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.
Daniel Taken to Babylon
1 During the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah [C 605 bc], Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon [C ruled 605–562 bc] came to Jerusalem and ·surrounded it with his army [besieged/L pressed it]. 2 The Lord ·allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jehoiakim king of Judah [L gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand; C God was in control, not Nebuchadnezzar]. Nebuchadnezzar also took some of the ·things [articles; utensils; C cups, forks, and other items used in ritual; 5:2–4; Ex. 27:9; 30:27; 31:8–9; Ezra 1:9–11] from the ·Temple [L house] of God, which he carried to ·Babylonia [L the land of Shinar] and put in the ·temple [L house of the treasury] of his ·gods [or god; C probably Marduk, the chief god of Babylon].
3 Then King Nebuchadnezzar ordered Ashpenaz, ·his chief officer [or the chief of his eunuchs], to bring some of the ·men of Judah into his palace. He wanted them to be from important families, including the family of the king of Judah [L …sons of Israel, from the royal family and from the nobility]. 4 King Nebuchadnezzar wanted only ·young Israelite men [L children] who had ·nothing wrong with them [L no blemish; 2 Sam. 14:25; Song 4:4]. They were to be ·handsome [L of good appearance] and ·well educated [L skilled in all wisdom], ·capable of learning [L knowing knowledge] and understanding, and able to ·serve [L stand] in his palace [Gen. 41:33]. Ashpenaz was to teach them the language and ·writings [literature] of the ·Babylonians [L Chaldeans; C probably Akkadian and Aramaic; the literature would include myths and legends as well as divination texts]. 5 The king ·gave the young men [L allotted/assigned to them] ·a certain amount of food and wine every day, just like the food he ate [L a daily ration of the royal food and wine he drank]. The young men were to be ·trained [educated] for three years, and then they would ·become servants of the king of Babylon [L stand before the king]. 6 Among those young men were Daniel [C “God is my judge”], Hananiah [C “The Lord is gracious to me”], Mishael [C “Who is like God”], and Azariah [C “The Lord is my helper”] from the ·people [L sons] of Judah.
7 Ashpenaz, the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs], gave them names [C Babylonian, that is Akkadian, names]. Daniel’s new name was Belteshazzar, Hananiah’s was Shadrach, Mishael’s was Meshach, and Azariah’s was Abednego [C the new names praised Babylonian gods].
8 Daniel ·decided [L set his heart] not to eat the king’s food or drink his wine because that would ·defile [contaminate] him [C perhaps would make him ritually unclean, but more likely because he depended on God to sustain him]. So he ·asked [sought] ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] for permission not to ·defile [contaminate] himself in this way.
9 God made Ashpenaz, the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs], want to be ·kind [loving] and ·merciful [gracious] to Daniel, 10 but ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] said to Daniel, “I am afraid of my master, the king. He ·ordered me to give you this [L allotted/assigned your] food and drink. If you begin to look ·worse [thinner] than other ·young men [children; youth] your age, the king will see this. Then ·he will cut off my head because of you [L you will forfeit my head to the king].”
11 Daniel spoke to the ·guard [or attendant; steward] whom the chief ·officer [or of the eunuchs] had ·appointed [allotted/assigned] over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Please give us this test for ten days: Don’t give us anything but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare how we look with how the other ·young men [children; youth] look who eat the king’s ·food [rations]. See for yourself and then decide how you want to treat us, your servants.”
14 So the ·guard [or attendant; steward] ·agreed to test [L listened to them on this matter and tested] them for ten days. 15 After ten days they looked healthier and ·better fed [L their flesh was fatter] than all the ·young men [children; youths] who ate the king’s ·food [rations]. 16 So the ·guard [or attendant; steward] took away the king’s special food and wine, feeding them vegetables instead.
17 God gave these four ·young men [children; youths] ·wisdom [knowledge] and ·the ability to learn many things that people had written and studied [insight into wisdom and literature]. Daniel could also understand visions and dreams.
