Book of Common Prayer
Thanksgiving for Escaping Death
A psalm of David. A song for ·giving the Temple to the Lord [L the dedication of the Temple; C perhaps written by David in anticipation of the dedication of the Temple under Solomon; the connection with healing is uncertain].
30 I will ·praise [L exalt] you, Lord,
because you ·rescued me [L brought me up].
You did not let my enemies ·laugh at [rejoice over] me.
2 Lord, my God, I ·prayed to you [cried to you for help],
and you healed me.
3 You lifted me out of ·the grave [or the underworld; L Sheol];
you spared me from going down to the ·place of the dead [L Pit; 16:10].
4 Sing praises to the Lord, you ·who belong to him [loyal ones; saints];
·praise [give thanks to] his holy name.
5 His anger lasts only a moment,
but his ·kindness [favor] lasts for a lifetime.
Crying may last for a night,
but joy comes in the morning.
6 When I ·felt safe [or was prosperous], I said,
“I will never ·fear [L be moved].”
7 Lord, in your ·kindness [favor] you made my mountain ·safe [L stand; C God made him prosperous and safe].
But when you ·turned away [L hid your face; C because he became self-reliant, v. 6], I was ·frightened [terrified; or discouraged].
8 I ·called [prayed] to you, Lord,
and ·asked you to have mercy on me [made supplication].
9 I said, “What ·good will it do if I die [profit is there for you in my blood]
or if I go down to ·the grave [corruption; destruction]?
·Dust cannot [L Will the dust…?; Gen. 2:7; Eccl. 12:7] ·praise [thank] you;
·it cannot [L will it…?] speak about your ·truth [faithfulness].
10 Lord, hear me and have mercy on me.
Lord, help me.”
11 You changed my ·sorrow [mourning] into dancing.
You took away my ·clothes of sadness [sackcloth],
and clothed me in ·happiness [joy].
12 I will sing to you and not be silent.
Lord, my God, I will ·praise you [give you thanks] forever.
It Is Better to Confess Sin
A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of David.
32 ·Happy [Blessed] is the person
whose ·sins [transgressions] are forgiven,
whose ·wrongs [sins] are ·pardoned [L covered].
2 ·Happy [Blessed] is the person
whom the Lord ·does not consider guilty [imputes no guilt to]
and in ·whom [L whose spirit] there is nothing ·false [deceptive].
3 When I kept ·things to myself [silent],
·I felt weak deep inside me [L my bones wasted away].
I ·moaned [sighed] all day long.
4 Day and night ·you punished me [L your hand was heavy on me].
My strength was ·gone [dried up; sapped] as in the summer heat. ·
5 Then I ·confessed [made known; disclosed] my sins to you
and didn’t ·hide [cover up] my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my ·sins [transgressions] to the Lord,”
and you forgave ·my guilt [L the guilt of my sin]. ·
6 For this reason, all ·who obey you [your saints/holy ones]
should pray to you while ·they still can [or you may be found; L at a time of finding only; Prov. 1:24–27].
When troubles rise like a flood,
they will not reach them.
7 You are my hiding place.
You protect me from ·my troubles [distress]
and ·fill [L surround] me with ·songs [loud cries] of ·salvation [rescue; T deliverance]. ·
8 The Lord says, “I will ·make you wise [instruct you] and ·show [teach] you ·where to [L the way you should] go.
I will ·guide [counsel] you and ·watch over [L my eye will be on] you.
9 So don’t be like a horse or donkey,
that doesn’t understand.
·They must be led [L …whose temper/or gallop must be restrained] with bits and reins,
or they will not come near you.”
10 Wicked people have many ·troubles [pains; torments; woes],
but the Lord’s ·love [loyalty; covenant love] surrounds those who ·trust [have confidence in] him.
11 ·Good [Righteous] people, rejoice and be happy in the Lord.
·Sing [Shout joyfully] all you whose hearts are ·right [upright; virtuous].
Book 2: Psalms 42–72
Wishing to Be Near God
For the director of music. A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as Temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22].
42 As a deer ·thirsts [longs; T pants] for streams of water,
so ·I [T my soul] ·thirst [L longs] for you, God.
2 ·I [T My soul] thirst for the living God.
When can I go to ·meet with [L see] ·him [L the face of God]?
3 Day and night, my tears have been my food.
People are always saying,
“Where is your God?”
4 When I remember these things,
I ·speak with a broken heart [L pour out my soul].
I used to walk with the ·crowd [throng]
and lead them to ·God’s Temple [L the house of God]
with ·songs of praise [L the sound of praise and thanks, a crowd in procession].
5 Why ·am I so sad [L are you cast down, my soul]?
Why ·am I so upset [L are you groaning/in an uproar]?
I ·should [or will] ·put my hope in [wait for] God
and ·keep praising [or will again praise] him,
my ·Savior [Victor] and 6 my God.
·I am very sad [My soul is cast down].
So I remember you ·where the Jordan River begins [L from the land of Jordan],
·near the peaks of [L and from] Hermon and Mount Mizar [C far from the Temple where God made his presence known].
7 ·Troubles have come again and again [L Deep calls to deep], ·sounding like waterfalls [L at the sound of your torrents; C waters represent distress; 69:1–2].
Your waves and your breakers ·are crashing all around [L pass over] me.
8 The Lord ·shows [commands] his ·true love [loyalty; covenant love] every day.
At night I have a song,
and I pray to my living God.
