Book of Common Prayer
God’s Love for Israel
105 Give thanks to the Lord and ·pray to him [L call on his name].
·Tell [L Make known among] the nations what he has done.
2 Sing to him; ·sing praises [make a psalm] to him.
Tell about all his ·miracles [wonderful acts].
3 ·Be glad that you are his [L Exult/Glory in his holy name];
let ·those [L the heart of those] who seek the Lord ·be happy [rejoice].
4 ·Depend on [Seek] the Lord and his strength;
always ·go to him for help [L seek his face].
5 Remember the ·miracles [wonderful acts] he has done;
remember his ·wonders [signs] and ·his decisions [L the judgments of his mouth].
6 You are ·descendants [L seed] of his servant Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3],
the children of Jacob, his chosen people.
7 He is the Lord our God.
His ·laws [justice; judgments] are for all the world.
8 He will ·keep [L remember] his ·agreement [covenant; treaty] forever;
·he will keep his promises always [L the word which he commanded, for a thousand generations].
9 He will keep the ·agreement [covenant; treaty] he ·made [L cut] with Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3; 17:23]
and the ·promise [oath] he made to Isaac [Gen. 26:3–5].
10 He made it a ·law [statute; ordinance; requirement] for the people of Jacob;
he made it an ·agreement [covenant; agreement] with Israel to last forever.
11 The Lord said, “I will give you the land of Canaan [Gen. 15:18],
·and it will belong to you [L as a portion of your inheritance].”
12 Then ·God’s people [L they] were few in number.
They were ·strangers [sojourners; wanderers; resident aliens] in the land.
13 They went from one nation to another,
from one kingdom to another.
14 But the Lord did not let anyone ·hurt [exploit; oppress] them;
he warned kings ·not to harm them [L concerning them].
15 He said, “Don’t touch my ·chosen [anointed] people,
and don’t harm my prophets.”
16 ·God [He] ·ordered [proclaimed] a ·time of hunger [famine] in the land,
and he ·destroyed all the food [L broke every staff of bread; Gen. 41:54].
17 Then he sent a man ahead of them—
Joseph, who was sold as a slave [Gen. 37; 45:5; 50:20].
18 They ·put chains around his feet [L afflicted his feet with chain]
and an iron ·ring [collar] around his neck.
19 ·Then the time he had spoken of came,
and the Lord’s words proved that Joseph was right [or Until the time he had spoken of came, the words of the Lord kept testing him].
20 The king [C of Egypt] sent for Joseph and ·freed [released] him;
the ruler of the people set him free [Gen. 41:14, 40].
21 He made him the ·master [lord] of his house;
Joseph was in charge of his riches [Acts 7:10].
22 He could ·order [bind] the princes as he wished.
He taught the older men to be wise.
23 Then Israel [C another name for Jacob, Joseph’s father] came to Egypt;
Jacob lived in the land of Ham [C Egypt; Gen. 46:1–7].
24 The Lord made his people ·grow in number [fruitful; Ex. 1:7],
and he ·made them stronger than [strengthened them against] their ·enemies [foes].
25 He ·caused the Egyptians [L turned their hearts] to hate his people
and to ·make plans [L act deceptively] against his servants [Ex. 1:8].
26 Then he sent his servant Moses,
and Aaron, whom he had chosen [Ex. 3:1—4:17].
27 They did many signs among the Egyptians
and worked ·wonders [miracles; C the plagues; Ex. 7–12] in the land of Ham [C Egypt; Gen. 46:1–7].
28 The Lord sent darkness and made the land dark,
but the Egyptians ·turned against what he said [rebelled against his word; Ex. 10:21–29].
29 He changed their water into blood
and made their fish die [Ex. 7:14–25].
30 Then their country ·was filled [swarmed] with frogs,
even in the bedrooms of their ·rulers [L kings; Ex. 8:1–17].
31 The Lord spoke and flies came [Ex. 8:20–32],
and gnats were everywhere in the country [Ex. 8:16–19].
32 He made hail fall like rain
and sent lightning through their land.
33 He struck down their grapevines and fig trees,
and he ·destroyed [shattered] every tree in the country [Ex. 9:13–35].
34 He spoke and ·grasshoppers [locusts] came;
the ·locusts [young locusts] ·were too many to count [L without number].
35 They ate all the ·plants [vegetation] in the land
and ·everything the earth produced [L the fruit of the ground; Ex. 10:1–20].
