Book of Common Prayer
Praise God Who Helps the Weak
146 Praise the Lord!
My ·whole being [soul; life], praise the Lord.
2 I will praise the Lord ·all [L with] my life;
I will ·sing praises [make a psalm] to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your ·trust [confidence] in princes
or other people, who cannot ·save you [give you victory; 118:8–9].
4 ·When people die [L Their spirit goes out], they ·are buried [L return to the ground].
·Then all of [L On that day] their plans ·come to an end [perish].
5 ·Happy [Blessed] are those who are helped by the God of Jacob [C another name for Israel].
Their hope is in the Lord their God.
6 He made heaven and earth,
the sea and everything in it [Gen. 1].
He ·remains [keeps; observes; guards] ·loyal [faithfulness; truth] forever.
7 He does ·what is fair [justice] for those who have been ·wronged [oppressed; exploited].
He gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free.
8 The Lord ·gives sight to [opens the eyes of] the blind.
The Lord lifts up people who are ·in trouble [bowed down; 145:14].
The Lord loves ·those who do right [the righteous].
9 The Lord ·protects [guards] the ·foreigners [sojourners].
He ·defends [supports] the orphans and widows [C the socially vulnerable],
but he ·blocks [frustrates] the way of the wicked.
10 The Lord will ·be King [reign] forever [47:2; 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 98:6; 99:1; Rev. 19:6].
·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple], your God is everlasting.
Praise the Lord!
Praise God Who Helps His People
147 Praise the Lord!
It is good to ·sing praises [make a psalm] to our God;
it is pleasant and ·good [L fitting] to praise him.
2 The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem [51:18; 102:16; Is. 64:8–12];
he ·brings back [gathers; assembles] the ·captured [scattered; dispersed] Israelites [C perhaps a reference to those who returned after the Babylonian exile; Deut. 30:1–4; Is. 11:12].
3 He heals the brokenhearted
and ·bandages [binds up] their wounds.
4 He ·counts [L measures the number of] the stars
and ·names [L assigns names to] each one [Is. 40:26].
5 Our Lord is great and very powerful.
There is no limit to ·what he knows [L his understanding].
6 The Lord ·defends [supports] the ·humble [needy],
but he throws the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing ·praises [thanksgiving] to the Lord;
·praise [make a psalm to] our God with harps.
8 He ·fills [covers] the ·sky [heavens] with clouds
and ·sends [sets; establishes] rain to the earth
and makes grass ·grow [sprout] on the ·hills [mountains].
9 He gives food to cattle
and to the ·little birds [L young ravens] that call.
10 He ·is not impressed with [does not delight in] the strength of a horse,
nor does he take pleasure in ·human might [L the thighs of a person].
11 The Lord ·is pleased with [takes pleasure in] those who ·respect [fear] him [Prov. 1:7],
with those who ·trust [wait for; hope in] his ·love [loyalty].
12 Jerusalem, ·praise [celebrate] the Lord;
·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple], praise your God.
13 He ·makes your city gates strong [L strengthens the bars of your gates]
and blesses your children ·inside [L within you].
14 He ·brings [sets] peace to your ·country [L boundaries]
and ·fills [satisfies; satiates] you with the finest ·grain [wheat].
15 He ·gives a command [L sends forth his word] to the earth,
and ·it quickly obeys him [L his word quickly runs].
16 He ·spreads [L gives] the snow like wool
and scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He throws down hail like ·rocks [L morsels; bits; pieces].
No one can stand ·the cold he sends [L before his cold].
18 Then he ·gives a command [L sends forth his word], and it melts.
He sends the breezes, and the waters flow.
19 He ·gave [announced] his word to Jacob [C another name for Israel],
his laws [statutes; requirements; ordinances] and ·demands [judgments] to Israel [Ex. 19–24].
20 He didn’t do this for ·any other [L all the] nation.
They don’t know his ·laws [judgments].
Praise the Lord!
The World Should Praise the Lord
148 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the ·skies [heavens].
Praise him ·high above the earth [in the heights].
2 Praise him, all you ·angels [messengers].
Praise him, all ·you armies of heaven [his hosts; C the angelic army].
3 Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all you ·shining stars [L stars of light].
4 Praise him, ·highest heavens [L heaven of heavens]
and you waters above the ·sky [heavens].
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
because ·they were created by his command [L he commands and they were created; Gen. 1].
6 He ·put them in place [L made them stand] forever and ever;
he made a ·law [statute; requirement; ordinance] that will never ·change [pass].
