Book of Common Prayer
Israel’s Failure to Trust God
106 Praise the Lord!
Thank the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] continues forever.
2 ·No one [L Who…?] can tell all the mighty things the Lord has done;
·no one [L who…?] can ·speak [declare] all his praise.
3 ·Happy [Blessed] are those who ·do [keep; observe; guard] ·right [justice],
who do what is ·fair [righteous] at all times.
4 Lord, remember me when you ·are kind [show favor] to your people;
·help [come to] me when you ·save them [give them victory].
5 Let me see the ·good things you do for [prosperity of] your chosen people.
Let me ·be happy [rejoice] along with your ·happy [rejoicing] nation;
let me join your ·own people [inheritance] in praising you.
6 We have sinned just as our ·ancestors [fathers] did.
We have done wrong; we have done evil.
7 Our ·ancestors [fathers] in Egypt
did not ·learn [grow in wisdom] from your ·miracles [wonderful acts].
They did not remember all your ·kindnesses [loyalty],
so they ·turned [rebelled] against you at the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [78:13; Ex. 14–15].
8 But the Lord ·saved them [gave them victory] ·for his own sake [L because of his name],
to ·show [reveal] his great power.
9 He ·commanded [reprimanded; rebuked] the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [v. 7], and it dried up.
He led them through the deep sea as if it were a ·desert [wilderness].
10 He ·saved them [gave them victory over] from those who hated them.
He ·saved [redeemed] them from the ·power [hand] of their enemies,
11 and the water covered their foes.
Not one of them ·escaped [L was left].
12 Then the people ·believed what the Lord said [L had faith in his word],
and they sang praises to him.
13 But they quickly forgot what he had done;
they did not wait for his ·advice [counsel].
14 They ·became greedy for food [developed deep cravings] in the ·desert [wilderness; Num. 11],
and they tested God ·there [L in desolate places; Ex. 17:7].
15 So he gave them what they ·wanted [asked for],
but he also sent ·a terrible disease [a wasting sickness; emaciation] among them [Num. 11:33–35].
16 The people in the camp were jealous of Moses
and of Aaron, the holy ·priest [one] of the Lord.
17 Then the ground opened up and swallowed Dathan
and closed over Abiram’s ·group [assembly].
18 A fire burned among their ·followers [congregation],
and flames burned up the wicked [Num. 16].
19 The people made a gold calf at ·Mount Sinai [L Horeb; C another name for Sinai]
and ·worshiped [bowed down to] a metal statue [Ex. 32; Deut. 9:7–17].
20 They exchanged their ·glorious God [L glory; C God’s manifest presence]
for ·a statue [the image] of a bull that eats grass.
21 They forgot the God who ·saved them [had given them victory],
who had done great things in Egypt,
22 who had done miracles in the land of Ham [C Egypt]
and amazing things by the ·Red [or Reed] Sea [v. 7].
23 So God said he would destroy them.
But Moses, his chosen one, stood ·before him [L in the breech before him]
and ·stopped God’s anger from destroying them [calmed his destructive wrath; Ex. 32:30—33:23; Deut. 9:18–21].
24 Then they refused to go into the ·beautiful land of Canaan [desired/coveted land];
they did not ·believe what God promised [L trust his word; Num. 14:1–12].
25 They ·grumbled [complained] in their tents [Deut. 1:27; 1 Cor. 10:10]
and did not ·obey [L listen to] the Lord.
26 So he ·swore [L lifted his hand; C an oath-taking gesture] to them
that ·they would die [L he would make them fall] in the ·desert [wilderness].
27 He ·said their children would be killed by [L would make their seed fall to] other nations
and that they would be scattered among other countries [C as happened in the exile; Num. 14:27–35].
28 They ·joined in worshiping [L yoked themselves to] Baal at Peor
and ate ·meat that had been sacrificed to lifeless statues [L sacrifices to the dead; Num. 25].
29 They ·made the Lord angry [L provoked him] by what they did,
so ·many people became sick with a terrible disease [plague broke out among them].
30 But Phinehas ·prayed to the Lord [L stood and prayed],
and the ·disease [plague] ·stopped [was restrained; Num. 25:6–9].
31 ·Phinehas did what was right [L It was counted/credited to him as righteousness],
·and it will be remembered from now on [L throughout the generations, forever; Num. 25:10–13; Mal. 2:4–6].
32 The people also made the Lord angry at Meribah [81:7; 95:8],
and Moses was in trouble because of them.
33 The people ·turned [rebelled] against ·the Spirit of God [L his Spirit/spirit],
so Moses ·spoke without stopping to think [L chattered with his lips; Num. 20:10–11].
34 The people did not destroy the other nations
as the Lord had told them to do [Deut. 7:16; 20:17–18].
