Book of Common Prayer
A Morning Prayer for Protection
For the director of music. For flutes. A psalm of David.
5 Lord, ·listen [L give ear] to my words.
Understand my ·sadness [L moans; sighs].
2 ·Listen [Pay attention] to my cry for help, my King and my God,
because I pray to you.
3 Lord, every morning you hear my voice.
Every morning, I ·tell you what I need [or prepare a sacrifice for you; L stretch out/arrange before you],
and I ·wait for your answer [L watch].
4 You are not a God who ·is pleased with the wicked [takes delight in evil];
·you do not live with those who do evil [L evil does not sojourn with you].
5 Those people who ·make fun of you [or boast] cannot stand before ·you [L your eyes].
You hate all those who do evil.
6 You destroy ·liars [L those who speak lies];
the Lord ·hates [despises] those ·who kill and trick others [L with bloodguilt and deceit].
7 Because of your great ·love [loyalty; covenant love],
I ·can [or will] come into your ·Temple [L house].
Because I ·fear you [hold you in awe],
I can ·worship [bow down] ·in [or toward] your holy Temple.
8 Lord, since I have many enemies,
·show me the right thing to do [L lead/guide me in your righteousness].
·Show me clearly how you want me to live [L Make your way straight before me].
9 My enemies’ mouths do not tell the truth;
·in their hearts they want to destroy others [L their innards are destruction].
Their throats are like open graves [Rom. 3:13];
they use their tongues for ·telling lies [flattery].
10 God, ·declare them guilty [L make them bear their iniquity]!
Let them fall ·into their own traps [or by their own advice].
·Send [Cast] them away because their ·sins [transgressions] are many;
they have ·turned [rebelled] against you.
11 But let everyone who ·trusts [finds refuge in] you ·be happy [rejoice];
let them sing glad songs forever.
·Protect [L Spread your protection on] those who love you
and ·who are happy because of you [L let those who love your name rejoice in you].
12 Lord, you bless those who ·do what is right [are righteous];
you ·protect them [L surround them with favor] like a shield.
A Prayer for Mercy in Troubled Times
For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Upon the ·sheminith [L eighth; C a reference to an eight-stringed instrument or possibly the manner of singing]. A psalm of David.
6 Lord, don’t ·correct [rebuke; reprove] me when you are angry;
don’t ·punish [discipline] me when you are ·very angry [enraged].
2 Lord, ·have mercy on [be gracious to] me because I ·am weak [languish; faint].
Heal me, Lord, because my bones ·ache [are in agony].
3 I ·am very upset [ache; am in agony].
Lord, how long will it be?
4 Lord, return and save me;
·save [rescue; T deliver] me because of your ·kindness [loyalty; covenant love].
5 Dead people don’t remember you;
those in ·the grave [or the underworld; L Sheol] don’t praise you.
6 I am ·tired [weary] ·of crying to you [L because of my moaning].
Every night ·my bed is wet [L I flood my pillow] with tears;
my bed is soaked from my crying.
7 My eyes are weak ·from so much crying [L because of my grief];
they are weak ·from crying about [L because of] my enemies.
8 Get away from me, all you who do evil,
because the Lord has heard my ·crying [supplication].
9 The Lord has heard my cry for help;
the Lord will ·answer [accept] my prayer.
10 All my enemies will be ashamed and ·troubled [in agony; vv. 2–3].
They will turn and suddenly leave in shame.
A Complaint About Evil People
10 Lord, why ·are you [L do you stand] so far away?
Why do you hide ·when there is [L in times of] ·trouble [distress]?
2 Proudly the wicked ·chase down [hunt down; persecute] ·those who suffer [or the poor].
Let them be caught in ·their own traps [L the schemes they have thought up].
3 They ·brag [boast] about the ·things they want [L cravings/desires of their soul].
·They bless the greedy but [or The greedy curse and] ·hate [reject] the Lord.
4 The wicked people are too proud.
They do not ·look for [pursue; seek] God;
there is no room for God in their thoughts.
5 ·They always succeed [L Their ways are always successful/prosperous].
·They are far from keeping your laws [L Your judgments are above their grasp];
they ·make fun of [sneer/scoff at] their enemies.
6 They say ·to themselves [L in their hearts], “·Nothing bad will ever happen to me [L I will never be moved/shaken];
I will never ·be ruined [have trouble/be harmed].”
7 Their mouths are full of curses, ·lies [deceit], and ·threats [violence];
·they use their tongues for [L under their tongues is] ·sin [trouble] and evil [Rom. 3:14].
8 They ·hide [L lie in ambush] near the villages.
They ·look for innocent people to kill [murder the innocent; Prov. 1:11];
·they watch in secret [L their eyes look intently] for the helpless.
9 They ·wait in hiding [L lie in ambush in a covert/cover] like a lion.
They ·wait [L lie] to catch poor people;
they catch the poor in nets and drag them off.
10 The poor are crushed and thrown down;
they ·are defeated [L fall] ·because the others are stronger [L by their might].
