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Book of Common Prayer

Daily Old and New Testament readings based on the Book of Common Prayer.

Duration: 861 days

Psalm 83

Psalm 83^[a]

A song, a psalm of Asaph.

83 O God, do not be silent.
Do not ignore us.^[b] Do not be inactive, O God.
²For look, your enemies are making a commotion;
those who hate you are hostile.^[c]
³They carefully plot^[d] against your people,
and make plans to harm^[e] the ones you cherish.^[f]
⁴They say, “Come on, let’s annihilate them so they are no longer a nation.^[g]
Then the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
⁵Yes,^[h] they devise a unified strategy;^[i]
they form an alliance^[j] against you.
⁶It includes^[k] the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,^[l]
⁷Gebal,^[m] Ammon, and Amalek,
Philistia and the inhabitants of Tyre.
⁸Even Assyria has allied with them,
lending its strength to the descendants of Lot.^[n] (Selah)
⁹Do to them as you did to Midian^[o]—
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.^[p]
¹⁰They were destroyed at Endor;^[q]
their corpses were like manure^[r] on the ground.
¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,^[s]
and all their rulers like Zebah and Zalmunna,^[t]
¹²who said,^[u] “Let’s take over^[v] the pastures of God.”
¹³O my God, make them like dead thistles,^[w]
like dead weeds blown away by^[x] the wind.
¹⁴Like the fire that burns down the forest,
or the flames that consume the mountainsides,^[y]
¹⁵chase them with your gale winds,
and terrify^[z] them with your windstorm.
¹⁶Cover^[aa] their faces with shame,
so they might seek^[ab] you,^[ac] O Lord.
¹⁷May they be humiliated and continually terrified.^[ad]
May they die in shame.^[ae]
¹⁸Then they will know^[af] that you alone are the Lord,^[ag]
the Most High^[ah] over all the earth.

Footnotes

Psalm 83:1 sn Psalm 83. The psalmist asks God to deliver Israel from the attacks of foreign nations. Recalling how God defeated Israel’s enemies in the days of Deborah and Gideon, he prays that the hostile nations would be humiliated.
Psalm 83:1 tn Heb “do not be deaf.”
Psalm 83:2 tn Heb “lift up [their] head[s].” The phrase “lift up [the] head” here means “to threaten; to be hostile,” as in Judg 8:28.
Psalm 83:3 tn Heb “they make crafty a plot.”
Psalm 83:3 tn Heb “and consult together against.”
Psalm 83:3 tn The passive participle of the Hebrew verb צָפַן (tsafan, “to hide”) is used here in the sense of “treasured; cherished.”
Psalm 83:4 tn Heb “we will cause them to disappear from [being] a nation.”
Psalm 83:5 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 83:5 tn Heb “they consult [with] a heart together.”
Psalm 83:5 tn Heb “cut a covenant.”
Psalm 83:6 tn The words “it includes” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
Psalm 83:6 sn The Hagrites are also mentioned in 1 Chr 5:10, 19-20.
Psalm 83:7 sn Some identify Gebal with the Phoenician coastal city of Byblos (see Ezek 27:9, where the name is spelled differently), though others locate this site south of the Dead Sea (see BDB 148 s.v. גְּבַל; HALOT 174 s.v. גְּבַל).
Psalm 83:8 tn Heb “they are an arm for the sons of Lot.” The “arm” is here a symbol of military might.sn The descendants of Lot were the Moabites and Ammonites.
Psalm 83:9 tn Heb “do to them like Midian.”
Psalm 83:9 sn The psalmist alludes here to Gideon’s victory over the Midianites (see Judg 7-8) and to Barak’s victory over Jabin’s army, which was led by his general Sisera (Judg 4-5).
Psalm 83:10 sn Endor is not mentioned in the accounts of Gideon’s or Barak’s victories, but both battles took place in the general vicinity of the town. (See Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah, The Macmillan Bible Atlas, 46, 54.) Because Sisera and Jabin are mentioned in v. 9b, many understand them to be the subject of the verbs in v. 10, though they relate v. 10 to Gideon’s victory, which is referred to in v. 9a, 11. (See, for example, Y. Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, 263.)
Psalm 83:10 tn Heb “they were manure.” In addition to this passage, corpses are compared to manure in 2 Kgs 9:37; Jer 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33.
Psalm 83:11 sn Oreb and Zeeb were the generals of the Midianite army that was defeated by Gideon. The Ephraimites captured and executed both of them and sent their heads to Gideon (Judg 7:24-25).
Psalm 83:11 sn Zebah and Zalmunna were the Midianite kings. Gideon captured them and executed them (Judg 8:1-21).
Psalm 83:12 tn The translation assumes that “Zebah and Zalmunna” are the antecedents of the relative pronoun (“who [said]”). Another option is to take “their nobles…all their rulers” as the antecedent and to translate, “those who say.”
Psalm 83:12 tn Heb “let’s take possession for ourselves.”
Psalm 83:13 tn Or “tumbleweed.” The Hebrew noun גַּלְגַּל (galgal) refers to a “wheel” or, metaphorically, to a whirling wind (see Ps 77:18). If taken in the latter sense here, one could understand the term as a metonymical reference to dust blown by a whirlwind (cf. NRSV “like whirling dust”). However, HALOT 190 s.v. II גַּלְגַּל understands the noun as a homonym referring to a “dead thistle” here and in Isa 17:13. The parallel line, which refers to קַשׁ (qash, “chaff”), favors this interpretation.
Psalm 83:13 tn Heb “before.”
Psalm 83:14 sn The imagery of fire and flames suggests unrelenting, destructive judgment.
Psalm 83:15 tn The two imperfect verbal forms in v. 15 express the psalmist’s wish or prayer.
Psalm 83:16 tn Heb “fill.”
Psalm 83:16 tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose or result (“then they will seek”).
Psalm 83:16 tn Heb “your name,” which stands here for God’s person.
Psalm 83:17 tn Heb “and may they be terrified to perpetuity.” The Hebrew expression עֲדֵי־עַד (ʿade ʿad, “to perpetuity”) can mean “forevermore” (see Pss 92:7; 132:12, 14), but here it may be used hyperbolically, for the psalmist asks that the experience of judgment might lead the nations to recognize (v. 18) and even to seek (v. 16) God.
Psalm 83:17 tn Heb “may they be ashamed and perish.” The four prefixed verbal forms in this verse are understood as jussives. The psalmist concludes his prayer with an imprecation, calling severe judgment down on his enemies. The strong language of the imprecation seems to run contrary to the positive outcome of divine judgment envisioned in v. 16b. Perhaps the language of v. 17 is overstated for effect. Another option is that v. 16b expresses an ideal, while the strong imprecation of vv. 17-18 anticipates reality. It would be nice if the defeated nations actually pursued a relationship with God, but if judgment does not bring them to that point, the psalmist asks that they be annihilated so that they might at least be forced to acknowledge God’s power.
Psalm 83:18 tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.
Psalm 83:18 tn Heb “that you, your name [is] the Lord, you alone.”
Psalm 83:18 sn The divine title “Most High” (עֶלְיוֹן ʿelyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Pss 7:17; 9:2; 18:13; 21:7; 47:2.

