Book of Common Prayer
A Morning Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
5 Lord, ·listen [L give ear] to my words.
Understand my ·sadness [L moans; sighs].
2 ·Listen [Pay attention] to my cry for help, my King and my God,
because I pray to you.
3 Lord, every morning you hear my voice.
Every morning, I ·tell you what I need [or prepare a sacrifice for you; L stretch out/arrange before you],
and I ·wait for your answer [L watch].
4 You are not a God who ·is pleased with the wicked [takes delight in evil];
·you do not live with those who do evil [L evil does not sojourn with you].
5 Those people who ·make fun of you [or boast] cannot stand before ·you [L your eyes].
You hate all those who do evil.
6 You destroy ·liars [L those who speak lies];
the Lord ·hates [despises] those ·who kill and trick others [L with bloodguilt and deceit].
7 Because of your great ·love [loyalty; covenant love],
I ·can [or will] come into your ·Temple [L house].
Because I ·fear you [hold you in awe],
I can ·worship [bow down] ·in [or toward] your holy Temple.
8 Lord, since I have many enemies,
·show me the right thing to do [L lead/guide me in your righteousness].
·Show me clearly how you want me to live [L Make your way straight before me].
9 My enemies’ mouths do not tell the truth;
·in their hearts they want to destroy others [L their innards are destruction].
Their throats are like open graves [Rom. 3:13];
they use their tongues for ·telling lies [flattery].
10 God, ·declare them guilty [L make them bear their iniquity]!
Let them fall ·into their own traps [or by their own advice].
·Send [Cast] them away because their ·sins [transgressions] are many;
they have ·turned [rebelled] against you.
11 But let everyone who ·trusts [finds refuge in] you ·be happy [rejoice];
let them sing glad songs forever.
·Protect [L Spread your protection on] those who love you
and ·who are happy because of you [L let those who love your name rejoice in you].
12 Lord, you bless those who ·do what is right [are righteous];
you ·protect them [L surround them with favor] like a shield.
A Prayer for Mercy in Troubled Times
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Upon the ·sheminith [L eighth; C a reference to an eight-stringed instrument or possibly the manner of singing]. A psalm of David.
6 Lord, don’t ·correct [rebuke; reprove] me when you are angry;
don’t ·punish [discipline] me when you are ·very angry [enraged].
2 Lord, ·have mercy on [be gracious to] me because I ·am weak [languish; faint].
Heal me, Lord, because my bones ·ache [are in agony].
3 I ·am very upset [ache; am in agony].
Lord, how long will it be?
4 Lord, return and save me;
·save [rescue; T deliver] me because of your ·kindness [loyalty; covenant love].
5 Dead people don’t remember you;
those in ·the grave [or the underworld; L Sheol] don’t praise you.
6 I am ·tired [weary] ·of crying to you [L because of my moaning].
Every night ·my bed is wet [L I flood my pillow] with tears;
my bed is soaked from my crying.
7 My eyes are weak ·from so much crying [L because of my grief];
they are weak ·from crying about [L because of] my enemies.
8 Get away from me, all you who do evil,
because the Lord has heard my ·crying [supplication].
9 The Lord has heard my cry for help;
the Lord will ·answer [accept] my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and ·troubled [in agony; vv. 2–3].
They will turn and suddenly leave in shame.
A Complaint About Evil People
10 Lord, why ·are you [L do you stand] so far away?
Why do you hide ·when there is [L in times of] ·trouble [distress]?
2 Proudly the wicked ·chase down [hunt down; persecute] ·those who suffer [or the poor].
Let them be caught in ·their own traps [L the schemes they have thought up].
3 They ·brag [boast] about the ·things they want [L cravings/desires of their soul].
·They bless the greedy but [or The greedy curse and] ·hate [reject] the Lord.
4 The wicked people are too proud.
They do not ·look for [pursue; seek] God;
there is no room for God in their thoughts.
5 ·They always succeed [L Their ways are always successful/prosperous].
·They are far from keeping your laws [L Your judgments are above their grasp];
they ·make fun of [sneer/scoff at] their enemies.
6 They say ·to themselves [L in their hearts], “·Nothing bad will ever happen to me [L I will never be moved/shaken];
I will never ·be ruined [have trouble/be harmed].”
7 Their mouths are full of curses, ·lies [deceit], and ·threats [violence];
·they use their tongues for [L under their tongues is] ·sin [trouble] and evil [Rom. 3:14].
8 They ·hide [L lie in ambush] near the villages.
They ·look for innocent people to kill [murder the innocent; Prov. 1:11];
·they watch in secret [L their eyes look intently] for the helpless.
9 They ·wait in hiding [L lie in ambush in a covert/cover] like a lion.
They ·wait [L lie] to catch poor people;
they catch the poor in nets and drag them off.
10 The poor are crushed and thrown down;
they ·are defeated [L fall] ·because the others are stronger [L by their might].
11 The wicked ·think [L say in their hearts], “God has forgotten us.
He ·doesn’t see what is happening [L has hidden his face and does not see anything].”
