Book of Common Prayer
A Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
140 Lord, rescue me from evil people;
protect me from ·cruel [violent] people
2 who ·make evil plans [L consider evil in their hearts],
who ·always start fights [L every day stir up war; Prov. 15:18; 29:22].
3 They make their tongues sharp as a snake’s;
·their words are like snake poison [L the venom of vipers is under their lips; Rom. 3:13]. ·
4 Lord, ·guard [keep] me from the ·power [L hand] of wicked people;
protect me from ·cruel [violent] people
who plan ·to trip me up [my downfall].
5 The ·proud [arrogant] hid a trap for me.
They spread out a net [L with cords] beside the road;
they set ·traps [snares] for me. ·
6 I said to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Lord, ·listen [L give ear] to my prayer ·for help [of supplication].
7 Lord God, my ·mighty [strong] ·savior [victor],
you ·protect me in [L cover my head in the day of] battle.
8 Lord, do not give the wicked what they ·want [desire].
Don’t let their plans succeed,
or they will become ·proud [exalted]. ·
9 Those around me have ·planned trouble [L uplifted heads].
Now let ·it [L the trouble of their lips] come to them.
10 Let burning coals ·fall [rain] on them.
·Throw them [Let them fall] into the fire
or into pits from which they cannot ·escape [get up].
11 Don’t let ·liars [L a tongue-man] ·settle [be established] in the land.
Let evil ·quickly [or with blows] hunt down ·cruel [violent] people.
12 I know the Lord will get justice for the poor
and will defend the needy in court.
13 ·Good [Righteous] people will ·praise [thank] his name;
·honest [virtuous] people will live in his presence.
A Prayer for Safety
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of David when he was in the cave [C at Adullam (1 Sam. 22:1, 4) or En-Gedi (1 Sam. 24:1–22)]. A prayer.
142 I cry out to the Lord;
I ·pray [cry out] to the Lord for ·mercy [grace].
2 I pour out my ·problems [complaint] to him;
I tell him my ·troubles [distress].
3 When ·I am afraid [I am depressed; L my spirit is faint],
you, Lord, know ·the way out [L my way].
In the path where I walk,
·a trap is hidden [L they have hidden a trap] for me.
4 Look ·around me [L at/on my right hand] and see.
No one cares about me.
·I have no place of safety [L A place of refuge perishes from me];
no one ·cares if I live [L seeks for my soul].
5 Lord, I cry out to you.
I say, “You are my ·protection [refuge].
·You are all I want in this life [L …my portion in the land of the living].”
6 ·Listen [Pay attention] to my cry,
because I am ·helpless [brought very low].
·Save [Protect] me from those who are ·chasing [pursuing; persecuting] me,
because they are too strong for me.
7 ·Free me [L Bring me out] from my prison,
and then I will ·praise [thank] your name.
Then ·good [righteous] people will surround me,
because you have ·taken care of me [given me my reward].
A Prayer Not to Sin
A psalm of David.
141 Lord, I ·call [pray] to you. Come quickly to me.
·Listen to me [L Give ear to my voice] when I ·call [pray] to you.
2 Let my prayer be like incense placed before you [Ex. 30:7–8; Rev. 5:8],
and ·my praise [L the lifting of my hands] like the evening sacrifice.
3 Lord, ·help me control my tongue [L set a guard on my mouth];
·help me be careful about what I say [L keep watch on the door of my mouth; Prov. 13:3; 21:23; James 3:1–12].
4 ·Take away my desire to do evil [L Don’t incline my heart to an evil matter]
or to join others in doing wrong.
Don’t let me eat tasty food
with those who do evil.
5 If a ·good [righteous] person ·punished [L hit] me, that would be ·kind [an act of loyalty].
If he corrected me, that would be like perfumed oil on my head.
·I [L My head] shouldn’t refuse it.
But I pray against those who do evil.
6 Let their ·leaders [judges] be thrown down the cliffs.
Then people will ·know that I have spoken correctly [L listen to my words for they are pleasant]:
7 “·The ground [or The rock; L Like it] is plowed and broken up.
In the same way, our bones have been scattered at the ·grave [L mouth of Sheol; C the grave or the underworld].”
8 God, ·I look to you for help [L my eyes are to you].
I ·trust [find refuge] in you, Lord. Don’t let ·me die [L my life pour out].
9 ·Protect [Guard; Keep] me from the traps they set for me
and from the net that evil people have spread.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
but let me pass by safely.
A Prayer Not to Be Killed
A psalm of David.
143 Lord, hear my prayer;
·listen [L give ear] to my ·cry for mercy [prayer of supplication].
Answer me
because you are ·loyal [faithful] and ·good [righteous].
2 Don’t ·judge me [L bring me into judgment], your servant,
because no one alive is ·right [righteous] before you [Rom. 3:22; Gal. 2:16].
3 My enemies are ·chasing [pursuing; persecuting] me;
they crushed me to the ground.
They made me ·live [sit] in darkness
like those long dead [Lam. 3:6].
4 ·I am afraid [I am depressed; L my spirit is faint; 142:3];
my ·courage is gone [L heart within me is desolated].
5 I remember ·what happened long ago [L the former days];
I ·consider [meditated on] everything you have done.
I ·think [considered] ·about all you have made [L the work of your hands].
6 I ·lift my hands to you in prayer [L spread out my hands to you].
·As a dry land needs rain, I thirst [L My life/soul is like a thirsty/parched land] for you. ·
7 Lord, answer me quickly,
because ·I am getting weak [L my spirit languishes].
