Book of Common Prayer
A Cry for God to Help Quickly
For the director of music. A psalm of David. ·To help people remember [For remembrance; or For a memorial offering].
70 God, ·come quickly and save [L protect] me.
Lord, hurry to help me.
2 Let those who are ·trying to kill me [L seeking my life]
be ashamed and ·disgraced [scorned; reproached].
Let those who want to hurt me
·run away [L turn back] in disgrace.
3 Let those who ·make fun of me [L say, “Aha, Aha!”]
·stop [withdraw] because of their shame.
4 But let all those who ·worship [L seek] you
rejoice and be glad.
Let those who love your ·salvation [victory]
always say, “·Praise the greatness of [Magnify] God.”
5 I am poor and ·helpless [needy];
God, hurry to me.
You ·help me and save me [L are my helper and my rescuer].
Lord, do not ·wait [delay].
An Old Person’s Prayer
71 In you, Lord, ·is my protection [L I find refuge].
Never let me be ashamed.
2 Because you ·do what is right [are righteous], ·save [protect] and rescue me;
·listen [L extend your ear] to me and ·save me [give me victory].
3 Be my ·place of safety [L rock of refuge]
where I can always come.
Give the command to ·save me [give me victory],
because you are my rock and my ·strong, walled city [fortress].
4 My God, ·save [rescue] me from the ·power [L hand] of the wicked
and from the ·hold [grasp; L palm] of evil and cruel people.
5 Lord, you are my hope.
Lord, I have ·trusted [had confidence in] you since I was young.
6 I have ·depended [L leaned] on you ·since I was born [L from the belly; C the womb];
you ·helped me even on the day of my birth [brought me forth/cut off my umbilical cord from my mother’s innards].
I will always praise you.
7 I am an ·example [portent] to many people,
because you are my strong ·protection [refuge].
8 ·I am always praising you [L My mouth is filled with your praise];
all day long I ·honor [glorify] you.
9 Do not ·reject me [cast me off] when I am old;
do not ·leave [abandon; forsake] me when my strength is ·gone [exhausted].
10 My enemies ·make plans [speak] against me,
and they ·meet [take counsel] together to kill me.
11 They say, “God has ·left [abandoned; forsaken] him.
·Go after [Pursue; Persecute] him and ·take [capture] him,
because no one will ·save [protect] him.”
12 God, don’t be far off.
My God, hurry to help me.
13 Let those who accuse me
be ashamed and ·destroyed [annihilated].
Let those who are ·trying [seeking] to hurt me
be covered with shame and disgrace.
14 But I will always have hope
and will praise you more and more.
15 ·I will tell how you do what is right [L My mouth will recount your righteousness].
I will tell about your ·salvation [victory] all day long,
even though ·it is more than I can tell [L I do not know the number].
16 I will come and tell about your powerful works, Lord God.
I will remind people ·that only you do what is right [L that you alone are righteous].
17 God, you have taught me since I was young.
To this day I tell ·about the miracles you do [of your wonderful works].
18 Even though I am old and gray,
do not ·leave [abandon; forsake] me, God.
I will tell ·the children [L a generation, to all that come] about your ·power [L arm];
I will tell of your might.
19 God, your ·justice [righteousness] reaches to the ·skies [L high heavens].
You have done great things;
God, there is no one like you.
20 You have ·given [L shown] me ·many troubles [much distress] and bad times,
but you will give me life again.
·When I am almost dead [L From the depths of the earth],
you ·will keep me alive [L again bring me up].
21 You will make me greater than ever,
and you will comfort me again.
22 I will ·praise [thank] you with the harp.
·I trust you […for your faithfulness], my God.
I will ·sing to [make a psalm for] you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23 ·I will [L My lips] shout for joy when I ·sing praises to [make a psalm for] you.
You have ·saved [redeemed] me.
24 ·I [L My tongue] will tell about your ·justice [righteousness] all day long.
And those who ·want [seek] to hurt me
will be ·ashamed [scorned and reproached] and disgraced.
A Nation in Trouble Prays
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
74 God, why have you rejected us ·for so long [forever]?
Why ·are you angry with us, [L does your anger smoke against] the sheep of your pasture [100:3]?
2 Remember the ·people [assembly; congregation] you ·bought [acquired] long ago.
You ·saved [redeemed] us, and we are ·your very own [L the tribe of your inheritance].
After all, you live on Mount Zion.
3 ·Make your way [Direct your steps] through ·these old [or the utter] ruins;
the enemy ·wrecked [destroyed] everything in the ·Temple [sanctuary; Holy Place; C perhaps a reference to the Babylonian destruction of the Temple; 2 Kin. 25:8–21; 2 Chr. 36:17–21; Lam. 2:6].
