Book of Common Prayer
A Cry for God to Help Quickly
For the director of music. A psalm of David. ·To help people remember [For remembrance; or For a memorial offering].
70 God, ·come quickly and save [L protect] me.
Lord, hurry to help me.
2 Let those who are ·trying to kill me [L seeking my life]
be ashamed and ·disgraced [scorned; reproached].
Let those who want to hurt me
·run away [L turn back] in disgrace.
3 Let those who ·make fun of me [L say, “Aha, Aha!”]
·stop [withdraw] because of their shame.
4 But let all those who ·worship [L seek] you
rejoice and be glad.
Let those who love your ·salvation [victory]
always say, “·Praise the greatness of [Magnify] God.”
5 I am poor and ·helpless [needy];
God, hurry to me.
You ·help me and save me [L are my helper and my rescuer].
Lord, do not ·wait [delay].
An Old Person’s Prayer
71 In you, Lord, ·is my protection [L I find refuge].
Never let me be ashamed.
2 Because you ·do what is right [are righteous], ·save [protect] and rescue me;
·listen [L extend your ear] to me and ·save me [give me victory].
3 Be my ·place of safety [L rock of refuge]
where I can always come.
Give the command to ·save me [give me victory],
because you are my rock and my ·strong, walled city [fortress].
4 My God, ·save [rescue] me from the ·power [L hand] of the wicked
and from the ·hold [grasp; L palm] of evil and cruel people.
5 Lord, you are my hope.
Lord, I have ·trusted [had confidence in] you since I was young.
6 I have ·depended [L leaned] on you ·since I was born [L from the belly; C the womb];
you ·helped me even on the day of my birth [brought me forth/cut off my umbilical cord from my mother’s innards].
I will always praise you.
7 I am an ·example [portent] to many people,
because you are my strong ·protection [refuge].
8 ·I am always praising you [L My mouth is filled with your praise];
all day long I ·honor [glorify] you.
9 Do not ·reject me [cast me off] when I am old;
do not ·leave [abandon; forsake] me when my strength is ·gone [exhausted].
10 My enemies ·make plans [speak] against me,
and they ·meet [take counsel] together to kill me.
11 They say, “God has ·left [abandoned; forsaken] him.
·Go after [Pursue; Persecute] him and ·take [capture] him,
because no one will ·save [protect] him.”
12 God, don’t be far off.
My God, hurry to help me.
13 Let those who accuse me
be ashamed and ·destroyed [annihilated].
Let those who are ·trying [seeking] to hurt me
be covered with shame and disgrace.
14 But I will always have hope
and will praise you more and more.
15 ·I will tell how you do what is right [L My mouth will recount your righteousness].
I will tell about your ·salvation [victory] all day long,
even though ·it is more than I can tell [L I do not know the number].
16 I will come and tell about your powerful works, Lord God.
I will remind people ·that only you do what is right [L that you alone are righteous].
17 God, you have taught me since I was young.
To this day I tell ·about the miracles you do [of your wonderful works].
18 Even though I am old and gray,
do not ·leave [abandon; forsake] me, God.
I will tell ·the children [L a generation, to all that come] about your ·power [L arm];
I will tell of your might.
19 God, your ·justice [righteousness] reaches to the ·skies [L high heavens].
You have done great things;
God, there is no one like you.
20 You have ·given [L shown] me ·many troubles [much distress] and bad times,
but you will give me life again.
·When I am almost dead [L From the depths of the earth],
you ·will keep me alive [L again bring me up].
21 You will make me greater than ever,
and you will comfort me again.
22 I will ·praise [thank] you with the harp.
·I trust you […for your faithfulness], my God.
I will ·sing to [make a psalm for] you with the lyre,
Holy One of Israel.
23 ·I will [L My lips] shout for joy when I ·sing praises to [make a psalm for] you.
You have ·saved [redeemed] me.
24 ·I [L My tongue] will tell about your ·justice [righteousness] all day long.
And those who ·want [seek] to hurt me
will be ·ashamed [scorned and reproached] and disgraced.
A Nation in Trouble Prays
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
74 God, why have you rejected us ·for so long [forever]?
Why ·are you angry with us, [L does your anger smoke against] the sheep of your pasture [100:3]?
2 Remember the ·people [assembly; congregation] you ·bought [acquired] long ago.
You ·saved [redeemed] us, and we are ·your very own [L the tribe of your inheritance].
After all, you live on Mount Zion.
3 ·Make your way [Direct your steps] through ·these old [or the utter] ruins;
the enemy ·wrecked [destroyed] everything in the ·Temple [sanctuary; Holy Place; C perhaps a reference to the Babylonian destruction of the Temple; 2 Kin. 25:8–21; 2 Chr. 36:17–21; Lam. 2:6].
4 Those who were against you ·shouted [roared] in your meeting place
and ·raised their flags [L set their signs as signs] there.
5 ·They came with axes raised [or They hacked at the upper entrances]
as if to cut down a forest of trees.
