Book of Common Prayer
Praise God for What He Has Done
For the director of music. A song. A psalm.
66 Everything on earth, shout with joy to God!
2 ·Sing [Make a psalm] about ·his glory [L the glory of his name]!
Make his praise glorious!
3 Say to God, “Your works are ·amazing [majestic]!
Because your power is great,
your enemies ·fall [cringe; cower] before you.
4 All the earth ·worships [bows down to] you
and ·sings praises to [makes a psalm for] you.
They ·sing praises to [make a psalm for] your name [Phil. 2:10–12].” ·
5 Come and see what God has done,
the ·amazing [majestic] things he has done for people.
6 He turned the sea into dry land [Ex. 14–15].
The people crossed the river on foot [Josh. 3].
So let us rejoice because of what he did.
7 He rules forever with his power.
·He keeps his eye [L His eyes keep watch] on the nations,
so ·people should not turn [the rebellious might not rise] against him. ·
8 You people, ·praise [bless] our God;
·loudly sing his praise [L let the sound of his praise be heard].
9 He ·protects our lives [L sets our lives among the living]
and does not let ·us be defeated [L our feet be moved].
10 God, you have ·tested [examined] us;
you have ·purified [refined] us like silver [C removing the dross].
11 You ·let us be trapped [brought us into the net]
and put ·a heavy load on us [L misery on our backs].
12 You let our enemies ·walk on [L ride over] our heads.
We went through fire and ·flood [L water],
but you brought us to a place with ·good things [abundance].
13 I will come to your ·Temple [L house] with burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17].
I will ·give you what I promised [repay my vows],
14 ·things I promised when I was in trouble [L which my lips poured out and my mouth said when I was in distress].
15 I will bring you burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] of fat animals,
and ·I will offer sheep, bulls, and goats [L with the smoke of rams, I will offer bulls and goats]. ·
16 All of you who fear God [Prov. 1:7], come and listen,
and I will tell you what he has done for me.
17 I ·cried out [called] to him with my mouth
and ·praised [exalted] him with my tongue.
18 If I had ·known of [L seen] any sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened to me.
19 But God has listened;
he has ·heard [L paid attention to the sound of] my prayer.
20 ·Praise [Blessed be] God,
who did not ·ignore [turn aside from] my prayer
or hold back his ·love [loyalty] from me.
Everyone Should Praise God
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song.
67 God, ·have mercy on [be gracious to] us and bless us
and ·show us your kindness [L make your face shine on us; Num. 6:24–26] ·
2 so the world will ·learn [know] your ways,
and all nations ·will learn that you can save [L your salvation/victory].
3 God, the people should ·praise [thank] you;
all people should ·praise [thank] you.
4 The ·nations [peoples] should be glad and sing
because you judge people fairly.
You ·guide [lead] all the ·nations [peoples] on earth. ·
5 God, the people should ·praise [thank] you;
all people should ·praise [thank] you.
6 The land has given its ·crops [bounty].
God, our God, blesses us.
7 God blesses us
so people all over the earth will fear him [Prov. 1:7].
God’s Works and Word
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
19 The heavens ·declare [recount; narrate] the glory [C the manifest presence] of God,
and the ·skies [firmament; dome; Gen. 1:6] ·announce [speak out] ·what his hands have made [L the works of his hands].
2 Day after day they ·tell the story [L bubble/pour forth speech];
night after night they ·tell it again [L declare knowledge].
3 They have no speech or words;
they have no voice to be heard.
4 But their ·message [L line] goes out through all the world;
their words go ·everywhere on [L to the ends of the] earth.
·The sky [Heaven; L In them] is like a ·home [L tent] for the sun.
5 The sun comes out like a bridegroom from his ·bedroom [L wedding chamber].
It rejoices like an ·athlete [strong man] eager to run a race.
6 The sun rises at one end of the ·sky [heavens]
and ·follows its path [L its circuit is] to the other end.
Nothing hides from its heat.
7 The ·teachings [laws; instructions] of the Lord are perfect;
they ·give new strength [T revive the soul].
The ·rules [testimonies] of the Lord ·can be trusted [are faithful/sure];
they make ·plain [simpleminded; immature] people wise [Prov. 1:4].
