Book of Common Prayer
Thanksgiving for Victory
118 ·Thank [Praise] the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.
2 Let Israel say,
“His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.”
3 Let the ·family [L house] of Aaron [C the priests] say,
“His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.”
4 Let those who ·respect [fear] the Lord [Prov. 1:7] say,
“His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.”
5 I was in ·trouble [distress], so I ·called [prayed] to the Lord.
The Lord answered me and set me ·free [L in a broad place].
6 I will not ·be afraid [fear], because the Lord is with me [Rom. 8:31].
·People can’t do anything [L What can people do…?] to me [Heb. 13:6].
7 The Lord is with me to help me,
so I will ·see my enemies defeated [L look on my enemy; C in triumph].
8 It is better to ·trust [find refuge in] the Lord
than to ·trust [have confidence in] people.
9 It is better to ·trust [find refuge in] the Lord
than to ·trust [have confidence in] princes.
10 All the nations surrounded me,
but I ·defeated them [warded them off] in the name of the Lord.
11 They surrounded me; they surrounded me on every side,
but ·with the Lord’s power [L in the name of the Lord] I ·defeated them [warded them off].
12 They surrounded me like a swarm of bees,
but they ·died [L were extinguished] as quickly as thorns burn.
·By the Lord’s power [L In the name of the Lord], I ·defeated them [warded them off].
13 They [or You] ·chased me [pushed me hard] until I ·was almost defeated [almost fell],
but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord ·gives me strength and a song [L is my strength and song/or might].
He has ·saved me [given me victory].
15 Shouts of joy and victory
come from the tents of ·those who do right [the righteous]:
“The right hand of the Lord has done powerful things.”
16 The ·power [L right hand] of the Lord ·has won the victory [is exalted];
with his ·power [L right hand] the Lord has done powerful things.
17 I will not die, but live,
and I will ·tell [recount] what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has ·taught me a hard lesson [L surely disciplined/instructed me],
but he did not ·let me die [L give me over to death].
19 Open for me the ·Temple gates [L gates of righteousness].
Then I will come in and ·thank [praise] the Lord.
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
only ·those who are good [the righteous] may enter through it [15; 24:3–6].
21 Lord, I ·thank [praise] you for answering me.
You have ·saved me [given me victory].
22 The stone that the builders rejected
became the chief cornerstone [Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:7].
23 ·The Lord did this [L This is from the Lord],
and it is wonderful ·to us [L in our eyes; Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10–11].
24 This is the day that the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad ·today [L in it]!
25 Please, Lord, ·save us [give us victory];
please, Lord, give us ·success [prosperity].
26 ·God bless [Blessed be] the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless all of you from the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord [Mark 11:9; Luke 13:35; 19:38].
27 The Lord is God,
and he has ·shown kindness to [illuminated; given light to] us.
·With branches in your hands, join the feast [L Bind the feast/procession with branches].
Come to the ·corners [L horns; Ex. 27:2] of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will ·thank [praise] you;
you are my God, and I will ·praise your greatness [L exalt you].
29 ·Thank [Praise] the Lord because he is good.
His ·love [loyalty] ·continues [endures] forever.
Praise to God the King
A psalm of praise. Of David.
145 I ·praise your greatness [exalt you], my God the King;
I will ·praise [bless] ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
2 I will ·praise [bless] you every day;
I will praise ·you [L your name] forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and ·worthy of our praise [greatly to be praised; 48:1];
·no one can understand how great he is [L there is no searching out/limit to his greatness].
4 ·Parents [L A generation] will ·tell their children [L praise to a generation] what you have done.
They will ·retell [proclaim] your mighty acts,
5 ·wonderful majesty, and glory [L and the majestic glory of your splendor; C God’s manifest presence].
And I will ·think about [meditate on] your ·miracles [wonderful works].
6 They will tell about the ·amazing things you do [L might of your awesomeness],
and I will ·tell [recount] how great you are.
7 They will ·remember [bubble forth with] ·your great goodness [L the remembrance of your goodness]
and will sing about your ·fairness [righteousness].
8 The Lord is ·kind [gracious] and ·shows mercy [compassionate].
He ·does not become angry quickly [is slow to anger] but ·is full of love [has great loyalty].
9 The Lord is good to everyone;
he is ·merciful [compassionate] to all he has made [86:15; 103:8; Ex. 34:6–7; Neh. 9:17, 31; Joel 2:13; Jon. 4:2].
10 Lord, everything you have made will ·praise [bless] you;
·those who belong to you [your saints/loyal ones] will bless you.
11 They will tell about the glory of your kingdom
and will speak about your ·power [strength].
12 Then everyone will know the mighty things you do
and the glory and ·majesty [splendor] of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom ·will go on and on [L is an eternal kingdom],
and you will rule ·forever [L from generation to generation; Dan. 4:3].
The Lord ·will keep all his promises [L is faithful/true in all his words];
he is loyal to all he has made.[a]
14 The Lord ·helps [supports] those who have ·been defeated [L fallen]
and ·takes care of [L lifts up] those who are ·in trouble [bowed down].
15 ·All living things look to you for food [L The eyes of all look to you],
and you give ·it [L their food] to them at the right time.
16 You open your hand,
and you satisfy the desire of all living things [Matt. 6:25–27].
17 ·Everything the Lord does is right [L The Lord is righteous in all his ways].
He is loyal ·to all he has made [or in all his deeds].
18 The Lord is ·close [near] to everyone who ·prays to [calls on] him,
to all who ·truly pray to him [call on him in truth/faithfulness].