Psalm 42-43

Book 2 (Psalms 42-72)

Psalm 42^[a]

For the music director, a well-written song^[b] by the Korahites.

42 As a deer^[c] longs^[d] for streams of water,
so I long^[e] for you, O God!
²I thirst^[f] for God,
for the living God.
I say,^[g] “When will I be able to go and appear in God’s presence?”^[h]
³I cannot eat; I weep day and night.^[i]
All day long they say to me,^[j] “Where is your God?”
⁴I will remember and weep.^[k]
For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God,
shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival.^[l]
⁵Why are you depressed,^[m] O my soul?^[n]
Why are you upset?^[o]
Wait^[p] for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention.^[q]
⁶I am depressed,^[r]
so I will pray to you while in the region of the upper Jordan,^[s]
from Hermon,^[t] from Mount Mizar.^[u]
⁷One deep stream calls out to another^[v] at the sound of your waterfalls;^[w]
all your billows and waves overwhelm me.^[x]
⁸By day the Lord decrees his loyal love,^[y]
and by night he gives me a song,^[z]
a prayer^[aa] to the God of my life.
⁹I will pray^[ab] to God, my high ridge:^[ac]
“Why do you ignore^[ad] me?
Why must I walk around mourning^[ae]
because my enemies oppress me?”
¹⁰My enemies’ taunts cut me to the bone,^[af]
as they say to me all day long, “Where is your God?”^[ag]
¹¹Why are you depressed,^[ah] O my soul?^[ai]
Why are you upset?^[aj]
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention.^[ak]

Psalm 43^[al]

43 Vindicate me, O God!
Fight for me^[am] against an ungodly nation.
Deliver me^[an] from deceitful and evil men.^[ao]
²For you are the God who shelters me.^[ap]
Why do you reject me?^[aq]
Why must I walk around^[ar] mourning^[as]
because my enemies oppress me?
³Reveal^[at] your light^[au] and your faithfulness.
They will lead me;^[av]
they will escort^[aw] me back to your holy hill,^[ax]
and to the place where you live.^[ay]
⁴Then I will go^[az] to the altar of God,
to the God who gives me ecstatic joy,^[ba]
so that I may express my thanks to you,^[bb] O God, my God, with a harp.
⁵Why are you depressed,^[bc] O my soul?^[bd]
Why are you upset?^[be]
Wait for God!
For I will again give thanks
to my God for his saving intervention.^[bf]

