Book of Common Prayer
97 How I love your ·teachings [instructions; laws]!
I ·think about [ponder; meditate on] them all day long.
98 Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
because they are mine forever.
99 I am ·wiser [more insightful] than all my teachers,
because I ·think about [ponder; meditate on] your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
100 I have more understanding than the elders,
because I ·follow [protect] your ·orders [precepts].
101 I have ·avoided [L kept my feet from] every evil way
so I could ·obey [keep; guard] your word.
102 I haven’t ·walked [turned] away from your ·laws [judgments],
because you yourself are my teacher.
103 ·Your promises are sweet to me [L How sweet your words slip/slide down my palate],
sweeter than honey in my mouth!
104 Your ·orders [precepts] give me understanding,
so I hate lying ways.
105 Your word is like a lamp for my feet
and a light for my path [C it shows how life should be lived].
106 I ·will do what I have promised [L have sworn and confirmed it]
and ·obey [keep; guard] your ·fair [righteous] ·laws [judgments].
107 I have suffered ·for a long time [or greatly].
Lord, ·give me [spare my] life by your word.
108 Lord, accept my ·willing [offering of] praise
and teach me your ·laws [judgments].
109 My life is always in ·danger [L my hand],
but I haven’t forgotten your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
110 Wicked people have set a trap for me,
but I haven’t ·strayed [wandered] from your ·orders [precepts].
111 ·I will follow your rules forever [L Your rules/decrees/precepts are my inheritance forever],
because they make ·me [L my heart] happy.
112 I will ·try [L incline my heart] to do ·what you demand [L your statutes/ordinances]
forever, until the end.
113 I hate ·disloyal [or double-minded] people,
but I love your ·teachings [instructions; laws].
114 You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
115 Get away from me, you who do evil,
so I can ·keep [protect] my God’s commands.
116 ·Support [Uphold] me as you promised so I can live.
Don’t let me be embarrassed because of my hopes.
117 ·Help [Strengthen] me, and I will ·be saved [have victory].
I will always ·respect [care about] your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
118 You ·reject [treat as worthless] those who ·ignore [go astray from] your ·demands [statutes; ordinances; requirements],
because their lies ·mislead them [leave them in the lurch].
119 You throw away the wicked of the world like ·trash [dross].
So I will love your ·rules [decrees; testimonies].
120 ·I [L My flesh] ·shake [shudder] in ·fear [dread] of you;
I ·respect [fear] your ·laws [judgments].
A Song for a Holiday
For the director of music. By the gittith [C perhaps a musical term or instrument]. A psalm 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].
81 Sing for joy to God, our strength;
shout out loud to the God of Jacob [C another name for Israel].
2 ·Begin the music [Lift up a psalm]. ·Play [Sound; L Give] the tambourines [68:25; 149:3; 150:4; Ex. 15:20].
·Play pleasant music on the harps [L …the pleasant/sweet harps] and lyres.
3 Blow the ·trumpet [ram’s horn] at ·the time of the New Moon [L the month; C a monthly religious festival],
when the moon is full, when our feast begins.
4 This is the ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] for Israel;
it is the ·command [judgment] of the God of Jacob [v. 1].
5 He ·gave [set] this ·rule [decree; testimony] to the people of Joseph [C reference to the northern tribes]
when they went out of the land of Egypt [C the exodus; Ex. 12–15].
I heard a ·language [L tongue] I did not know, saying [C God now speaks]:
6 “I ·took the load off [removed the burden from] their shoulders;
·I let them put down their baskets [L Their hands were removed from the baskets].
7 When you were in ·trouble [distress], you called, and I ·saved [rescued] you.
I answered you ·with thunder [L in the secret place of thunder; Ex. 19:18–19].
I tested you at the waters of Meribah [95:8; 106:32; Ex. 17:1–17; Num. 20:1–13]. ·
8 My people, listen. I ·am warning [bear testimony/witness against] you.
Israel, please listen to me!
9 You must not have ·foreign [strange] gods;
you must not worship any ·false [foreign] god.
10 I, the Lord, am your God,
who brought you out of Egypt.
·Open [L Widen] your mouth and I will feed you [Deut. 29:6; 32:10–14].
