Book of Common Prayer
A Sad Complaint
A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah [C descendants of Kohath, son of Levi, who served as temple musicians; 1 Chr. 6:22]. For the director of music. By the ·mahalath [C perhaps “sickness”; Ps. 53] ·leannoth [C perhaps related to a word for “affliction” or a word for “chant”]. A ·maskil [skillful psalm; meditation] of Heman the Ezrahite [C perhaps a wise man (1 Kin. 4:31) or a Levitical singer (1 Chr. 6:16, 33, 39, 43–44; 15:17, 19)].
88 Lord, you are the God who ·saves me [gives me victory].
I cry out to you day and night.
2 Receive my prayer,
and ·listen [L extend your ear] to my cry.
3 My life is full of ·troubles [hurt; harm],
and ·I am nearly dead [L my life approaches/touches Sheol; C the grave or the underworld].
4 They think I am ·on the way to my grave [L like someone who goes down into the Pit].
I am like a man with no strength.
5 I have been ·left as dead [L freed among the dead],
like a ·body [corpse] lying in a grave
whom you don’t remember anymore,
cut off from your ·care [L hand].
6 You have ·brought me close to death [L set me in a Pit below];
·I am almost in the dark place of the dead [L …in the deepest darkness].
7 You have ·been very angry with [L put your wrath on] me;
·all your waves crush me [L you have afflicted me with all your breakers]. ·
8 You have ·taken [moved] my friends away from me
and have made ·them hate me [me an abomination to them].
I am ·trapped [imprisoned] and cannot ·escape [get out].
9 My eyes ·are weak [waste away] from ·crying [affliction].
Lord, I have ·prayed [called] to you every day;
I have ·lifted [spread out] my hands to you [C in prayer].
10 Do you ·show [L do] your ·miracles [wonderful acts] for the dead?
Do their ·spirits [shades; departed] rise up and ·praise [thank] you? ·
11 Will your ·love [loyalty] be ·told [recounted] in the grave?
Will your ·loyalty [faithfulness] be told in ·the place of death [L Abaddon/Destruction]?
12 Will your ·miracles [wonderful acts] be known in the ·dark grave [L darkness]?
Will your ·goodness [righteousness] be known in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But, Lord, I have called out to you for help;
every morning ·I pray to you [L my prayer comes before you].
14 Lord, why do you reject me?
Why do you hide your face from me?
15 I have been ·weak [afflicted] and dying since I was young.
I suffer from your terrors, and I am ·helpless [or depressed].
16 ·You have been angry with me [L Your wrath has passed over me],
and your terrors have ·destroyed [or silenced] me.
17 They surround me daily like ·a flood [water; C representing chaos];
they ·are [go] all around me.
18 You have ·taken away [removed me from] my loved ones and friends.
Darkness is my only friend.
Safe in the Lord
91 Those who ·go to God Most High for safety [L dwell/sit in the shelter of God Most High]
will ·be protected by [lodge in the shade/shadow of] the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “You are my ·place of safety [refuge] and ·protection [fortress].
You are my God and I ·trust [have confidence in] you.”
3 God will ·save [protect] you from ·hidden traps [L the snare of the fowler]
and from deadly ·diseases [pestilence].
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you ·can hide [will find refuge; Deut. 32:11; Is. 31:5; Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34].
His ·truth [faithfulness] will be your shield and ·protection [buckler; C a small shield].
5 You will not fear any ·danger by [terror at] night
or an arrow that flies during the day.
6 ·You will not be afraid of diseases [L …or the pestilence] that ·come [walks; stalks] in the dark
or ·sickness [L stings] that ·strikes [devastates; overpowers] at noon.
7 At your side one thousand people may ·die [L fall],
or even ten thousand ·right beside you [L at your right hand],
but ·you will not be hurt [L it will not touch you].
8 You will only ·watch [L look with your eyes]
and see the wicked ·punished [recompensed].
9 ·The Lord is your protection [L For you, Lord, are my refuge];
you have made God Most High your ·place of safety [dwelling place].
10 Nothing ·bad [evil; harmful] will ·happen to [befall] you;
no ·disaster [blow; or plague] will ·come to [approach] your ·home [L tent].
11 He has ·put his angels in charge of [L commanded his angels/messengers concerning] you
to ·watch over [keep; guard] ·you wherever you go [L all your ways].
12 They will ·catch you [lift you up] in their hands
so that you will not hit your foot on a rock [Matt. 4:6; Luke 4:10–11].
13 You will ·walk [tread] on lions and cobras;
you will ·step on [trample] strong lions and snakes.
14 The Lord says, “Whoever ·loves [desires] me, I will ·save [rescue].
I will ·protect [lift to safety] those who know ·me [L my name].
15 They will call to me, and I will answer them.
I will be with them in ·trouble [distress];
I will rescue them and ·honor [glorify] them.
16 I will ·give them a long, full life [L satisfy them with length of days],
and ·they will see how I can save [L show them my salvation/victory].”
