Book of Common Prayer
A Cry for Help
For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” A psalm of David.
69 God, ·save me [give me victory],
because the water has risen to my neck [C the waters of chaos].
2 I’m sinking down into the ·mud [mire],
and there is nothing to stand on.
I ·am in deep water [have come into the depths of the waters],
and the flood ·covers [overwhelms] me.
3 I am ·tired [exhausted] from calling for help;
my throat is ·sore [dry].
My eyes are ·tired [worn out] from ·waiting [hoping]
for God to help me.
4 There are more people who hate me for no reason than hairs on my head;
·powerful [or many] enemies want to destroy me for no reason.
They make me ·pay back [return]
what I did not steal.
5 God, you know ·what I have done wrong [my foolishness];
I cannot hide my guilt from you.
6 Lord God ·All-Powerful [Almighty; of Heaven’s Armies; T of hosts],
do not let those who ·hope in [wait for] you be ashamed because of me.
God of Israel,
do not let ·your worshipers [L those who seek you] be disgraced because of me.
7 For you, I carry this ·shame [reproach; scorn],
and my face is covered with disgrace.
8 I am like a stranger to my closest relatives
and a foreigner to my mother’s children.
9 My ·strong love [jealousy; passion; zeal] for your ·Temple [L house] ·completely controls [L consumes] me [John 2:17].
·When people insult you, it hurts me [L The reproaches/scorn of those who reproach/scorn you fall on me; Rom. 15:3].
10 When I ·cry [weep] and fast,
they ·make fun of [reproach; scorn] me.
11 When I wear ·rough cloth [sackcloth; burlap; C a sign of grief],
·they joke about me [L I am a byword/proverb/joke to them].
12 ·They make fun of me in public places [L Those who sit in the gate complain about me],
and the drunkards make up songs about me.
13 But I pray to you, Lord, ·for favor [or at an appropriate time].
God, because of your great ·love [loyalty], answer me.
You are ·truly able [faithful] to ·save [give victory].
14 ·Pull [Protect] me from the ·mud [mire],
and do not let me sink.
·Save [Protect] me from those who hate me
and from the deep water.
15 Do not let the flood ·drown [overwhelm] me
or the deep water swallow me
or the ·grave [L pit] close its mouth over me.
16 Lord, answer me because your ·love [loyalty] is so good.
Because of your ·great kindness [abundant compassion], turn to me.
17 Do not hide your face from me, your servant.
I am in ·trouble [distress]. Hurry to ·help [L answer] me!
18 Come near and ·save [ransom] me;
·rescue [redeem] me from my enemies.
19 You ·see [know] my ·shame [reproach; scorn] and disgrace.
·You know all my enemies and what they have said [L The humiliation of all my foes is before you].
20 ·Insults [Reproach; Scorn] have broken my heart
and ·left me weak [I am depressed].
I ·looked [hoped; waited] for ·sympathy [pity; consolation], but there was none;
I found no one to comfort me.
21 They ·put [L gave me] poison in my food
and gave me vinegar to drink for my thirst [Matt. 27:48; Mark 15:23, 36; Luke 23:36; John 19:29].
22 Let their ·own feasts cause their ruin [L table be a snare before them];
·let their feasts trap them and pay them back [or a trap for their friends].
23 Let their eyes be ·closed [L darkened] so they cannot see
and their ·backs [L loins] ·be forever weak from troubles [L tremble all the time].
24 Pour your ·anger [wrath] out on them;
let your anger ·catch up with [overtake] them.
25 May their ·place [camp] be ·empty [desolate];
leave no one to live in their tents.
26 They ·chase after [persecute; pursue] those you have ·hurt [struck],
and they talk about the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Charge them with ·crime after crime [L guilt on guilt],
and do not ·let them have anything good [vindicate them].
28 ·Wipe [Blot] their names from the book of life [C kill them],
and do not ·list them [write them down] with those who ·do what is right [are righteous].
