Book of Common Prayer
49 Remember your promise to me, your servant;
it gives me hope.
50 When I suffer, this comforts me:
Your promise gives me life.
51 ·Proud [Arrogant] people always ·make fun of [mock] me,
but I do not ·reject [stray from] your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
52 I remember your ·laws [judgments] from long ago,
and they comfort me, Lord.
53 ·I become angry with wicked people [L Indignation seizes me because of the wicked]
who ·do not keep [abandon; forsake] your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
54 I sing about your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements]
·wherever I live [L in the house of my dwelling].
55 Lord, I remember ·you [L your name] at night,
and I will ·obey [keep; guard] your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
56 This is what I do:
I ·follow [protect] your ·orders [precepts].
57 Lord, you are my ·share in life [portion; lot];
I have promised to ·obey [keep; guard] your words.
58 I ·prayed to [entreat; implore] you with all my heart.
·Have mercy on [Be gracious to] me as you have promised.
59 I ·thought about [considered] my ·life [L path],
and I ·decided to follow [L turned my feet to] your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
60 I hurried and did not wait
to ·obey [keep; obey] your commands.
61 Wicked people have ·tied me up [ensnared me],
but I have not forgotten your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
62 In the middle of the night, I get up to ·thank [praise] you
because your ·laws [judgments] are ·right [righteous].
63 I am a ·friend [companion] to everyone who fears you,
to anyone who ·obeys [keeps; guards] your ·orders [precepts].
64 Lord, your ·love [loyalty] fills the earth.
Teach me your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
65 You have done good things for your servant,
as you have promised, Lord.
66 Teach me ·wisdom [L good judgment] and knowledge
because I ·trust [believe] your commands.
67 Before I ·suffered [was humbled], I ·did wrong [wandered],
but now I ·obey [keep; guard] your word.
68 You are good, and you do what is good.
Teach me your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
69 ·Proud [Arrogant] people ·have made up lies about me [smear me with lies],
but I will ·follow [keep; protect] your ·orders [precepts] with all my heart.
70 ·Those people have no feelings [L Their hearts are gross and fat],
but I ·love [delight in] your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
71 It was good for me to ·suffer [be humbled]
so I would learn your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
72 ·Your teachings [L The instructions/laws of your mouth] are ·worth more to [better for] me
than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.
Trusting Money Is Foolish
For the director of music. A psalm of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
49 Listen to this, all you ·nations [peoples];
·listen [L give ear], all you who live on earth.
2 Listen, both ·great [high] and ·small [low],
rich and poor together.
3 ·What I say is wise [L My mouth speaks wisdom],
and ·my heart speaks with [L the meditation of my heart is] understanding.
4 I will ·pay attention [extend my ear] to a ·wise saying [proverb];
I will ·explain [solve] my riddle on the ·harp [lyre].
5 Why should I ·be afraid of [fear] ·bad [evil] days?
·Why should I fear when evil people […when the guilt of deceivers/the treacherous] surround me?
6 They ·trust [find refuge] in their ·money [wealth]
and ·brag [boast] about their riches.
7 No one can ·buy back [ransom; redeem] the life of ·another [or a brother].
No one can ·pay [L give a ransom to] God for his own life,
8 because the ·price [ransom; redemption] of a life is ·high [precious].
No payment is ever enough.
9 Do people live forever?
Don’t they all ·face death [L see the Pit; 16:10]?
10 See, even wise people die.
Fools and stupid people also ·die [perish; Eccl. 2:12–16]
and ·leave [abandon; forsake] their wealth to others.
11 Their graves will ·always [forever] be their homes.
·They will live there from now on [L …their dwelling to all generations],
even though they named places after themselves.
12 Even rich people do not ·live forever [abide];
like the animals, people ·die [perish; Eccl. 3:19].
13 This is ·what will happen to [L the way/path for] those who trust in themselves
and ·to their followers [or the end of those; L after them] who ·believe them [L are pleased with their mouth]. ·
14 Like sheep, they ·must die [L head to Sheol; C the grave or the underworld],
and death will be their shepherd.
·Honest [Virtuous; Upright] people will ·rule [have dominion] over them in the morning,
and their bodies will ·rot in a grave [waste away in Sheol] far from ·home [their grand homes].
15 But God will ·save [ransom; redeem] my life
and will take me from ·the grave [or the underworld; L Sheol; v. 14]. ·
16 Don’t be afraid of ·rich [wealthy] people
because their houses are more ·beautiful [or substantial].
17 They don’t take anything ·to the grave [when they die];
their ·wealth [substance] won’t go down with them.
18 Even though they were ·praised [blessed] when they were alive—
and people may praise you when you ·succeed [do well]—
19 they will go to where their ancestors are [C the grave].
They will never see light again.
20 Rich people with no understanding
are just like animals that ·die [perish].
The Unbelieving Fool
For the director of music. By mahalath [C perhaps “sickness”]. A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of David.
