Book of Common Prayer
God Wants True Worship
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].
50 The God of gods, the Lord, speaks.
He ·calls [proclaims to; summons] the earth from the rising to the setting sun.
2 God shines from ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple],
·whose beauty is perfect [L the perfection of beauty; 48:2; Lam. 2:15].
3 Our God comes, and he will not be silent.
A fire ·burns [consumes] in front of him [Heb. 12:29],
and a ·powerful storm [whirlwind; tempest] surrounds him [Is. 66:15].
4 He ·calls to [summons] the ·sky [heavens] above and to the earth
that he might judge his people.
5 He says, “Gather around, you ·who worship me [holy ones; saints],
who have made an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with me, using a sacrifice [Ex. 24:5–8].”
6 God is the judge,
and even the ·skies say he is right [heavens proclaim his righteousness]. ·
7 God says, “My people, listen to me;
Israel, I will ·testify [witness] against you.
I am God, your God.
8 I do not ·scold [reprimand; rebuke] you for your sacrifices.
You always bring me your burnt offerings [Lev. 1:1–17].
9 But I do not ·need [or accept] bulls from your ·stalls [L house]
or goats from your ·pens [folds],
10 because every animal of the forest is already mine.
The cattle on a thousand hills are mine.
11 I know every bird on the mountains,
and every living thing in the fields is mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
because the earth and ·everything in it [L its fullness] are mine.
13 ·I don’t [L Do I…?] eat the meat of bulls
or drink the blood of goats.
14 Give an ·offering to show thanks [thank offering] to God [Lev. 7:12; 22:29; Heb. 13:15].
Give God Most High what you have ·promised [vowed].
15 Call to me in times of ·trouble [distress].
I will ·save [rescue; T deliver] you, and you will ·honor [glorify] me.”
16 But God says to the wicked,
“Why do you ·talk about [recount] my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements]?
Why do you ·mention [L lift up on your mouth] my ·agreement [covenant; treaty]?
17 You hate my ·teachings [instruction; discipline; Prov. 1:7]
and turn your back on what I say.
18 When you see a thief, you ·join [delight in; or run with] him.
·You take part in adultery [Your lot/portion is with adulterers].
19 You ·don’t stop your mouth from speaking evil [L send your mouth into evil],
and your tongue ·makes up lies [L is yoked to deception].
20 You sit around and speak against your brother
and ·lie [L give a stain/fault] about your mother’s son.
21 I have kept quiet while you did these things,
so you thought I was just like you.
But I will ·scold [reprimand; reprove] you
and ·accuse [indict] you ·to your face [L before your eyes].
22 “·Think about [Understand] this, you who forget God.
Otherwise, I will tear you apart,
and no one will ·save [protect] you.
23 Those people ·honor [glorify] me
who bring me ·offerings to show thanks [thank offerings; v. 14].
And I, God, will save those who ·do that [L go on my way/path].”
A Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A miktam [C perhaps “inscription”] of David when Saul sent men to ·watch David’s house [L the house] to kill him [1 Sam. 19:11–17].
59 God, ·save [protect] me from my enemies.
·Protect me [Give me refuge] from those who ·come [rise] against me.
2 ·Save [Protect] me from those who do evil
and ·save me from [give me victory over] ·murderers [the bloodthirsty].
3 Look, they are waiting to ambush ·me [my life; Prov. 1:11].
·Cruel [Defiant; Strong] people attack me,
but I have not sinned or ·done wrong [transgressed], Lord.
4 I have done nothing wrong, but they ·are ready to attack me [L run and get ready].
Wake up to ·help [meet] me, and look.
5 You are the Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts], the God of Israel.
·Arise [L Awake] and ·punish [visit] ·those people [L all the nations].
Do not give those traitors any ·mercy [grace]. ·
6 They come back at ·night [evening].
Like dogs they ·growl [make a commotion] and ·roam around [surround] the city.
7 Notice what ·comes [bubbles up] from their mouths.
·Insults [L Swords] come from their lips,
because they say, “Who’s listening?”
8 But, Lord, you laugh at them [2:4];
you ·make fun of [ridicule] all ·of them [L the nations].
9 God, my strength, I ·am looking to [keep watch for] you,
because God is my ·defender [refuge].
