Book of Common Prayer
Book 1: Psalms 1–41
Two Ways to Live
1 ·Happy [Blessed] are those who don’t ·listen to [L walk in the counsel of] the wicked,
who don’t ·go where sinners go [L stand in the way of sinners],
who don’t ·do what evil people do [L sit in the seat of mockers].
2 They ·love [delight in] the Lord’s ·teachings [laws; instructions],
and they ·think about [meditate on] those ·teachings [laws; instructions] day and night.
3 They are like a tree planted by ·a river [L streams of water; C full of life, strong, vibrant].
The tree produces fruit in season,
and its leaves don’t ·die [wither].
Everything they do will ·succeed [prosper].
4 But wicked people are not like that.
They are like chaff that the wind blows away [C dead, unstable].
5 So the wicked will not ·escape God’s punishment [L stand in the judgment].
Sinners will not ·worship with God’s people [L be in the assembly of the righteous].
6 This is because the Lord ·takes care of his people [L knows the way of the righteous],
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed.
The Lord’s Chosen King
2 Why ·are the nations so angry [do the nations rage/or conspire]?
Why ·are the people making useless plans [do the people plot in vain]?
2 The kings of the earth ·prepare to fight [L take their stand],
and their leaders ·make plans [plot] together
against the Lord
and his ·appointed one [anointed; Messiah; C the king, ultimately Jesus; Acts 4:25–28].
3 They say, “Let’s break ·the chains that hold us back [L their chains/bonds]
and throw off ·the ropes that tie us down [L their ropes/cords from us].”
4 But the one who sits in heaven [C God] laughs;
the Lord ·makes fun of [ridicules; derides] them.
5 Then the Lord ·warns them [L speaks to them in anger]
and frightens them with his ·anger [fury].
6 He says, “I have ·appointed [installed; set] my own king
over my holy mountain, Zion [C the location of the Temple in Jerusalem; 9:11; 48:2, 11; 50:2; 1 Kin. 8:1].”
7 Now I will ·tell [recount to] you what the Lord has ·declared [decreed]:
He said to me, “You are my son.
Today I have become your father [2 Sam. 7:14; Matt. 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; Acts 13:32–33; Heb. 1:5].
8 ·If you ask me [L Ask of me], I will give you the nations as your inheritance;
all the ·people on [L ends of the] earth will be ·yours [L your possession].
9 You will rule over them with an iron ·rod [scepter; C a symbol of royal authority; Rev. 12:5; 19:15].
You will ·break [dash] them into pieces like pottery.”
10 ·So [Now], kings, be wise;
·rulers [L rulers/judges of the earth], ·learn this lesson [be warned].
11 ·Obey [Serve] the Lord with great fear.
·Be happy [Rejoice], ·but tremble [L with trembling].
12 ·Show that you are loyal to his [L Kiss the] son,
or ·you will be destroyed by his anger [L he will be angry and you will perish on the way],
because he can quickly become angry.
But ·happy [blessed] are those who ·trust him for protection [find refuge in him].
A Morning Prayer
David sang this when he ran away from his son Absalom [2 Sam. 15–19].
3 Lord, ·I have many enemies [L how many are my foes?]!
·Many people [L How many…?] have ·turned [L risen] against me.
2 Many are saying about me,
“·God won’t rescue him [L There is no salvation for him in God].” ·
3 But, Lord, you are my shield [C protector],
my ·wonderful God [L glory] who ·gives me courage [L lifts up my head].
4 I will ·pray [L lift my voice] to the Lord,
and he will answer me from his holy mountain [C Zion, the location of the Temple]. ·
5 I can lie down and go to sleep,
and I will wake up again,
because the Lord ·gives me strength [sustains/upholds me].
6 Thousands of troops may ·surround me [L set themselves around me],
but I am not afraid.
7 Lord, rise up!
My God, come ·save [rescue; T deliver] me!
You have struck my enemies on the cheek;
you have broken the teeth of the wicked.
8 ·The Lord can save his people [L Salvation/Rescue/Deliverance belongs to the Lord].