6 They ·smashed [beat to pieces] the ·carved [engraved] panels
with their axes and ·hatchets [crowbars].
7 They ·burned your Temple to the ground [L set your sanctuary/Holy Place on fire];
they have made the ·place where you live [L residence of your name] ·unclean [profane].
8 They ·thought [L said in their hearts], “We will completely crush them!”
They burned ·every place where God was worshiped [L all the meeting places of God] in the land.
9 We do not see any signs.
There are no more prophets [C who can tell them what will happen],
and no one knows how long this will last.
10 God, how much longer will the enemy ·make fun of [scorn] you?
Will they ·insult [revile] ·you [L your name] forever?
11 Why do you ·hold back your power [L return your hand]?
·Bring your power out in the open [L Take your right hand out of your bosom] and ·destroy [annihilate] them!
12 God, you have been our king ·for a long time [of old; Ex. 15:18].
You bring ·salvation [victory] to the earth.
13 You split open the sea by your power
and broke the heads of the sea monster [C an ancient Near Eastern symbol of chaos].
14 You ·smashed [crushed in pieces] the heads of the monster Leviathan [C a sea monster and symbol of chaos; 104:26; Job 3:8; 41:1; Is. 27:1]
and gave it to the ·desert [wilderness] creatures as food.
15 You ·opened up [split] the springs and ·streams [wadis]
and made the flowing rivers run dry.
16 Both the day and the night are yours;
you made the sun and the moon [Gen. 1:14–18].
17 You set all the ·limits [borders] on the earth;
you ·created [formed] summer and winter [104:19–23; Gen. 8:22].
18 Lord, remember how the enemy ·insulted [scorned] you.
Remember how those foolish people ·made fun of you [L reviled your name].
19 Do not give us, your doves, to those wild animals.
Never forget your poor people.
20 ·Remember [Regard] the ·agreement [covenant] you made with us,
because violence fills every dark corner of this land.
21 Do not let your ·suffering [crushed] people be ·disgraced [humiliated].
Let the poor and ·helpless [needy] praise ·you [L your name].
22 God, arise and ·defend [contend for] yourself.
Remember the ·insults [scorn] that come from those foolish people all day long.
23 Don’t forget what your enemies said;
don’t forget their roar as they rise against you always.
A Special Blessing in Paul’s Life
12 I must continue to ·brag [boast]. It will do no good, but I will talk now about visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ [C a believer] who was ·taken up [caught up; snatched away] to the third heaven [C the presence of God] fourteen years ago [C Paul is indirectly referring to himself]. I do not know whether the man was in his body or out of his body, but God knows.
7 So that I would not become too proud ·of the wonderful things that were shown to me [or because of these extraordinary revelations; C this phrase may be part of the previous sentence], a ·painful physical problem [L thorn in the flesh] was given to me. This problem was a messenger from Satan, sent to ·beat [torment; harrass; trouble] me and keep me from being too proud. 8 I ·begged [pleaded with] the Lord three times ·to take this problem away from [L that it might leave] me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is ·enough for you [sufficient for you; all you need]. ·When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you [L For (my) power is perfected in weakness].” So I am very happy to ·brag [boast] about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can ·live [reside; or rest] in me. 10 For this reason I am ·happy [pleased; content] when I have weaknesses, insults, ·hard times [times of need], ·sufferings [persecutions], and ·all kinds of troubles [distress] ·for [for the sake of] Christ. Because when I am weak, then I am truly strong.
Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King(A)
28 After Jesus said this, he went on [L ahead, going up] toward Jerusalem. 29 As Jesus came near Bethphage and Bethany, towns near the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent out two of his ·followers [disciples]. 30 He said, “Go to the town ·you can see there [ahead of you; or opposite you; C unclear whether Bethphage or Bethany]. When you enter it, you will find a ·colt [young donkey] tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here to me. 31 If anyone asks you why you are untying it, say that ·the Master [the Lord; or its Owner] needs it.”
32 The two ·followers [L who were sent] went into town and found ·the colt [or the situation] just as Jesus had told them. 33 As they were untying it, its ·owners [masters] came out and asked the followers, “Why are you untying our ·colt [young donkey]?”
34 The followers answered, “·The Master [The Lord; Its Owner] needs it.” 35 So they brought it to Jesus, threw their ·coats [garments] on the ·colt’s [young donkey’s] back, and put Jesus on it. 36 As Jesus rode toward Jerusalem, others spread their coats on the ·road [path; way] before him.
37 As he was coming close to Jerusalem, on the way down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of ·followers [disciples] began joyfully shouting praise to God for all the ·miracles [mighty works] they had seen. 38 They said,
“·God bless [Blessed is] the king who comes in the name of the Lord [Ps. 118:26]!
·There is peace [or May there be peace; L Peace] in heaven and glory ·to God [L in the highest; C either “in highest heaven” or “to the Most High God”]!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, ·tell your followers not to say these things [L rebuke your disciples].”
40 But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if ·my followers didn’t say these things [L they remained silent], then the stones would ·cry out [start shouting].”
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