11 The wicked ·think [L say in their hearts], “God has forgotten us.
He ·doesn’t see what is happening [L has hidden his face and does not see anything].”
12 Lord, rise up and ·punish the wicked [L raise your hand, God].
Don’t forget those who ·need help [are oppressed].
13 Why do wicked people ·hate [despise] God?
They say ·to themselves [L in their hearts], “·God won’t punish us [L You will not pursue].”
14 Lord, surely you see these ·cruel [troublesome] and ·evil [grievous] things;
look at them and ·do something [L put it in your hands].
·People in trouble [L The helpless] ·look to you for help [entrust/abandon themselves to your hands].
You are the one who helps the orphans.
15 Break the ·power [L hand] of wicked and evil people.
·Punish them for the evil they have done [L You will seek out their wickedness until you find none].
16 The Lord is King forever and ever.
·Destroy from your land those nations [L The nations will perish from his land].
17 Lord, you have heard ·what the poor people want [the desires of the poor].
·Do what they ask [L You will strengthen their heart], and ·listen to them [L you will cause your ear to pay attention].
18 ·Protect [L Bring justice to] the orphans and ·put an end to suffering [L the oppressed]
so ·they will no longer be afraid of evil people [L those from the earth may terrify no more].
Trust in the Lord
For the director of music. Of David.
11 I ·trust in the Lord for protection [find refuge in the Lord].
So why do you say to me,
“·Fly [L Flee] like a bird to your mountain.
2 For, look, the wicked ·string [bend] their bows;
they set their arrows on the bowstrings.
They shoot from dark places
at those who are ·honest [L upright/virtuous in heart].
3 When the foundations [C a stable society] collapse,
what can ·good [righteous] people do?”
4 The Lord is in his holy Temple;
the Lord sits on his throne in heaven.
·He sees what people do [L His eyes watch];
·he keeps his eye on them [L his gaze examines/tests people].
5 The Lord ·tests [examines] ·those who do right and those who do wrong [the righteous and the wicked],
but he hates those who love ·to hurt others [violence].
6 He will ·send [L rain] hot coals and burning sulfur on the wicked.
A ·whirlwind [scorching wind] is ·what they will get [L the portion of their cup; C an image of judgment; Is. 51:17, 22; Ezek. 23:31–33; Matt. 26:39].
7 The Lord ·does what is right [is righteous], and he loves ·justice [righteousness],
so ·honest people [the upright/virtuous] will see his face.
God Calls and Jonah Runs
1 The ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Get up, go to the great city of Nineveh [C the capital of Assyria; Gen. 10:11, 12; 2 Kin. 19:36], and ·preach [cry out] against it, because ·I see the evil things they do [its wickedness has come to my attention/L up before me].”
3 But Jonah got up to run away from the Lord by going to Tarshish [C probably Tartessos in southwest Spain, the opposite direction from Nineveh]. He went to the city of Joppa, where he found a ship that was going to the city of Tarshish. Jonah paid for the trip and went aboard, planning to go to Tarshish to run away from the Lord.
4 But the Lord ·sent [hurled] a great wind on the sea, which made the sea so stormy that the ship was in danger of breaking apart. 5 The sailors were afraid, and each man cried to his own god. They began throwing the cargo from the ship into the sea to make the ship lighter.
But Jonah had gone down far inside the ship to lie down, and he fell fast asleep. 6 The captain of the ship came and said, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray to your god! Maybe your god will ·pay attention to [take notice of] us, and we won’t die!”
7 Then the men said to each other, “Let’s throw lots to see who caused these troubles to happen to us.”
When they threw lots, the lot ·showed that the trouble had happened because of [singled out; L fell upon] Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us, who caused our trouble? What is your job? Where do you come from? What is your country? Who are your people?”
9 Then Jonah said to them, “I am a Hebrew. I ·fear [worship] the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land [Gen. 1].”
10 The men were very afraid, and they asked Jonah, “What terrible thing did you do?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord because he had told them.)
11 Since the wind and the waves of the sea were becoming much stronger, they said to him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
12 Jonah said to them, “Pick me up, and throw me into the sea, and then it will calm down. I know it is my fault that this great storm has come on you.”
13 Instead, the men ·tried [L dug in] to row the ship back to the land, but they could not, because the sea was becoming more stormy.
Jonah’s Punishment
14 So the men cried to the Lord, “Lord, please don’t let us die because of this man’s life; please don’t ·think we are [hold us] guilty of ·killing an innocent person [L innocent blood]. Lord, you have caused all this to happen; you wanted it this way.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ·became calm [ceased raging]. 16 Then they began to fear the Lord very much; they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made ·promises [vows] to him.
17 The Lord ·caused [appointed; provided] a big fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was ·inside [in the belly of] the fish three days and three nights.
Paul Tries to Persuade Agrippa
24 While Paul was saying these things to defend himself, Festus said loudly, “Paul, you are ·out of your mind [insane]! Too much ·study [learning] has driven you ·crazy [insane; mad]!”