9 I say to God, my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why am I ·sad [L going around in mourning]
and ·troubled [oppressed] by my enemies?”
10 My enemies’ ·insults [scorn] make me feel
as if my bones were ·broken [L murdered].
They are always saying,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why ·am I so sad [L are you cast down, my soul]?
Why ·am I so upset [are you groaning/in an uproar]?
I ·should [or will] ·put my hope in [wait for] God
and ·keep praising [or will again praise] him,
my ·Savior [Victor] and my God.
A Prayer for Protection
43 God, defend me.
·Argue my case [L Vindicate me, O God, and contend for/defend me] against ·those who don’t follow you [L a godless nation].
·Save [Rescue; T Deliver] me from ·liars [deceivers] and those who ·do evil [are unjust].
2 God, you are my ·strength [L refuge].
Why have you rejected me?
Why am I ·sad [L going around in mourning]
and ·troubled [oppressed] by my enemies?
3 Send me your light and ·truth [faithfulness]
to ·guide [lead] me.
Let them ·lead [bring] me to your holy mountain [C Zion, the location of the Temple],
to ·where you live [your dwelling].
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God who is my joy and happiness.
I will praise you with a ·harp [lyre],
God, my God.
5 Why ·am I so sad [L are you downcast, my soul]?
Why ·am I so upset [are you groaning/in an uproar]?
I ·should [or will] ·put my hope in [wait for] God
and ·keep praising [or will again praise] him,
my ·Savior [Victor] and my God.
The Angel and the Small Scroll
10 Then I saw another ·powerful [mighty; strong] ·angel [messenger; 5:2] coming down from heaven ·dressed [wrapped; robed] in a cloud with a ·rainbow [or halo] over his head. His face was like the sun, and his ·legs [or feet] were like pillars of fire. 2 The angel was holding a small scroll open in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land. 3 Then he ·shouted [cried out] loudly like the roaring of a lion [Hos. 11:10; Amos 3:8]. And when he ·shouted [cried out], the voices of seven thunders [Ps. 29] spoke. 4 When the seven thunders spoke, I ·started [was about] to write. But I heard a voice from heaven say, “·Keep hidden [L Seal up; Dan. 12:4] what the seven thunders said, and do not write them down.”
5 Then the angel I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven [C as when taking an oath; Ex. 6:8; Deut. 32:40], 6 and he ·made a promise [swore an oath] ·by the power of the One [L by the One] who lives forever and ever [Dan. 12:7]. He is the One who ·made [created] the ·skies [or heavens] and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it [Gen. 1]. The angel ·promised [swore an oath], “There will be no ·more waiting [delay; L time]! 7 [L But] In the days when the seventh angel is ready to blow his trumpet, God’s ·secret [mystery; hidden plan] will be ·finished [completed]. This ·secret [mystery; hidden plan] is ·the Good News God told [or just as he announced] to his servants, the prophets [Amos 3:7; 1 Pet. 1:10–12].”
8 Then I heard the same voice from heaven again, saying to me: “Go and take the open scroll that is in the hand of the angel that is standing on the sea and on the land.”
9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the small scroll. And he said to me, “Take the scroll and eat it [C a symbol of internalizing the word]. It will be ·sour [bitter] in your stomach [C because it is a message of judgment], but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey [C because it is God’s word and because it brings salvation and vindication to his people; Ps. 119:103; Jer. 15:16; Ezek. 2:8—3:3].” 10 So I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. In my mouth it tasted sweet as honey, but after I ate it, it was ·sour [bitter] in my stomach. 11 Then I was told, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings [C he must share the word he just received].”
Jesus Teaches About Prayer(A)
11 One time Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his ·followers [disciples] said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his ·followers [disciples].”
2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, ·may your name always be kept holy [T hallowed be your name].
May your kingdom come [C soon or fully].
3 Give us ·the food we need for each day [T our daily bread].
4 Forgive us for our sins,
·because [as] we forgive everyone who ·has done wrong to us [sins against us; L is indebted to us; C sin is pictured as a debt owed].
And ·do not cause us to be tempted [or do not subject us to testing; T lead us not into temptation].’”[a]
Continue to Ask(B)
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose one of you went to your friend’s house at midnight and said to him, ‘Friend, loan me three loaves of bread. 6 A friend of mine has come ·into town [L from the road] to visit me, but I have nothing ·for him to eat [to offer him; L to set before him].’ 7 Your friend inside the house answers, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already ·locked [shut], and my children ·and I are [L are with me] in bed [C a small Palestinian home where everyone slept in one room]. I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, [L even] if friendship is not enough to make him get up to give you the bread, ·your boldness will make him [your shameless persistence will make him; or in order not to be shamed before the community he will] get up and give you whatever you need. 9 So I tell you, ·ask [keep on asking], and God will give to you. ·Search [Keep on searching/seeking], and you will find. ·Knock [Keep on knocking], and the door will open for you. 10 ·Yes, [L For; Because] everyone who asks will receive. The one who ·searches [seeks] will find. And everyone who knocks will have the door opened. 11 If your ·children ask [or son asks] for[b] a fish, which of you fathers would give them a snake instead? 12 Or, if ·your children ask [or he asks] for an egg, would you give them a scorpion? 13 Even though you are ·bad [sinful; evil], you know how to give good ·things [L gifts] to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
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