Book of Common Prayer
120 The song of degrees. When I was set in tribulation, I cried to the Lord; and he heard me. (When I was beset with troubles, I cried to the Lord; and he answered me.)
2 Lord, deliver thou my soul from wicked lips; and from a guileful tongue. (Lord, save thou me from wicked lips; and from a deceitful tongue.)
3 What shall be given to thee, either what shall be laid to thee; to a guileful tongue? (What shall be given to thee; that is, how shall he punish thee, O deceitful tongue?)
4 Sharp arrows of the mighty; with coals that make desolate. (With sharp arrows from the mighty; and with coals that shall make thee desolate.)
5 Alas to me! for my dwelling in an alien land is made long, I dwelled with men dwelling in Kedar; (Alas for me! for my stay here in Mesech is prolonged, and I must live among the people, or in the tents, of Kedar!)
6 my soul was much (time) a comeling. I was peaceable with them that hated peace; (I am here too long as a newcomer, or a stranger; yea, too long living with those who hate peace.)
7 when I spake to them, they impugned, either against-said, me without cause. (I am for peace; but whenever I speak of it to them, they be for war.)
121 The song of degrees. I raised mine eyes to the hills; from whence help shall come to me. (I raised up my eyes to the hills, or the mountains; O where shall I find help?/from where help shall come to me.)
2 Mine help is of the Lord; that made heaven and earth. (My help is from the Lord; who made heaven and earth.)
3 The Lord give not thy foot into moving; neither he nap, that keepeth thee. (The Lord shall not let thy foot slip, or stumble; nor shall he nap, who keepeth thee safe.)
4 Lo! he shall not nap, neither sleep; that keepeth Israel. (Lo! he, who keepeth Israel safe; shall not nap, or sleep.)
5 The Lord keepeth thee; the Lord is thy protection above thy right hand. (The Lord keepeth thee safe; the Lord is thy protection at thy right hand.)
6 The sun shall not burn thee by day; neither the moon by night.
7 The Lord keep thee from all evil; the Lord keep thy soul. (The Lord shall keep thee safe from all evil; yea, the Lord shall keep thee safe.)
8 The Lord keep thy going in and thy going out; from this time now and into the world. (The Lord shall guard thy coming in, and thy going out; from this time now, and forever.)
122 The song of degrees of David. I am glad in these things, that be said to me; We shall go into the house of the Lord. (The song of degrees for David. I was glad, when they said to me, We shall go to the House of the Lord.)
2 Our feet were standing; in thy halls/in thy foreyards, thou Jerusalem. (And now our feet stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.)
3 Jerusalem, which is builded as a city; whose partaking thereof is into the same thing. (Jerusalem is built to be a city, where people be together, yea, with one heart and mind.)
4 For the lineages, the lineages of the Lord, ascended thither, the witnessing of Israel; to acknowledge to the name of the Lord. (For the tribes, the Lord’s tribes, come there to give thanks to the Lord; that is Israel’s duty.)
5 For they sat there on seats in doom; seats on the house of David. (For the thrones of judgement, or of justice, be put there; yea, the thrones of the house of David.)
6 Pray ye those things, that be to the peace of Jerusalem; and abundance be to them that love thee. (Pray ye for the peace of Jerusalem; and say, May those who love thee prosper, or have great abundance.)
7 Peace be made in thy strength; and abundance in thy towers. (May there be peace within thy strongholds, or thy fortresses; and prosperity within thy palaces.)
8 For my brethren and my neighbours; I spake peace of thee. (For the sake of my brothers, or my kinsmen, and my neighbours; I say, Peace be with thee.)
9 For the house of our Lord God; I sought goods to thee. (For the sake of the House of the Lord our God; I shall seek thy good, or thy prosperity/I shall pray for good things for thee.)
123 The song of degrees. To thee I have raised mine eyes; that dwellest in heavens. (I raise up my eyes to thee; who livest in heaven.)
2 Lo! as the eyes of servants be in the hands of their lords. As the eyes of the handmaid be in the hands of her lady; so our eyes be to our Lord God, till he have mercy on us. (Lo! like the eyes of the servant look to the hand of his lord; and like the eyes of the servantess look to the hand of her lady; so let our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us.)
3 Lord, have thou mercy on us, have thou mercy on us; for we be much filled with despising (for we be greatly despised).
4 For our soul is much filled; we be shame to them that be abundant with riches, and despising to proud men. (For our soul is filled full, with the scorn of those who have abundant riches; and with disdain from the proud.)
