and your throne are ·innocent [guiltless].”
10 King David said, “Bring me anyone who ·says anything bad to [threatens; criticizes] you. Then he won’t ·bother [L touch] you again.”
11 The woman said, “Please ·promise in the name of [swear by; remember; keep in mind] the Lord your God. Then ·my relative who has the duty of punishing a murderer [my near-relative; L the avenger of blood; C a relative obligated to execute the murderer; Num. 35:12, 19–21] won’t ·add to [continue] the destruction by killing my son.”
David said, “As surely as the Lord lives, ·no one will hurt your son [L not one hair from his head will fall to the ground].”
12 The woman said, “Let me say something to you, my ·master and [lord the] king.”
The king said, “Speak.”
13 Then the woman said, “Why have you ·decided this way against [acted/L planned to the harm/detriment of] the people of God? When you ·judge [decide; L speak] this way, you ·show that you are guilty [convict yourself] for not bringing back your son who was ·forced to leave home [banished]. 14 We will all die someday. We’re like water spilled on the ground; no one can ·gather it back [collect it together]. But God doesn’t ·take away [discard] life. Instead, he plans ways that ·those who have been sent away will not have to stay away from him [will bring back/home the banished]! 15 My ·master and [lord the] king, I came to say this to you because the people have ·made me afraid [threatened/intimidated me]! I thought, ‘Let me talk to the king. Maybe he will ·do [grant] what I ask. 16 Maybe he will listen. Perhaps he will ·save [rescue; deliver] me from ·those who want to keep both me and my son from getting what God gave us [L the hand of the man who would cut me and my son from God’s inheritance/heritage].’
17 “Now I say, ‘May the words of my ·master [lord] the king give me ·rest [comfort; peace]. Like an angel of God, you ·know [discern; understand] what is good and what is ·bad [evil]. May the Lord your God be with you!’”
18 Then King David said, “Do not ·hide [evade] the truth. Answer me one question.”
The woman said, “My ·master [lord] the king, please ·ask your question [speak].”
19 The king said, “·Did Joab tell you to say [L Is Joab’s hand with you in] all these things?”
The woman answered, “As you live, my ·master [lord] the king, no one ·could avoid that question [can fool/mislead you; L turn to the right or left concerning what you’ve said]. You are right. Your servant Joab ·did tell me to say these things [L commanded me and put all these words in my mouth]. 20 Joab did it ·so you would see things differently [to change the look of things]. My ·master [lord], you are wise like an angel of God who knows ·everything that happens [all things] on earth.”
Paul Goes to Jerusalem
21 After we ·all said good-bye to [tore ourselves away from] them, we sailed ·straight [a straight course] to the island of Cos [C between Ephesus and Rhodes]. The next day we reached Rhodes [C an island off the southwest Coast of Asia Minor], and from there we went to Patara [C a seaport on the southwest coast of Asia Minor]. 2 There we found a ship ·going [crossing over] to Phoenicia [C a coastal region north of Israel; present-day Lebanon], so we went aboard and sailed away. 3 We sailed near the island of Cyprus [11:19], ·seeing [L leaving] it to the ·north [L left], but we sailed on to Syria. We ·stopped [landed] at Tyre [12:20] because the ship needed to unload its cargo there. 4 We ·found [sought out] some ·followers [disciples] in Tyre and stayed with them for seven days. Through the ·Holy Spirit [L Spirit] they ·warned [or kept warning] Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 5 When ·we finished our visit [L our days there were finished], we left and continued our trip. All ·the followers [L of them], even the women and children, came outside the city with us. After we all knelt on the beach and prayed, 6 we said good-bye and got on the ship, and ·the followers [L they] went back home.
7 We ·continued [or finished] our trip from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais [C a town on the Mediterranean coast about half way between Tyre and Caesarea, also known as Acco], where we greeted the ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] and stayed with them for a day. 8 The next day we left Ptolemais and went to the city of Caesarea [10:1]. There we went into the home of Philip the ·preacher [or evangelist], one of the ·seven helpers [L Seven; 6:1–6; 8:4–40], and stayed with him. 9 He had four ·unmarried [L virgin] daughters who ·had the gift of prophesying [L prophesied]. 10 After we had been there for ·some time [L many days], a prophet named Agabus [11:27–28] ·arrived [L came down] from Judea. 11 He came to us and ·borrowed [took] Paul’s belt and used it to tie his own hands and feet. He said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will ·tie up [or bind (in chains)] the man ·who wears this belt [L whose belt this is]. Then they will ·give [deliver; hand over; betray] him to the Gentiles.’”
12 When we all heard this, we and the people there ·begged [encouraged; urged; pleaded with] Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 13 But he ·said [L responded], “Why are you crying and ·making me so sad [L breaking my heart]? I am not only ready to be ·tied up [or bound; imprisoned] in Jerusalem, I am ready to die for the [L name of the] Lord Jesus!”
14 We could not ·persuade him to stay away from Jerusalem [L persuade/convince him]. So we ·stopped begging him [L remained silent] and said, “·We pray that what the Lord wants will [L Let the Lord’s will] be done.”
Jesus Teaches About Divorce(A)
10 Then Jesus left that place and went into the ·area [region] of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again, crowds came to him, and he taught them as he usually did.
2 Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to ·trick [test; trap] him. They asked, “Is it ·right [lawful; C according to the law of Moses] for a man to divorce his wife?”
3 Jesus answered, “What did Moses command you to do?”
4 They said, “Moses ·allowed [permitted] a man to write out divorce papers and send her away [Deut. 24:1].”
5 Jesus said, “Moses wrote that command for you because you were ·stubborn [hard hearted]. 6 But ·when God made the world [from the beginning of creation], ‘he made them male and female’ [Gen. 1:27; 5:2]. 7 ‘So a man will leave his father and mother and be ·united with [joined to] his wife,[a] 8 and the two will become ·one body [as though they were one person; T one flesh; Gen. 2:24]’. So they are no longer two, but one. 9 God has joined the two together, so no one should separate them.”
10 Later, in the house, his ·followers [disciples] asked Jesus again about ·the question of divorce [L this matter]. 11 He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman ·is guilty of [commits] adultery against her. 12 And the woman who divorces her husband and marries another man ·is also guilty of [commits] adultery.”
Jesus Accepts Children(B)
13 Some people brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch them, but his ·followers [disciples] ·told them to stop [scolded/rebuked them]. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was ·upset [angry; indignant] and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children [C meaning humble and dependent]. 15 I tell you the truth, you must accept the kingdom of God as if you were a little child, or you will never enter it.” 16 Then Jesus took the children in his arms, ·put [laid] his hands on them, and blessed them.
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