29 I am ·sad [afflicted] and ·hurting [in pain].
God, ·save me [give me victory] and ·protect me [give me refuge].
30 I will praise ·God [L the name of God] in a song
and will ·honor [magnify] him by giving thanks.
31 That will please the Lord more than ·offering him cattle [L an ox],
more than sacrificing a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 Poor people will see this and be glad [C offering an ox or bull is expensive].
·Be encouraged, you who worship God [The hearts of those who seek God will be enlivened].
33 The Lord listens to those in need
and does not ·look down on [despise] ·captives [prisoners].
34 Heaven and earth should praise him,
the seas and ·everything in them [L all that swarms in them].
35 God will ·save Jerusalem [L give Zion victory; C the location of the Temple]
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
Then people will live there and own the land.
36 The ·descendants [L seed] of his servants will inherit that land,
and those who love ·him [L his name] will live there.
Book 3: Psalms 73–89
Should the Wicked Be Rich?
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].
73 ·God is truly [Surely God is] good to ·Israel [or those with integrity/virtue],
to those who have pure hearts.
2 But ·I had almost stopped believing [L as for me, my feet almost stumbled];
·I had almost lost my faith [my steps almost slipped]
3 because I was ·jealous [envious] of ·proud people [braggers; boasters].
I saw wicked people ·doing well [prospering].
4 They are not ·suffering [struggling; in pain];
·they [their bodies] are ·healthy [perfect] and strong.
5 They don’t have ·troubles [toils] like the rest of us;
they ·don’t have problems [are not plagued] like other people [Gen. 3:17–19].
6 They wear pride like a necklace
and ·put on violence as their clothing [L adorn themselves with garments of violence].
7 ·They are looking for profits [L Their eyes bulge with fat]
and ·do not control their selfish desires [cunning overflows from their hearts/minds].
8 They ·make fun of others [scoff] and speak ·evil [harm];
·proudly [from high] they speak of ·hurting [oppressing; exploiting] others.
9 They ·brag to the sky [L set their mouth against heaven].
·They say that they own [L Their tongue wanders] the earth.
10 So their people turn to them
and ·give them whatever they want [L they drink up water in abundance].
11 They say, “How can God know?
What does God Most High know?”
12 These people are wicked,
always ·at ease [carefree], and getting richer.
13 ·So why have I kept my heart pure [L In vain, I kept my heart pure…]?
·Why have I kept my hands from doing wrong [L …and washed my hands in innocence; Matt. 27:24]?
14 I ·have suffered [am plagued] all day long;
I have been ·punished [corrected] every morning.
15 God, if I had ·decided to talk like this [L said, “I will recount this,”],
I would have ·let your people down [L betrayed the generation/race of your children].
16 I ·tried [thought how] to understand all this,
but it was too ·hard [wearisome] ·for me to see [L in my eyes]
17 until I went to the ·Temple [sanctuary; Holy Place] of God.
Then I understood ·what will happen to them [L their fate/end].
18 You have put them in ·danger [L slippery places];
you cause them to ·be destroyed [L fall into disaster].
19 They are destroyed in a moment;
they are swept away by terrors.
20 It will be like waking from a dream.
Lord, when you ·rise up [awake; arouse yourself], ·they will disappear [L you despise their shadows].
21 When my heart was ·sad [bitter]
and ·I was angry [L my innards felt stabbed],
22 I was senseless and stupid.
I acted like an ·animal [brute beast] toward you.
23 But I am always with you [C in covenant relationship];
you have held my ·hand [L right hand; C guiding him].
24 You guide me with your advice,
and later you will receive me in ·honor [glory; C perhaps in the afterlife].
25 ·I have no one [L Whom do I have…?] in heaven but you;
I ·want [desire] nothing on earth besides you.
26 My body and my ·mind [heart] may become weak,
but God is ·my strength [L the rock of my heart].
He is ·mine [L my portion] forever.
