Book of Common Prayer
The Prayer of an Innocent Believer
Of David.
26 Lord, ·defend [vindicate] me because I have ·lived an innocent life [L walked in innocence; Job 1:1].
I have ·trusted [confidence in] the Lord and never ·doubted [wavered; faltered].
2 Lord, try me and test me;
look closely into my ·heart and mind [L kidneys and heart; C the seat of emotions and mind in Hebrew thought].
3 ·I see your love [L Your loyalty/covenant love is before my eyes],
and I ·live by your truth [walk in your truth/faithfulness].
4 I do not ·spend time [L sit] with ·liars [or worthless people],
nor do I ·make friends [L go] with ·those who hide their sin [hypocrites].
5 I hate the ·company [assembly] of evil people,
and I won’t sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands ·to show I am innocent [L in innocence],
and I ·come to [L go around] your altar, Lord.
7 I raise my voice in ·praise [or thanks]
and tell of all the ·miracles [wonderful things] you have done.
8 Lord, I love the ·Temple [L house] where you live,
where your glory [C manifest presence] ·is [dwells].
9 Do not ·kill me [take me away] with those sinners
or take my life with ·those murderers [the bloodthirsty; L men of blood].
10 ·Evil is [Schemes are] in their hands,
and ·they do wrong for money [L their right hand is full of bribes].
11 But I have ·lived an innocent life [L walked in innocence; v. 1],
so ·save [redeem; ransom] me and have mercy on me.
12 ·I stand in a safe place [L My feet stand on level ground].
Lord, I ·praise [bless] you in the great ·meeting [assembly].
A Prayer in Troubled Times
Of David.
28 Lord, my Rock [C providing protection], I ·call out to you for help [pray].
Do not be ·deaf [silent] to me.
If you are silent,
I will be like those ·in the grave [L who go down to the Pit; 16:10].
2 Hear the sound of my ·prayer [supplication],
when I cry out to you for help.
I raise my hands
toward your Most Holy Place [C the place where God made his presence known, the sanctuary].
3 Don’t drag me away with the wicked,
with those who do evil.
They say “Peace” to their neighbors,
but evil is in their hearts.
4 Pay them back for what they have done,
for their evil deeds.
Pay them back for ·what they have done [L the work of their hands];
give them their reward.
5 They don’t understand what the Lord has done
or ·what he has made [L the work of his hands].
So he will ·knock [tear] them down
and not ·lift [L build] them up.
6 ·Praise [L Blessed be] the Lord,
because he heard ·my prayer for help [L the sound of my supplication].
7 The Lord is my strength [Ex. 15:2] and shield.
·I trust [My heart has confidence in] him, and he helps me.
·I am [L My heart is] very happy,
and I ·praise [give thanks to] him with my song.
8 The Lord is powerful;
he ·gives victory [is a saving refuge] to his ·chosen one [anointed].
9 ·Save [L Give victory to] your people
and bless ·those who are your own [L your inheritance].
Be their shepherd and carry them forever.
Wicked People and a Good God
For the director of music. Of David, the servant of the Lord.
36 ·Sin speaks to the wicked in their hearts [L Oracle/Decree of transgression to the wicked in the midst of their heart].
They have no ·fear [terror] of God [Prov. 1:7; Rom. 3:18].
2 They ·think too much of themselves [L flatter themselves in their own eyes]
so they don’t ·see [discover; find] their sin and ·hate [or change] it.
3 ·Their words [L The words of their mouth] are ·wicked lies [mischief and deceit];
they ·are no longer wise or good [L have stopped being wise/insightful in order to do good].
4 ·At night [L In their bed] they make evil plans;
·what they do leads to nothing [L they are set on a way that does no] good.
They don’t ·refuse [reject] things that are evil.
5 Lord, your ·love [loyalty; covenant love] ·reaches [extends] to the heavens,
your ·loyalty [faithfulness] to the skies.
6 Your ·goodness [righteousness] is like the mighty mountains [C majestic].
Your ·justice [judgment] is like the great ocean [C deep].
Lord, you ·protect [save] both people and animals.
7 God, ·your love is so precious [L how precious is your loyalty/covenant love?]!
You ·protect [provide refuge for] people in the shadow of your wings.
8 They ·eat [feast on; are filled with] ·the rich food [L from the fat/abundance] in your house,
and you let them drink from your river of ·pleasure [delights].
9 You are the ·giver [L fountain] of life.
·Your light lets us enjoy life [L In your light we see light].
10 Continue to ·love [show loyalty/covenant love to] those who know you
and ·to do good [L your good/righteousness] to those who are ·good [upright/virtuous in heart].