Footnotes

Psalm 42:1 sn Psalm 42. The psalmist recalls how he once worshiped in the Lord’s temple, but laments that he is now oppressed by enemies in a foreign land. Some medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalms 42 and 43 into a single psalm.
Psalm 42:1 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil) is uncertain. The word is derived from a verb meaning “to be prudent; to be wise.” Various options are: “a contemplative song,” “a song imparting moral wisdom,” or “a skillful [i.e., well-written] song.” The term occurs in the superscriptions of Pss 32, 42, 44, 45, 52-55, 74, 78, 88, 89, and 142, as well as in Ps 47:7.
Psalm 42:1 tn Since the accompanying verb is feminine in form, the noun אָיִּל (ʾayyil, “male deer”) should be emended to אַיֶּלֶת (ʾayyelet, “female deer”). Haplography of the letter tav has occurred; note that the following verb begins with tav.
Psalm 42:1 tn Or “pants [with thirst].”
Psalm 42:1 tn Or “my soul pants [with thirst].” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with a pronominal suffix is often equivalent to a pronoun, especially in poetry (see BDB 660 s.v. נֶפֶשׁ 4.a).
Psalm 42:2 tn Or “my soul thirsts.”
Psalm 42:2 tn The words “I say” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.
Psalm 42:2 tn Heb “When will I go and appear [to] the face of God?” Some emend the Niphal verbal form אֵרָאֶה (ʾeraʾeh, “I will appear”) to a Qal אֶרְאֶה (ʾerʾeh, “I will see”; see Gen 33:10), but the Niphal can be retained if one understands ellipsis of אֶת (ʾet) before “face” (see Exod 34:24; Deut 31:11).
Psalm 42:3 tn Heb “My tears have become my food day and night.”
Psalm 42:3 tn Heb “when [they] say to me all the day.” The suffixed third masculine plural pronoun may have been accidentally omitted from the infinitive בֶּאֱמֹר (beʾ^emor, “when [they] say”). Note the term בְּאָמְרָם (b^eʾomram, “when they say”) in v. 10.
Psalm 42:4 tn Heb “These things I will remember and I will pour out upon myself my soul.” “These things” are identified in the second half of the verse as those times when the psalmist worshiped in the Lord’s temple. The two cohortative forms indicate the psalmist’s resolve to remember and weep. The expression “pour out upon myself my soul” refers to mourning (see Job 30:16).
Psalm 42:4 tc Heb “for I was passing by with the throng [?], I was walking with [?] them to the house of God; with a voice of a ringing shout and thanksgiving a multitude was observing a festival.” The Hebrew phrase בַּסָּךְ אֶדַּדֵּם (bassakh ʾeddaddem, “with the throng [?] I was walking with [?]”) is particularly problematic. The noun סָךְ (sakh) occurs only here. If it corresponds to הָמוֹן (hamon, “multitude”) then one can propose a meaning “throng.” The present translation assumes this reading (cf. NIV, NRSV). The form אֶדַּדֵּם (“I will walk with [?]”) is also very problematic. The form can be taken as a Hitpael from דָּדָה (dadah; this verb possibly appears in Isa 38:15), but the pronominal suffix is problematic. For this reason many emend the form to ם[י]אַדִּרִ (ʾaddirim, “nobles”) or ר[י]אַדִּ (ʾaddir, “great,”) plus enclitic ם (mem). The present translation understands the latter and takes the adjective “great” as modifying “throng.” If one emends סָךְ (sakh, “throng [?]”) to סֹךְ (sokh, “shelter”; see the Qere of Ps 27:5), then ר[י]אַדִּ (ʾaddir) could be taken as a divine epithet, “[in the shelter of] the majestic one,” a reading which may find support in the LXX and Syriac Peshitta.
Psalm 42:5 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
Psalm 42:5 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
Psalm 42:5 tn Heb “and [why] are you in turmoil upon me?” The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive here carries on the descriptive present nuance of the preceding imperfect. See GKC 329 §111.t.
Psalm 42:5 tn According to HALOT the term יָחַל (yakhal) means “to wait” in both the Piel and the Hiphil stems. The many contexts where the subjects are biding their time (e.g. Gen 8:10; Job 29:21; 1 Sam 10:8; 13:8; 2 Sam 18:14; 2 Kgs 6:33) suggest that simple waiting is its base meaning. In some contexts the person waiting is hopeful or expectant (Isa 42:4; Ezek 13:6). A number of translations use “hope” in Psalm 42:5, 11; 43:5 (NASB, NIV, NRSV, ESV). This makes assumptions about what the Psalmist says to himself. The Psalmist presents a mixture of emotions and is at odds within himself. Given his level of distress, it is very possible that he is telling himself (his soul) to just hang on and not give up, while another part of him is confident that he will have reason to praise God in the future. The translation “wait for God” invites more consideration of the possible emotional state of the Psalmist. The nuance may be to “hope against hope,” to “gut it out” in faith despite not feeling hopeful, to trust, or to have hope.
Psalm 42:5 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of his face.” The verse division in the Hebrew text is incorrect. אֱלֹהַי (ʾelohay, “my God”) at the beginning of v. 7 belongs with the end of v. 6 (see the corresponding refrains in 42:11 and 43:5, both of which end with “my God” after “saving acts of my face”). The Hebrew term פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”) should be emended to פְּנֵי (p^ene, “face of”). The emended text reads, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention.
Psalm 42:6 tn Heb “my God, upon me my soul bows down.” As noted earlier, “my God” belongs with the end of v. 6.
Psalm 42:6 tn Heb “therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan.” The term זָכַר (zakhar) most frequently means “to remember” but can also mean “to mention.” “Mentioning” may be viewed as an act of remembering. Or this may stand metonymically for prayer (see vv. 8-9). Based on the geography of the next line, the region of the upper Jordan, where the river originates and receives tributaries from the Hermon range, is in view.