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you large sea ·animals [monsters; C like Leviathan; 74:12–17; 104:26; Gen. 1:21; Job 3:8; 41; Is. 27:1] and all the ·oceans [deeps],
8 ·lightning [L fire] and hail, snow and ·mist [cloud; or smoke],
and stormy winds that ·obey him [L do his word],
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,
10 wild animals and all cattle,
crawling animals and birds,
11 kings of the earth and all ·nations [peoples],
princes and all ·rulers [judges] of the earth,
12 young men and women,
old people and ·children [youth].
13 Praise the name of the Lord,
because ·he [L his name] alone is ·great [exalted].
·He is more wonderful than [L His splendor is over] heaven and earth.
14 God has ·given his people a king [exalted/raised a horn over his people; C an animal’s horn symbolizes power].
He should be praised by all ·who belong to him [his saints/loyal ones];
he should be praised by the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel], the people ·closest to his heart [L nearest to him].
Praise the Lord!
Praise the God of Israel
149 Praise the Lord!
Sing a new song [C celebrating victory; 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; Is. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3] to the Lord;
sing his praise in the ·meeting [assembly; congregation] of his ·people [saints; loyal ones].
2 Let the Israelites ·be happy [rejoice] because of God, [L in] their Maker.
Let the ·people of Jerusalem [L sons of Zion; C location of the Temple] rejoice ·because [L in] of their King.
3 They should praise him with dancing.
They should ·sing praises [make a psalm] to him with tambourines and harps.
4 The Lord is pleased with his people;
he ·saves [L endows with salvation/victory] the ·humble [needy].
5 Let ·those who worship him [the saints/loyal ones] rejoice in his glory [C God’s manifest presence].
Let them sing for joy even in bed!
6 Let them ·shout his praise [L exalt God with their throats]
with their two-edged swords in their hands.
7 They will ·punish [execute vengeance against] the nations
and ·defeat [punish] the people.
8 They will put those kings in chains
and ·those important men [honored men] in iron bands.
9 They will ·punish them as God has written [L accomplish a written judgment].
God is honored by ·all who worship him [his saints/loyal ones].
Praise the Lord!
The Vision of Dry Bones
37 I felt the ·power [L hand] of the Lord on me, and he brought me out by the ·Spirit [or spirit] of the Lord and put me down in the middle of a valley. It was full of bones. 2 He led me around among the bones, and I saw that there were many bones in the valley and [L look; T behold] that they were very dry. 3 Then he asked me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], can these bones live?”
I answered, “Lord God, only you know.”
4 He said to me, “Prophesy ·to [over] these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 This is what the Lord God says to the bones: I will cause breath to enter you so you will come to life. 6 I will put ·muscles [tendons; sinews] on you and flesh on you and cover you with skin. Then I will put breath in you so you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. While I prophesied, there was a noise and a rattling. The bones came together, bone to bone. 8 I looked and saw ·muscles [sinews; tendons] come on the bones, and flesh grew, and skin covered the bones. But there was no breath in them.
9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the ·wind [breath; Spirit]. Prophesy, ·human [T son of man; 2:1], and say to the ·wind [breath; Spirit], ‘This is what the Lord God says: ·Wind [Breath; Spirit], come from the four winds, and breathe on these ·people who were killed [slain] so they can come back to life.’” 10 So I prophesied as the Lord commanded me. And the ·breath [wind; Spirit] came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, a very large army.
11 Then he said to me, “·Human [T Son of man; 2:1], these bones are like all the ·people [L house] of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope has ·gone [perished]. We are ·destroyed [cut off].’ 12 So, prophesy and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: [L Look; T Behold] My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up out of your graves. Then I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 My people, you will know that I am the Lord when I open your graves and cause you to come up from them. 14 And I will put my ·Spirit [breath; wind] inside you, and you will come to life. Then I will ·put [settle] you in your own land. And you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken and ·done it [or will do it], says the Lord.’”