8 The orders of the Lord are ·right [virtuous];
·they make people happy [L rejoicing the heart].
The commands of the Lord are pure;
·they light up the way [L giving light to the eyes].
9 ·Respect [Fear] for the Lord [Prov. 1:7] is ·good [pure];
it will ·last [endure] forever.
The judgments of the Lord are true;
they are ·completely [altogether] ·right [righteous].
10 They are ·worth [desired; coveted] more than gold,
even ·the purest [fine] gold.
They are sweeter than honey,
even the ·finest honey [L droppings of the honeycomb].
11 By them your servant is warned.
·Keeping [Observing] them brings great reward.
12 ·People cannot [L Who can…?] ·see [detect; L understand] their own ·mistakes [errors].
·Forgive [Clear] me for my ·secret [hidden] sins.
13 ·Keep me [L Restrain your servant] from ·the sins of pride [proud thoughts];
don’t let them ·rule [dominate] me.
Then I can be pure
and innocent of the greatest of sins.
14 ·I hope my ·words [L The words of my mouth] and ·thoughts [meditations of my heart] ·please [L be before] you.
Lord, you are my Rock, ·the one who saves me [L and my redeemer].
God Protects His People
For the director of music. By ·alamoth [maidens; young women; C perhaps for soprano voices]. A psalm of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
46 God is our ·protection [refuge] and our strength.
He ·always helps [is an ever present/timely help] in times of ·trouble [distress].
2 So we will not be afraid even if the earth ·shakes [quakes],
or the mountains ·fall [reel; totter] into the heart of the sea,
3 even if the ·oceans [L waters] roar and foam,
or the mountains ·shake [tremble] at ·the raging sea [L its surging]. ·
4 There is a river ·that [L whose channels/streams] brings joy to the city of God,
the holy place where God Most High lives.
5 God is in that city, and so it will not ·be shaken [reel; totter].
God will help her at dawn.
6 Nations ·tremble [roar] and kingdoms ·shake [reel; totter].
God ·shouts [L gives forth his voice] and the earth ·crumbles [melts].
7 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is with us;
the God of Jacob is our ·defender [refuge; fortress]. ·
8 Come and see what the Lord has done,
·the amazing things he has done [or the desolations he has brought] on the earth.
9 He stops wars ·everywhere on [L to the ends of] the earth.
He breaks all bows and shatters spears
and burns up the ·chariots [or shields] with fire.
10 God says, “Be still and know that I am God.
I will be ·praised [exalted] in all the nations;
I will be ·praised [exalted] throughout the earth.”
11 The Lord ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts] is with us;
the God of Jacob is our ·defender [refuge; fortress]. ·
8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons and said, “Who are these boys?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons that God has given me here in ·Egypt [L this place].”
Israel said, “Bring your sons to me so I may bless them.”
10 At this time Israel’s eyesight was ·bad [L heavy] because he was old. So Joseph brought the boys close to him, and Israel kissed the boys and ·put his arms around [embraced] them. 11 He said to Joseph, “I thought I would never see ·you alive [L your face] again, and now God has ·let me see you and [L shown me] also your ·children [L seed].” 12 Then Joseph moved his sons off ·Israel’s lap [L his knees] and bowed facedown to the ground. 13 He put Ephraim on his right side and Manasseh on his left. (So Ephraim was near Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh was near Israel’s right hand.) Joseph brought the boys close to Israel. 14 But Israel ·crossed his arms and put his [L sent forth and placed his] right hand on the head of Ephraim, who was younger. He put his left hand on the head of Manasseh, the firstborn son. 15 And Israel blessed Joseph and said,
“My ·ancestors [fathers] Abraham and Isaac ·served [L walked before] our God,
and like a shepherd God has led me all my life.
16 He was the Angel who ·saved [redeemed] me from all ·my troubles [harm].
Now I pray that he will bless these boys.
May my name be known through these boys,
and may the names of my ancestors Abraham and Isaac be known through them.
