Book of Common Prayer
137 Lord, you ·do what is right [are righteous],
and your ·laws [judgments] are ·fair [virtuous; upright].
138 ·The rules [L Your decrees/testimonies] you commanded are ·right [righteous]
and completely ·trustworthy [true; faithful].
139 ·I am so upset I am worn out [L My passion/zeal consumes; or silences me],
because my ·enemies [foes] have forgotten your words.
140 Your promises are ·proven [refined],
so I, your servant, love them.
141 I am ·unimportant [small] and ·hated [despised],
but I have not forgotten your ·orders [precepts].
142 Your ·goodness continues forever [righteousness is an everlasting righteousness],
and your ·teachings [instructions; laws] are ·true [faithful].
143 ·I have had troubles and misery [L Distress and pressure have found me],
but I ·love [delight in] your commands.
144 Your ·rules [decrees; testimonies] are always ·good [righteous].
·Help [Make] me understand so I can live.
145 I call to you with all my heart.
Answer me, Lord, and I will ·keep [protect] your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
146 I call to you.
·Save me [Give me victory] so I can ·obey [keep; guard] your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
147 I ·wake up early in the morning [get up before dawn] and cry out.
I hope in your word.
148 ·I stay awake all night [L My eyes awake in the watches of the night]
so I can ·think about [meditate on] your promises.
149 ·Listen to me [L Hear my voice] because of your ·love [loyalty];
Lord, ·give me [spare my] life by your ·laws [judgments].
150 Those who ·love evil [L pursue/persecute me with an evil plan] are near,
but they are far from your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
151 But, Lord, you are also near,
and all your commands are ·true [faithful].
152 Long ago I learned from your ·rules [decrees; testimonies]
that you made them ·to continue [foundational] forever.
153 See my ·suffering [affliction] and rescue me,
because I have not forgotten your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
154 Argue my case and ·save [redeem] me.
·Let me live [Spare my life] by your promises.
155 ·Wicked people are far from being saved [L Salvation/Victory is far from the wicked],
because they do not ·want [seek] your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
156 Lord, ·you are very kind [L your compassion/mercies are abundant];
give me life by your ·laws [judgments].
157 Many ·enemies [foes] ·are after [pursue; persecute] me,
but I have not ·rejected [swerved from] your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
158 I see those traitors, and I ·hate [loathe; am disgusted by] them,
because they do not ·obey [keep; guard] what you say.
159 See how I love your ·orders [precepts].
Lord, give me life by your ·love [loyalty].
160 ·Your words are true from the start [L The head of your word is true/faithful],
and all your ·laws [judgments] will be ·fair [righteous] forever.
Job Answers
23 Then Job answered:
2 “My ·complaint [or speech] is still ·bitter [or rebellious] today.
·I groan because God’s heavy hand is on me [or My hand is heavy with groaning].
3 I wish I knew where to find God
so I could go to ·where he lives [L his place].
4 I would present my case before him
and fill my mouth with ·arguments [or reprimands; reproofs].
5 I would learn ·how [L the words by which] he would answer me
and would think about what he would say.
6 Would he not ·argue [present his case] ·strongly [L with great power] against me?
No, he would really listen to me.
7 ·Then [L There] an ·honest [virtuous] person could ·present his case to God [reprimand/reprove him],
and I would ·be saved [escape] forever ·by [or from] my judge.
8 “If I go to the east, God is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not ·see [perceive] him.
9 When he ·is at work [acts] in the north, I catch no ·sight [glimpse] of him;
when he ·turns to [L wraps himself up in] the south, I cannot see him.
10 But God knows the way that I take,
and when he has tested me, I will come out like gold [Ps. 139:23–24].
11 My feet have ·closely followed [L held fast to] his steps;
I have stayed in his ·way [path; Prov. 4:10–11];
I did not turn aside.
12 I have never ·left [departed from] the commands ·he has spoken [L of his lips];
I have ·treasured his words more than my own [L stored up in my bosom the speeches of his mouth].
43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee [C a region about 50 miles north of Jerusalem]. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me [C as a disciple].”
44 Philip was from the town of Bethsaida [C a town just to the north of the Sea of Galilee], where Andrew and Peter lived. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the man that Moses wrote about in the law, and the prophets also wrote about him. [C The law and the prophets refer to the OT Scriptures.] He is Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth [C a village a few miles southwest of the Sea of Galilee].”
46 But Nathanael said to Philip, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” [C This is because of its insignificance and lack of mention in the OT.]