11 “But my people did not listen to ·me [L my voice];
Israel did not ·want [accept] me.
12 So I ·let them go their stubborn way [L threw them away because of their stubborn hearts]
and ·follow [walk according to] their own advice.
13 I wish my people would listen to me;
I wish Israel would ·live [L walk on] my way.
14 Then I would quickly ·defeat [subdue; quell] their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would ·bow [cringe; cower] before him.
Their ·punishment [doom] would continue forever.
16 But I would give you the finest wheat [Deut. 32:14]
and fill you with honey from the rocks [Deut. 32:13].”
A Cry for Justice
A psalm 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].
82 God ·is in charge of the great meeting [L takes his place/presides in the great assembly/or the assembly of the gods/divine council; C the angels (powers and authorities; Eph. 6:12) are here called “gods”];
he judges among the “gods” [John 10:35–36].
2 He says, “How long will you ·defend evil people [or judge unfairly]?
How long will you show ·greater kindness [favor; preference] to the wicked? ·
3 ·Defend [Judge] the ·weak [or poor] and the orphans;
·defend the rights of [vindicate] the poor and ·suffering [needy].
4 ·Save [Rescue] the ·weak [or poor] and helpless;
·free [protect] them from the ·power [L hand] of the wicked.
5 “You know nothing. You don’t understand.
You walk in the dark,
while the ·world is falling apart [L foundations of the earth are tottering].
6 I said, ‘You are “gods.”
You are all sons of God Most High.’
7 But you will die like any other person;
you will fall like all the ·leaders [princes; C God will punish these evil angels].”
8 God, ·come [rise up] and judge the earth,
because you ·own [inherit] all the nations.
12 Now Eli’s sons were ·evil men [scoundrels; good-for-nothings]; they did not ·care about [know; respect; regard] the Lord. 13 ·This is what the priests would normally do to [… nor about their duties as priests for] the people: Every time someone ·brought [offered] a sacrifice, the meat would be ·cooked [L boiled] in a pot. The priest’s servant would then come carrying a fork that had three prongs. 14 He would plunge the fork into the pot or the kettle or cauldron or pan. Whatever the fork brought out of the pot belonged to the priest. But this is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh [1:3] to offer sacrifices. 15 Even before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come to the person offering sacrifices and say, “Give the priest some meat to roast. He won’t accept boiled meat from you, only raw meat.”
16 If the one who offered the sacrifice said, “Let the fat be burned up first as usual, and then take anything you want,” the priest’s servant would answer, “No, give me the meat now. If you don’t, I’ll take it by force.”
17 ·The Lord saw that [In the Lord’s sight] the sin of the servants was very ·great [serious] because they ·did not show respect for [treated with contempt; despised] the offerings ·made to [L of] the Lord.
Samuel Grows Up
18 But Samuel ·obeyed [L served; ministered before] the Lord. As a boy he wore a linen ·holy vest [ephod; C a special garment worn only by priests; Ex. 28:6–14]. 19 Every year his mother made a little ·coat [robe] for him and took it to him when she went with her husband to Shiloh [1:3] for the [annual] sacrifice. 20 When Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, he would say, “May the Lord ·repay you with [or give you] ·children [an heir; L seed] through Hannah ·to take the place of [in exchange for] the boy Hannah ·prayed for and gave back [dedicated] to the Lord.” Then Elkanah and Hannah would go home. 21 The Lord was ·kind to [gracious to; or visited] Hannah, so she ·became the mother of [L conceived and bore] three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up ·serving [in the presence of; before] the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old. He heard about everything his sons were doing to all ·the Israelites [Israel] and how his sons ·had sexual relations [lay] with the women who served at the ·entrance [doorway] to the Meeting Tent. 23 Eli said to them, “Why do you do these evil things that the people tell me about? 24 No, my sons. The Lord’s people are spreading a bad report about you. 25 If you sin against someone, God can ·help [intercede/mediate/arbitrate for] you. But if you sin against the Lord himself, ·no one [who…?] can ·help [intercede/mediate/arbitrate for] you!” But Eli’s sons would not listen to ·him [L the voice/words/rebuke of their father], because the Lord ·had decided [desired; wanted] to put them to death.