18 At the end of the ·time [L days] ·set for them by the king [L which the king said to bring them; v. 5], ·Ashpenaz [L the chief officer/or of the eunuchs] brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked to them and found that none of the young men were ·as good as [L like] Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So ·those four young men became the king’s servants [L they stood before the king]. 20 Every time the king ·asked them about [L sought from them] something important, they showed much wisdom and understanding. They were ten times better than all the ·magicians [enchanters] and ·fortune-tellers [diviners] in his kingdom! 21 So Daniel ·continued to be the king’s servant [was there] until the first year Cyrus was king.
1 We ·write [announce/proclaim to] you now about what ·has always existed [was from the beginning; Gen. 1:1; John 1:1], which we have heard, [L which] we have seen with our own eyes, [L which] we have looked at, and we have touched with our hands. We ·write [announce/proclaim] to you about the ·Word that gives life [Word of life; C associating the logos or “word” with Jesus suggests he is God’s communication with humanity; John 1:4; 11:25; 14:6]. 2 ·He who gives life [L The life] ·was shown [appeared; was revealed] to us. We saw him and can ·give proof about [testify/witness to] it. And now we ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you ·that he has life that continues forever [L the eternal life]. He was with ·God the Father [L the Father] and ·was shown [appeared; was revealed] to us. 3 We ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you what we have seen and heard, ·because we want you also to have [so that you also may have] fellowship with us. Our fellowship is with ·God the Father [L the Father] and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to you so ·we[a] may be full of joy [our joy may be complete/perfect/come to full expression].
God Forgives Our Sins
5 Here is the message we have heard from ·Christ [L him] and now ·announce [proclaim; declare] to you: God is light [C referring to God’s truth and goodness], and in him there is no darkness [C referring to falsehood and evil] at all. 6 So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we ·continue living [L are walking] in darkness, we are liars and do not ·follow [perform; practice; act according to] the truth [John 8:12; 12:35]. 7 But if we ·live [L walk] in the light, as ·God [L he] is in the light, we ·can share [have] fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, cleanses us from every sin.
8 If we say we ·have no sin [or have no sin nature; or are not guilty of sinning], we are ·fooling [deceiving] ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because ·we can trust God to do what is right [L he is faithful and righteous/just; Deut. 32:4]. He will ·cleanse [purify] us from all ·the wrongs we have done [unrighteousness]. 10 If we ·say [claim] we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and ·we do not accept God’s teaching [L his word is not in us].
Jesus Prays for His Followers
17 After Jesus said these things, he ·looked [L raised his eyes] toward heaven and ·prayed [L said], “Father, the ·time [L hour; C the time of his death and resurrection] has come. ·Give glory to [Glorify; Honor] your Son so that the Son can ·give glory to [glorify; honor] you. 2 You gave the Son ·power [authority] over all ·people [T flesh] so that the Son could give eternal life to all those you gave him. 3 And this is eternal life: that people know you, the only true God, and that they know Jesus Christ, the One you sent. 4 Having ·finished [completed] the work you gave me to do, I ·brought you glory [glorified/honored you] on earth [C by leading people to praise God]. 5 And now, Father, ·give me glory [glorify/honor me] ·with you [or in your presence]; give me the ·glory [honor] I had with you before the world ·was made [existed; began].
6 “I ·showed what you are like [L revealed your name; C God’s reputation/character] to ·those [L the people] you gave me from the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have ·obeyed your teaching [L kept your word]. 7 Now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. 8 [L Because] I gave them the ·teachings [words; utterances] you gave me, and they ·accepted [received] them. They knew that I truly came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I am ·praying for them [asking on their behalf]. I am not ·praying for [asking on behalf of] people in the world but for those you gave me, because they are yours. 10 ·All I have is yours, and all you have is mine [L All mine are yours and all yours are mine]. And ·my glory is shown [I am glorified] through them. 11 I am coming to you; I will not stay in the world any longer. But they are still in the world. Holy Father, ·keep them safe by the power of [or keep them loyal to] your name, the name you gave me, so that they will be one, just as you and I are one.
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