25 Paul said, “Most excellent Festus, I am not crazy. My words are true and ·sensible [sober; rational]. 26 [L For] ·King Agrippa [L The king] knows about these things, and I can speak ·freely [boldly] to him. [L For] I ·know [L am convinced/persuaded] ·he has heard about all of these things [L none of these things were hidden from him], because they did not happen off in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, do you believe ·what the prophets wrote [L the prophets]? I know you believe.”
28 King Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think you can persuade me to become a Christian in such a short time? [or In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian!]”
29 Paul said, “Whether it is a short or a long time, I pray to God that not only you but every person listening to me today ·would be saved and be [L might become] like me—except for these chains I have.”
30 Then ·King Agrippa [L the king], ·Governor Festus [L the governor], Bernice, and all the people sitting with them stood up 31 and left the room. Talking to each other, they said, “This man has done nothing ·that deserves [worthy of] death or ·imprisonment [chains].” 32 And Agrippa said to Festus, “We could let this man go free, ·but he has [L if he had not] ·asked Caesar to hear his case [L appealed to Caesar].”
Paul Sails for Rome
27 It was decided that we would sail for Italy. An ·officer [centurion] named Julius, who served in the ·emperor’s army [Imperial/Augustan regiment; C a military unit directly under Caesar], ·guarded [took charge of] Paul and some other prisoners. 2 We got on a ship that was from the city of Adramyttium [C a seaport on the northwest coast of Asia Minor] and was about to sail to different ports in Asia [C a Roman province, in present-day Turkey]. Aristarchus [19:29; 20:4; Col. 4:10; Philem. 24], a man from the city of Thessalonica [17:1] in Macedonia [16:9], went with us. 3 The next day we ·came to [landed at] Sidon [12:20]. Julius was very ·good [kind; considerate] to Paul and gave him freedom to go visit his friends, who took care of his needs. 4 We left Sidon and sailed ·close to [to the north of; L under the lee/shelter of] the island of Cyprus [11:19], because the wind was blowing against us. 5 We ·went [L sailed] across the sea by Cilicia [6:9; 9:11] and Pamphylia [13:13] and landed at the city of Myra [C a significant city on the Andracus River] in Lycia [C a province in southeastern Asia Minor]. 6 There the ·officer [centurion] found a ship from Alexandria [C a major city in Egypt] that was going to Italy, so he put us on it.
7 We sailed slowly for many days. We had a hard time reaching Cnidus [C a port on the southwest side of Asia Minor] because the wind was blowing against us, and we could not go any farther. So we sailed ·by the south side [L under the shelter/lee] of the island of Crete [C a large island off the southern coast of Asia Minor] near Salmone [C a promontory on the eastern coast of Crete, present-day Cape Sidero]. 8 Sailing past it was hard. Then we came to a place called Fair Havens [C a bay on the southern coast of Crete], near the ·city [town] of Lasea [C a nearby Cretan city].
Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman(A)
40 When Jesus ·got back to the other side of the lake [L returned], a crowd welcomed him, because everyone was ·waiting for [expecting] him. 41 [L And look/T behold] A man named Jairus, a leader of the synagogue, came to Jesus and ·fell [bowed; knelt] at his feet, ·begging [urging; pleading with] him to come to his house. 42 [L …because] Jairus’ only daughter, about twelve years old, was dying.
While Jesus was on his way to Jairus’ house, the people were ·crowding [crushing; pressing] all around him. 43 A woman was in the crowd who had been bleeding for twelve years[a] [C probably a chronic menstrual disorder], but no one was able to heal her. 44 She came up behind Jesus and touched the ·edge [or tassel; see Num. 15:38–39] of his ·coat [cloak; garment], and instantly her bleeding stopped. 45 Then Jesus said, “Who touched me?”
When all the people ·said they had not touched him [denied it], Peter said, “Master, the people are all around you and are pushing against you.”
46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch me, because I felt power go out from me.” 47 When the woman saw she could not hide, she came forward, ·shaking [trembling], and fell down before Jesus. While all the people listened, she ·told [explained] why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. 48 Jesus said to her, “·Dear woman [L Daughter], ·you are made well because you believed [your faith has saved/healed you]. Go in peace.”
49 While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of the synagogue leader and said to him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t ·bother [trouble] the teacher anymore.”
50 When Jesus heard this, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just believe, and your daughter will be ·well [healed].”
51 When Jesus ·went [came] to the house, he let only Peter, John, James, and the girl’s father and mother go inside with him. 52 All the people were crying and ·feeling sad [wailing; lamenting; mourning] because the girl was dead, but Jesus said, “Stop crying. She is not dead, only asleep.”
53 The people ·laughed at [ridiculed] Jesus because they knew the girl was dead. 54 But Jesus took hold of her hand and called to her, “My child, ·stand up [arise]!” 55 Her ·spirit came back into her [or breath/life returned], and she ·stood up [arose] at once. Then Jesus ·ordered [directed] that she be given something to eat. 56 The girl’s parents were ·amazed [overwhelmed; astonished], but Jesus ·told [commanded; ordered] them not to tell anyone what had happened.
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