Thanksgiving for God’s Goodness
A psalm. A song for the Sabbath day [Ex. 20:8–11; Deut. 5:12–15].
92 It is good to ·praise [thank] you, Lord,
to ·sing praises to [L make a psalm to the name of] God Most High.
2 It is good to ·tell of [proclaim] your ·love [loyalty] in the morning
and of your ·loyalty [faithfulness] at night.
3 It is good to praise you with the ten-stringed lyre
and ·with the soft-sounding [melody of the] harp.
4 Lord, you have made me ·happy [rejoice] by what you have done;
I will ·sing [shout] for joy about ·what your hands have done [L the works of your hand].
5 Lord, ·you have done such great things [L how great are your works]!
How deep are your thoughts [Is. 55:8; Rom. 11:33–34]!
6 ·Stupid [Senseless; Dull-witted] people don’t know these things,
and fools don’t understand.
7 Wicked people ·grow [may sprout] like the grass.
Evil people ·seem to do well [may blossom/flourish],
but they will be ·destroyed [doomed] forever.
8 But, Lord, you will be ·honored [exalted] forever.
9 Lord, surely your enemies,
surely your enemies will ·be destroyed [perish],
and all who do evil will be scattered.
10 But you have ·made me as strong as [exalted my horn like; C symbol of strength] an ox.
You have poured ·fine [rich; fresh] oils on me [C a gesture of hospitality].
11 When ·I [L my eyes] looked, I saw my enemies;
I heard the cries of those who ·are against me [L rose against me with evil; C he sees and hears the defeat of his enemies].
12 But ·good [righteous] people will ·grow [sprout] like palm trees [1:3; 52:8];
they will ·be tall [grow great] like the cedars of Lebanon [C trees that are strong, majestic, and long-lived].
13 Like trees planted in the ·Temple [L house] of the Lord,
they will ·grow strong [sprout] in the courtyards of our God.
14 When they are old, they will still produce fruit;
they will be healthy and ·fresh [green; verdant].
15 They will ·say [proclaim] that the Lord is ·good [virtuous; full of integrity; upright].
He is my Rock [28:1; 42:9; 62:2; Deut. 32:4], and there is no wrong in him.
The Lord’s Message of Freedom
61 The Lord God has put his Spirit in me,
because the Lord has ·appointed [anointed] me to ·tell [bring] the good news to the poor.
He has sent me to ·comfort [bind up] those whose hearts are broken,
to tell the captives they are free,
and to tell the prisoners they are released.
2 He has sent me to announce the ·time when the Lord will show his kindness [year of the Lord’s favor; C an allusion to the Year of Jubilee; Lev. 25:10; Luke 4:18–19]
and the ·time when our God will punish evil people [L day of vengeance of our God].
He has sent me to comfort all those who ·are sad [mourn]
3 and to help the ·sorrowing [mourning] people of ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C location of the Temple; 59:20].
I will give them a ·crown [garland; headdress] to replace their ashes,
and the oil of ·gladness [joy] to replace their ·sorrow [mourning],
and ·clothes [a garment] of praise to replace their ·spirit of sadness [discouragement; heavy heart].
Then they will be called ·Trees of Goodness [or Oaks of Righteousness],
trees planted by the Lord to show his ·greatness [glory; C manifest presence].
4 They will rebuild the ·old [ancient] ruins
and restore the places destroyed long ago [58:12].
They will repair the ruined cities
that were destroyed for ·so long [generations].
5 ·Foreigners [Strangers] will come to tend your sheep.
·People from other countries [Foreigners] will ·tend [plow] your fields and vineyards.
6 You will be called priests of the Lord;
you will be named the ·servants [ministers] of our God.
You will ·have riches from all the nations on earth [L eat the wealth of nations],
and ·you will take pride in them [L in their glory you will boast].
7 Instead of ·being ashamed [your shame], you will receive ·twice as much wealth [a double portion].
Instead of being ·disgraced [dishonored; humiliated], they will ·be happy because of what they receive [L rejoice over their portion].
They will receive a double share of the land,
so ·their happiness will continue forever [L everlasting joy will be theirs].
8 “I, the Lord, love justice.
I hate ·stealing [robbery] and ·everything that is wrong [wrongdoing].
·I will be fair and give my people what they should have [L I will reward/give wages in truth/faithfulness],
and I will make an ·agreement [covenant; treaty] with them that will continue forever.
9 ·Everyone in all nations will know the children of my people [L Their descendants/seed will be known among the nations/Gentiles],
and their ·children [offspring] will be known among the ·nations [peoples].
Anyone who sees them will know
that they are ·people [descendants; seed] the Lord has blessed.”