19 He ·gives those who respect him what they want [L accomplishes the desire of all who fear him; Prov. 1:7].
He listens when they cry, and he ·saves them [gives them victory].
20 The Lord ·protects [guards; keeps] everyone who loves him,
but he will destroy the wicked.
21 ·I will praise [L My mouth will speak the praise of] the Lord.
Let ·everyone [L all flesh] ·praise [bless] his holy name forever.
Wisdom Speaks
20 Wisdom [C the personification of God’s wisdom; 8:1–36; 9:1–6] ·is like a woman shouting [L shouts] in the street;
she ·raises her voice [yells out] in the city squares [C the hub for business, government, and social interaction].
21 She cries out ·in the noisy street [L at the top of the noisy throng]
and shouts at the [L entrances of] city gates:
22 “You ·fools [simpletons; immature ones], how long will you be ·foolish [immature]?
How long will you make ·fun of wisdom [mocking so dear to you]
and hate knowledge?
23 If only you had ·listened [responded] when I corrected you,
I would have ·told you what’s in my heart [L poured forth my spirit to you];
I would have ·told you what I am thinking [L revealed my words to you].
24 I called, but you ·refused to listen [rejected me];
I held out my hand, but you paid no attention.
25 You ·did not follow [ignored] my advice
and did not ·listen when I corrected [want me to correct] you.
26 So I will laugh ·when you are in trouble [L at your calamity].
I will ·make fun [ridicule you] when disaster strikes you,
27 when ·disaster [dread] comes over you like a ·storm [tempest],
when trouble strikes you like a whirlwind,
when ·pain [distress] and ·trouble [oppression] overwhelm you.
28 “Then you will call to me,
but I will not answer.
You will ·look for [seek] me,
but you will not find me.
29 It is because you ·rejected [hated] knowledge
and did not choose to ·respect [fear; hold in awe] the Lord.
30 You did not ·accept [want] my advice,
and you rejected my correction.
31 So you will ·get what you deserve [L eat from the fruit of your path];
you will ·get what you planned for others [or be satisfied with your own counsel].
32 ·Fools [The simple/immature] will die because they ·refuse to listen [L turn away];
·they [L fools] will be destroyed because ·they do not care [of complacency].
33 But those who ·listen to [obey] me will live in safety
·and be at peace, without fear of injury [untroubled by the dread of harm].”
Becoming Friends with God
11 [L Therefore] Since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people [C either about the truth of the Gospel or about Paul’s good motives]. God knows what we really are, and I hope that in your ·hearts [consciences] you know, too. 12 We are not trying to ·prove [commend] ourselves to you again, but we are giving you a ·reason [opportunity] to ·be proud of [boast about] us. Then you will have an answer for those who ·are proud [boast] about ·things that can be seen [outward appearance] rather than what is in the heart. 13 If we are out of our minds, it is for God. If we have our right minds, it is for you. 14 [L For] The love of Christ ·controls [compels; drives] us, because we ·know [are convinced; have concluded] that One died for all, so all have died [C we died spiritually with Christ, the penalty for our sins]. 15 Christ died for all so that those who live would ·not continue to [no longer] live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised from the dead.
16 [L So; As a result] From ·this time [now] on we do not think of anyone ·as the world does [or from a merely human perspective; L according to the flesh]. [L Although] In the past we thought of Christ ·as the world thinks [or as nothing more than a man; L according to the flesh], but we no longer think of him in that way. 17 If anyone belongs to Christ, ·there is a new creation [the new creation has arrived; or that person has become a new creation]. The old things have gone; [L look; T behold] ·everything is made new [the new has come]! 18 All this is from God, who through Christ ·made peace between us and [reconciled us to] himself, and gave us the ·work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him [L ministry/service of reconciliation]. 19 [L For] God was in Christ, ·making peace between the world and [reconciling the world to] himself. In Christ, God did not ·hold the world guilty of its sins [L count their trespasses against them]. And he ·gave [committed/entrusted to] us this message of ·peace [reconciliation]. 20 So we ·have been sent to speak [L are ambassadors] for Christ. It is as if God is ·calling to [urging; exhorting; encouraging] you through us. We speak for Christ when we ·beg [implore; urge] you to be ·at peace with [reconciled to] God. 21 God made ·Christ [L the one] who ·had no sin [or never sinned; L did not know sin] to become sin for us, so that in ·Christ [L him] we could become ·right with [L the righteousness of] God.
Two Followers Ask Jesus a Favor(A)
35 Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want ·to ask you to do something for us [you to do whatever we ask].”
36 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They answered, “Let one of us sit at your right side and one of us sit at your left side in your glory [C the messianic kingdom].”
38 Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink? And can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that I must go through?” [C Both “cup” and “baptism” symbolize suffering, and perhaps God’s judgment experienced by Jesus on the cross; Jer. 25:15–29.]
39 They answered, “Yes, we can.”
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the same cup that I will drink, and you will be baptized with the same baptism that I must go through. 40 But ·I cannot choose [it is not for me to grant/say] who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When ·the other ten followers [L the ten] heard this, they began to be ·angry [indignant] with James and John.
42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of ·other nations [the Gentiles] love to ·show their power [lord it] over the people, and their ·important leaders [high officials; L great ones] love to ·use [exert] their authority [L over them]. 43 But it ·should not be [must not be; is not to be] that way among you. [Instead, L But] Whoever wants to become great among you must ·serve the rest of you like a servant [L be your servant]. 44 Whoever wants to become the first among you must ·serve all of you like a slave [L be your slave]. 45 In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people [Is. 53:12; John 11:49–50].”
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