Psalm 42:6 tc Heb “Hermons.” The plural form of the name occurs only here in the OT. Some suggest the plural refers to multiple mountain peaks (cf. NASB) or simply retain the plural in the translation (cf. NEB), but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note that the next form in the text begins with the letter mem) or enclitic. At a later time it was misinterpreted as a plural marker and vocalized accordingly.
Psalm 42:6 tn The Hebrew term מִצְעָר (mitsʿar) is probably a proper name (“Mizar”), designating a particular mountain in the Hermon region. The name appears only here in the OT.
Psalm 42:7 tn Heb “deep calls to deep.” The Hebrew noun תְּהוֹם (t^ehom) often refers to the deep sea, but here, where it is associated with Hermon, it probably refers to mountain streams. The word can be used of streams and rivers (see Deut 8:7; Ezek 31:4).
Psalm 42:7 tn The noun צִנּוֹר (tsinnor, “waterfall”) occurs only here and in 2 Sam 5:8, where it apparently refers to a water shaft. The psalmist alludes to the loud rushing sound of mountain streams and cascading waterfalls. Using the poetic device of personification, he imagines the streams calling out to each other as they hear the sound of the waterfalls.
Psalm 42:7 tn Heb “pass over me” (see Jonah 2:3). As he hears the sound of the rushing water, the psalmist imagines himself engulfed in the current. By implication he likens his emotional distress to such an experience.
Psalm 42:8 sn The psalmist believes that the Lord has not abandoned him, but continues to extend his loyal love. To this point in the psalm, the author has used the name “God,” but now, as he mentions the divine characteristic of loyal love, he switches to the more personal divine name Yahweh (rendered in the translation as “the Lord”).
Psalm 42:8 tn Heb “his song [is] with me.”
Psalm 42:8 tc A few medieval Hebrew mss read תְּהִלָּה (t^ehillah, “praise”) instead of תְּפִלָּה (t^efillah, “prayer”).
Psalm 42:9 tn The cohortative form indicates the psalmist’s resolve.
Psalm 42:9 tn This metaphor pictures God as a rocky, relatively inaccessible summit, where one would be able to find protection from enemies. See 1 Sam 23:25, 28; Pss 18:2; 31:3.
Psalm 42:9 tn Or “forget.”
Psalm 42:9 sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar idea.
Psalm 42:10 tc Heb “with a shattering in my bones my enemies taunt me.” A few medieval Hebrew mss and Symmachus’ Greek version read “like” instead of “with.”
Psalm 42:10 sn “Where is your God?” The enemies ask this same question in v. 3.
Psalm 42:11 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
Psalm 42:11 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
Psalm 42:11 tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
Psalm 42:11 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (y^eshuʿot f^eney ʾelohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God”), that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is almost identical to the one in v. 5. See also Ps 43:5.
Psalm 43:1 sn Psalm 43. Many medieval Hebrew mss combine Psalm 43 and Psalm 42 into one psalm. Psalm 43 is the only psalm in Book 2 of the Psalter (Psalms 42-72) that does not have a heading, suggesting that it was originally the third and concluding section of Psalm 42. Ps 43:5 is identical to the refrain in Ps 42:11 and almost identical to the refrain in Ps 42:5.
Psalm 43:1 tn Or “argue my case.”
Psalm 43:1 tn The imperfect here expresses a request or wish. Note the imperatives in the first half of the verse. See also v. 3.
Psalm 43:1 tn Heb “from the deceitful and evil man.” The Hebrew text uses the singular form “man” in a collective sense, as the reference to a “nation” in the parallel line indicates.
Psalm 43:2 tn Heb “God of my place of refuge,” that is, “God who is my place of refuge.” See Ps 31:4.
Psalm 43:2 tn The question is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but זָנַח (zanakh, “reject”) is a stronger verb than שָׁכַח (shakhakh, “forget”).
Psalm 43:2 tn The language is similar to that of Ps 42:9, but the Hitpael form of the verb הָלַךְ (halakh; as opposed to the Qal form in 42:9) expresses more forcefully the continuing nature of the psalmist’s distress.
Psalm 43:2 sn Walk around mourning. See Ps 38:6 for a similar statement.
Psalm 43:3 tn Heb “send.”
Psalm 43:3 sn God’s deliverance is compared here to a light which will lead the psalmist back home to the Lord’s temple. Divine deliverance will in turn demonstrate the Lord’s faithfulness to his people.
Psalm 43:3 tn Or “may they lead me.” The prefixed verbal forms here and in the next line may be taken as jussives.
Psalm 43:3 tn Heb “bring.”
Psalm 43:3 sn In this context the Lord’s holy hill is Zion/Jerusalem. See Isa 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Zech 8:3; Pss 2:6; 15:1; 48:1; 87:1; Dan 9:16.
Psalm 43:3 tn Or “to your dwelling place[s].” The plural form of the noun may indicate degree or quality; this is the Lord’s special dwelling place (see Pss 46:4; 84:1; 132:5, 7).
Psalm 43:4 tn The cohortative expresses the psalmist’s resolve. Prefixed with the vav (ו) conjunctive it also expresses the result or outcome of the preceding verbs “lead” and “escort.”
Psalm 43:4 tn Heb “to God, the joy of my happiness.” The phrase “joy of my happiness” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the degree of the psalmist’s joy. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81.
Psalm 43:4 tn The cohortative with vav (ו) conjunctive probably indicates purpose (“so that”) or intention.
Psalm 43:5 tn Heb “Why do you bow down?”
Psalm 43:5 sn For poetic effect the psalmist addresses his soul, or inner self.
Psalm 43:5 tn Heb “and why are you in turmoil upon me?”
Psalm 43:5 tc Heb “for again I will give him thanks, the saving acts of my face and my God.” The last line should be emended to read יְשׁוּעֹת פְנֵי אֱלֹהָי (y^eshuʿot f^ene ʾelohay, “[for] the saving acts of the face of my God,” that is, the saving acts associated with God’s presence/intervention. This refrain is identical to the one in Ps 42:11. See also 42:5, which differs only slightly.