4 Those who were against you ·shouted [roared] in your meeting place
and ·raised their flags [L set their signs as signs] there.
5 ·They came with axes raised [or They hacked at the upper entrances]
as if to cut down a forest of trees.
6 They ·smashed [beat to pieces] the ·carved [engraved] panels
with their axes and ·hatchets [crowbars].
7 They ·burned your Temple to the ground [L set your sanctuary/Holy Place on fire];
they have made the ·place where you live [L residence of your name] ·unclean [profane].
8 They ·thought [L said in their hearts], “We will completely crush them!”
They burned ·every place where God was worshiped [L all the meeting places of God] in the land.
9 We do not see any signs.
There are no more prophets [C who can tell them what will happen],
and no one knows how long this will last.
10 God, how much longer will the enemy ·make fun of [scorn] you?
Will they ·insult [revile] ·you [L your name] forever?
11 Why do you ·hold back your power [L return your hand]?
·Bring your power out in the open [L Take your right hand out of your bosom] and ·destroy [annihilate] them!
12 God, you have been our king ·for a long time [of old; Ex. 15:18].
You bring ·salvation [victory] to the earth.
13 You split open the sea by your power
and broke the heads of the sea monster [C an ancient Near Eastern symbol of chaos].
14 You ·smashed [crushed in pieces] the heads of the monster Leviathan [C a sea monster and symbol of chaos; 104:26; Job 3:8; 41:1; Is. 27:1]
and gave it to the ·desert [wilderness] creatures as food.
15 You ·opened up [split] the springs and ·streams [wadis]
and made the flowing rivers run dry.
16 Both the day and the night are yours;
you made the sun and the moon [Gen. 1:14–18].
17 You set all the ·limits [borders] on the earth;
you ·created [formed] summer and winter [104:19–23; Gen. 8:22].
18 Lord, remember how the enemy ·insulted [scorned] you.
Remember how those foolish people ·made fun of you [L reviled your name].
19 Do not give us, your doves, to those wild animals.
Never forget your poor people.
20 ·Remember [Regard] the ·agreement [covenant] you made with us,
because violence fills every dark corner of this land.
21 Do not let your ·suffering [crushed] people be ·disgraced [humiliated].
Let the poor and ·helpless [needy] praise ·you [L your name].
22 God, arise and ·defend [contend for] yourself.
Remember the ·insults [scorn] that come from those foolish people all day long.
23 Don’t forget what your enemies said;
don’t forget their roar as they rise against you always.
29 So Ahab king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah ·went to [marched on] Ramoth in Gilead. 30 King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “When I go into battle, I will ·wear other clothes [disguise myself] so no one will recognize me. But you wear your royal clothes.” So Ahab ·wore other clothes [disguised himself] and went into battle [22:15].
31 The king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Don’t fight with anyone—·important or unimportant [L small or great]—except the king of Israel.” 32 When these chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought he was certainly the king of Israel, so they turned to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat began shouting, 33 they saw he was not King Ahab, and they stopped chasing him.
34 By chance, a soldier shot an arrow and hit Ahab king of Israel ·between the pieces [in a gap/joint] of his armor. King Ahab said to his chariot driver, “Turn around and get me out of the battle, because I am ·hurt [badly wounded]!” 35 The battle ·continued [raged] all day. King Ahab was ·held [propped] up in his chariot and faced the Arameans. His blood from the wound flowed down to the bottom of the chariot. That evening he died. 36 Near sunset a cry went out through the army of Israel: “Each man go back to his own city and land [C an indication of panic and defeat].”
37 In that way King Ahab ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors]. His body was carried to Samaria and buried there. 38 The men cleaned Ahab’s chariot at a pool in Samaria ·where prostitutes bathed [or and the prostitutes bathed in his blood], and the dogs licked his blood from the chariot. These things happened as the ·Lord had said they would [word of the Lord had spoken].
39 Everything else Ahab did ·is [L is it not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Israel. It tells about the ·palace Ahab built and decorated with ivory [L ivory house] and the cities he built. 40 So Ahab ·died [L lay down/T slept with his fathers/ancestors], and his son Ahaziah became king in his place.
Jehoshaphat King of Judah(A)
41 Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah during Ahab’s fourth year as king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ·ruled [reigned] in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother’s name was Azubah daughter of Shilhi. 43 Jehoshaphat ·was good, like [L walked/followed in the way/path of] his father Asa, and he did ·what the Lord said was right [L right in the eyes/sight of the Lord]. But Jehoshaphat did not destroy the ·places where gods were worshiped [L high places; 3:2], so the people continued offering sacrifices and burning incense there. 44 Jehoshaphat was at peace with the king of Israel. 45 ·Jehoshaphat fought many wars, and these wars and his successes are [L Concerning the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat and his power and the wars he waged, are they not…?] written in the book of the ·history [chronicles; annals; 14:19] of the kings of Judah.
