Book of Common Prayer
Childlike Trust in the Lord
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of David.
131 Lord, my heart is not proud;
·I don’t look down on others [L my eyes are not haughty/lifted up].
I don’t ·do [consider doing] great things,
and I ·can’t do [don’t consider doing] ·miracles [wonderful acts].
2 But I ·am calm and quiet [L have stilled and quieted my soul]
like a ·baby [L weaned child] with its mother,
like a ·baby [L weaned child] with its mother [C a relationship with God is like that of a mother with her weaned child resting comfortably in her arms].
3 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord
now and forever.
In Praise of the Temple
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].
132 Lord, remember David
and all his ·suffering [afflictions].
2 He ·made an oath [swore] to the Lord,
a ·promise [vow] to the Mighty God of Jacob [Gen. 49:24].
3 He said, “I will not ·go home to my house [L enter into the tent of my house],
or ·lie down on my bed [L go up to the couch of my bed],
4 or ·close [L give sleep to] my eyes,
or ·let myself sleep [L slumber to my pupils]
5 until I find a place for the Lord.
I want to provide a home for the Mighty God of Jacob [Gen. 49:24].”
6 We heard about it [C the Ark] in ·Bethlehem [L Ephrathah].
We found it in the fields of Jearim [C Kiriath Jearim; 1 Sam 6:21—7:2].
7 Let’s go to ·the Lord’s house [L his dwelling].
Let’s worship at his footstool [C the Ark].
8 Rise, Lord, and come to your resting place;
come with the Ark that shows your strength.
9 May your priests ·do what is right [L be clothed with righteousness].
May your ·people [saints; loyal ones] sing for joy.
10 For the sake of your servant David,
do not ·reject [L turn from the face of] your ·appointed [anointed] king.
11 The Lord ·made a promise [swore] to David,
a sure promise that he will not take back [2 Sam. 7:12–16, 28].
He promised, “I will ·make one of your descendants
rule as king after you [L set on your throne from the fruit of your womb; Acts 2:30].
12 If your sons ·keep [observe; guard] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]
and the ·rules [decrees; testimonies] that I teach them,
then their sons after them will ·rule [L sit]
on your throne forever and ever.”
13 The Lord has chosen ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple];
he ·wants [desires] it for his home.
14 He says, “This is my resting place forever.
Here is where I ·want to stay [L will sit/reside because I desire it].
15 I will bless her with ·plenty [provisions];
I will ·fill [satisfy] her poor with ·food [bread].
16 I will ·cover [L clothe] her priests with ·salvation [victory],
and ·those who worship me [L her saints/loyal ones] will really sing for joy.
17 “I will ·make a king come from the family of [L cause a horn to sprout up for; C an animal’s horn symbolizes strength] David [Luke 1:69–70].
I will ·provide my appointed one descendants to rule after him [L prepare a lamp for my anointed king; 2 Sam. 21:17].
18 I will ·cover [L clothe] his enemies with shame,
but his crown will shine.”
The Love of God’s People
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of David.
133 ·It is [L How] good and pleasant
when ·God’s people [L brothers] live together [C in unity]!
2 It is like ·perfumed [fine] oil on the head
and running down his beard [Ex. 30:22–33].
It ran down Aaron’s beard
and on to the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Mount Hermon [C in the extreme north of Israel]
falling on the hills of ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple].
There the Lord ·gives [L commanded] his blessing
of life forever.
Temple Guards, Praise the Lord
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].
134 ·Praise [L Bless] the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
you who ·serve [L stand] at night in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
2 Raise your hands in the ·Temple [L holy place]
and ·praise [bless] the Lord.
3 May the Lord bless you from Mount Zion [L the location of the Temple],
he who made heaven and earth [Gen. 1].
The Lord Saves, Idols Do Not
135 Praise the Lord!
Praise the name of the Lord;
praise him, you servants of the Lord,
2 you who stand in the Lord’s ·Temple [L house]
and in the ·Temple courtyards [L courtyards of the house of our God].
3 Praise the Lord, because the Lord is good;
·sing praises [make a psalm] to him, because it is pleasant.
4 The Lord has chosen the people of Jacob for himself;
he has chosen the people of Israel ·for his very own [as his special possession/treasure; Ex. 19:5–6; Deut. 7:6; 14:2; Mal. 3:17].
5 I know that the Lord is great.
Our Lord is greater than all the gods.
6 The Lord does what he pleases,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and the deep oceans.
7 He brings the clouds from the ends of the earth.
He ·sends [L makes] the lightning with the rain.
He brings out the wind from his storehouses [Job 38:22–23].
8 He ·destroyed [L struck] the firstborn sons in Egypt
the firstborn of both people and animals [Ex. 12].
9 He ·did [L sent] many signs and ·miracles [wonders] in Egypt
against ·the king [L Pharaoh] and all his servants [L the plagues; Ex. 7–12].
10 He ·defeated [L struck] many nations
and killed ·powerful [strong] kings:
11 Sihon king of the Amorites,
Og king of Bashan [Num. 21:21–35],
and all the kings of Canaan [Num. 21:1–3; Josh. 1–12].