35 Instead, they mixed with the other nations
and learned their ·customs [deeds; Judg. 3:5–6].
36 They ·worshiped [L served] other nations’ idols [Judg. 2:19]
and were ·trapped by them [L a snare to them].
37 They even killed their sons and daughters
as sacrifices to demons [Lev. 18:21; Deut. 12:31; 2 Kin. 16:1; 21:6; 23:10; Jer. 7:31; Ezek. 16:20–21; 20:31; 1 Cor. 10:20].
38 They ·killed [L spilled the blood of] innocent people,
their own sons and daughters,
as sacrifices to the idols of Canaan [Jer. 19:4].
So the land was ·made unholy [polluted] by their blood.
39 The people became ·unholy [unclean; C ritually] by their ·sins [L acts];
they ·were unfaithful to God in [prostituted themselves by] what they did.
40 So the Lord became angry with his people
and ·hated [was disgusted with] his own ·children [L inheritance].
41 He ·handed them over to [L gave them over to the hand/power of] other nations
and let ·their enemies [L those who hated them] ·rule over [dominate] them.
42 Their enemies ·were cruel to [oppressed] them
and ·kept them [they were brought into subjection] under their ·power [L hand].
43 The Lord ·saved [rescued] his people many times,
but they continued to ·turn [rebel] against him.
So they ·became even more wicked [L were brought low by their iniquity].
44 But God saw their ·misery [distress]
when he heard their cry.
45 He remembered his ·agreement [treaty; covenant] with them,
and he felt ·sorry [compassion] for them because of his great ·love [loyalty].
46 He caused them to be ·pitied [shown mercy/compassion]
by those who held them captive.
47 Lord our God, ·save us [give us victory]
and ·bring us back [gather us] from other nations [C perhaps from the exile].
Then we will ·thank [praise] ·you [L your holy name]
and will ·gladly praise you [glory in your praise].
48 ·Praise [Bless] the Lord, the God of Israel.
He ·always was and always will be [is from everlasting to everlasting].
Let all the people say, “Amen!”
Praise the Lord!
War Between David and Absalom
24 David arrived at Mahanaim. And Absalom and all ·his Israelites [L the men/army of Israel] crossed over the Jordan River. 25 Absalom had made Amasa ·captain [commander; head] of the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named ·Jether [or Ithra] the Ishmaelite.[a] Amasa’s mother was Abigail daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. 26 Absalom and the Israelites camped in the land of Gilead.
27 Shobi, Makir, and Barzillai were at Mahanaim when David arrived. Shobi son of Nahash was from the Ammonite town of Rabbah. Makir son of Ammiel was from Lo Debar, and Barzillai was from Rogelim in Gilead. 28 They brought beds, bowls, clay pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, ·small peas [lentils], 29 honey, milk curds, sheep, and cheese made from ·cows’ milk [L the herd] for David and his people. They said, “The people are hungry and tired and thirsty in the ·desert [wilderness].”
18 David ·counted [mustered; reviewed] his men and placed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 He sent the troops out in three groups. Joab commanded one-third of the men. Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah commanded another third. And Ittai from Gath commanded the last third. King David said to them, “I will also go with you.”
3 But the men said, “You must not go ·with us [out]! If we ·run away in the battle [flee], Absalom’s men won’t care. Even if half of us are killed, Absalom’s men won’t care. But you’re worth ten thousand of us! ·You can help us most by staying in the city [It is better that you support us from the city].”
4 The king said to his people, “I will do what ·you think is best [L is good in your sight/eyes].” So the king stood at the side of the gate as the army went out in groups of a hundred and a thousand.
5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Be gentle with young Absalom for my sake.” Everyone heard the king’s orders to the commanders about Absalom.
6 David’s army went out into the field against ·Absalom’s Israelites [Israel], and they fought in the forest of Ephraim. 7 There David’s army defeated the Israelites. ·Many died [L The slaughter was/casualties were great] that day—twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread through all the ·country [countryside], but that day more men ·died [L were devoured/swallowed up] in the forest than ·in the fighting [L by the sword].
Paul Speaks to the Jewish Council
30 The next day ·the commander [L he] ·decided [desired] to learn [with certainty; the true reason] why the Jews were accusing ·Paul [L him]. So he ordered the ·leading [T chief] priests and the ·council [Sanhedrin; C Jewish high court comprised of 70 Jewish leaders; 4:15] to meet. ·The commander [L He] ·took Paul’s chains off [L released him]. Then he brought Paul out and stood him before their meeting.