Psalm 85-86

Psalm 85^[a]

For the music director, written by the Korahites, a psalm.

85 O Lord, you showed favor to your land;
you restored the well-being of Jacob.^[b]
²You pardoned^[c] the wrongdoing of your people;
you forgave^[d] all their sin. (Selah)
³You withdrew all your fury;
you turned back from your raging anger.^[e]
⁴Restore us, O God our deliverer.
Do not be displeased with us.^[f]
⁵Will you stay mad at us forever?
Will you remain angry throughout future generations?^[g]
⁶Will you not revive us once more?
Then your people will rejoice in you.
⁷O Lord, show us your loyal love.
Bestow on us your deliverance.
⁸I will listen to what God the Lord says.^[h]
For he will make^[i] peace with his people, his faithful followers.^[j]
Yet they must not^[k] return to their foolish ways.
⁹Certainly his loyal followers will soon experience his deliverance;^[l]
then his splendor will again appear in our land.^[m]
¹⁰Loyal love and faithfulness meet;^[n]
deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss.^[o]
¹¹Faithfulness grows from the ground,
and deliverance looks down from the sky.^[p]
¹²Yes, the Lord will bestow his good blessings,^[q]
and our land will yield^[r] its crops.
¹³Deliverance goes^[s] before him,
and prepares^[t] a pathway for him.^[u]

Psalm 86^[v]

A prayer of David.

86 Listen,^[w] O Lord. Answer me.
For I am oppressed and needy.
²Protect me,^[x] for I am loyal.
You are my God; deliver your servant who trusts in you.
³Have mercy on me,^[y] O Lord,
for I cry out to you all day long.
⁴Make your servant^[z] glad,
for to you, O Lord, I pray.^[aa]
⁵Certainly,^[ab] O Lord, you are kind^[ac] and forgiving,
and show great faithfulness to all who cry out to you.
⁶O Lord, hear my prayer.
Pay attention to my plea for mercy.
⁷In my time of trouble I cry out to you,
for you will answer me.
⁸None can compare to you among the gods, O Lord.
Your exploits are incomparable.^[ad]
⁹All the nations, whom you created,
will come and worship you,^[ae] O Lord.
They will honor your name.
¹⁰For you are great and do amazing things.
You alone are God.
¹¹O Lord, teach me how you want me to live.^[af]
Then I will obey your commands.^[ag]
Make me wholeheartedly committed to you.^[ah]
¹²O Lord, my God, I will give you thanks with my whole heart.
I will honor your name continually.^[ai]
¹³For you will extend your great loyal love to me,^[aj]
and will deliver my life^[ak] from the depths of Sheol.^[al]
¹⁴O God, arrogant men attack me;^[am]
a gang^[an] of ruthless men, who do not respect you, seek my life.^[ao]
¹⁵But you, O Lord, are a compassionate and merciful God.
You are patient^[ap] and demonstrate great loyal love and faithfulness.^[aq]
¹⁶Turn toward me and have mercy on me.
Give your servant your strength.
Deliver this son of your female servant.^[ar]
¹⁷Show me evidence of your favor.^[as]
Then those who hate me will see it and be ashamed,^[at]
for you, O Lord, will help me and comfort me.^[au]