·Bless your people [L May your blessing be on your people]. ·
An Evening Prayer
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.
4 Answer me when I ·pray [L call] to you,
my God who ·does what is right [is righteous; or who vindicates me].
·Make things easier for me [Give me room; Widen my way] when I am in trouble.
Have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 People, how long will you turn my ·honor [glory] into shame?
How long will you love what is ·false [empty] and ·look for [seek] lies [C possibly referring to false gods]? ·
3 You know that the Lord has ·chosen [set apart; distinguished] for himself those who are loyal to him [C in covenant relationship with him].
The Lord listens when I ·pray [call] to him.
4 When you ·are angry [are disturbed; L tremble], do not sin.
·Think about these things [Meditate; L Speak to your heart] quietly
·as you go to bed [L on your bed]. ·
5 ·Do what is right as a sacrifice to the Lord [L Sacrifice right/righteous sacrifices]
and trust the Lord.
6 Many people ask,
“Who will ·give us [L make us see] anything good?”
Lord, ·be kind to us [L let the light of your face shine on us; Num. 6:24–26].
7 But you have ·made me very happy [L given joy to my heart],
happier than they are,
even with all their grain and new wine.
8 I ·go to bed [L lie down] and sleep in peace,
because, Lord, only you ·keep me safe [make me secure].
A Prayer for Fairness
A shiggaion [C a musical or literary term of uncertain meaning] of David which he sang to the Lord about Cush, from the tribe of Benjamin [C an unknown person, but the tribe of Benjamin, Saul’s tribe, resisted David’s kingship at first; 2 Sam. 3–4].
7 Lord my God, I ·trust in you for protection [find refuge in you].
·Save [Rescue; T Deliver] me and rescue me
from those who are ·chasing [pursuing] me.
2 Otherwise, like a lion they will tear me apart.
They will ·rip me to pieces [or drag me away], and no one can ·save [rescue; T deliver] me.
3 Lord my God, what have I done?
Have my hands done something ·wrong [to make me guilty]?
4 Have I done wrong to ·my friend [L the one at peace with me]
or stolen without reason from my enemy?
5 If I have, let my enemy ·chase [pursue] me and ·capture [overtake] me.
Let him trample ·me [L my life] into the ·dust [earth]
and ·bury me [L lay my honor] in the ground. ·
6 Lord, rise up in your anger;
·stand up [L lift yourself up] against my enemies’ ·anger [fury].
·Get up [Wake up], ·my God [or for me], and ·demand fairness [insist on/L command judgment].
7 Gather the ·nations [L assembly/congregations of the peoples] around you
and ·rule [or take a seat over; L return] them from ·above [on high].
8 Lord, judge the people.
Lord, ·defend [judge] me ·because I am right [according to my righteousness],
·because I have done no wrong [according to my innocence].
9 God, you ·do what is right [are righteous].
You ·know [L test] our ·thoughts [L hearts/minds] and ·feelings [L kidneys; C the seat of emotions in Hebrew thought].
Stop those wicked actions done by evil people,
and ·help [establish] those who ·do what is right [are righteous].
10 God ·protects me like a [is my] shield;
he saves those whose hearts ·are right [have integrity].
11 God ·judges by what is right [is a righteous judge],
and God is ·always ready to punish the wicked [L angry every day].
12 If they do not ·change their lives [repent],
God will sharpen his sword;
he will string his bow and take aim.
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he has made his flaming arrows.
14 There are people who ·think up [L conceive] evil
and ·plan [L are pregnant with] ·trouble [malice] and ·tell [L give birth to] lies.
15 They dig a ·hole [pit] ·to trap others [L and dig it deep],
but they will fall into it themselves.
16 ·They will get themselves into trouble [L Their trouble/malice will return to their head];
the violence they cause will ·hurt only themselves [L come down on their heads; Prov. 26:27; Matt. 26:52].
17 I praise the Lord ·because he does what is right [according to his righteousness].
I sing praises to the Lord Most High.