11 Don’t let ·proud people attack me [L the foot of the arrogant come near me]
·and the wicked [L or the hand of the wicked] ·force [drive] me away.
12 Those who do evil ·have been defeated [L fall there].
They are overwhelmed;
they cannot ·do evil any longer [L arise again].
Life Is Short
For the director of music. For Jeduthun [C Levitical musician; 1 Chr. 16:41–42; 25:1, 6; 2 Chr. 5:12]. A psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will ·be careful how I act [L guard my way]
and will not sin ·by what I say [L with my tongue].
I will ·be careful what I say [L keep a muzzle on my mouth]
around wicked people.”
2 So I kept ·very quiet [silent and still].
I didn’t even say anything good,
but ·I became even more upset [L my agony/sorrow got worse].
3 ·I became very angry inside [L My heart grew hot within me],
and as I ·thought [meditated] about it, ·my anger [L a fire] burned.
So I ·spoke [L said with my tongue]:
4 “Lord, ·tell [inform; reveal to] me when ·the end [or my end] will come
and how long ·I will live [L will be my days].
Let me know how ·long I have [L fleeting I am; 90:1–12].
5 You have given ·me only a short life [L my days a handbreadth; C about four inches];
my lifetime is like nothing to you.
Everyone’s life is only ·a breath [vapor; Eccl. 1:2]. ·
6 People are like shadows moving about.
All their ·work [or wealth; or turmoil] is ·for nothing [a breath/vapor; Luke 12:13–21; James 4:3–17];
they ·collect things [accumulate riches/wealth] but don’t know who will ·get [gather] them.
7 “So, Lord, what ·hope do I have [do I wait for]?
You are my hope.
8 Save me from all my ·sins [transgressions].
Don’t ·let wicked fools make fun of me [L set the scorn of fools on me].
9 I am quiet; I do not open my mouth,
because you are the one who has done this.
10 ·Quit punishing me [L Turn your blows/scourge away from me];
·your beating is about to kill me [L I am exhausted/finished from the hostility/beatings of your hand].
11 You correct and punish people for their sins;
like a moth, you destroy what they ·love [covet; desire].
Everyone’s life is only a ·breath [vapor; Eccl. 1:2]. ·
12 “Lord, hear my prayer,
and listen to my cry.
Do not ignore my tears.
I am like a ·visitor [sojourner; wanderer; resident alien] with you.
Like my ·ancestors [fathers], I’m only ·here a short time [a temporary resident].
13 Leave me alone so I can be happy
before I leave and am no more.”
15 The house Rahab lived in was built on the city wall, so she used a rope to let the men down through a window. 16 She said to them, “Go into the hills so the ·king’s men [L pursuers] will not find you. Hide there for three days. After the ·king’s men [L pursuers] return, you may go on your way.”
17 The men said to her, “You must do as we say. If not, we ·cannot be responsible for keeping [will be free from] this oath you have made us swear. 18 When we return to this land, you must tie this ·red [scarlet] rope in the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your ·family [L father’s house] into your house. 19 If anyone leaves your house and is killed, ·it is his own fault [L his blood is on his head]. We ·cannot be responsible for him [are innocent]. If anyone in your house ·is hurt [L has a hand laid on them], ·we will be responsible [his blood will be on our head]. 20 But if you tell anyone about this, we will be free from the oath you made us swear.”
21 Rahab answered, “·I agree to this [L Let it be according to your words].” So she sent them away, and they left. Then she tied the ·red [scarlet] rope in the window.
22 The men left and went into the hills where they stayed for three days. The ·king’s men [pursuers] looked for them all along the road, but after three days, they returned to the city without finding them. 23 Then the two men started back. They left the hills and crossed the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 24 They said, “The Lord surely has given ·us all of the land [L all the land into our hand]. All the people in that land are ·terribly afraid of [melting away before] us.”
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. ·Since [or As long as] I am an apostle to the Gentiles [Acts 9:15; 22:21; Gal. 2:8], I ·will make the most of [glory in; take pride in; magnify] my ministry. 14 ·I hope […if somehow] I can make my own ·people [flesh] jealous and, in that way, help some of them to be saved. 15 [L For] If ·God’s rejection of Israel [L their loss/rejection] meant he ·became friends with [was reconciled to] the world, what will Israel’s acceptance mean? It will be like ·bringing the dead back to life [life from the dead].
16 If the ·first piece of bread is offered to God [L firstfruits are holy; C the dough made from the first crops harvested], then the whole ·loaf [batch; L lump of dough] is made holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, then the tree’s branches are holy too [C since Abraham and the patriarchs were God’s chosen people, so were their Jewish descendants].
