Old/New Testament
A Prayer Against the Enemies
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].
129 ·They have treated me badly all my life [L Many are my foes from my youth].
(Let Israel ·repeat this [L say].)
2 ·They have treated me badly all my life [L Many are my foes from my youth],
but they have not ·defeated [overcome; prevailed over] me.
3 ·Like farmers plowing, they plowed over my back [L The plowers plowed my back],
making ·long wounds [L their furrows long].
4 But the Lord does what is right;
he has ·set me free from those [L cut the cords of] wicked people.
5 Let those who hate ·Jerusalem [L Zion; C the location of the Temple]
be ·turned back in shame [L humiliated and turn back].
6 Let them be like the grass on the roof
that dries up before it has grown.
7 There is not enough of it ·to [L for the harvester to] fill a hand
or ·to make into a bundle [those who bind sheaves] to fill one’s arms.
8 Let those who pass by them not say,
“May the Lord bless you.
We bless you by the ·power [L name] of the Lord.”
A Prayer for Mercy
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover].
130 Lord, ·I am in great trouble [L from the depths],
so I ·call out [pray] to you.
2 Lord, hear my voice;
·listen to my prayer for help [L let your ear pay attention to the sound of my supplication].
3 Lord, if you ·punished people for all their sins [L observed/watched/guarded against iniquity],
·no one would be left [L who could stand…?], Lord.
4 But you forgive ·us [L your people],
so you are ·respected [feared; Prov. 1:7].
5 I ·wait [hope] for the Lord ·to help me [L my soul hopes],
and I ·trust [hope in] his word.
6 I ·wait for the Lord to help me [hope for the Lord]
more than night watchmen wait for the ·dawn [morning],
more than night watchmen wait for the ·dawn [morning].
7 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord
because he is ·loving [loyal]
and ·able to save [L with him is abundant redemption].
8 He will ·save [redeem] Israel
from all their ·sins [iniquities].
Childlike Trust in the Lord
A song ·for going up to worship [of ascents; C perhaps sung while traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate an annual religious festival like Passover]. Of David.
131 Lord, my heart is not proud;
·I don’t look down on others [L my eyes are not haughty/lifted up].
I don’t ·do [consider doing] great things,
and I ·can’t do [don’t consider doing] ·miracles [wonderful acts].
2 But I ·am calm and quiet [L have stilled and quieted my soul]
like a ·baby [L weaned child] with its mother,
like a ·baby [L weaned child] with its mother [C a relationship with God is like that of a mother with her weaned child resting comfortably in her arms].
3 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord
now and forever.
11 ·Follow my example [Imitate me], as I ·follow the example of [imitate] Christ.
Being Under Authority
2 I praise you because you ·remember me in everything [are always thinking of me], and you follow closely the ·teachings [traditions] just as I ·gave them [passed them on] to you. 3 But I want you to understand this: The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is ·the man [or her husband], and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man who prays or prophesies ·with his head covered [or with long hair; L having down the head; C most scholars think the passage concerns head coverings; others long or short hair (see v. 14)] brings shame to his head [C meaning shame to Christ, who is the head of the man; v. 3]. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with ·her head uncovered [or no covering (of hair); v. 4] brings shame to her head. She is the same as a woman who has her head shaved. 6 If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But since it is shameful for a woman to cut off her hair or to shave her head, she should cover her head. 7 But a man should not cover his head, because he is the likeness and glory of God. But woman is man’s glory [C God’s glory should be unveiled (revealed), while human glory should be veiled]. 8 [L For] Man did not come from woman, but woman came from man. 9 And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man [Gen. 2:18]. 10 So that is why a woman should have a ·symbol of authority on [or authority over] her head, because of the angels [C the significance of the angels is unclear; perhaps their presence at worship calls for reverence and propriety].
11 But in the Lord women are not independent of men, and men are not independent of women. 12 This is true because woman came from man, but also man is born from woman. But everything comes from God. 13 ·Decide [Judge] this for yourselves: Is it ·right [fitting; proper] for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 ·Even [L Does not…?] ·nature [or custom; culture] itself teaches you that wearing long hair is shameful for a man [C Greco-Roman men normally wore their hair short]. 15 But long hair is a woman’s glory. Long hair is given to her as a covering. 16 ·Some people [L If anyone] may still want to argue about this, but I would add that neither we nor the churches of God have any other ·practice [custom].
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