26 The boy Samuel grew ·physically and pleased [in stature and in favor with] the Lord and the people.
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
2 When the day of Pentecost [C a harvest festival fifty days after Passover, celebrating the firstfruits of the crops (while on this day the firstfruits of the Spirit); Ex. 34:22; Deut. 16:10, 16] ·came [arrived], they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a ·noise [roar] like a ·strong [violent], ·blowing [rushing] wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw something like ·flames [L tongues] of fire ·that were separated [that were divided; or that spread out] and ·stood [came to rest] over each person there. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak ·different [other; or foreign] ·languages [L tongues] by the power the Holy Spirit was giving them [C reversing the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel; Gen. 11:1–9].
5 There were some ·religious [devout; God-fearing] Jews ·staying [living] in Jerusalem who were from every ·country [nation] ·in the world [L under heaven]. 6 When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all ·surprised [or confused; bewildered], because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 They were ·completely [L astounded and] amazed at this. They said, “Look! Aren’t all these people that we hear speaking ·from Galilee [L Galileans]? 8 Then how is it possible that we each hear them in our own [native] languages? We are: 9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia [C a Roman province, in present-day Turkey], 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the areas of Libya near Cyrene, [visitors from] Rome 11 (both Jews and ·those who had become Jews [proselytes]), Crete, and Arabia. But we hear them telling in our own ·languages [tongues] about the ·great things [mighty acts] God has done!” 12 They were all amazed and confused, asking each other, “What does this mean?”
13 But others ·were making fun of them [sneered], saying, “They have had too much [sweet; new] wine [C they accuse them of being intoxicated and speaking nonsense].”
Peter Speaks to the People
14 But Peter stood up with the eleven apostles, and in a loud voice he ·spoke to [addressed] the crowd: “·My fellow Jews [or Judeans], and all of you who ·are [are living/staying] in Jerusalem, ·listen to me [L let this be known to you]. Pay attention to what I have to say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you think; it is only ·nine o’clock in the morning [L the third hour of the day]! 16 But Joel the prophet wrote about what is happening here today:
17 ‘God says: In the last days
I will pour out my Spirit on all ·kinds of people [people; humanity; T flesh].
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your young men will see visions,
and your old men will dream dreams.
18 At that time I will pour out my Spirit
also on my male ·slaves [servants] and female ·slaves [servants],
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show ·miracles [wonders; marvels]
in the ·sky [or heaven] above
and ·signs [miracles] on the earth below:
blood, fire, and ·thick [L a cloud/billow of] smoke.
20 The sun will ·become dark [L be turned to darkness],
the moon ·red as blood [L to blood],
before the ·overwhelming [great] and glorious day of the Lord will come.
21 Then anyone who calls on [L the name of] the Lord will be saved [Joel 2:28–32].’
Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus(A)
27 Some Sadducees, who believed people would not rise from the dead, came to Jesus. 28 They asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [L raise up offspring/seed] for his brother [Deut. 25:5–6]. 29 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [L took a wife] and died, but had no children. 30 Then the second brother married the widow, and he died. 31 And the third brother married the widow, and he died. The same thing happened with all seven brothers; they died and had no children. 32 Finally, the woman died also. 33 Since all seven brothers had married her, whose wife will she be ·when people rise from the dead [L at the resurrection]?”
34 Jesus said to them, “·On earth, people [L The children of this age] marry and are given to someone to marry. 35 But those who will be worthy ·to be raised from the dead and live again [L of the age to come and the resurrection] will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. 36 [L For] In that life they are ·like [or equal to] angels and cannot die. They are children of God, because they ·have been raised from the dead [are children of the resurrection]. 37 Even Moses clearly showed that the dead are raised to life. When he wrote about the burning bush [Ex. 3:1–12], he said that the Lord is ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [Ex. 3:6; C God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’ 38 God is the God of the living, not the dead, because all people are alive to him.”
39 Some of the ·teachers of the law [scribes] said, “Teacher, ·your answer was good [well said!].” 40 No one ·was brave enough [dared] to ask him another question.
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