Don’t ·turn away [L hide your face] from me,
or I will be like those who ·are dead [L go down to the pit].
8 ·Tell me [Make me hear] in the morning about your ·love [loyalty],
because I ·trust [have confidence in] you.
·Show me what I should do [L Make me know the way I should walk],
because ·my prayers go up [L I lift up my soul] to you.
9 Lord, ·save [protect] me from my enemies;
I hide in you.
10 Teach me to do ·what you want [your will],
because you are my God.
Let your good Spirit [or spirit]
·lead [guide] me on level ground.
11 Lord, let me live
·so people will praise you [L for the sake of your name].
In your ·goodness [righteousness]
·save me [L bring me out] from my ·troubles [distress].
12 In your ·love [loyalty] ·defeat [destroy] my enemies.
·Destroy [L Make perish] all those who ·trouble [distress] me,
because I am your servant.
24 Balaam saw that ·the Lord wanted [L it was good in the eyes/sight of the Lord] to bless Israel, so he did not try to use any ·magic [divination] but looked toward the ·desert [wilderness]. 2 When Balaam ·saw [L lifted his eyes and saw] the Israelites camped in their tribes, the Spirit of God ·took control of [L was on] him, 3 and he gave this ·message [or oracle; or poem]:
“This is the ·message [utterance] of Balaam son of Beor,
the ·message [utterance] of a man ·who sees clearly [L whose eye is open];
4 this is the ·message [utterance] of a man who hears the words of God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
5 ·Your tents are beautiful [L How beautiful/fair are your tents], people of Jacob!
·So are your homes [L Your dwellings], Israel!
6 Your tents spread out like ·valleys [wadis],
like gardens beside a river.
They are like ·spices [L aloes] planted by the Lord,
like cedar trees growing by the water.
7 Israel’s water buckets will always ·be full [or flow],
and their ·crops [L seed] will have plenty of water.
Their king will be greater than Agag [C perhaps a dynastic name of the Amalekites (Ex. 17:8–13); 1 Sam. 15:7–9, 32–33];
their kingdom will be very great.
8 God brought them out of Egypt;
they are ·as strong as [L like the horns of] a wild ox.
They will defeat their enemies
and break their enemies’ bones;
they will ·shoot [L strike] them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, they lie waiting to attack;
like a lioness, ·no one would be brave enough to wake [L who will rouse…?] them.
Anyone who blesses you will be blessed,
and anyone who curses you will be cursed [Gen. 12:3].”
10 Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he ·pounded his fist [or struck his hands together]. He said to Balaam, “I called you here to curse my enemies, but you have continued to bless them three times. 11 Now go home! I said I would ·pay you well [make you wealthy], but the Lord has ·made you lose [denied you] your reward.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “When you sent messengers to me, ·I told [L did I not tell…?] them, 13 ‘Balak could give me his ·palace [L house] filled with silver and gold, but I still cannot ·go against [transgress] the Lord’s commands. I could not do anything, good or bad, on my own, but I must say what the Lord says.’
12 So, my brothers and sisters, we ·must not be ruled by [L are not obligated to] ·our sinful selves [our sinful nature; T the flesh] or live ·the way our sinful selves want [according to the sinful nature/T flesh]. 13 [L For] If you ·use your lives to do the wrong things your sinful selves want [L live according to the flesh], you will ·die spiritually [L die]. But if you ·use the Spirit’s help to [L by the Spirit] ·stop doing the wrong things you do with [L put to death the deeds of] your body, you will ·have true life [L live].
14 For all those who are led by the Spirit of God are the ·children [or sons] of God. 15 ·The Spirit you received does not make you slaves again to fear [or You did not receive the spirit of slavery, leading to fear]; instead, you received the Spirit ·who adopts you as God’s children [L of adoption]. ·With [Through] that Spirit we cry out, “Abba [C Aramaic for “Father”; Mark 14:36], Father.” 16 And the Spirit himself ·joins with [or testifies to] our spirits to say we are God’s children. 17 If we are God’s children, we ·will receive blessings from God together with Christ [L are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ]. ·But we must [L …if indeed we] ·suffer as Christ suffered [share in his sufferings] so that we ·will have glory as Christ has glory [may share in his glory].
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?(A)
15 Then the Pharisees left that place and ·made plans [plotted] to ·trap [catch] Jesus in ·saying something wrong [his words]. 16 They sent some of their own ·followers [disciples] and some people from the group called Herodians [C a political group that supported king Herod and his family]. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are ·an honest man [true; sincere] and that you teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. You are not ·afraid of [L concerned about] what other people think about you, because you ·pay no attention to who they are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances]. 17 So tell us what you think. Is it ·right [permissible; lawful] to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” [C Saying “yes” would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying “no” could result in being charged with insurrection.]
18 But knowing ·that these leaders were trying to trick him [their evil/malicious motives], Jesus said, “You hypocrites! Why are you ·trying to trap [testing] me? 19 Show me a coin used for paying the tax.” So the men ·showed him a coin [L brought him a denarius; C a Roman coin worth a day’s wages]. 20 Then Jesus asked, “Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription] are on the coin?”
21 The men answered, “Caesar’s.” [C Ironically, the religious leaders were carrying coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]
Then Jesus said to them, “·Give [T Render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.”
22 When the men heard what Jesus said, they were amazed and left him and went away.
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