10 My God ·loves [is loyal to] me, and he goes in front of me.
He will help me ·defeat [L look on] my enemies.
11 Lord, our ·protector [L shield], do not kill them, or my people will forget.
With your power ·scatter them [make them wander] and ·defeat them [L bring them down].
12 They sin by what they say;
they sin with their ·words [L lips].
They curse and tell lies,
so let their pride ·trap [capture] them.
13 ·Destroy [Annihilate] them in your anger;
·destroy [annihilate] them ·completely [L so they will be no more]!
Then they will know
that God rules over ·Israel [L Jacob]
and to the ends of the earth. ·
14 They come back at ·night [evening].
Like dogs they ·growl [make a commotion]
and ·roam around [surround] the city.
15 They wander about looking for food,
and they ·howl [grumble] if they ·do not find enough [are not satisfied].
16 But I will sing about your strength.
In the morning I will sing about your ·love [loyalty].
You are my ·defender [refuge],
my place of safety in ·times of trouble [L the day of distress].
17 God, my strength, I will sing ·praises [a psalm] to you.
God, my ·defender [refuge], you are the God who ·loves [is loyal to] me.
A Prayer After a Defeat
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lily of the ·Agreement [Testimony].” A miktam [C perhaps “inscription”] of David. For teaching. When David fought the Arameans of ·northwest Mesopotamia [Naharaim; L the Two Rivers] and Zobah, and when Joab returned and ·defeated [L struck] twelve thousand ·Edomites at the Valley of Salt [2 Sam. 8; 1 Chr. 18].
60 God, you have rejected us and ·scattered us [broken us down; burst forth on us].
You have been angry, but please ·come back to [restore] us.
2 You made the earth shake and ·crack [split open].
Heal its ·breaks [cracks; fractures] because it ·is shaking [totters].
3 You have ·given your people [L made your people see] ·trouble [hardship].
You made us ·unable to walk straight, like people drunk with wine [L drink wine that makes us reel; C the cup of God’s wrath; Jer. 25:15–29; Nah. 3:11; Matt. 26:39].
4 You have raised a banner to gather those who fear you.
Now they can ·stand up against the enemy [L escape/flee from the bow]. ·
5 Answer us and ·save us [give us victory] by your ·power [L hand]
so ·the people you love [your beloved] will be rescued.
6 God has said ·from his Temple [from his Holy Place; or in his holiness],
“·When I win [or With joy], I will ·divide [parcel up] Shechem
and measure off the Valley of Succoth [Gen. 33:17–20].
7 Gilead and Manasseh are mine.
Ephraim is like my helmet.
Judah holds my royal scepter [Gen. 49:10; C they are agents of God’s power].
8 Moab is like my washbowl.
I throw my sandals at Edom [C showing contempt].
I shout [C in triumph] at Philistia [C enemies of Israel].”
9 Who will bring me to the ·strong, walled [fortified] city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 God, ·surely you have rejected [L have you not rejected…?] us;
you do not go out with our armies.
11 ·Help us fight the enemy [L Give us help against the foe].
Human ·help [deliverance] is useless,
12 but we can ·win [fight bravely] with God’s help.
He will ·defeat [tread on] our ·enemies [foes].
Praise God Who Creates and Saves
33 ·Sing [Shout for joy] to the Lord, you ·who do what is right [righteous ones];
·honest people should praise him [L praise is fitting from the upright/virtuous].
2 ·Praise [Give thanks to] the Lord on the harp;
make music for him on a ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing a new song [C celebrating victory; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9; 149:1; Is. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3] to him;
play well ·and joyfully [with a loud/a victory shout].
4 God’s word is ·true [upright; virtuous],
and everything he does is ·right [faithful].
5 He loves what is right and ·fair [just];
the Lord’s ·love [loyalty; covenant love] fills the earth.
6 The ·sky was [heavens were] made at the Lord’s ·command [word; Gen. 1:8].
By the breath from his mouth, he made all ·the stars [L its hosts; Gen. 1:16].
7 He gathered the water of the sea into ·a heap [or jars; bottles].
He ·made the great ocean stay in its place [L placed the deeps in a storehouse; Job 38:8–11].