14 A ·person who does not have the Spirit [or natural person] does not accept the ·truths [L things] that come from the Spirit of God. That person thinks they are foolish and cannot understand them, because they can only be ·judged to be true [discerned; assessed] by the Spirit. 15 The ·spiritual person [or person with the Spirit] is able to ·judge [discern; assess] all things, but no one can ·judge [discern; assess] him. ·The Scripture says [L For]:
16 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Who has been able to ·teach [advise; counsel] him [Is. 40:13]?”
But we have the mind of Christ [C the Holy Spirit reveals God and his ways to us; Rom. 11:34].
Following People Is Wrong
3 Brothers and sisters, in the past I could not talk to you as I talk to ·spiritual people [or people who have the Spirit]. I had to talk to you as I would to ·people without the Spirit [unspiritual/carnal/fleshly people]—·babies [infants] in Christ. 2 ·The teaching I gave you was like milk [L I gave you milk to drink], not solid food, because you were not yet able to take solid food [C the comparison is between basic and advanced teaching]. And even now you are not ready. 3 You are still ·not spiritual [carnal; fleshly; living by your sinful nature], because there is ·jealousy [envy] and ·quarreling [conflict; rivalry] among you, and this shows that you are ·not spiritual [carnal; fleshly; living by your sinful nature]. You are ·acting [living; L walking] ·like people of the world [or like ordinary/unsaved people; or on a merely human level; L according to man]. 4 One of you says, “I belong to Paul,” and another says, “I belong to Apollos.” When you say things like this, ·you are [L are you not…?] ·acting like people of the world [or living on a merely human level; L people; human beings].
5 ·Is Apollos important? No! [L What, then, is Apollos?] ·Is Paul important? No! [L And what is Paul?] We are only servants of God who helped you believe. Each one of us did the work the Lord gave us to do. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it. But God is the One who made it grow. 7 So the one who plants is not ·important [L anything], and the one who waters is not ·important [L anything], but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters ·have the same purpose [or are equal; L are one], and each will ·be rewarded [receive wages] for his own work. 9 We are ·God’s workers, working together [coworkers belonging to God; coworkers in God’s service]; you are God’s ·farm [field], God’s building.
10 ·Using [or Because of] the ·gift [grace] God gave me, I laid the foundation of that building like an ·expert [skilled; wise] builder. Others are building on that foundation, but ·all people [L each one] should be careful how they build on it. 11 The foundation that has already been laid is Jesus Christ, and no one can lay down any other foundation. 12 But if ·people [anyone; someone] build on that foundation, using gold, silver, ·jewels [precious stones], wood, ·grass [or hay], or straw, 13 their work will be ·clearly seen [or shown for what it is], because the ·day of judgment [L day] will make it ·visible [clear; obvious]. That day will ·appear [or reveal it; expose it] with fire, and the fire will test everyone’s work to show what sort of work it was. 14 If the ·building that has been put on the foundation [L work] still stands, the builder will get ·a reward [or wages]. 15 But if the ·building [L work] is burned up, the builder will ·suffer loss [or be fined; or be punished]. The builder will be saved, but it will be as one who escaped ·from a fire [L through fire].
Jesus Teaches the People(A)
5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on ·a hill [the mountain] and sat down. His ·followers [disciples] ·came to [gathered around] him, 2 and he began to teach them, saying:
3 “·They are blessed [or Blessed are those…; C and so through v. 10] who ·realize their spiritual poverty [L are the poor in spirit],
for the kingdom of heaven ·belongs to them [is theirs].
4 They are blessed who ·grieve [mourn],
for ·God will comfort them [L they will be comforted; C the passive verb implies God as subject].
5 They are blessed who are ·humble [meek; gentle],
for ·the whole earth will be theirs [L they shall inherit the earth; Ps. 37:11].
6 They are blessed who hunger and thirst after ·justice [righteousness],
for they will be ·satisfied [filled].
7 They are blessed who show mercy to others,
for ·God will show mercy to them [L they will be shown mercy; C the passive verb implies God as subject].
8 They are blessed ·whose thoughts are pure [or whose hearts are pure; T the pure in heart],
for they will see God.
9 They are blessed who work for peace [T Blessed are the peacemakers],
for they will be called God’s ·children [or sons].
10 They are blessed who are persecuted for ·doing good [doing what’s right; L the sake of righteousness],
for the kingdom of heaven ·belongs to them [is theirs].
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