Footnotes

Psalm 85:1 sn Psalm 85. God’s people recall how he forgave their sins in the past, pray that he might now restore them to his favor, and anticipate renewed blessings.
Psalm 85:1 tn Heb “you turned with a turning [toward] Jacob.” The Hebrew term שְׁבוּת (sh^evut) is apparently a cognate accusative of שׁוּב (shuv). See Pss 14:7; 53:6.
Psalm 85:2 tn Heb “lifted up.”
Psalm 85:2 tn Heb “covered over.”
Psalm 85:3 tn Heb “the rage of your anger.” The phrase “rage of your anger” employs an appositional genitive. Synonyms are joined in a construct relationship to emphasize the single idea. For a detailed discussion of the grammatical point with numerous examples, see Y. Avishur, “Pairs of Synonymous Words in the Construct State (and in Appositional Hendiadys) in Biblical Hebrew,” Semitics 2 (1971): 17-81. See Pss 69:24; 78:49.
Psalm 85:4 tn Heb “break your displeasure with us.” Some prefer to emend הָפֵר (hafer, “break”) to הָסֵר (haser, “turn aside”).
Psalm 85:5 tn Heb “Will your anger stretch to a generation and a generation?”
Psalm 85:8 sn I will listen. Having asked for the Lord’s favor, the psalmist (who here represents the nation) anticipates a divine word of assurance.
Psalm 85:8 tn Heb “speak.” The idiom “speak peace” refers to establishing or maintaining peaceful relations with someone (see Gen 37:4; Zech 9:10; cf. Ps 122:8).
Psalm 85:8 tn Heb “to his people and to his faithful followers.” The translation assumes that “his people” and “his faithful followers” are viewed as identical here.
Psalm 85:8 tn Or “yet let them not.” After the negative particle אֵל (ʾel), the prefixed verbal form is jussive, indicating the speaker’s desire or wish.
Psalm 85:9 tn Heb “certainly his deliverance [is] near to those who fear him.”
Psalm 85:9 tn Heb “to dwell, glory, in our land.” “Glory” is the subject of the infinitive. The infinitive with ל (lamed), “to dwell,” probably indicates result here (“then”). When God delivers his people and renews his relationship with them, he will once more reveal his royal splendor in the land.
Psalm 85:10 tn The psalmist probably uses the perfect verbal forms in v. 10 in a dramatic or rhetorical manner, describing what he anticipates as if it were already occurring or had already occurred.
Psalm 85:10 sn Deliverance and peace greet each other with a kiss. The psalmist personifies these abstract qualities to emphasize that God’s loyal love and faithfulness will yield deliverance and peace for his people.
Psalm 85:11 sn The psalmist already sees undeniable signs of God’s faithfulness and expects deliverance to arrive soon.
Psalm 85:12 tn Heb “what is good.”
Psalm 85:12 tn Both “bestow” and “yield” translate the same Hebrew verb (נָתַן, natan). The repetition of the word emphasizes that agricultural prosperity is the direct result of divine blessing.
Psalm 85:13 tn Or “will go.”
Psalm 85:13 tn Or “will prepare.”
Psalm 85:13 tn Heb “and it prepares for a way his footsteps.” Some suggest emending וְיָשֵׂם (v^eyasem, “and prepares”) to וְשָׁלוֹם (v^eshalom, “and peace”) since “deliverance” and “peace” are closely related earlier in v. 13. This could be translated, “and peace [goes ahead, making] a pathway for his footsteps” (cf. NEB).
Psalm 86:1 sn Psalm 86. The psalmist appeals to God’s mercy as he asks for deliverance from his enemies.
Psalm 86:1 tn Heb “turn your ear.”
Psalm 86:2 tn Heb “my life.”
Psalm 86:3 tn Or “show me favor.”
Psalm 86:4 tn Heb “the soul of your servant.”
Psalm 86:4 tn Heb “I lift up my soul.”
Psalm 86:5 tn Or “for.”
Psalm 86:5 tn Heb “good.”
Psalm 86:8 tn Heb “and there are none like your acts.”
Psalm 86:9 tn Or “bow down before you.”
Psalm 86:11 tn Heb “teach me your way.” The Lord’s “way” refers here to the moral principles he expects the psalmist to follow. See Pss 25:4; 27:11.
Psalm 86:11 tn Heb “I will walk in your truth.” The Lord’s commandments are referred to as “truth” here because they are a trustworthy and accurate expression of the divine will. See Ps 25:5.
Psalm 86:11 tn Heb “Bind my heart to the fearing of your name.” The verb translated “bind” occurs only here in the Piel stem. It appears twice in the Qal, meaning “be joined” in both cases (Gen 49:6; Isa 14:20). To “fear” God’s name means to have a healthy respect for him which in turn motivates one to obey his commands (see Pss 61:5; 102:15).
Psalm 86:12 tn Or “forever.”
Psalm 86:13 tn Heb “for your loyal love [is] great over me.”
Psalm 86:13 tn Or “for he will have delivered my life.” The verb form indicates a future perfect here.
Psalm 86:13 tn Or “lower Sheol.”
Psalm 86:14 tn Heb “rise up against me.”
Psalm 86:14 tn Or “assembly.”
Psalm 86:14 tn Heb “seek my life and do not set you before them.” See Ps 54:3.
Psalm 86:15 tn Heb “slow to anger.”
Psalm 86:15 tn Heb “and great of loyal love and faithfulness.”sn The psalmist’s confession of faith in this verse echoes Exod 34:6.
Psalm 86:16 tn Heb “the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 116:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The phrase may be used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant. Or it may be a reference to the psalmist’s own mother who also was a servant of the Lord.
Psalm 86:17 tn Heb “Work with me a sign for good.” The expression “work a sign” also occurs in Judg 6:17.
Psalm 86:17 tn After the imperative in the preceding line (“work”), the prefixed verb forms with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive indicate purpose or result.
Psalm 86:17 tn The perfect verbal forms are understood here as dramatic/rhetorical, expressing the psalmist’s certitude that such a sign from the Lord will be followed by his intervention. Another option is to understand the forms as future perfects (“for you, O Lord, will have helped me and comforted me”).