36 ·The Lord [L He] also ·killed [L struck] all the firstborn sons in the land,
the oldest son of each family [L the first of their virility; Ex. 11:1—12:30].
37 Then he brought them out with silver and gold [Ex. 12:35–36].
·Not one of his people stumbled [L There was no stumbling among the tribe].
38 The Egyptians ·were glad [rejoiced] when they left,
because ·the Egyptians were afraid of them [L dread of them fell on them; C because of the plagues].
39 ·The Lord covered them with a cloud [L He spread out a cloud as a covering]
and ·lit up the night with fire [L a fire to illuminate the night; Ex. 13:21–22].
40 When they asked, he brought them quail
and filled them with bread from heaven [Ex. 16].
41 God ·split [L opened] the rock, and water flowed out;
it ran like a river through the ·desert [wasteland; Ex. 17:1–7].
42 He remembered his holy ·promise [word]
to his servant Abraham [Gen. 12:1–3].
43 So God brought his people out with joy,
his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them lands of other nations,
so they received ·what others had worked for [L the labors of peoples].
45 This was so they would ·keep [observe; guard] his ·orders [statutes; ordinances; requirements]
and ·obey [protect] his ·teachings [instructions; laws].
Praise the Lord!
All People Will Learn About God
65 The Lord says, “I ·made myself known to people [L allowed myself to be sought by those] who were not looking for me.
I was found by those who were not asking me for help.
I said, ‘Here I am. Here I am,’
to a nation that ·was not praying to me [did not call on my name; or called by my name].
2 All day long I ·stood ready to accept [L stretched out my hands to a]
people who ·turned [rebelled] against me,
but the way they continue to ·live [walk] is not good;
·they do anything they want to do [following their own thoughts/schemes].
3 ·Right in front of me [To my face]
they continue to do things that make me angry.
They offer sacrifices to their gods in their gardens [1:29],
and they burn incense on altars of brick.
4 They sit among the graves
and spend their nights ·waiting to get messages from the dead [or keeping vigil; or in secret places].
They eat the ·meat [flesh] of pigs [C unclean animal; Lev. 11:7; Deut. 14:8],
and their pots are full of soup made from ·meat that is wrong to eat [defiled/polluted things].
5 But they tell others, ‘Stay away, and don’t come near me.
I am too holy for you.’
These ·people [or practices] are like smoke in my ·nose [nostrils].
Like a fire that burns all ·the time [day long; C their sin never ceases and God’s anger grows].
6 “Look, it is written here before me.
I will not ·be quiet [keep silent]; instead, I will repay you in full.
I will ·punish you for what you have done [L pay it back into their laps/bosom].
7 I will punish you for your sins and your ·ancestors’ [fathers’] sins,”
says the Lord.
“They burned incense ·to gods on [L on] the mountains
and ·shamed [insulted; defied] me on those hills.
So I will ·punish them as they should be punished
for what they did [L measure into their laps/bosoms payment for their former deeds].”
8 This is what the Lord says:
“When there is ·juice left [new wine; or good grapes] in a bunch of grapes,
people say, “Don’t destroy it,
because there is ·good left [L blessing] in it.”
So I will do the same thing to my servants—
I will not destroy them all.
9 I will ·leave some of the children of [produce/bring forth offspring/seed from] Jacob,
and some of the people of Judah will ·receive [possess; inherit] my mountain.
·I will choose the people who [My chosen ones] will ·live there [possess/inherit it];
my servants will live there.
10 Then ·the Plain of Sharon [L Sharon; C a fertile plain in western Israel; 33:9] will be a field for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor [C located in eastern Israel, near Jericho] will be a place for herds to rest.
They will be for the people who ·want to follow [have sought] me.
11 “But as for you who ·left [abandoned; forsook] the Lord,
who forgot about my holy mountain,
who ·worship the god Luck [L spread a table for Fortune/Luck; C Hebrew Gad, a pagan god],
·who hold religious feasts for the god Fate [L fill bowls of mixed wine for Fate; C Hebrew Meni, a pagan god],
12 I ·decide your fate, and I will punish you with my sword [L destine/number you for the sword].
You will all ·be killed [fall in the slaughter; or bow to the executioner],
because I called you, but you refused to answer.
I spoke to you, but you wouldn’t listen.
You did ·the things I said were evil [L evil before my eyes]
and chose to do things ·that displease me [L I did not delight in].”
