Book of Common Prayer
A Cry for Help
A prayer of a person who is suffering when he is ·discouraged [faint; disturbed] and ·tells the Lord his complaints [L pours out his concerns before the Lord].
102 Lord, listen to my prayer;
let my cry for help come to you.
2 Do not hide your ·presence [L face] from me
in my time of ·trouble [distress].
·Pay attention [L Extend your ear] to me.
·When I cry for help [L On the day I call], answer me quickly.
3 My ·life [L days] is ·passing away [vanishing] like smoke,
and my bones are burned up ·with fire [L like a furnace/oven/or glowing embers].
4 My heart is like grass
that has been ·cut [stricken] and dried.
I forget to eat my ·food [or bread].
5 Because of ·my grief [L the sounds of my groans],
my ·skin hangs on my bones [L bones cling to my flesh].
6 I am like a ·desert [wilderness] owl,
like an owl living among the ·ruins [wastelands; Is. 34:10–15; Zeph. 2:13–15].
7 I ·lie awake [or keep watch].
I am like a lonely bird on a ·housetop [roof].
8 All day long enemies ·insult [scorn; reproach] me;
those who ·make fun of [mock] me use my name as a curse.
9 I eat ashes for ·food [or bread],
and my tears ·fall into [mingle with] my drinks.
10 Because of your ·great anger [L wrath and indignation],
you have picked me up and thrown me away.
11 My days are like a passing shadow;
I am like dried grass.
12 But, Lord, you ·rule [L are enthroned] forever,
and your ·fame [memory] ·goes on and on [L throughout the generations].
13 You will ·come [L rise up] and have ·mercy [compassion] on ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple],
because the time has now come to be ·kind [gracious] to her;
the ·right [appointed] time has come.
14 Your servants ·love even [are pleased/delighted with] her stones;
they even ·care about [L have pity/compassion for] her dust.
15 Nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings on earth ·will honor you [L your glory; C God’s manifest presence].
16 The Lord will rebuild ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
there his glory [C manifest presence] will be seen.
17 He will answer the prayers of the ·needy [lowly; L naked];
he will not ·reject [despise] their prayers.
18 Write these things for ·the future [L a future generation]
so that people who are not yet ·born [created] will praise the Lord.
19 The Lord looked down from his holy place above;
from heaven he ·looked [gazed] down at the earth.
20 He heard the ·moans [groans] of the prisoners,
and he ·freed [released] those sentenced to die.
21 The name of the Lord will be ·heard [recounted] in ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
his praise ·will be heard there [L in Jerusalem].
22 People will ·come [gather] together,
and kingdoms will serve the Lord.
23 ·God has made me tired of living [He broke my strength in midcourse/L the way];
he has cut short my ·life [L days].
24 So I said, “My God, do not take me in the middle of my ·life [L days].
Your years ·go on and on [endure for generations].
25 In the beginning you ·made [founded] the earth,
and ·your hands made the skies [L the heavens are the work of your hands; Gen. 1].
26 They will be destroyed, but you will ·remain [endure].
They will all wear out like ·clothes [garments].
And, like clothes, you will change them
and throw them away.
27 But you ·never change [are the same/L he],
and your ·life [L years] will never end.
28 ·Our children [L The children of your servants] will live in your presence,
and their ·children [offspring; L seed] will remain with you.”
Book 5: Psalms 107–150
God Saves from Many Dangers
107 Thank the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
2 That is what those whom the Lord has ·saved [redeemed] should say.
He has ·saved [redeemed] them from the ·enemy [foe]
3 and has gathered them from other lands,
from east and west, north and south [Is. 51:11; C perhaps after the Babylonian exile].
4 Some people had wandered in the ·desert lands [L wilderness, wasteland].
They found no way to a city in which to live.
5 They were hungry and thirsty,
and they were ·discouraged [faint].
6 In their ·misery [distress] they cried out to the Lord,
and he ·saved [rescued; protected] them from their troubles [vv. 13, 19, 28].
7 He led them on a straight road
to a city where they could live.
8 Let them ·give thanks to [praise] the Lord for his ·love [loyalty]
and for the ·miracles [wonderful works] he does for people [vv. 15, 21, 31].
9 He satisfies the thirsty
and fills ·up [L with good things] the hungry [Is. 58:10–11; Jer. 31:25; Luke 1:53].
10 Some sat in ·gloom [darkness] and ·darkness [deep darkness];
they were prisoners ·suffering [afflicted] in ·chains [irons].
11 They had ·turned [rebelled] against the words of God
and had ·refused [rejected] the advice of God Most High.
12 So he ·broke their pride by [L made their hearts cower with] hard work.
They stumbled, and no one helped.
13 In their ·misery [distress] they cried out to the Lord,
and he ·saved them from [gave them victory over] their troubles [vv. 6, 19, 28].
14 He brought them out of their ·gloom [darkness] and ·darkness [deep darkness]
and ·broke [burst] their chains.