Philip answered, “Come and see.”
47 As Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said, “Here is truly an Israelite. There is ·nothing false [no deceit; no guile] in him.”
48 Nathanael asked, “How do you know me?”
Jesus answered, “I saw you when you were under the fig tree, before Philip ·told you about me [L called you].”
49 Then Nathanael said to Jesus, “Teacher [L Rabbi], you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”
50 Jesus said to Nathanael, “Do you believe simply because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that.” 51 And Jesus said to them, “·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], you will all see heaven open and ‘angels of God going up and coming down’ [C a reference to Jacob’s dream in Gen. 28:12] on the Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14].”
God Knows Everything
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
139 Lord, you have ·examined [investigated; searched] me
and know all about me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I ·get up [rise].
You ·know [understand] my thoughts ·before I think them [L from afar].
3 You ·know [L measure] ·where I go [L my path] and ·where I lie down [L my lying down].
You ·know [are familiar with] ·everything I do [L all my path].
4 Lord, even ·before I say a word [L when no word is on my tongue],
you already know ·it [L all of it].
5 You ·are all around me [L hem me in]—in front and in back—
and have put your hand on me.
6 Your knowledge is ·amazing [wonderful; or overwhelming] to me;
it is ·more than I can understand [too high/unattainable. I am not able to grasp it; Rom. 11:33].
7 Where can I go to get away from your Spirit?
Where can I ·run [flee] from you?
8 If I ·go [climb] up to the heavens, you are there.
If I ·lie down [spread out; make my bed] in ·the grave [L Sheol; C the grave or the underworld], you are there.
9 If I rise with the ·sun in the east [L wings of the dawn]
and settle in the ·west beyond [L back of] the sea,
10 even there ·you [L your hand] would guide me.
With your right hand you would ·hold [grab; seize] me.
11 I could say, “The darkness will ·hide [cover] me.
Let the light around me turn into night.”
12 But even the darkness is not dark to you.
The night ·is as light as [shines like] the day;
darkness and light are the same to you.
13 You ·made [created] my ·whole being [inward parts];
you ·formed [knitted] me in my mother’s ·body [belly; womb].
14 I ·praise [thank] you because you made me in an ·amazing [awesome] and wonderful way.
What you have done is wonderful.
I know this very well.
15 ·You saw my bones being formed [L My bones were not hidden from you]
as I ·took shape [was made] in ·my mother’s body [L secret].
When I was ·put together [L woven] ·there [L in the depths of the earth],
16 ·you [L your eyes] saw my ·body as it was formed [L embyro].
All the days ·planned [L formed] for me
were written in your book
·before I was one day old [not one of them existed].
17 God, your thoughts are precious to me.
·They are so many [L How vast are their sum; Job 42:3]!
18 If I could count them,
they would be more than all the grains of sand.
When I ·wake up [or come to the end],
I am still with you.
19 God, I wish you would kill the wicked!
Get away from me, you ·murderers [L people of blood]!
20 They ·say evil things about [make evil plans against] you.
Your enemies ·use your name thoughtlessly [L lift in vain; Ex. 20:7].
21 Lord, ·I hate [L Do I not hate…?] those who hate you;
·I hate [L Do I not abhor…?] those who rise up against you.
22 I ·feel only hate for them [L hate them with a perfect/complete hatred];
they are my enemies.
23 God, ·examine [investigate; search; v. 1] me and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 See if there is any ·bad thing [hurtful way] in me.
Lead me on the ·road to everlasting life [L everlasting/or ancient way].
Jesus Talks About His Death
20 There were some Greek people [C Gentiles—here meant to represent people from all over the world; 12:19], too, who came to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover Feast. 21 [L So] They went to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and ·said [requested], “Sir, we would like to ·see [meet] Jesus.” 22 Philip told Andrew, and then Andrew and Philip told Jesus.
23 Jesus ·said to [answered; replied to] them, “The ·time [L hour] has come for the Son of Man [C a title for the Messiah; Dan. 7:13–14] to ·receive his glory [be glorified; C through his death, resurrection, and ascension]. 24 ·I tell you the truth [L Truly, truly I say to you], a grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die to make ·many seeds [L much fruit]. But if it never dies, it remains only a single ·seed [grain]. 25 ·Those who [L The one who…] love their lives will lose them, but those who hate their lives in this world will ·keep [guard; preserve] ·true life forever [L it for eternal life]. 26 Whoever serves me must follow me. Then my servant will be with me everywhere I am. My Father will honor anyone who serves me.
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