May they ·have many descendants [grow into a large group]
on the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he ·didn’t like it [L thought it was wrong]. So he took hold of his father’s hand, wanting to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 Joseph said to his father, “·You are doing it wrong, Father, since Manasseh [L No, my Father, for this] is the firstborn son. Put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. Manasseh will be great and ·have many descendants [L become great]. But his younger brother will be greater, and his ·descendants [L seed] will ·be enough to make a nation [L become the fullness of nations; C Ephraim would become the dominant tribe in northern Israel].”
20 So ·Israel [L he] blessed them that day and said,
“When a blessing is given in Israel, they will say:
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’ ”
In this way he ·made Ephraim greater than [L set Ephraim before] Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look at me; I am about to die. But God will be with you and will take you back to the land of your fathers. 22 I have given you something that I did not give your brothers—the land of Shechem [or mountain slope; 12:6] that I took from the Amorite people with my sword and my bow [perhaps 34:1–31].”
11 God raised Jesus from the dead, and if God’s Spirit is living in you, the One who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies that die, through[a] his Spirit who lives in you.
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].
Our Future Glory
18 [L For I consider that] The sufferings we have now are nothing compared to the great glory that will be ·shown [revealed] to us. 19 ·Everything God made [L The creation] is waiting with ·excitement [eager expectation] for ·God to show his children’s glory completely [the revelation of the children/sons of God]. 20 ·Everything God made [L For the creation] was ·changed to become useless [subjected to futility/meaninglessness; Gen. 3; Eccl. 1:2], not by its own wish but because God ·wanted [L subjected] it ·and because all along there was this hope [yet with the hope…]: 21 that ·everything God made [the creation itself] would be set free from ·ruin [inevitable decay; L the slavery of decay] to have the ·freedom and glory [or glorious freedom] that belong to God’s children.
22 We know that ·everything God made [all creation] has been ·waiting until now in pain, like a woman ready to give birth [L groaning with labor pains until now]. 23 Not only the world, but we also ·have been waiting with pain inside us [L groan within ourselves]. We have the Spirit as the ·first part of God’s promise [L firstfruits; C as the first crops confirmed the future harvest, so the Spirit’s presence confirms believers’ final salvation]. So we are [eagerly] waiting for ·God to finish making us his own children [L our adoption], which means ·our bodies will be made free [L the redemption of our bodies]. 24 We were saved, ·and we have this hope [or …by this hope; L in hope]. If we see what we are waiting for, that is not really hope. ·People do not hope [L For who hopes…?] for something they already have. 25 But we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it ·patiently [with perseverance].
27 Don’t work for the food that ·spoils [perishes]. Work for the food that ·stays good always and gives eternal life [L endures/remains/abides for eternal life]. The Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] will give you this food, because on him God the Father has ·put his power [L set his seal; C a seal impression signifies ownership and authority; 3:33].”
28 The people asked Jesus, “What ·are the things God wants us to do [L should we do to work the works of God]?”
29 Jesus answered, “·The work God wants you to do is this [L This is the work of God]: Believe the One he sent.”
30 So ·the people [L they] asked, “What ·miracle will you do? If we see a miracle, we will believe you [L sign will you do that we might see and believe you?]. What ·will you do [work will you perform]? 31 Our ·ancestors [forefathers; L fathers] ate the manna [C a flaky breadlike food that God provided the Israelites in the wilderness; Ex. 16:13–36] in the ·desert [wilderness]. ·This is written in the Scriptures [L As it is written]: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat [compare Ex. 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Ps. 78:24].’
32 [L Therefore; So; Then] Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], it was not Moses who gave you bread from heaven; it is my Father who is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33 [L For] God’s bread is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 [L Therefore] ·the people [L they] said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Then Jesus said to them, “I am the ·bread that gives life [T bread of life]. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But as I told you before, you have seen me and still don’t believe. 37 ·The Father gives me the people who are mine. Every one of them will come to me [L All/Everything the Father gives me will come to me], and I will ·always accept them [not reject them; L not cast them out]. 38 [L For] I came down from heaven to do ·what God wants me to do [L the will of him who sent me], not ·what I want to do [L my own will]. 39 Here is ·what the One who sent me wants me to do [L the will of him who sent me]: I must not lose even one whom God gave me, but I must raise them all on the last day. 40 Those who see the Son and believe in him have eternal life, and I will raise them on the last day. This is ·what my Father wants [L the will of my Father].”
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