27 Those who are far from ·God [L you] will ·die [perish];
you ·destroy [bring to an end] those who ·are unfaithful [prostitute themselves spiritually].
28 But I am close to God, and that is good.
The Lord God ·is [I have made] my ·protection [refuge].
I will ·tell [recount] all that you have done.
Queen Vashti Disobeys the King
1 This is what happened during the ·time [days] of ·King Xerxes [L Ahasuerus; C the Persian king who reigned about 486–465 bc], the ·king [L Ahasuerus] who ruled the one hundred twenty-seven ·states [provinces] from India to Cush [C in present-day Sudan and Ethiopia]. 2 In those days King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] ·ruled from his [L sat on his royal throne in the] ·capital city [or fortress; citadel; C the winter residence of Persian kings, separate from the city] of Susa. 3 In the third year of his ·rule [reign; C about 483 bc], he gave a banquet for all his ·important men [nobles] and ·royal officers [ministers; officials]. The ·army [military] leaders from Persia and Media and the ·important men [nobles] from all ·Xerxes’ empire [L his provinces] were there.
4 The ·banquet [celebration] lasted one hundred eighty days. All during that time King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] ·was showing off [displayed] the ·great wealth of his kingdom [riches of his royal glory] and ·his own great riches and glory [splendor of his great majesty].
10 On the seventh day of the banquet, King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] was ·very happy [in high spirits], because of the wine. He gave a command to the seven eunuchs who served him—Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas. 11 He commanded them to bring him Queen Vashti, wearing her royal crown. She was to come to ·show [display] her beauty to the people and ·important men [nobles] because she was very beautiful. 12 The eunuchs told Queen Vashti about the king’s ·command [L word], but she refused to come [C possibly because she felt it would be humiliating; a dangerous decision]. Then the king became very angry; his anger ·was like a burning fire [L burned in him; C because it undermined his authority].
13 It was customary for the king to ·ask advice from [confer with] ·experts [wise men] about law and ·order [justice; custom; L judgment]. So King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] spoke with ·the wise men who would know the right thing to do [L those who understood the times]. 14 The wise men ·the king usually talked to [closest to the king] were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, seven of the ·important men [nobles] of Persia and Media. These seven had ·special privileges to see [access to] the king and had the highest ·rank [offices] in the kingdom. 15 The king asked them, “What does the law say must be done to Queen Vashti? She has not obeyed the command of King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus], which the eunuchs took to her.”
16 Then Memucan said to the king and the other ·important men [nobles], “Queen Vashti has not done wrong to the king alone. She has also done wrong to all the ·important men [nobles] and all the people in all the ·empire [L provinces] of King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus]. 17 All the wives of the ·important men [nobles] of Persia and Media will hear about the queen’s ·actions [conduct]. Then they will ·no longer honor [be contemptuous of; despise] their husbands. They will say, ‘King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] commanded Queen Vashti to be brought to him, but she refused to come.’ 18 Today the ·wives [noble ladies] of the ·important men [nobles] of Persia and Media have heard about the queen’s actions. So they will speak in the same way to ·their husbands [the king’s nobles], and there will be no end to ·disrespect [contempt] and anger.
19 “So, our king, if it pleases you, give a royal ·order [edict; decree], and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media, which cannot be ·changed [repealed; revoked; 8:8; Dan. 6:8, 12, 15]. The law should say Vashti [C at this point, the title “queen” is symbolically dropped from before her name] is never again to enter the presence of King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus]. Also let the king give her place as queen to someone who is ·better [more worthy/deserving] than she is.