53 Fools say ·to themselves [L in their hearts],
“There is no God [C Psalm 14 largely parallels this psalm].”
·Fools are evil [L They are corrupt] and do ·terrible [detestable] things [Deut. 32:5];
none of them does anything good.
2 God looked down from heaven on all people
to see if anyone was ·wise [insightful],
if anyone was ·looking to God for help [seeking God].
3 But all have ·turned [wandered] away.
Together, everyone has become ·evil [perverse];
none of them does anything good.
Not a single person [Rom. 3:10–12].
4 Don’t ·the wicked [L those who do evil] ·understand [know]?
They ·destroy [consume; L eat] my people as if they were ·eating [consuming] bread.
They do not ·ask God for help [call on God].
5 The wicked are ·filled [terrified] with terror
where there ·had been nothing to [L was no] fear.
God will scatter the bones of ·your enemies [the godless].
You will ·defeat [shame; humiliate] them,
because God has rejected them.
6 I pray that ·victory [salvation] will come to Israel from Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple, the house of God]!
May God ·bring them back [restore the fortunes of his people; C perhaps at the end of the exile].
Then the people of Jacob will rejoice,
and the people of Israel will be glad.
The Order of Darius
6 So King Darius ·gave an order [issued a decree] to search the ·records [archives] kept in the treasury in Babylon. 2 A scroll was found in Ecbatana, ·the capital city [or a fortress in the province] of Media [C a major component of the Persian empire in the Zagros mountains, south of the Caspian Sea]. This is what was written on it:
·Note [Memorandum]:
3 King Cyrus ·gave an order [issued a decree] about the ·Temple [L house] of God in Jerusalem in the first year he was king [1:2–4]. This was the order:
“Let the ·Temple [L house] be rebuilt as a place to ·present [offer] sacrifices. Let its foundations be ·laid [or retained]; it should be ·ninety feet [L 60 cubits] high and ·ninety feet [L 60 cubits] wide. 4 It must have three layers of large stones ·and then one [for every] layer of timbers. The costs should be paid from the king’s treasury. 5 The gold and silver ·utensils [articles; vessels] from the ·Temple [L house] of God should be returned and put back in their places. Nebuchadnezzar took them from the Temple in Jerusalem and brought them to Babylon [Dan. 1:1–3], but they are to be put back in the ·Temple [L house] of God in Jerusalem.”
6 Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates [C provinces west of the Euphrates River], Shethar-Bozenai, and ·all the officers of that area [their colleagues and officials of the Trans-Euphrates], stay away from there. 7 ·Do not bother [L Leave alone] the work on that ·Temple [L house] of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this ·Temple [L house] where it was before.
8 Also, I ·order you [issue a decree] to do this for those elders of the Jews who are ·building [rebuilding] this ·Temple [L house] of God: The cost of the building is to be fully paid from the royal treasury, from ·taxes [tribute] collected from Trans-Euphrates. Do this ·so the work will not stop [or without delay]. 9 Give those people anything they need—young bulls, ·male sheep [rams], or lambs for burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17] to the God of heaven, or wheat, salt, wine, or olive oil. Give the priests in Jerusalem anything they ·ask for [require] every day without fail. 10 Then they may offer sacrifices ·pleasing [acceptable] to the God of heaven, and they may pray for the ·life [or welfare] of the king and his ·sons [family].
11 Also, I ·give this order [issue this decree]: If anyone ·changes [defies; violates] this ·order [decree], a wood beam is to be pulled from his house and ·driven through his body [or he will be hanged from/flogged on it]. Because of his crime, make his house a ·pile of ruins [or rubbish heap; dung hill]. 12 God has ·chosen Jerusalem as the place he is to be worshiped [L caused his name to reside there]. May he punish any king or ·person [or nation; L people] who ·tries [L reaches out his hand] to ·change [defy; violate] this ·order [decree] and destroy this ·Temple [L house] of God.
I, Darius, have ·given this order [issued this decree]. Let it be ·obeyed quickly and carefully [carried out with all diligence].
Completion of the Temple
13 So, Tattenai, the governor of Trans-Euphrates [C provinces west of the Euphrates River], Shethar-Bozenai, and their ·fellow workers [colleagues] carried out King Darius’ ·order [decree] ·quickly and carefully [with all diligence]. 14 The Jewish elders continued to build and ·were successful [prospered] because of the ·preaching [prophesying] of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a ·descendant [son; 5:1] of Iddo [C see the biblical books named for them]. They finished building the ·Temple [L house] as the God of Israel had commanded and as kings Cyrus [C ruled 559–529 bc, though 539 bc was the first year of his reign over the empire that included Babylon], Darius [C ruled 522–486 bc], and Artaxerxes of Persia [C ruled 485–465 bc] had ·ordered [decreed]. 15 The ·Temple [L house] was finished on the third day of the month of Adar [C March 12] in the sixth year Darius was king.