15 Let them ·give thanks to [praise] the Lord for his ·love [loyalty]
and for the ·miracles [wonderful works] he does for people [vv. 8, 21, 31].
16 He ·breaks down [shatters] bronze gates
and cuts apart iron bars.
17 Some ·fools turned against God [L became fools in the way of transgression]
and ·suffered [were afflicted] ·for the evil they did [L because of their guilt].
18 ·They refused to eat anything [L Their appetite loathed any food],
so they ·almost died [L approached the gates of death].
19 In their ·misery [distress] they cried out to the Lord,
and he ·saved them [gave them victory] from their troubles [vv. 6, 13, 28].
20 God ·gave the command [L sent forth his word] and healed them,
so they were ·saved [rescued] from ·dying [destruction; or their pits].
21 Let them ·give thanks to [praise] the Lord for his ·love [loyalty]
and for the ·miracles [wonderful works] he does for people [vv. 8, 15, 31].
22 Let them offer ·sacrifices to thank him [thanksgiving offerings].
With joy they should ·tell [recount] what he has done.
23 Others went out to sea in ships
and did ·business [work] on the ·great oceans [L many waters].
24 They saw what the Lord could do,
the ·miracles [worderful works] he did in the deep oceans.
25 He spoke, and a ·storm [L stormy wind] ·came [L stood] up,
which ·blew [raised] up high waves.
26 ·The ships [L They] ·were tossed as high as [L went up to] the ·sky [heavens] and fell low to the depths.
·The storm was so bad that they lost their courage [L Their life/soul melted in evil/trouble].
27 They ·stumbled [reeled; leapt] and ·fell [tottered; staggered] like people who were drunk.
·They did not know what to do [L All their wisdom was confused].
28 In their ·misery [distress] they cried out to the Lord,
and he ·saved [L brought them out] them from their troubles [vv. 6, 13, 19].
29 He ·stilled [quieted] the storm
and ·calmed [hushed] the waves.
30 They were happy that it was quiet,
and God guided them to the ·port [harbor] they wanted.
31 Let them ·give thanks to [praise] the Lord for his ·love [loyalty]
and for the ·miracles [wonderful works] he does for people [vv. 8, 15, 21].
32 Let them ·praise his greatness [exalt him] in the ·meeting [assembly] of the people;
let them praise him in the meeting of the elders.
19 The king said to Ittai, a man from Gath, “Why are you also going with us? Turn back and stay with ·King Absalom [L the king] because you are a foreigner. ·This is not [L …—an exile from] your homeland. 20 You joined me only ·a short time ago [L yesterday]. Should I make you wander with us when I don’t even know where I’m going? Turn back and take your ·brothers [kinsmen; people] with you. May ·kindness [faithful love] and ·loyalty [faithfulness; truth] be shown to you.”
21 But Ittai said to the king, “As surely as the Lord lives and as ·you live [L my lord the king lives], I will ·stay with you [L go wherever my lord the king goes], whether it means life or death.”
22 David said to Ittai, “Go, march on.” So Ittai from Gath and all his people with their ·children [families] marched on. 23 All the people ·cried loudly [wept out loud] as ·everyone [the people] passed by. King David crossed the Kidron Valley, and then all the people went on to the ·desert [wilderness]. 24 Zadok and all the Levites with him carried the Ark of the ·Agreement with God [Covenant/Treaty of God]. They set it down, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had ·left [marched out of] the city.
25 The king said to Zadok, “Take the Ark of God back into the city. If ·the Lord is pleased with me [L I find favor in the Lord’s sight/eyes], he will bring me back and will let me see both it and ·Jerusalem [L its dwelling place/tent/Tabernacle] again. 26 But if the Lord says ·he is not pleased with me [L “I take no delight in you”], ·I am ready [here I am]. He can do ·what he wants with me [L to me what is good in his sight/eyes].”
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “·Aren’t you a seer [or Do you understand]? Go back to the city ·in peace [quietly] and take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan with you. 28 I will wait near the ·crossings into the desert [fords in the wilderness; C shallow crossing points of the Jordan River] until I hear from you.” 29 So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there.
30 David went up the ·Mount [L Ascent] of Olives, crying as he went. He covered his head and went barefoot [C signs of mourning]. All the people with David covered their heads also and cried as they went. 31 Someone told David, “Ahithophel is one of the ·people with Absalom who made secret plans against you [conspirators with Absalom].”
So David prayed, “Lord, please ·make [turn] Ahithophel’s ·advice foolish [counsel into foolishness].”
32 When David reached the top of the mountain where people ·used to worship [worshiped] God, Hushai the Arkite came to meet him. Hushai’s coat was torn, and there was dirt on his head [C a sign of mourning or distress]. 33 David said to Hushai, “If you go with me, you will be ·just one more person for me to take care of [L a burden]. 34 But if you return to the city, you can ·make Ahithophel’s advice useless [thwart/frustrate/counter Ahithophel’s counsel]. Tell Absalom, ‘I am your servant, my king. In the past I served your father, but now I will serve you.’ 35 The priests Zadok and Abiathar will [L they not…?] be with you. Tell them everything you hear in the royal palace. 36 Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan are with them. Send them to tell me everything you hear.” 37 So David’s friend Hushai ·entered [returned to] Jerusalem just as Absalom arrived.
