Book of Common Prayer
A Prayer for God to Guide
Of David.
25 Lord, I ·give myself [L lift my soul] to you;
2 my God, I ·trust [have confidence in] you.
Do not let me be ·disgraced [shamed];
do not let my enemies ·laugh at [triumph/exult over] me.
3 No one who ·trusts [hopes in; waits on] you will be ·disgraced [shamed],
but those who ·sin [betray; are treacherous] without excuse will be ·disgraced [shamed].
4 Lord, ·tell me [make me know] your ways.
·Show [L Teach] me ·how to live [L your paths].
5 ·Guide [Lead] me in your truth,
and teach me, my God, my ·Savior [Helper; Victor].
I ·trust [hope in; wait on] you all day long.
6 Lord, remember your ·mercy [compassion] and ·love [loyalty; covenant love]
that you have shown since long ago.
7 Do not remember the sins
and ·wrong things I did when I was young [transgressions of my youth].
But remember ·to love me [L according to your love/loyalty/covenant love] always
·because you are good [on account of your goodness], Lord.
8 The Lord is good and ·right [upright; virtuous];
he ·points [instructs] sinners to the right way.
9 He shows those who are humble how to do right,
and he teaches them his ways.
10 All the Lord’s ·ways [paths] are ·loving [loyal] and ·true [reliable]
for those who ·follow [keep; guard] the demands of his ·agreement [covenant].
11 For the sake of your ·name [reputation], Lord,
forgive my many sins.
12 ·Are there [L Who are…?] those who ·respect [fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7]?
He will ·point [teach] them ·to the best way [L the way they should choose].
13 ·They will enjoy a good life [L Their soul will dwell/lodge in goodness],
and their ·children [L seed] will inherit the ·land [or earth].
14 The Lord ·tells his secrets to [confides in; or makes friends with] those who ·respect [fear] him;
he ·tells them about [makes known to them] his ·agreement [covenant].
15 My eyes are always ·looking to the Lord for help [L toward the Lord].
He will ·keep me [L remove my feet] from any traps.
16 Turn to me and ·have mercy on [L be gracious to] me,
because I am lonely and hurting.
17 ·My troubles have [L The distress of my heart has] ·grown larger [widened];
·free me from [bring me out of] my ·problems [anguish; distress].
18 Look at my ·suffering [affliction] and troubles,
and ·take away [forgive] all my sins.
19 Look at how many enemies I have!
See how ·much [L violently] they hate me!
20 Protect me and ·save [rescue; T deliver] me.
I ·trust [find refuge in] you, so do not let me be ·disgraced [shamed].
21 My hope is in you,
so may ·goodness [blamelessness; innocence] and ·honesty [virtue] guard me.
22 God, ·save [redeem; ransom] Israel from all their ·troubles [distress]!
Thanksgiving for Victory
For the director of music. To the tune of “The Death of the Son.” A psalm of David.
9 I will ·praise [or give thanks to] you, Lord, with all my heart.
I will ·tell [recount] all ·the miracles you have done [your wonderful deeds].
2 I will be happy and rejoice because of you;
God Most High, I will sing praises to your name.
3 My enemies turn back;
they ·are overwhelmed [L stumble] and ·die [perish] ·because of [or before] you.
4 You have ·heard [upheld; maintained] my ·complaint [just cause; or right and my cause];
you sat on your throne and judged ·by what was right [righteously].
5 You ·spoke strongly against the [rebuked; reproved] foreign nations and destroyed the wicked;
you ·wiped out [blotted out; erased] their names forever and ever.
6 The enemy is ·gone [done; a ruin] forever.
You ·destroyed [uprooted] their cities;
·no one even remembers them [L their memory perishes].
7 But the Lord ·rules [is enthroned; L sits] forever.
He ·sits on his throne to judge [L has established his throne for justice/judgment],
8 and he will judge the world ·in fairness [with righteousness];
he will decide what is fair for the ·nations [peoples; 96:10; 98:9].
9 The Lord ·defends [L is a refuge for] those who ·suffer [are oppressed/exploited];
·he defends them [L a refuge] in times of ·trouble [distress].
10 Those who know ·the Lord [L your name] trust ·him [L you],
because ·he [L you] will not ·leave [abandon; forsake] those who ·come to him [L seek you; Deut. 31:6, 8; Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5].
11 Sing praises to the Lord who ·is king on Mount [L dwells on] Zion [C the location of the Temple].
Tell ·the nations [L among the peoples] what he has done.
12 ·He remembers who the murderers are [or The one who avenges blood remembers them; C God];
he will not forget the cries of those who suffer.
13 Lord, ·have mercy on [be gracious toward] me.
See how ·my enemies [L those who hate me] ·hurt [afflict; persecute] me.
·Do not let me go through [L Lift me up from] the gates of death.
14 Then, at the gates of ·Jerusalem [the daughter of Zion; C a name of Jerusalem], I will ·praise you [L declare your praises];
I will rejoice ·because you saved me [L in your salvation].
15 The nations have ·fallen [L sunk] into the pit they ·dug [L made].
Their feet are caught in the nets they ·laid [L hid].
16 The Lord has made himself known by ·his fair decisions [L the judgments he has made];
the wicked get trapped by ·what they do [L the deeds of their palms/hands]. ·
17 Wicked people will ·go [L return] to the ·grave [or underworld; L Sheol],
and so will all ·those who [L the nations that] forget God.
18 But those who ·have troubles [are afflicted] will not always be forgotten.
The hopes of the ·poor [oppressed; exploited] will never ·die [perish].
19 Lord, rise up and don’t let people ·think they are strong [L prevail].
Judge the nations in your presence.