The Evil That People Do
7 ·Poor [Woe to] me! I am like a hungry man,
and all the summer fruit has been picked—
there are no grapes left to eat,
none of the early figs I ·love [crave].
2 All of the faithful people ·are gone [L have perished from the land/earth];
there is not one ·good [upright] person left in this country.
Everyone ·is waiting to kill someone [L lies in wait for blood];
everyone ·is trying to trap someone else [L hunts his brother with a net].
3 With both hands they are doing evil.
Rulers ask for ·money [gifts],
and judges’ decisions are bought for a ·price [bribe].
·Rich [Influential; Great] people ·tell what they want [make demands],
and they get it.
4 Even the best of them is like a ·thornbush [brier];
the most ·honest [upright] of them is worse than a ·prickly plant [thorn hedge].
The day ·that your watchmen warned you about [L of your watchmen; C the coming exile predicted by the prophets] has come.
Now they will be confused [C without the guidance of the prophets].
5 Don’t ·believe [trust] your neighbor
or ·trust [put confidence in] a friend.
·Don’t say anything [L Guard the doors of your mouth],
even to ·your wife [L the one who lies on your bosom].
6 A son will not honor his father,
a daughter will ·turn against [defy; rise up against] her mother,
and a daughter-in-law will be against her mother-in-law;
a person’s enemies will be ·members of his own family [or the servants of his household; L the men/people of his house; Matt. 10:36].
The Lord’s Kindness
7 Israel says, “I will look to the Lord for help.
I will wait for God ·to save me [my savior];
my God will hear me.
Paul Defends Himself
26 Agrippa said to Paul, “You may now speak for yourself.”
Then Paul ·raised [stretched out] his hand and began to defend himself. 2 He said, “King Agrippa, I am very ·blessed [or fortunate] to stand before you and will ·answer [L defend myself against] all the charges the Jews make against me. 3 ·You know so much [You especially know; or I am especially blessed because you know] about all the customs and the ·things they argue about [controversies of the Jews], so ·please [I urge/beg you to] listen to me patiently.
4 “All ·my people [L the Jews] know about my ·whole life [L manner of life from youth], how I lived from the beginning ·in my own country and later [or among my own people and] in Jerusalem. 5 They have known me for a long time. If they ·want [are willing] to, they can ·tell [testify to] you that I ·was a good [L lived as a] Pharisee. ·And the Pharisees obey the laws of my tradition more carefully than any other group [L …the strictest sect/party of our religion]. 6 Now I ·am [stand here] on trial because I hope for the promise that God made to our ·ancestors [forefathers; fathers; C either the hope of the Messiah or the resurrection from the dead]. 7 This is the promise that the twelve tribes of our people hope to receive as they ·serve [or worship] God day and night. My king, ·they [L the Jews] have accused me because ·I hope for this same promise [L of this hope]! 8 Why do any of you people think it is ·impossible [unbelievable] for God to raise people from the dead?
9 “I, too, thought ·I ought [it was necessary] to do many things against [L the name of] Jesus ·from Nazareth [or the Nazarene]. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem. The ·leading [T chief] priests gave me the ·power [authority] to put many of ·God’s people [God’s holy people; the saints] in ·jail [prison], and when they were ·being killed [or condemned to die], I ·agreed it was a good thing [L cast my vote against them]. 11 In every synagogue, I often punished them and tried to make them ·speak against [blaspheme; curse] Jesus. I was so ·angry [enraged] against them I even went to ·other [or foreign] cities to ·find them and punish [pursue; or persecute] them.