Paul and Silas in Thessalonica
17 ·Paul and Silas [L They] traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica [C a city on the Via Egnatia, the major road on the northern Aegean coast] where there was a synagogue. 2 Paul went into the synagogue as he ·always [customarily] did [C speaking to the Jews first], and on each Sabbath day for three weeks, he ·talked [discussed; or argued; reasoned] with ·his fellow Jews [L them] about the Scriptures. 3 He explained and proved that the ·Christ [Messiah; C Christ in Greek and Messiah in Hebrew mean “anointed one”] must ·die [L suffer] and then rise from the dead [3:18]. He said, “This Jesus I am ·telling you about [proclaiming to you] is the ·Christ [Messiah].” 4 Some of them were ·convinced [persuaded] and joined Paul and Silas, along with many of the Greeks who ·worshiped God [were devout; C sometimes called “God-fearers,” these were Gentiles who worshiped the one true God of Israel; 10:2; 13:43] and ·many [L not a few] of the important women [13:50].
5 But ·some others [L the Jews] became jealous. So they got some evil men ·from the marketplace [or loitering in the streets; from the marketplace rabble], formed a mob, and ·started a riot [put the city in an uproar]. They ran to Jason’s house, looking for ·Paul and Silas [L them], wanting to bring them out to the ·people [assembly; crowd]. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other ·believers [L brothers] to the ·leaders of the city [city authorities; L politarchs]. The people were yelling, “These people have ·made trouble [agitated; stirred up rebellion] everywhere in the world, and now they have come here too! 7 Jason ·is keeping [has welcomed/received/harbored] them in his house. All of them ·do things against [defy; oppose] the ·laws [decrees] of Caesar, saying there is another king, called Jesus.”
8 When the ·people [crowd] and the ·leaders of the city [city authorities; L politarchs] heard these things, they ·became very upset [were disturbed]. 9 They made Jason and the others ·put up a sum of money [pay bail; post a bond]. Then they let ·the believers [L them] go free.
Paul and Silas Go to Berea
10 That same night the ·believers [L brothers] sent Paul and Silas to ·Berea [C a Macedonian city to the south] where [L upon arriving] they went to the synagogue [L of the Jews]. 11 These people were more ·willing to listen [open-minded; fair-minded; noble in character] than the people in Thessalonica. The Bereans ·were eager to hear what Paul and Silas said [L eagerly received the word/message] and ·studied [examined] the Scriptures every day to find out if these things were true [C to confirm Paul’s teaching was in line with Scripture]. 12 So, many of them believed, as well as ·many [L not a few] ·important [prominent; socially high-standing] Greek women and men [17:4]. 13 But the Jews [C who had opposed Paul earlier] in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, too. So they came there, ·upsetting [stirring up] the ·people [crowd] and ·making trouble [causing a disturbance]. 14 The ·believers [L brothers (and sisters)] ·quickly [immediately] sent Paul away to the ·coast [L sea], but Silas and Timothy stayed ·in Berea [behind; L there]. 15 The people ·leading [escorting; accompanying] Paul went with him to Athens [C the leading city in Greece]. Then they carried ·a message [instructions; an order] from Paul back to Silas and Timothy for them to ·come to [rejoin] him as soon as they could.
36 ·Believe [Put your trust] in the light while you still have it so that you will become children of light.” When Jesus had said this, he left and hid himself from them.
Some People Won’t Believe in Jesus
37 Though Jesus had done many ·miracles [L signs; 2:11] in front of the people, they still did not believe in him. 38 This was to ·bring about [L fulfill] ·what [L the message/word that] Isaiah the prophet had said:
“Lord, who believed ·what we told them [L our message/report]?
Who saw the Lord’s ·power [L arm; C a symbol of his power] in this [Is. 53:1]?”
39 This is why the people could not believe: Isaiah also had said,
40 “He has blinded their eyes,
and he has ·closed their minds [L hardened their heart].
Otherwise they would see with their eyes
and understand in their ·minds [L heart]
and ·come back to me and be healed [L turn/repent, and I would heal them; Is. 6:10].”
41 Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.
42 But many believed in Jesus, even many of the ·leaders [authorities]. But because of the Pharisees, they did not ·say they believed in him [L confess/proclaim him/it] for fear they would be put out of the synagogue. 43 They loved ·praise [glory] from people more than ·praise [glory] from God.
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