20 ·Teach them to fear you [or Strike them with terror; Deut. 4:34; 28:8; 34:12], Lord.
The nations must learn that they are ·only human [mere mortals]. ·
What the Lord Demands
A psalm of David.
15 Lord, who may ·enter [dwell/abide/sojourn in] your Holy Tent [C the Tabernacle]?
Who may live on your holy mountain [C Mount Zion]?
2 Only those who ·are innocent [walk innocently]
and who do ·what is right [righteousness; 1:1; Job 1:1].
Such people speak the truth from their hearts
3 and do not ·tell lies about others [slander with their tongue].
They do no ·wrong [evil] to their neighbors
and do not ·gossip [L raise a reproachful matter with their associates].
4 ·They do not respect hateful people [L The wicked are despised in their eyes]
but honor those who ·honor [L fear] the Lord.
They keep their promises to their neighbors,
even when it hurts.
5 They do not charge interest on money they lend [Ex. 22:25–27; Lev. 25:35–36; Deut. 23:19]
and do not take ·money [a bribe] to hurt innocent people [Ex. 23:8; Deut. 16:19].
Whoever does all these things will never be ·destroyed [L moved].
27 Don’t brag about tomorrow;
you don’t know what ·may happen then [L the day may bear/ bring forth].
2 Don’t praise yourself. Let ·someone else [another; a stranger] do it.
Let the praise come from a ·stranger [outsider] and not from your own mouth [Jer. 9:23–24; 1 Cor. 1:31; 2 Cor. 10:17].
3 Stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but ·a complaining fool [or the irritation/frustration caused by a fool] is ·heavier [worse] than either.
4 Anger is cruel and destroys like a flood,
but no one can ·put up with [L stand in the face of] jealousy!
5 It is better to correct someone ·openly [publicly]
than to have love and ·not show [hide] it.
6 The ·slap [bruises] of a friend can be trusted to help you,
but the kisses of an enemy are ·nothing but lies [or dangerous; Matt. 26:48–50].
10 Don’t ·forget [abandon] your friend or your parent’s friend.
Don’t always go to your ·family for help [brother] when trouble comes.
A neighbor close by is better than a ·family [brother] far away.
11 Be wise, my child, and make ·me [L my heart] happy.
Then I can respond to any insult.
12 The ·wise [prudent] see ·danger [evil; trouble] ahead and avoid it,
but fools ·keep going [go straight to it] and ·get into trouble [or are punished].
2 [L Therefore,] ·Does your life in Christ give you strength? [L If there is any encouragement in Christ…] ·Does his love comfort you? [L …if any comfort from (his) love…] ·Do we share together in the Spirit? [L …if any fellowship/sharing of the Spirit…] ·Do you have mercy and kindness? [L …if any mercy/affection and kindness/compassion…] 2 ·If so […then], ·make me very happy [L fulfill/complete my joy] by ·having the same thoughts [being like-minded/of one mind], sharing the same love, and having one ·mind [heart; soul] and ·purpose [goal; mind]. 3 When you do things, do not let ·selfishness [rivalry; selfish ambition] or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more ·honor [regard; value] to others than to yourselves. 4 Do not ·be interested only in your own life [look out for your own interests], but ·be interested in the lives of others [look out for others’ interests].
Be Unselfish like Christ
5 In your lives you must ·think and act like [have the same attitude as] Christ Jesus. [C What follows may be from an early Christian hymn.]
6 ·Christ himself was like God in everything [L Who, being in the form of God].
But he did not think that being equal with God was something to be ·used for his own benefit [or grasped; seized; held on to].
7 But he ·gave up his place with God and made himself nothing [L emptied himself].
He ·became like [L took the form of] a ·servant [slave; bondservant]
and was born ·as a man [L in the likeness of humanity/men].
8 And ·when he was living [L being found in appearance/likeness] as a ·man [human being],
he humbled himself and was fully obedient to God,
even ·when that caused his [to the point of] death—death on a cross.
9 So God ·raised [exalted] him to the highest place.
God ·made his name [or gave him the name] ·greater than [far above] every other name
10 so that every knee will bow to the name of Jesus—
everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.
11 And ·everyone [L every tongue] will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
and bring glory to God the Father.
Be the People God Wants You to Be
12 My ·dear friends [beloved], you have always obeyed God when I was with you. It is even more important that you obey now while I am away from you. ·Keep on working to complete [Continue working out] your salvation with ·fear [awe; reverence] and trembling, 13 because God is working in you ·to help you want to do and be able to do [L both to will/desire and to work] what pleases him.
Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus(A)
15 Simon Peter and another one of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] ·went along after [followed] Jesus. This ·follower [disciple] knew the high priest, so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. 16 But Peter waited outside near the ·door [gate]. The ·follower [disciple] who knew the high priest came back outside, spoke to the ·girl at the door [gatekeeper; doorkeeper], and brought Peter inside. 17 The ·girl at the door [gatekeeper; doorkeeper] said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of that man’s ·followers [disciples]?”
Peter answered, “No, I am not!”
18 It was cold, so the ·servants [slaves; bond-servants] and guards [temple police] had built a [charcoal] fire and were standing around it, warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus(A)
25 As Simon Peter was standing and warming himself, they said to him, “Aren’t you one of that man’s ·followers [disciples]?”
Peter ·said it was not true [denied it]; he said, “No, I am not.”
26 One of the ·servants [slaves; bond-servants] of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off [see 18:10]. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the ·garden [grove]?”
27 Again Peter ·said it wasn’t true [denied it]. At once ·a rooster [T the cock] crowed.
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