23 Paul looked [L intently] at the ·council [Sanhedrin; 22:30] and said, “[L Men,] Brothers, I have ·lived my life [conducted myself; L lived as a citizen] ·without guilt feelings [L with a good/clear conscience] before God up to this day.” 2 Ananias, the high priest [C high priest from ad 47 to 58; not the man named in 22:12], heard this and told the men who were standing near Paul to ·hit [strike] him on the mouth. 3 Paul said to ·Ananias [L him], “God ·will [or is about to] ·hit [strike] you, too! You ·are like a wall that has been painted white [whitewashed wall!; C a wall with many flaws covered only by a coat of paint]. ·You sit [L Do you sit…?] there and judge me, using the ·law of Moses [L law], but you are telling them to hit me, and that is against the law.”
4 The men standing near Paul said to him, “·You cannot insult [or How dare you insult; L Are you insulting…?] God’s high priest like that!”
5 Paul said, “Brothers, I did not know this man was the high priest [C perhaps because of poor eyesight (Gal. 4:15; 6:11), or because the high priest was not in his formal vestments, or Paul is speaking ironically]. It is written in the Scriptures, ‘You must not ·curse [L speak evil of] a leader of your people [Ex. 22:28].’” 6 Some of the men in the meeting were Sadducees [C Jewish religious party with most influence in the Jewish high court (Sanhedrin) and among the Temple leadership; 4:1], and others were Pharisees [C religious party that strictly observed OT laws and added traditions; 5:34]. ·Knowing [or Realizing] this, Paul ·shouted [called out] ·to them [L in the council/Sanhedrin], “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, ·and my father was a Pharisee [or descended from Pharisees; L a son of Pharisees]. I am on trial here because ·I believe that people will rise from the dead [L of the hope and the resurrection].”
7 When Paul said this, there was an argument between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the ·group [assembly] was divided. 8 ([L For] The Sadducees ·do not believe that people will rise from the dead [L say there is no resurrection] nor do they believe in angels or spirits. But the Pharisees believe in them all.) 9 So there was a great ·uproar [commotion; outcry]. Some of the ·teachers of the law [scribes], who were Pharisees, stood up and ·argued [protested violently/vehemently], “We find ·nothing wrong [no fault; nothing evil] with this man. ·Maybe [L What if…?] an angel or a spirit did speak to him.”
10 The argument was ·beginning to turn into such a fight [becoming so great] that the ·commander [tribune] was afraid they would tear Paul to pieces. So he told the soldiers to go down and take Paul away and ·put him in [bring him to] the ·army building [barracks].
11 The next night the Lord came and stood by Paul. He said, “Be brave [or Don’t be afraid; Rest assured]! [L For just as] You have ·told [testified to] people in Jerusalem about me. You must ·do the same [L testify to me] in Rome.”
12 The next day as Jesus was leaving Bethany, he became hungry. 13 Seeing a fig tree in leaf from far away, he went to see if it had any figs on it. But he found no figs, only leaves, because it was not the right season for figs. 14 So Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] heard him say this.
Jesus Goes to the Temple(A)
15 When Jesus ·returned [came] to Jerusalem, he went into the ·Temple [temple complex; C the large temple area, not the inner building where only the priests could go] and began to ·throw [drive] out those who were buying and selling there. He turned over the tables of ·those who were exchanging different kinds of money [L the moneychangers], and he upset the benches of those who were selling doves [or pigeons; C moneychangers provided particular coins for the temple tax; doves or pigeons were sold for sacrifices; Lev. 5:7]. 16 Jesus refused to allow anyone to carry goods through the Temple courts. 17 Then he taught the people, saying, “It is written in the Scriptures, ‘My ·Temple [L House] will be called a house for prayer for people from all nations’ [Is. 56:7]. But you ·are changing God’s house [L have made it] into a ·‘hideout for robbers’ [T den of thieves’; Jer. 7:11].”
18 The ·leading [T chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes] heard all this and began trying to find a way to kill Jesus. They were afraid of him, because all the people were amazed at his teaching. 19 That evening, Jesus and his ·followers[a] [disciples] left the city.
The Power of Faith(B)
20 The next morning as Jesus was passing by with his ·followers [disciples], they saw the fig tree ·dry and dead [withered], even to the roots. 21 Peter ·remembered the tree and said to Jesus, “·Teacher [L Rabbi], look! The fig tree you cursed is ·dry and dead [withered]!”
22 Jesus answered, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘·Go [Be lifted up], fall into the sea.’ And if you have no doubts in your ·mind [heart] and believe that what you say will happen, ·God will do it for you [it will be done for you]. 24 So I tell you to believe that you have received ·the things [everything] you ask for in prayer, and ·God will give them to you [you will receive them]. 25 When you ·are praying [L stand praying], if you ·are angry with [have anything against] someone, forgive him so that your Father in heaven will also forgive your ·sins [transgressions; trespasses]. |26 But if you don’t forgive other people, then your Father in heaven will not forgive your ·sins [transgressions; trespasses].|”[b]
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