16 Then the people of Israel celebrated and ·gave [dedicated] the ·Temple [L house] to God to honor him. Everybody was happy: the priests, the Levites, and the rest of the ·Jews who had returned from captivity [exiles; L sons/people of the exile]. 17 They ·gave [dedicated] the ·Temple [L house] to God by offering a hundred bulls, two hundred ·male sheep [rams], and four hundred lambs as sacrifices. And as an ·offering to forgive the sins of [sin offering for or purification offering for; Lev. 4:3] all Israel, they offered twelve male goats, ·one goat for each tribe in [corresponding to the number of tribes of] Israel. 18 Then they ·put [installed; divided; appointed] the priests and the Levites into their ·separate groups [various divisions] to serve God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the Book of Moses.
The Passover Is Celebrated
19 The ·Jews who returned from captivity [L sons/people of the exile] ·celebrated [observed] the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month [C April 21; Ex. 12:1–30, 43–51; Lev. 23:4–8; Num. 28:16–25; Deut. 16:1–18]. 20 The priests and Levites had ·made themselves clean [purified themselves]. Then the Levites ·killed [slaughtered; sacrified] the Passover lambs for all the ·people who had returned from captivity [exiles], for their ·relatives the [or fellow; L brothers the] priests, and for themselves. 21 So all the ·people [sons] of Israel who returned from ·captivity [exile] ·ate the Passover lamb [L ate]. So did the people who had ·given up the unclean ways of their non-Jewish neighbors [separated themselves from the impurity/pollution of the nations] in order to ·worship [seek] the Lord, the God of Israel. 22 For seven days they celebrated with joy the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Ex. 12:17–20; 34:18]. The Lord had made them ·happy [rejoice] by ·changing the mind [turning the heart] of the king of Assyria [C a deliberate anachronism, since Assyria had fallen earlier in 612 bc] so that he helped them in the work on the ·Temple [L house] of the God of Israel.
5 Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne. The scroll had writing on both sides and was ·kept closed [L sealed] with seven seals [C a wax stamp that sealed a document shut]. 2 And I saw a ·powerful [mighty] angel ·calling [proclaiming] in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But there was no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth who could open the scroll or look inside it. 4 I cried ·bitterly [L much] because there was no one who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not cry! [L Look; T Behold] The Lion from the tribe of Judah [C a messianic title; Gen. 49:9–10], ·David’s descendant [L the root of David; C a messianic title applied to Christ; Is. 11:10], has ·won the victory [overcome; conquered] so that he is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
6 Then I saw a Lamb [C Jesus] standing ·in the center of the throne and in the middle of the four living creatures and the elders [or between the throne and the living creatures and among the elders]. The Lamb looked as if he had been ·killed [slaughtered; slain]. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God [C either angels or the “sevenfold Spirit”; see 1:4] that were sent into all the world. 7 The Lamb came and ·took [received] the scroll from the right hand of the One sitting on the throne. 8 When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders [4:4] ·bowed down [fell] before the Lamb. Each one of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s holy people [Ps. 141:2]. 9 And they all sang a new song [Ps. 33:3; 40:3; 98:1] to the Lamb:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
because you were ·killed [slaughtered; slain],
and with ·the blood of your death [L your blood] you ·bought [ransomed; purchased; redeemed] people for God
from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
10 You made them to be a kingdom ·of priests [or and priests; Ex. 19:6] for our God,
and they will ·rule [reign; C other manuscripts have “they reign” (present tense)] on the earth.”
Why Jesus Used Stories to Teach(A)
10 The ·followers [disciples] came to Jesus and asked, “Why do you ·use stories to teach the people [L speak to them in parables]?”
11 Jesus answered, “·You have been chosen [L It has been granted/given to you] to ·know [understand] the ·secrets [mysteries] about the kingdom of heaven, but ·others cannot know these secrets [L it has not been given/granted to those others]. 12 Those who ·have understanding [L have] will be given more, and they will have ·all they need [an abundance]. But those who do not ·have understanding [L have], even what they have will be taken away from them. 13 This is why I ·use stories to teach the people [L speak in parables]: [L Because] They ·see [look], but they don’t ·really see [perceive]. They hear, but they don’t really hear or understand. 14 ·So they show that the things Isaiah said about them are true [L In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says]:
‘You will ·listen and listen [keep on hearing; or listen intently], but you will not understand.
You will ·look and look [keep on seeing; or look intently], but you will not ·learn [perceive; comprehend].
15 For the ·minds [hearts] of these people have become ·stubborn [dull; calloused; hardened].
They ·do not [hardly] hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes
and hear with their ears.
They might really understand ·in their minds [with their hearts]
and ·come back [turn; return] to me and ·be healed [I would heal them; Is. 6:9–10].’
16 But ·you [L your eyes] are blessed, because you see with your eyes and hear with your ears. 17 I tell you the truth, many prophets and ·good [righteous; just] people ·wanted [longed] to see the things that you now see, but they did not see them. And they ·wanted [longed] to hear the things that you now hear, but they did not hear them.
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