8 All the earth should ·worship [fear; hold in awe] the Lord [Prov. 1:7];
·the whole [L all the inhabitants of the] world should ·fear him [hold him in awe].
9 He spoke, and it happened.
He commanded, and it ·appeared [L stood; Heb. 11:3].
10 The Lord ·upsets [frustrates] the ·plans [counsels] of nations;
he ·ruins [foils] ·all their plans [L the plans of the peoples].
11 But the Lord’s ·plans [counsels] will ·stand [endure] forever;
·his ideas [L the plans of his heart] will last from now on.
12 ·Happy [Blessed] is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people he chose for his ·very own [L inheritance; Ex. 19:5].
13 The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees every person.
14 From his throne he watches
all who live on earth.
15 He ·made [fashions all] their hearts
and understands everything they do.
16 No king is saved by his ·great [large] army.
No warrior ·escapes [is rescued/T delivered] by his great strength.
17 Horses ·can’t bring [are a vain hope for] victory;
they can’t save by their strength.
18 But the ·Lord looks after [L eye of the Lord is on] those who fear him,
those who ·put their hope [wait on him] in his ·love [loyalty; covenant love].
19 He ·saves [rescues; T delivers] ·them [their soul] from death
and ·spares their lives in times of hunger [revives them in famine].
20 So our hope is in the Lord.
He is our help, our shield to protect us.
21 ·We [L Our hearts] rejoice in him,
because we ·trust [have confidence in] his holy name.
22 Lord, ·show your love to us [L let your loyalty/covenant love be on us]
as we ·put our hope in [wait for] you.
Nehemiah’s Prayer
1 These are the ·words [memoirs] of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.
In the month of Kislev [C late autumn] in the twentieth year [C of the reign of King Artaxerxes I; 445 bc], I, Nehemiah, was in the ·capital city [or fortress; C the winter residence of Persian kings, separate from the city] of Susa. 2 One of my ·brothers [relatives] named Hanani came with some other men from Judah. I asked them about Jerusalem and the Jewish people who ·lived through [had escaped and survived] the ·captivity [exile].
3 They answered me, “·Those who are left [The survivors/remnant there in the province; C of Judah] from the ·captivity [exile] are in much ·trouble [distress; misery] and ·are full of shame [disgrace; humiliation]. The wall around Jerusalem is ·broken down [ruined; breached], and its gates have been burned [C either at the time of the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (2 Kin. 25:10) or later].”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and ·cried [wept] for several days. I ·was sad [mourned] and fasted. I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 “Lord, God of heaven, you are the great ·God who is to be respected [and awesome God]. You ·are loyal, and you keep your agreement [keep your loving covenant/treaty; keep your covenant/treaty of unfailing love] with those who love you and ·obey [keep] your commands. 6 ·Look and listen carefully [Let your ears be attentive and eyes open]. Hear the prayer that I, your servant, am praying to you day and night ·for [on behalf of] your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins ·we Israelites [the people/sons of Israel] have ·done [L sinned] against you. My father’s ·family [L house] and I have sinned against you. 7 We have ·been wicked toward [acted corruptly against] you and have not obeyed the commands, ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements], and ·laws [judgments] you ·gave [commanded] your servant Moses [Ex. 19—24].
8 “Remember ·what you taught [the word you commanded] your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the ·nations [L peoples]. 9 But if you return to me and obey my commands [L and do/live by them], I will gather your people from the far ends of the ·earth [L heavens; sky; C a reference to the Babylonian exile]. And I will bring them from there to ·where [the place] I have chosen ·to be worshiped [L for my name to dwell; Deut. 4:25–31; 30:1–10].’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you have ·saved [redeemed; rescued] with your great strength and ·power [L strong hand]. 11 Lord, ·listen carefully [L may your ear be attentive] to the prayer of your servant and the prayers of your servants who ·love to honor you [take pleasure in revering/L fearing your name]. ·Give [Grant] me, your servant, success today; allow this king to show ·kindness [compassion] to me.”
I was the ·one who served wine to the king [king’s cupbearer].
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels around the throne, and the four living creatures, and the elders. There were ·thousands and thousands [L myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands; C a myriad can mean either ten thousand or many thousands; here means “countless”] of angels, 12 saying in a loud voice:
“The Lamb who was ·killed [slaughtered; slain] is worthy
to receive power, wealth, wisdom, and strength,
honor, glory, and ·praise [or blessing]!”