Genesis 46:1-7

The Family of Jacob goes to Egypt

46 So Israel began his journey, taking with him all that he had.^[a] When he came to Beer Sheba^[b] he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ²God spoke to Israel in a vision during the night^[c] and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” He replied, “Here I am!” ³He said, “I am God,^[d] the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. ⁴I will go down with you to Egypt and I myself will certainly bring you back from there.^[e] Joseph will close your eyes.”^[f]

⁵Then Jacob started out^[g] from Beer Sheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little children, and their wives in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent along to transport him. ⁶Jacob and all his descendants took their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and they went to Egypt.^[h] ⁷He brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons,^[i] his daughters and granddaughters—all his descendants.

Genesis 46:28-34

²⁸Jacob^[a] sent Judah before him to Joseph to accompany him to Goshen.^[b] So they came to the land of Goshen. ²⁹Joseph harnessed his chariot and went up to meet his father Israel in Goshen. When he met him,^[c] he hugged his neck and wept on his neck for quite some time.

³⁰Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”^[d] ³¹Then Joseph said to his brothers and his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh,^[e] ‘My brothers and my father’s household who were in the land of Canaan have come to me. ³²The men are shepherds;^[f] they take care of livestock.^[g] They have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ ³³Pharaoh will summon you and say, ‘What is your occupation?’ ³⁴Tell him, ‘Your servants have taken care of cattle^[h] from our youth until now, both we and our fathers,’ so that you may live in the land of Goshen,^[i] for everyone who takes care of sheep is disgusting^[j] to the Egyptians.”

1 Corinthians 9:1-15

The Rights of an Apostle

9 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? ²If I am not an apostle to others, at least I am to you, for you are the confirming sign^[a] of my apostleship in the Lord. ³This is my defense to those who examine me. ⁴Do we not have the right to financial support?^[b] ⁵Do we not have the right to the company of a believing wife, like the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas?^[c] ⁶Or do only Barnabas and I lack the right not to work? ⁷Who ever serves in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its fruit? Who tends a flock and does not consume its milk? ⁸Am I saying these things only on the basis of common sense,^[d] or does the law not say this as well? ⁹For it is written in the law of Moses, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”^[e] God is not concerned here about oxen, is he? ¹⁰Or is he not surely speaking for our benefit? It was written for us, because the one plowing and threshing ought to work in hope of enjoying the harvest. ¹¹If we sowed spiritual blessings among you, is it too much to reap material things from you? ¹²If others receive this right from you, are we not more deserving?

But we have not made use of this right. Instead we endure everything so that we may not be a hindrance to the gospel of Christ. ¹³Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple^[f] eat food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar receive a part of the offerings? ¹⁴In the same way the Lord commanded those who proclaim the gospel to receive their living by the gospel. ¹⁵But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing these things so that something will be done for me.^[g] In fact, it would be better for me to die than—no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting!^[h]

Footnotes

1 Corinthians 9:2 tn Grk “the seal.”
1 Corinthians 9:4 tn Grk “the right to eat and drink.” In the context this is a figurative reference to financial support.
1 Corinthians 9:5 sn Cephas. This individual is generally identified with the Apostle Peter (L&N 93.211). Both the Aramaic name “Cephas” and the Greek name “Peter” are related to words in each language which mean “rock.”
1 Corinthians 9:8 tn Or “only according to human authority”; Grk “saying these things according to men.”
1 Corinthians 9:9 sn A quotation from Deut 25:4.
1 Corinthians 9:13 tn Grk “working the sacred things.”
1 Corinthians 9:15 tn Grk “so that it will happen in this way in my case.”
1 Corinthians 9:15 tc The reading ἤ—τὸ καύχημά μου οὐδεὶς κενώσει (ē—to kauchēma mou oudeis kenōsei, “than—no one will deprive me of my reason for boasting!”) is syntactically abrupt, but fully in keeping with Pauline style. It is supported by P⁴⁶ א* B D*^,c 33 1739 1881 as well as early patristic authors. Most witnesses, especially the later ones (א² C D² Ψ M lat), have a significantly smoother reading than this: ἢ τὸ καύχημά μου ἵνα τις κενώσῃ (or κενώσει); ē to kauchēma mou hina tis kenōsē (or kenōsei), “than that anyone should deprive me of my boasting.” The simple replacement of οὐδείς with ἵνα essentially accomplishes the smoothing out of the text, and as such the ἵνα reading is suspect. Not only is the harder reading in keeping with Pauline style, but it is also found in the earlier and better witnesses.sn Paul breaks off his thought at mid-sentence (indicated by the dash in the translation) and it is somewhat difficult to determine his reason for boasting. Most likely Paul would rather die than be deprived of the boast that he had offered the gospel free of charge even though as an apostle he had the right to such support (9:14). Did he say this as a way of criticizing his opponents? Perhaps only indirectly. His focus has more to do with not hindering the gospel than what his opponents were doing (9:12).

Mark 6:30-46

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

³⁰Then^[a] the apostles gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. ³¹He said to them, “Come with me privately to an isolated place and rest a while” (for many were coming and going, and there was no time to eat). ³²So they went away by themselves in a boat^[b] to some remote place. ³³But many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they hurried on foot^[c] from all the towns^[d] and arrived there ahead of them.^[e] ³⁴As Jesus^[f] came ashore^[g] he saw the large crowd and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So^[h] he taught them many things.