A Warning About False Teachers
4 Now the ·Holy Spirit [L Spirit] clearly says that in the later times some people will ·stop believing [abandon; desert] the faith [2 Thess. 2:3–9; 2 Tim. 3:1]. They will ·follow [occupy themselves with; devote themselves to] ·spirits that lie [deceiving spirits] and teachings of demons. 2 Such teachings come ·from the false words [or through the hypocrisy] of liars whose consciences are ·destroyed [seared; or branded] as if by a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and tell them not to eat certain foods which God created to be ·eaten [received] with thanks by people who believe and know the truth. 4 [L For] Everything God created is good, and nothing should be ·refused [rejected] if it is accepted with thanks, 5 because it is ·made holy [sanctified] by ·what God has said [the word/pronouncement of God] and by prayer.
Be a Good Servant of Christ
6 By ·telling [pointing out] these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. You will be ·made strong [nourished; nurtured] by the words of the faith and the good teaching which you have been following. 7 But ·do not follow [reject] ·foolish stories that disagree with God’s truth [T godless myths and old wives tales], but train yourself ·to serve God [for godliness/piety]. 8 [L For] ·Training your body [Physical exercise] helps you in ·some [or small] ways, but ·serving God [godliness] helps you in every way ·by bringing you blessings [L since it holds promise] in this life and in the future life, too. 9 What I say is true [or This saying/word is trustworthy; 1:15; 3:1; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 3:8], and ·you should fully accept it [L worthy of full acceptance]. 10 This is why we work and struggle,[a] because we have put our hope in the living God who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things. 12 Do not let anyone ·treat you as if you are unimportant [despise/disregard/look down on you] because you are young. Instead, be an example to the believers with your words, your ·actions [conduct; behavior], your love, your ·faith [faithfulness], and your ·pure life [purity]. 13 Until I come, ·continue to read the Scriptures to the people [attend/devote yourself to the public reading (of Scripture)], ·strengthen [encourage; exhort] them, and teach them. 14 ·Use [L Do not neglect] the ·gift from the Spirit [spiritual gift; L gift] ·you have [that is in you], which was given to you through prophecy when the group of elders laid their hands on you [C a way of dedicating someone to Christian service; 1:18; 5:22]. 15 ·Continue [Take care; Be diligent] to do those things; give your life to doing them so your progress may be seen by everyone. 16 Be ·careful [conscientious] ·in your life [L about yourself] and in your teaching. If you ·continue to live and teach rightly [L persevere in these things], you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.
Is It Right to Pay Taxes or Not?(A)
13 Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians [C a political group that supported king Herod and his family; 3:6] to Jesus to ·trap [catch] him in saying something wrong. 14 They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are ·an honest man [true; honest; sincere]. You are not ·afraid of [concerned about] what other people think about you, because you ·pay no attention to who they are [play no favorites; are impartial; aren’t swayed by appearances]. And you teach ·the truth [with sincerity/honesty] about God’s way. Tell us: Is it ·right [permissible; lawful] to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Should we pay them, or not?” [C Saying “yes” would anger Jews who hated Roman rule; saying “no” could result in being charged with insurrection.]
But knowing ·what these men were really trying to do [L their hypocrisy], Jesus said to them, “Why are you ·trying to trap [testing] me? Bring me a ·coin [L denarius; C a Roman coin worth a day’s wages] to look at.” 16 They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose ·image [likeness; portrait] and ·name [inscription] are on the coin?”
They answered, “Caesar’s.” [C Ironically, the religious leaders carry coins bearing the idolatrous image of Caesar.]
17 Then Jesus said to them, “·Give [T Render] to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.” They were amazed at what Jesus said.
Some Sadducees Try to Trick Jesus(B)
18 Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) 19 They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and ·have children [L raise up offspring/seed] for his brother [Deut. 25:5]. 20 Once there were seven brothers. The first brother ·married [L took a wife] and died, leaving no children. 21 So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. 22 All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too. 23 Since all seven brothers had married her, ·when people rise from the dead [L at the resurrection], whose wife will she be?”
24 Jesus answered, “·You are mistaken [L Are you not mistaken/in error…?] because you don’t know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God. 25 [L For] When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. 26 ·Surely you have read [L Have you not read…?] what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush [Ex. 3:1–12], it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob [Ex. 3:6; C God is still the God of the patriarchs, so they must have a continued existence after death].’ 27 God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are ·wrong [greatly deceived; badly mistaken]!”
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