13 Then I heard all creatures in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea saying:
“To the One who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb
be ·praise [or blessing] and honor and glory and power
forever and ever.”
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen [C Hebrew for “so be it”],” and the elders ·bowed down [fell] and worshiped.
6 Then I watched while the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals [5:1]. I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “·Come [or Go; C Christ, the Lamb, calls forth the four riders who bring bloody judgment on the world]!” 2 I looked, and ·there before me was [L look; T behold] a white horse. The rider on the horse held a bow [C signifying war], and he was given a crown [C indicating victory; see 2:10], and he rode out, ·determined to win the victory [L conquering and in order to conquer].
3 When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “·Come [or Go; 6:1]!” 4 Then another horse came out, a ·red [L fiery/bright red; C possibly signifying blood] one. Its rider was given ·power [permission] to take away peace from the earth and to make people ·kill [slaughter] each other, and he was given a ·big [great] sword [C signifying civil war].
5 When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “·Come [or Go]!” I looked, and ·there before me was [L look; T behold] a black horse [C indicating mourning brought on by the rider], and its rider held a pair of scales in his hand [C for use in commerce; Prov. 11:1; 16:11]. 6 Then I heard something that sounded like a voice coming from the middle of the four living creatures. The voice said, “A quart of wheat for a ·day’s pay [L denarius; C a Roman coin equal to a day’s wage], and three quarts of barley for a ·day’s pay [L denarius; C inflated prices caused by famine], and do not damage the olive oil and wine [C indicates only partial destruction; vines and olive trees endured drought better than wheat and barley]!”
7 When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “·Come [or Go; 6:1]!” 8 I looked, and ·there before me was [L look; T behold] a ·pale [or pale green] horse. Its rider was named death, and Hades [C the realm of the dead, also known as Sheol] was following close behind him. They were given ·power [authority] over a fourth of the earth to kill people by ·war [L the sword], by ·starvation [famine], by ·disease [pestilence; plague], and by the wild animals of the earth.
9 When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar [C probably the bronze altar where sacrifices were offered] the souls of those who had been ·killed [slaughtered; slain] because ·they were faithful to [L of] the word of God and to the ·message [witness; testimony] they had ·received [or given; or maintained]. 10 These souls ·shouted [cried out] in a loud voice, “Holy and true ·Lord [Master], how long until you judge the people of the earth and ·punish them for killing us [L avenge our blood]?” 11 Then each one of them was given a white robe [C signifying high status and purity] and was told to ·wait [or rest] a short time longer. There were still some of their fellow servants and ·brothers and sisters in the service of Christ [L their brothers; C the Greek term may include men and women] who ·must be [were soon to be] killed as they were. They had to wait until all of this was ·finished [fulfilled; completed].
Jesus Explains the Seed Story(A)
18 “So listen to the ·meaning of that story about the farmer [parable of the sower]. 19 What is the seed that fell ·by the road [along the path]? That seed is like ·the person [anyone] who hears the ·message [word; teaching] about the kingdom but does not understand it. The Evil One comes and ·takes away [snatches] what was ·planted [sown] in that person’s heart. 20 And what is the seed ·that fell [sown] on rocky ground? That seed is like the person who hears the ·teaching [word; message] and quickly ·accepts [receives] it with joy. 21 But ·he does not let the teaching go deep into his life, so [L since he has no root in himself] ·he keeps it only a short time [he does not endure; it is shortlived]. When trouble or persecution comes because of the ·teaching he accepted [word, message], he ·quickly [immediately] ·gives up [falls away; stumbles]. 22 And what is the seed ·that fell [sown] among the thorny weeds? That seed is like the person who hears the ·teaching [word; message] but lets worries about this ·life [world; age] and the ·temptation [deceitfulness; seduction] of wealth ·stop that teaching from growing [L choke the word/message]. So the teaching does not produce fruit in that person’s life. 23 But what is the seed ·that fell [sown] on the good ground? That seed is like the person who hears the teaching and understands it. That person grows and produces ·fruit [a crop], sometimes a hundred times more, sometimes sixty times more, and sometimes thirty times more.”
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