12 Then he gave their land as a ·gift [L inheritance],
a ·gift [L inheritance] to his people, the Israelites [Josh. 13–24].
13 Lord, your name is everlasting;
Lord, you will be remembered forever.
14 The Lord ·defends [vindicates] his people
and ·has mercy on [shows grace to] his servants.
15 The idols of other nations are made of silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
16 They have mouths, but they cannot speak.
They have eyes, but they cannot see.
17 They have ears, but they cannot hear.
They have no breath in their mouths.
18 People who make idols will be like them,
and so will those who ·trust [have confidence in] them [115:4–8; Is. 44:9–20; 46:6–7; Jer. 10:1–9; Hab. 2:18–19].
19 ·Family [L House] of Israel, ·praise [bless] the Lord.
·Family [L House] of Aaron [C the priests], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
20 ·Family [L House] of Levi [C assistants to the priests], ·praise [bless] the Lord.
You who ·respect [fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7] should ·praise [bless] him.
21 You ·people of [L who live in] Jerusalem, ·praise [bless] the Lord on Mount Zion [C the location of the Temple].
Praise the Lord!
Josiah Destroys the Places for Idol Worship
4 The king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the ·next rank [second order] and the ·gatekeepers [doorkeepers] to bring out of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord ·everything [all the vessels/articles] made for Baal, Asherah, and all the ·stars of the sky [powers/hosts of heaven]. Then Josiah burned them outside Jerusalem in the ·open country [fields; terraces] of the Kidron Valley and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 The kings of Judah had ·chosen [appointed] priests for these gods. These priests burned incense in the ·places where gods were worshiped [L high places; 12:3] in the cities of Judah and the ·towns [area] around Jerusalem. They burned incense to Baal, the sun, the moon, the ·planets [constellations], and all the ·stars of the sky [hosts/powers of heaven]. But Josiah ·took those priests away [did away with/or exterminated those priests]. 6 He removed the Asherah ·idol [pole; C a sacred tree or pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah; 13:6] from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord and took it outside Jerusalem to the Kidron Valley, where he burned it and ·beat [ground] it into dust. Then he threw the dust on the graves of the common people. 7 He also tore down the houses of the male prostitutes [1 Kin. 14:24] who were in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord, where the women ·did weaving [wove hangings/coverings/veils] for Asherah.
8 King Josiah brought all the false priests from the cities of Judah. He ·ruined [desecrated; defiled] the ·places where gods were worshiped [L high places; 12:3], where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba. He destroyed the ·places of worship [L high places; 12:3] at the entrance to the Gate of Joshua, the ·ruler [governor] of the city, on the left side of the city gate. 9 The priests at the ·places where gods were worshiped [L high places; 12:3] were not allowed to ·serve [officiate; L go up] at the Lord’s altar in Jerusalem. But they could eat ·bread made without yeast [unleaven bread] with their ·brothers [fellow priests].
10 Josiah ·ruined [desecrated; defiled] Topheth, in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, so no one could ·sacrifice [L pass through the fire] his son or daughter to Molech. 11 Judah’s kings had ·placed [dedicated] horses to the sun at the front door of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord in the courtyard near the room of Nathan-Melech, an ·officer [official]. Josiah removed them and burned the chariots that were ·for sun worship also [dedicated to the sun].
12 The kings of Judah had built altars on the ·roof [C roofs were flat and served as an extra room] of the ·upstairs [upper] room of Ahaz. Josiah ·broke down [destroyed] these altars and the altars Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord. Josiah smashed them to pieces and threw their ·dust [rubble] into the Kidron Valley. 13 King Josiah ·ruined [desecrated; defiled] the ·places where gods were worshiped [L high places; 12:3] east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of ·Olives [or Corruption; or Destruction; C so called because of the pagan sites]. Solomon king of Israel had built these places. One was for Ashtoreth, the ·hated goddess [detestable thing; T abomination] of the Sidonians. One was for Chemosh, the ·hated god [detestable thing; T abomination] of Moab. And one was for Molech, the ·hated god [detestable thing; T abomination] of the Ammonites. 14 Josiah smashed to pieces the ·stone [sacred] pillars they worshiped, and he cut down the Asherah ·idols [poles; C a sacred tree or pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah; 13:6]. Then he covered the places with human bones.
15 Josiah also ·broke down [demolished] the altar at Bethel—the ·place of worship [high place; 12:3] made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had led Israel to sin. Josiah burned that place, broke the stones of the altar into pieces, then ·beat [ground] them into dust. He also burned the Asherah ·idol [pole; 13:6]. 16 When he turned around, he saw the ·graves [tombs] on the ·mountain [hillside]. He had the bones taken from the graves, and he burned them on the altar to ·ruin [desecrate; defile] it. This happened ·as the Lord had said it would [L in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed] through the man of God [1 Kin. 13:1–3].