³⁵When it was already late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is an isolated place^[i] and it is already very late. ³⁶Send them away so that they can go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy something for themselves to eat.” ³⁷But he answered them,^[j] “You^[k] give them something to eat.” And they said, “Should we go and buy bread for 200 silver coins^[l] and give it to them to eat?” ³⁸He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.” ³⁹Then he directed them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. ⁴⁰So they reclined in groups of hundreds and fifties. ⁴¹He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He^[m] gave them to his^[n] disciples to serve the people, and he divided the two fish among them all. ⁴²They all ate and were satisfied, ⁴³and they picked up the broken pieces and fish that were left over, twelve baskets full. ⁴⁴Now^[o] there were 5,000 men^[p] who ate the bread.^[q]

Walking on Water

⁴⁵Immediately Jesus^[r] made his disciples get into the boat^[s] and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dispersed the crowd. ⁴⁶After saying goodbye to them, he went to the mountain to pray.

Footnotes

Mark 6:30 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
Mark 6:32 sn See the note at Mark 1:19 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Mark 6:33 tn Grk “ran together on foot.” The idea of συντρέχω (suntrechō) is “to come together quickly to form a crowd” (L&N 15.133).
Mark 6:33 tn Or “cities.”
Mark 6:33 tc The translation here follows the reading προῆλθον (proēlthon, “they preceded”), found in א B (0187) 892 lat co. Some mss (D 28 33 700) read συνῆλθον (sunēlthon, “arrived there with them”), while the majority of mss, most of them late (P^84vid [A ƒ¹³] M sy^h), conflate the two readings (προῆλθον αὐτοὺς καὶ συνῆλθον πρὸς αὐτόν, “they preceded them and came together to him”). The reading adopted here thus has better external credentials than the variants. As well, it is the harder reading internally, being changed “by copyists who thought it unlikely that the crowd on the land could have outstripped the boat” (TCGNT 78).
Mark 6:34 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Mark 6:34 tn Grk “came out [of the boat],” with the reference to the boat understood.
Mark 6:34 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate this action is the result of Jesus’ compassion on the crowd in the narrative.
Mark 6:35 tn Or “a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation).
Mark 6:37 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokritheis) is redundant, but the syntax of the sentence has been changed for clarity.
Mark 6:37 tn Here the pronoun ὑμεῖς (humeis) is used, making “you” in the translation emphatic.
Mark 6:37 sn The silver coin referred to here is the denarius. A denarius, inscribed with a picture of Tiberius Caesar, was worth approximately one day’s wage for a laborer. Two hundred denarii was thus approximately equal to eight months’ wages. The disciples did not have the resources in their possession to feed the large crowd, so Jesus’ request is his way of causing them to trust him as part of their growth in discipleship.
Mark 6:41 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
Mark 6:41 tc ‡ Most mss (P⁴⁵ A D W Θ ƒ^1,13 M lat sy) have αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after τοῖς μαθηταῖς (tois mathētais, “the disciples”), but several excellent witnesses (א B L Δ 33 579 892 1241 1424) lack the pronoun. This kind of variant is often a predictable expansion of the text; further, that many significant mss lack the pronoun gives support for the shorter reading. For these reasons, the pronoun is considered to be secondary. NA²⁸ puts αὐτοῦ in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.tn Grk “the disciples”; the Greek article has been translated here as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
Mark 6:44 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate a somewhat parenthetical remark by the author.
Mark 6:44 tn The Greek word here is ἀνήρ, meaning “adult male” (BDAG 79 s.v. 1). According to Matt 14:21, Jesus fed not only 5,000 men, but also an unspecified number of women and children.
Mark 6:44 tc Many good mss (P⁴⁵ א D W Θ ƒ^1,13 28 565 700 2542 lat sa) lack τοὺς ἄρτους (tous artous, lit. “the loaves” [here translated “the bread”]). On the other hand, just as weighty mss (A B L 33 M) have the words. Although a decision is not easy, the most satisfactory explanation seems to be that scribes were more prone to delete than to add the words here. They may have been puzzled as to why “the bread” should be mentioned without a corresponding mention of “fish.” Since neither Matt 14:21 or Luke 9:17 explicitly mention the bread, a desire for harmonization may have motivated the copyists as well. On the other hand, D and W are prone to longer, explanatory readings. Since they both lack the words here, it is likely that their archetypes also lacked the words. But given Mark’s pleonastic style, the good witnesses with “the bread,” and a reasonable explanation for the omission, “the bread” is most likely part of the initial text of Mark.
Mark 6:45 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Mark 6:45 sn See the note at Mark 1:19 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

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Book of Common Prayer

Psalm 83[a]

A song, a psalm of Asaph.

Footnotes

Book 2 (Psalms 42-72)

Psalm 42[a]

For the music director, a well-written song[b] by the Korahites.

Psalm 43[al]

Footnotes

Psalm 85[a]

For the music director, written by the Korahites, a psalm.

Psalm 86[v]

A prayer of David.

Footnotes

The Family of Jacob goes to Egypt

Footnotes

Footnotes

The Rights of an Apostle

Footnotes

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

Walking on Water

Footnotes

Psalm 83^[a]

Psalm 42^[a]

For the music director, a well-written song^[b] by the Korahites.

Psalm 43^[al]

Psalm 85^[a]

Psalm 86^[v]