Peter Speaks to the People
11 While the man was ·holding on [clinging] to Peter and John, all the people were ·amazed [astonished] and ran to them at Solomon’s ·Porch [Portico; Colonnade; C columns marked the outside perimeter of the large outer court of the Temple]. 12 When Peter saw this, he ·said to [addressed] them, “·People of Israel [L Men, Israelites], why are you ·surprised [amazed]? ·You are [L Or why are you…?] ·looking [staring] at us as if it were our own power or ·goodness [piety; godliness] that made this man walk. 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers], ·gave glory to [has glorified/honored] Jesus, his ·servant [or child]. But you handed him over to be killed. Pilate decided to let him go free, but you ·told Pilate you did not want [L disowned; rejected] Jesus. 14 You ·did not want [L disowned; rejected] the One who is holy and ·good [righteous] but asked Pilate to give you a murderer [C Barabbas; Luke 23:18] instead. 15 And so you killed the ·One who gives [Author/Source/Ruler of] life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses to this. 16 It was faith in [L the name of] Jesus that made this ·crippled [lame] man ·well [strong]. You can see this man, and you know him. He was made completely well because of ·trust [faith] in ·Jesus [L the name of Jesus], ·and you all saw it happen [in front of you all]!
17 “·Brothers and sisters [or Brothers; C fellow Jews], I know you did those things to Jesus because neither you nor your leaders [rulers] understood what you were doing. 18 God ·said [foretold; predicted] through [L the mouth of all] the prophets that his ·Christ [Messiah] would suffer. And now God has ·made these things come true [L fulfilled these things] in this way. 19 So you must ·change your hearts and lives [repent]! ·Come back [Return; Turn back] to God, and he will ·forgive [wipe out; erase] your sins. Then the ·time [L times; seasons] of ·rest [refreshment; comfort; C the messianic age] will come from [L the presence of] the Lord. 20 And he will send Jesus, the One he ·chose [appointed] to be the ·Christ [Messiah]. 21 But ·Jesus must stay in heaven [L heaven must receive/welcome him] until the time comes when all things will be ·made right again [restored; made new]. God ·told about [announced] this time long ago when he spoke through his holy prophets. 22 Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will ·give you [L raise up for you] a prophet like me, ·who is one of your own people [L from among your brothers]. You must ·listen to [hear; obey] everything he tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to that prophet will ·die, cut off [be utterly destroyed] from God’s people [Lev. 23:29; Deut. 18:15–20].’ 24 Samuel, and all the other prophets who spoke for God after Samuel, ·told [announced; foretold; predicted] about ·this time now [L these days; C there are no specific messianic prophecies from Samuel, but he did anoint David whose kingship anticipated the Messiah; 2 Sam. 7:12–16; Acts 13:22–23; Heb. 5:1]. 25 You are ·descendants [children; sons] of the prophets. You have received the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] God made with your ·ancestors [L fathers; patriarchs]. He said to your father Abraham, ‘Through your ·descendants [heirs; L seed] all the ·nations [or families] on the earth will be blessed [Gen. 22:18; 26:4].’ 26 God has raised up his ·servant [or child] Jesus and sent him to you first [C the Jews were to receive the blessing first, and through them God would bless all nations] to bless you by turning each of you away from ·doing evil [your wicked ways].”
12 “This is my command: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 ·The greatest love a person can show is to die for his friends [L No one has greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends; C Jesus’ death is the ultimate expression of this principle]. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you ·servants [slaves; bond-servants], because a ·servant [slave; bond-servant] does not know what his ·master [lord] is doing. But I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I heard from my Father. 16 You did not choose me; I chose you. And I ·gave you this work: [appointed you] to go and produce fruit, fruit that will ·last [remain; abide]. Then the Father will give you anything you ask for in my name [see 14:13]. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
Jesus Warns His Followers
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me ·first [before you]. 19 If you ·belonged to [L were of] the world, it would love you as it loves its own. But I have chosen you out of the world, ·so [because] you don’t belong to it. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember ·what [the word] I told you: A ·servant [slave; bond-servant] is not greater than his ·master [lord; see 13:16]. If people ·did wrong to [persecuted] me, they will ·do wrong to [persecute] you, too. And if they ·obeyed my teaching [L kept my word], they will ·obey [keep] yours, too. 21 [L But] They will do all this to you on account of ·me [L my name; 14:13], because they do not know the One who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me also hates my Father. 24 I did works among them that no one else has ever done. If I had not done these works, they would not be guilty of sin. [C Jesus’ words and actions resulted in their guilt because they rejected him despite the evidence (the “signs”) that God was working through him; see Matt. 11:20–24; Luke 11:31–32.] But now they have seen what I have done, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this happened so that what is written in their law ·would be true [L might be fulfilled]: ‘They hated me for no reason [C the quote could be from Ps. 35:19 or Ps. 69:4].’
26 “I will send you the ·Helper [Counselor; Advocate; C the Holy Spirit] from the Father; he is the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father. When he comes, he will ·tell [testify; witness] about me, 27 and you also must ·tell people [testify; witness] about me, because you have been with me from the beginning.
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