37 As ·the soldiers [L they] were about to take Paul into the ·army building [barracks], he spoke to the ·commander [tribune], “May I say something to you?”
·The commander [L He] said, “Do you speak Greek? 38 ·I thought you were [L Are you not…?] the Egyptian who started ·some trouble against the government [a revolt; an insurrection] ·not long ago [or some time ago; C according to the Jewish historian Josephus, the event occurred about three years prior to this] and led four thousand ·killers [terrorists; cut-throats; L of the sicarii; C Josephus identifies sicarii (“dagger-men”) as assassins who mingled with crowds and used daggers to murder Romans and their collaborators] out to the desert.”
39 Paul said, “No, I am a Jew from Tarsus [9:11] in the ·country [province] of Cilicia [6:9]. I am a citizen of that ·important [L not insignificant] city. ·Please [L I beg/urge you], let me speak to the people.”
40 ·The commander [L He] gave permission, so Paul stood on the steps and ·waved [signaled/gestured with] ·his hand to quiet the people [L his hand]. When there was silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language [C probably Aramaic; the biblical writers do not distinguish between these related languages, calling both “Hebrew”].
Paul Speaks to the People
22 Paul said, “[L Men,] Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense to you.” 2 When they heard him ·speaking [addressing them in] the Hebrew [or Aramaic; 21:40] language, they became ·very [even more] quiet. Paul said, 3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus [9:11] in the ·country [province] of Cilicia [6:9], but I ·grew up [was brought up; or was educated] in this city [C Jerusalem]. I was ·a student of [L instructed at the feet of; C idiom indicating the role of a disciple] Gamaliel [C a famous teacher of the Pharisees; 5:34], who ·carefully [or strictly] taught me everything about the law of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers]. I was ·very serious about serving [L zealous/passionate for] God, just as are all of you here today. 4 I persecuted the people who followed ·the Way of Jesus [L this Way; C another name for the Christian movement; 9:2; 18:25; 19:23], ·and some of them were even killed [L up to the point of death; 7:60]. I ·arrested [L bound] men and women and put them in jail. 5 The high priest and the whole council of elders can ·tell you this is true [testify about me]. They gave me letters to the brothers [C their fellow Jewish leaders] in Damascus. So I was going there to ·arrest [L bind] these people and bring them back to Jerusalem to be punished.
6 “About noon when I came near Damascus, a bright light from heaven suddenly ·flashed [shone] all around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8 I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ·The voice [L He] said, ‘I am Jesus ·of Nazareth [or the Nazarene] whom you are persecuting.’ 9 Those who were with me did not ·understand [or hear; C the word can mean either “hear” or “understand,” but 9:7 suggests the latter] the voice [L that was speaking to me], but they saw the light. 10 I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘Get up and go to Damascus. There you will be told about all the things ·I have planned [or assigned; appointed] for you to do.’ 11 I could not see, because ·the bright light had made me blind [L of the glory/brilliance of that light]. So ·my companions [L those with me] led me [L by the hand] into Damascus.
12 “There a man named Ananias came to me. He was a ·religious [devout; God-fearing] man; ·he obeyed the law of Moses [L …according to the law], and all the Jews who lived there ·respected [spoke well of] him. 13 He [L came to me and] stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, ·see again [L look up; C an idiom for regaining sight]!’ ·Immediately [L At that hour] I ·was able to see [L looked up at] him. 14 He said, ‘The God of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers] ·chose [appointed] you long ago to know his ·plan [will; purpose], to see the Righteous One [C Jesus], and to hear ·words [a divine message; L a voice] from ·him [L his mouth]. 15 You will be his witness to all people, telling them about what you have seen and heard. 16 Now, ·why wait any longer [what are you waiting for]? Get up, be baptized, and wash your sins away, ·trusting in him to save you [L calling on his name].’
Jesus Heals a Blind Man(A)
46 Then they came to the town of Jericho. As Jesus was leaving there with his ·followers [disciples] and a great many people, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus [which means] son of Timaeus was sitting by the road. 47 When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth was walking by, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David [C a title for the Messiah, a descendant of King David; 2 Sam. 7:11–16], ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”
48 Many people ·warned [rebuked; scolded] the blind man to be quiet, but he shouted even more, “Son of David, ·have mercy [take pity] on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Tell the man to come here.”
So they called the blind man, saying, “·Cheer up [Take courage]! Get to your feet. Jesus is calling you.” 50 The blind man jumped up, ·left his coat there [threw off his cloak], and went to Jesus.
51 Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man answered, “·Teacher [L Rabbouni], I want to see.”
52 Jesus said, “Go, ·you are healed because you believed [your faith has healed you].” At once the man could see, and he followed Jesus on the road.
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