17 It is as if some of the branches from an olive tree [C symbolizing Israel] have been broken off. You Gentiles are like the branch of a wild olive tree that has been ·joined [grafted] to that first tree. You now share the ·strength and life [nourishment; L rich/fat root] of the first tree [C the Gentiles now share in the rich blessings promised to Israel through their “root,” Abraham and the patriarchs]. 18 So do not ·brag about [boast over; consider yourselves superior to] those branches that were broken off. If you ·brag [boast], remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 [L Then] You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I could be ·joined to their tree [grafted in].” 20 That is true. But those branches were broken off because they ·did not believe [were unfaithful], and you ·continue to be part of the tree only because you believe [L stand by faith]. Do not be ·proud [arrogant], but be ·afraid [in awe]. 21 [L For] If God did not spare the natural branches, then he will not spare you either.
22 ·So you see [Notice; Consider] that God is kind and also ·very strict [stern; severe; harsh]. He ·punishes [is strict/severe/harsh toward] those who ·stop following him [have fallen]. But God is kind to you, if you continue ·following in [trusting in; L in] his kindness. If you do not, you will also be cut off from the tree. 23 And if ·the Jews [L they] ·will believe in God again [L do not continue in unbelief], ·he will accept them back [L they will be grafted in]. [L For] God is able to ·put them back where they were [graft them in again]. 24 [L For] If ·you Gentiles [you] were cut off from a wild olive tree and, contrary to nature, ·joined to [grafted into] a ·good [cultivated] olive tree, how much more will these natural branches [C Jews presently rejecting the gospel] be ·joined to [grafted into] their own olive tree again.
A Story About Three Servants(A)
14 “·The kingdom of heaven [L It] is like a man who was going ·to another place for a visit [on a journey/trip]. Before he left, he called for his servants and ·told them to take care of his things while he was gone [L entrusted his possessions/wealth to them]. 15 He gave one servant five ·bags of gold [L talents; C a talent was worth about 6,000 denarii, or twenty years’ wages for a laborer], another servant two ·bags of gold [L talents], and a third servant one ·bag of gold [L talent], to each one ·as much as he could handle [L according to his ability]. Then he left. 16 The servant who got five ·bags [L talents] went quickly ·to invest the money [and traded with them; and put the money to work] and ·earned [gained] five more. 17 In the same way, the servant who had two ·invested [traded with] them and ·earned [gained] two more. 18 But the servant who got one went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master came home and ·asked the servants what they did with his money [settled/went over the accounts with them]. 20 The servant who was given five ·bags of gold [L talents] brought five more ·bags [L talents] to the master and said, ‘Master, you trusted me to care for five ·bags of gold [L talents], ·so I used your five to earn [L see, I have earned] five more.’ 21 The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and ·loyal [faithful] servant. Because you were ·loyal [faithful] with ·small [a few] things, I will ·let you care for [put you in charge of] ·much greater [many] things. ·Come and share my joy with me [L Enter into the joy of your master].’
22 “Then the servant who had been given two ·bags of gold [L talents] came to the master and said, ‘Master, you ·gave me [trusted me with] two ·bags of gold [L talents] to care for, ·so I used your two bags to earn [L see, I have earned] two more.’ 23 The master answered, ‘You did well. You are a good and ·loyal [faithful] servant. Because you were ·loyal [faithful] with ·small [a few] things, I will ·let you care for [put you in charge of] ·much greater [many] things. ·Come and share my joy with me [L Enter into the joy of your master].’
24 “Then the servant who had been given one ·bag of gold [L talent] came to the master and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a ·hard [harsh; exacting; demanding] man. You ·harvest things [reap where] you did not ·plant [sow]. You gather crops where you did not sow any seed. 25 So I was afraid and went and hid your ·money [T talent] in the ground. [L See] Here is ·your bag of gold [L what is yours].’ 26 [L But] The master answered, ‘You are a wicked and lazy servant! You say you knew that I ·harvest things [reap where] I did not ·plant [sow] and that I gather crops where I did not sow any seed. 27 So you should have put my ·gold [money] in the bank. Then, when I came home, I would have received ·my gold [what was mine] back with interest.’
28 “·So the master told his other servants, ‘[L Therefore,] Take the ·bag of gold [L talent] from that servant and give it to the servant who has ten ·bags of gold [L talents]. 29 [L For] Those who have much will ·get [be given] more, and they will have ·much more than they need [an abundance]. But those who do not have much will have ·everything [even what they have] taken away from them.’ 30 Then the master said, ‘Throw that ·useless [worthless] servant ·outside, into the darkness [or into the outer darkness,] where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [T there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; C indicating agony and remorse].
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.