12 Lord, rise up and ·punish the wicked [L raise your hand, God].
Don’t forget those who ·need help [are oppressed].
13 Why do wicked people ·hate [despise] God?
They say ·to themselves [L in their hearts], “·God won’t punish us [L You will not pursue].”
14 Lord, surely you see these ·cruel [troublesome] and ·evil [grievous] things;
look at them and ·do something [L put it in your hands].
·People in trouble [L The helpless] ·look to you for help [entrust/abandon themselves to your hands].
You are the one who helps the orphans.
15 Break the ·power [L hand] of wicked and evil people.
·Punish them for the evil they have done [L You will seek out their wickedness until you find none].
16 The Lord is King forever and ever.
·Destroy from your land those nations [L The nations will perish from his land].
17 Lord, you have heard ·what the poor people want [the desires of the poor].
·Do what they ask [L You will strengthen their heart], and ·listen to them [L you will cause your ear to pay attention].
18 ·Protect [L Bring justice to] the orphans and ·put an end to suffering [L the oppressed]
so ·they will no longer be afraid of evil people [L those from the earth may terrify no more].
Trust in the Lord
For the director of music. Of David.
11 I ·trust in the Lord for protection [find refuge in the Lord].
So why do you say to me,
“·Fly [L Flee] like a bird to your mountain.
2 For, look, the wicked ·string [bend] their bows;
they set their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from dark places
at those who are ·honest [L upright/virtuous in heart].
3 When the foundations [C a stable society] collapse,
what can ·good [righteous] people do?”
4 The Lord is in his holy Temple;
the Lord sits on his throne in heaven.
·He sees what people do [L His eyes watch];
·he keeps his eye on them [L his gaze examines/tests people].
5 The Lord ·tests [examines] ·those who do right and those who do wrong [the righteous and the wicked],
but he hates those who love ·to hurt others [violence].
6 He will ·send [L rain] hot coals and burning sulfur on the wicked.
A ·whirlwind [scorching wind] is ·what they will get [L the portion of their cup; C an image of judgment; Is. 51:17, 22; Ezek. 23:31–33; Matt. 26:39].
7 The Lord ·does what is right [is righteous], and he loves ·justice [righteousness],
so ·honest people [the upright/virtuous] will see his face.
The Beginning of Sin
3 Now the ·snake [serpent] was the most ·clever [shrewd; cunning; crafty] of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day the snake said to the woman, “Did God really say that you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”
2 The woman answered the snake [3:1], “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden [C the tree of the knowledge of good and evil]. You must not even touch it [C Eve was adding to the divine command], or you will die.’ ”
4 But the snake [3:1] said to the woman, “You will [L most certainly] not die. 5 [L For] God knows that if you eat ·the fruit from that tree [L from it], [L your eyes will be opened and] you will ·learn about [experience; L know about] good and evil and you will be like God!”
6 The woman saw that the tree was ·beautiful [L pleasing to the eyes], that its fruit was good ·to eat [L for food], and that it would make her wise. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of the fruit to her husband who was with her [C apparently he was present but silent while the woman spoke to the snake], and he ate it.
7 Then, ·it was as if their eyes [L the eyes of both of them] were opened. They ·realized [knew] they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made ·something to cover [L loincloths for] themselves [Rom. 5:12–21].
8 Then they heard the [L sound of the] Lord God walking in the garden during the cool part of the day, and the man and his wife hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said, “Where are you?”
10 The man answered, “I heard ·you walking in the garden [L your voice/sound], and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 ·God [L He] asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man said, “You gave this woman to me and she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “·How could you have done such a thing [What is this you have done]?”
She answered, “The snake ·tricked [deceived; 1 Tim. 2:14] me, so I ate the fruit.”
14 The Lord God said to the ·snake [serpent],
“Because you did this,
a curse will be put on you.
You will be cursed as no other animal, ·tame [beasts; livestock] or ·wild [L of the field], will ever be.
You will ·crawl [go] on your ·stomach [belly],
and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15 I will ·make you and the woman
enemies to each other [T place hostility/enmity between you and the woman].
Your ·descendants [L seed] and her ·descendants [L seed]
will be enemies.
·One of her descendants [L He] will crush your head,
and you will ·bite [strike; T bruise; L crush] his heel [Rom. 16:20; Rev. 12:9].”
16 Then God said to the woman,
“I will ·cause you to have much trouble [or increase your pain]
·when you are pregnant [in childbearing],
and when you give birth to children,
you will have great pain.
You will greatly desire [C the word implies a desire to control; 4:7] your husband,
but he will rule over you.”
17 Then God said to ·the man [or Adam; 1:27], “You listened to what your wife said, and you ate fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat.
“·So I will put a curse on [Cursed is] the ground,
and you will have to ·work very hard [toil; labor] for your food.
In pain you will eat its food
all the days of your life.
18 The ground will produce thorns and ·weeds [thistles] for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 ·You will sweat and work hard for [L By the sweat of your brow you will eat] your food.