The Last Days
3 ·Remember [Know] this! In the last days there will be ·many troubles [L difficult/terrible times], 2 because people will love themselves, love money, ·brag [boast], and be ·proud [arrogant]. They will ·say evil things against others [speak abusively; or blaspheme] and will not obey their parents or be ·thankful [grateful] or be ·the kind of people God wants [holy; pious]. 3 They will not love others, will refuse to ·forgive [reconcile], will ·gossip [slander], and will not control themselves. They will be ·cruel [brutal], will ·hate [L not love] what is good, 4 will ·turn against their friends [be treacherous/traitors], and will ·do foolish things without thinking [be reckless]. They will be conceited, will love pleasure instead of God, 5 ·and will act as if they serve God [L having a form/appearance of godliness/piety] but will ·not have his [or deny his/its] power. ·Stay away from [Avoid] those people. 6 [L For] Some of them ·go [sneak; worm their way; talk their way] into homes and ·get control of [captivate; gain influence over] ·silly [vulnerable; or idle] women who are ·full of [or burdened with (the guilt of)] sin and are ·led [swayed; controlled] by ·many [all kinds of] evil desires. 7 These women are always ·learning [or seeking out] new teachings, but they are never able to ·understand [arrive at] the truth fully. 8 Just as Jannes and Jambres were against Moses [C the traditional names (not found in the OT) of the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses; Ex. 7:11], these people are against the truth. Their ·thinking has been ruined [minds/thoughts are corrupted/depraved], and they ·have failed in trying to follow the faith [or are teaching a counterfeit faith]. 9 But they will not ·be successful in what they do [or get much further], because as with Jannes and Jambres, everyone will see ·that they are foolish [their folly/ignorance].
Obey the Teachings
10 But you have followed what I teach, the way I live, my ·goal [purpose/aim (in life)], faith, patience, and love. ·You know I never give up [L …my endurance]. 11 ·You know how I have been hurt and have suffered […my persecution and suffering], as in Antioch [Acts 13:14–52], Iconium [Acts 14:1–5], and Lystra [Acts 14:6–20]. I have ·suffered [L endured such persecutions], but the Lord ·saved [rescued; delivered] me from all those troubles. 12 [L Indeed; In fact] Everyone who wants to live ·as God desires [in a godly manner], in Christ Jesus, will be persecuted. 13 But people who are evil and ·cheat others [impostors; charlatans] will go from bad to worse. ·They will fool others, but they will also be fooling themselves [L …deceiving and being deceived].
14 But you should continue following the teachings you learned. You ·know [are confident] they are true, ·because you trust those who taught you [L knowing from whom you learned them]. 15 Since you were a ·child [infant] you have known the ·Holy Scriptures [or sacred writings] which are able to make you wise. And that wisdom leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is ·inspired by God [breathed out by God; L God-breathed] and is useful for teaching, for ·showing people what is wrong in their lives [refuting error; rebuking], for correcting faults, and for ·teaching how to live right [training in righteousness]. 17 ·Using the Scriptures, [L …so that] ·the person who serves God [L God’s person] will be ·capable [competent], ·having all that is needed [fully equipped] to do every good work.
Jesus Talks a Third Time About His Death(A)
32 As Jesus and the people with him were on the road to Jerusalem, he was leading the way. His ·followers [disciples] were ·amazed [surprised; puzzled; alarmed], but others in the crowd who followed were afraid. Again Jesus took ·the twelve apostles [the Twelve] aside and began to tell them what was about to happen [to him] in Jerusalem. 33 He said, “Look, we are going [L up] to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be ·turned over [betrayed; delivered over; see 9:31] to the ·leading [T chief] priests and the ·teachers of the law [scribes]. They will ·say that he must die [condemn him to death], and they will turn him over to the ·Gentiles [C the Roman authorities], 34 who will laugh at him and spit on him. They will beat him with whips and ·crucify [L kill] him. But after three days, he will rise to life again.”
Two Followers Ask Jesus a Favor(B)
35 Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want ·to ask you to do something for us [you to do whatever we ask].”
36 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
37 They answered, “Let one of us sit at your right side and one of us sit at your left side in your glory [C the messianic kingdom].”
38 Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I must drink? And can you be baptized with the same kind of baptism that I must go through?” [C Both “cup” and “baptism” symbolize suffering, and perhaps God’s judgment experienced by Jesus on the cross; Jer. 25:15–29.]
39 They answered, “Yes, we can.”
Jesus said to them, “You will drink the same cup that I will drink, and you will be baptized with the same baptism that I must go through. 40 But ·I cannot choose [it is not for me to grant/say] who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom they have been prepared.”
41 When ·the other ten followers [L the ten] heard this, they began to be ·angry [indignant] with James and John.
42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers of ·other nations [the Gentiles] love to ·show their power [lord it] over the people, and their ·important leaders [high officials; L great ones] love to ·use [exert] their authority [L over them]. 43 But it ·should not be [must not be; is not to be] that way among you. [Instead, L But] Whoever wants to become great among you must ·serve the rest of you like a servant [L be your servant]. 44 Whoever wants to become the first among you must ·serve all of you like a slave [L be your slave]. 45 In the same way, the Son of Man did not come to be served. He came to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many people [Is. 53:12; John 11:49–50].”
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.