17 Josiah asked, “What is that monument I see?”
The people of the city answered, “It’s the grave of the man of God who came from Judah. This prophet announced the things you have done against the altar ·of [at] Bethel.”
18 Josiah said, “Leave the grave alone. No one may ·move [disturb] this man’s bones.” So they left his bones and the bones of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
19 The kings of Israel had built ·temples for worshiping gods [shrines/L houses at the high places; 12:3] in the cities of Samaria, which had ·caused the Lord to be angry [aroused/provoked the Lord to anger]. Josiah removed all those ·temples [shrines; L houses] and did the same things as he had done at Bethel. 20 He ·killed [slaughtered] all the priests of ·those places of worship [the high places; 12:3]; he killed them on the altars and burned human bones on the altars. Then he went back to Jerusalem.
Josiah Celebrates the Passover(A)
21 The king commanded all the people, “·Celebrate [Observe] the Passover to the Lord your God as it is written in this Book of the ·Agreement [Treaty; Covenant; Ex. 12].” 22 The Passover had not been ·celebrated [observed] like this since the judges ·led [ruled; judged] Israel. Nor had one like it happened ·while there were [in all the days/years of the] kings of Israel and kings of Judah. 23 This Passover was ·celebrated [observed] to the Lord in Jerusalem in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s rule.
24 Josiah ·destroyed [removed; got rid of] the mediums, ·fortune-tellers [spiritualists], house gods, and idols. He also ·destroyed [removed; got rid of] all the ·hated gods [detestable/abominable practices] seen in the land of Judah and Jerusalem. This was to ·obey [fulfill; confirm] the words of the ·teachings [law; L torah] written in the ·book [scroll] Hilkiah the priest had found in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord.
25 There was no king like Josiah before or after him. He ·obeyed [L turned to] the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength [cf. Mark 12:30, 33; Luke 10:27], following all the ·Teachings [Law; L torah] of Moses.
Gifts from the Holy Spirit
12 Now, brothers and sisters, I don’t want you to ·misunderstand [be uninformed] ·about [concerning; or in regard to your question about; see 7:1; 8:1; 16:1] spiritual gifts. 2 You know the way you lived ·before you were believers [L when you were pagans/Gentiles]. You let yourselves be influenced and led away to worship idols—things that could not speak. 3 So I want you to understand that no one who is speaking ·with the help of [by means of; in the power of] God’s Spirit says, “Jesus be cursed.” And no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” ·without the help of [L except by means of/in the power of] the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. 5 There are different ·ways to serve [ministries] but the same Lord to serve. 6 And there are different ·ways that God works through people [kinds of action; activities] but the same God works ·in all of us in everything we do [L all things in all people]. 7 ·Something from the Spirit can be seen in [L The manifestation/disclosure of the Spirit is given to] each person, for the common good. 8 The Spirit gives one person the ·ability to speak with wisdom [message/word of wisdom], and the same Spirit gives another the ·ability to speak with knowledge [message/word of knowledge]. 9 The same Spirit gives faith to one person. And, to another, that one Spirit gives gifts of healing. 10 The Spirit gives to another person ·the power to do miracles [works of power], to another ·the ability to prophesy [L prophecy]. And he gives to another the ·ability to know the difference between good and evil [L discernment/distinguishing of] spirits. The Spirit gives one person the ability to speak in different kinds of ·languages [or ecstatic utterance; L tongues] and to another the ·ability to interpret those languages [L interpretation of tongues]. 11 One Spirit, the same Spirit, does all these things, and the Spirit ·decides what to give [L distributes just as he wishes to] each person.
Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman(A)
18 While Jesus was saying these things, a ·leader of the synagogue [L leader; official; ruler; C Mark 5:22 identifies him as a synagogue leader] came to him. He ·bowed down [knelt] before Jesus and said, “My daughter has just died. But if you come and lay your hand on her, she will live again.” 19 So Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] stood up and ·went with [L followed] him.
20 ·Then [L And look/T behold,] a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years [C probably a chronic menstrual disorder] came behind Jesus and touched the ·edge [or tassels; see Num. 15:38–39] of his ·coat [cloak; garment]. 21 [L For] She was thinking, “If I can just touch his clothes, I will ·be healed [get well; be saved].”
22 Jesus turned and saw the woman and said, “·Be encouraged [Have courage; Take heart], ·dear woman [L daughter]. ·You are made well because you believed [Your faith has saved/healed you].” And the woman was ·healed [made well; saved] from that moment on.
23 Jesus continued along with the ·leader [ruler; official] and went into his house. There he saw the ·funeral musicians [L pipe/flute players] and ·many people crying [a noisy crowd]. 24 Jesus said, “·Go away [Get out; Leave]. [L For] The girl is not dead, only asleep.” But the people ·laughed at [ridiculed] him. 25 After the crowd had been ·thrown [sent; put] out of the house, Jesus went into the girl’s room and took hold of her hand, and she ·stood up [arose]. 26 The ·news [report] about this spread ·all around the area [L throughout that whole land/region].
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