Later you will return to the ground,
because you were taken from it.
You are dust,
and ·when you die, you will return to the dust [T to dust you will return; 1 Cor. 15:21-22, 40–45].”
20 The man named his wife Eve [C the name derives from an early form of the verb “to live”], because she was the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made clothes from animal skins for ·the man [or Adam; 1:27] and his wife and dressed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, “Humans have become like one of us [C referring to the supernatural heavenly beings, God and the angels]; they know good and evil. We must keep them from [L putting forth their hand and taking and] eating some of the fruit from the tree of life, or they will live forever.” 23 So the Lord God ·forced [expelled] Adam out of the garden of Eden to ·work [till; or care for; 2:5] the ground from which he was taken. 24 After God ·forced [drove] humans out of the garden, he placed ·angels [L cherubim; C particularly powerful spiritual beings] and a sword of fire that flashed around in every direction on its eastern border. ·This kept people from getting […to guard the way] to the tree of life.
Our Salvation Is Great
2 ·So [For this reason] we must ·be more careful to follow [pay even closer attention to] what we ·were taught [have heard]. Then we will not ·stray [drift] away from the truth. 2 ·The teaching [L If/Since the message/word…] God spoke through angels [Acts 7:53] was shown to be ·true [firm; reliable], and ·anyone who did not follow it or obey it [every violation/transgression and disobedience] received the punishment that ·was earned [it deserved; was just]. 3 ·So surely we also will be punished [L How will we escape…?] if we ignore ·this [such a] great salvation. The Lord himself first ·told about [announced] this salvation, and those who heard him ·testified [confirmed to us] it was true. 4 God also ·testified to the truth of the message [joined in/confirmed their testimony] by using great signs, wonders, many kinds of ·miracles [acts of power], and by ·giving people [L the distribution/apportioning of] gifts through the Holy Spirit, ·just as he wanted [or however he desired].
Christ Became like Us
5 [L For] God did not ·choose angels to be the rulers of the new world that was coming [L subject the world to come to angels], which is what we have been talking about. 6 ·It is written in the Scriptures [L Someone has testified somewhere],
“·Why are people even important to you [L What is man/humanity that you remember/think about him/them]?
·Why do you take care of human beings [L Or the son of man/children of Adam that you care for/about them]?
7 You made ·them [or him] ·a little [or for a little while] lower than the angels
and crowned ·them [or him] with glory and honor.[a]
8 You ·put all things under their control [L subjected everything under his feet; Ps. 8:4–6].”
[L For] When God ·put everything under their control [L subjected everything to him], there was nothing left ·that they did not rule [uncontrolled; not subjected]. Still, [L now; at the present time] we do not yet see ·them [or him; C referring to humanity] ruling over everything. 9 But we see Jesus, who for a short time was made lower than the angels. This was so that, by God’s grace, he could ·die [L taste death] for everyone. And now, because he suffered and died, he is ·wearing a crown of [L crowned with] glory and honor. [C Jesus fulfills humanity’s destiny: to be crowned with glory and honor; Ps. 8 (cited above).]
10 God is the One ·who made all things, and all things are for his glory [L through whom and for whom all things exist]. He wanted to ·have many children share his [lead/bring many children/sons to] glory, so [L it was fitting/appropriate that] he made the ·One who leads people to [Leader/Pioneer/Source of their] salvation perfect through suffering.
John the Baptist Tells People About Jesus(A)
19 Here is the ·truth John told [testimony John gave; witness of John; 1:6] when the ·leaders [Jewish leadership; L Jews; C John often uses the term “Jews” to refer to the religious leaders in opposition to Jesus, rather than to the Jewish people generally] in Jerusalem sent ·priests and Levites [C the religious authorities; priests oversaw temple worship; Levites were members of the tribe of Levi who assisted them; 1 Chr. 23:24–32] to ask him, “Who are you?”
20 John ·spoke freely [confessed] and did not ·refuse to answer [deny it]. He said, “I am not the ·Christ [Messiah].”
21 So they asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” [C Elijah, an OT prophet, was expected to come back before the Messiah; 1 Kin. 17—2 Kin. 2; Mal. 4:5–6.]
He answered, “No, I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?” [C the Prophet like Moses predicted in Deut. 18:15–19] they asked.
He answered, “No.”
22 Then they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to tell those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
23 John told them in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
“I am the voice of one
calling out in the ·desert [wilderness]:
‘Make ·the road straight [a clear path] for the Lord [Is. 40:3].’”
24 Some Pharisees [C a religious party which strictly observed OT laws and later customs] who had been sent asked John: 25 “If you are not the ·Christ [Messiah] or Elijah or the Prophet [1:21], why do you baptize people?”
26 John answered, “I baptize with water, but there is one here with you that you don’t ·know about [recognize]. 27 He is the One who comes after me. I am not ·good enough [worthy; fit] to untie the ·strings [straps] of his sandals.” [C Removing sandals was the task of a slave.]
28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River [C a site east of the Jordan River, not the Bethany near Jerusalem], where John was baptizing people.
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