12 “One time the ·leading [T chief] priests gave me ·permission [commission] and the ·power [authority] to go to Damascus. 13 On the ·way [road] there, at noon, [L O king,] I saw a light from heaven. It was brighter than the sun and ·flashed [shone] all around me and those who were traveling with me. 14 We all fell to the ground. Then I heard a voice speaking to me in the Hebrew language [C probably Aramaic, the common language of the people in that area; 21:40], saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? ·You are only hurting yourself by fighting me [L It is hard for you to kick against the goads; Eccl. 12:11; C a goad was a sharp instrument to herd cattle].’ 15 I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. 16 ·Stand up [L Get up and stand on your feet]! This is why I have come [appeared] to you today: I have ·chosen [appointed] you to be my servant and my witness—you will tell people the things that you have seen and the things that I will show you. 17 I will ·keep you safe [rescue you] from your own people and also from the ·Gentiles [nations]. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes so that they may turn away from darkness to the light, away from the ·power [or authority] of Satan and to God. ·Then [or …so that] their sins can be forgiven, and they can have a place with those people who have been ·made holy [sanctified] by ·believing [faith] in me.’
19 “[L So; Therefore] King Agrippa, after I had this vision from heaven, I ·obeyed [L was not disobedient to] it. 20 [Indeed; or On the contrary] I began telling people that they should ·change their hearts and lives and turn to God [repent] and do ·things [works] ·to show they really had changed [L worthy of repentance]. I told this first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem, and ·in every part [all throughout the countryside] of Judea, and also to ·people everywhere [L the Gentiles; the nations]. 21 This is why the Jews ·took [seized] me and were trying to kill me in the Temple [C courts; 2:46]. 22 But God has helped me [from that day until now; L until this day], and so I stand here today, ·telling [testifying/witnessing to] all people, small and great, what I have seen. But I am saying only what the prophets and Moses [C meaning the whole OT] said would happen— 23 that the ·Christ [Messiah; C the promised king and Savior] would ·die [L suffer; 3:17; 17:3], and as the first to rise from the dead, he would ·bring [L proclaim] light to his own people [C the Jews] and to ·the Gentiles [the nations; people everywhere].”
A Man with Demons Inside Him(A)
26 ·Jesus and his followers [L They] sailed across the lake from Galilee to the area of the Gerasene[a] people [C Gerasa was southeast of Lake Galilee; the exact location is uncertain]. 27 When Jesus got out on the land, a man from the town who ·had demons inside him [was possessed by demons] came to Jesus. For a long time he had worn no clothes and had lived in the ·burial caves [tombs], not in a house. 28 When he saw Jesus, he ·cried out [shouted; shrieked] and fell down before him. He said with a loud voice, “·What do you want with me [Leave me alone; What business do we have with each other; L What to me and to you], Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t ·torture [torment] me!” 29 He said this because Jesus was commanding [reprimanding; rebuking] the ·evil [defiling; L unclean; 4:33] spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had ·taken hold of [seized; taken control of] him. Though he had been kept under guard and chained hand and foot, he had broken his chains and had been ·forced [driven] by the demon out into ·a lonely place [the desert/wilderness].
30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
He answered, “Legion,” because many demons ·were in [had entered] him [C a legion was about five thousand Roman soldiers; the sense here is “many”]. 31 The demons begged Jesus not to ·send them [L command them to depart] into ·eternal darkness [the bottomless pit; L the Abyss]. 32 A large herd of pigs [C considered ritually unclean by Jews] was feeding on a hill, and the demons begged Jesus to allow them to go into the pigs. So Jesus allowed them to do this. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd ·ran [rushed] down the ·hill [steep bank; precipice] into the lake and was drowned.
34 When the herdsmen saw what had happened, they ·ran away [fled] and ·told about [reported] this in the town and the countryside. 35 And people went to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man sitting at Jesus’ feet, clothed and in his right mind, because the demons were gone. But the people were frightened. 36 The people who saw this happen told the others how Jesus had made the [L demon-possessed] man well. 37 All the ·people [crowd; multitude] of the Gerasene ·country [region] asked Jesus to leave [L them], because they were all ·very afraid [overwhelmed/seized with great fear]. So Jesus got into the boat and ·went back across the lake [left; L returned].
38 The man ·whom Jesus had healed [L from whom the demons had gone out] begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Go back home and ·tell [explain to] people ·how much [or what great things] God has done for you.” So the man went all over town ·telling [proclaiming] ·how much [or what great things] Jesus had done for him.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.