124 The song of degrees of David. Israel say now, No but for the Lord was in us; (The song of degrees for David. Let Israel say now, If the Lord was not with us/If the Lord had not been for us,)
2 no but for the Lord was in us. When men rose up against us; (yea, if the Lord was not with us/if the Lord had not been for us; then when men rose up against us,)
3 in hap they had swallowed us quick. When the strong vengeance of them was wroth against us; (they would have swallowed us up alive. Yea, when their fury raged against us;)
4 in hap water had swallowed us up. Our soul passed through a strand; (the water would have swallowed us up. When the stream had gone up over our heads;)
5 in hap our soul had passed through a water unsufferable. (when the insufferable waters had gone up over our heads.)
6 Blessed be the Lord; that gave not us into taking, [(or) the catching,] of the teeth of them. (Blessed be the Lord; who did not allow us to be caught by their teeth.)
7 Our soul, as a sparrow, is delivered; from the snare of hunters. The snare is all-broken; and we be delivered. (We have escaped, like a sparrow, from the hunter’s snare. The snare is all-broken; and we be set free.)
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord; that made heaven and earth (who made heaven and earth).
125 The song of degrees. They that trust in the Lord be as the hill of Zion; he shall not be moved [into] without end, that dwelleth in Jerusalem. (They who trust in the Lord be like Mount Zion; it cannot be shaken, but it remaineth firm, or steadfast, forever.)
2 Hills be in the compass of it, and the Lord is in the compass of his people; from this time now, and into the world. (Like the mountains, or the hills, be all around Jerusalem, so the Lord is all around his people; from this time now, and forever.)
3 For the Lord shall not leave the rod of sinners on the part of just men; that just men hold not forth their hands to wickedness. (For the rod of the sinners shall not remain over the land of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands to wickedness.)
4 Lord, do thou well to good men; and to rightful in heart. (Lord, do thou good to good people; yea, to those with an upright heart.)
5 But the Lord shall lead them that bow into obligations, with them that work wickedness; peace be upon Israel. (But may the Lord lead forth those, who turn aside into depraved ways, with those who do evil. May peace be upon Israel.)
126 The song of degrees. When the Lord turned the captivity of Zion; we were made as comforted. (When the Lord returned the captives to Zion/When the Lord returned prosperity to Zion; we were made like in a dream.)
2 Then our mouth was filled with joy; and our tongue with full out joying. Then they shall say among heathen men; The Lord magnified to do with them. (Then our mouths were filled with joy; and ours tongues with rejoicing. And the heathen said to each other, The Lord hath done great things for them.)
3 The Lord magnified to do with us; we be made glad. (Yea, the Lord did great things for us; and we were glad.)
4 Lord, turn thou (again) our captivity; as a strand in the south. (Lord, return thou the captives/return thou our prosperity; like the streams return to the south.)
5 They that sow in tears; shall reap in full out joying. (Then they who sowed in tears; shall reap with rejoicing.)
6 They going, went, and wept; sending their seeds. But they coming, shall come with full out joying; bearing their handfuls (They going, went, and wept; sending out their seeds. But when they shall return, they shall come back rejoicing; carrying their harvest.)
127 The song of degrees of Solomon. No but the Lord build the house; they that built it have travailed in vain. No but the Lord keepeth the city; he waketh in vain that keepeth it./But if the Lord build the house; they that built it have travailed in vain. But (if) the Lord keepeth the city; he waketh in vain that keepeth it. (The song of degrees for Solomon. Unless the Lord build the house; those who have built it, have laboured in vain. Unless the Lord guardeth the city; he who standeth watch, guardeth in vain.)
2 It is vain to you to rise before the light; rise ye after ye have set, that eat the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his loved; (It is useless for you to rise before the light; and then to stay up late, only so that ye can eat the bread of sorrows. For he giveth to his beloved; even while they sleep.)
3 lo! the heritage of the Lord is sons, the meed is the fruit of womb. (Lo! sons and daughters be thy inheritance/be thy gift from the Lord; yea, the fruit of thy womb is his reward to you.)
4 As arrows be in the hand of the mighty; so the sons of them that be shaken out. (Like arrows be in the hand of the mighty; so be the sons and daughters that a man hath when he is young.)
5 Blessed is the man, that hath [full-]filled his desire of those; he shall not be shamed, when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate. (Happy is the man who hath filled his quiver full of them; he shall not be put to shame, or defeated, when he shall speak to his enemies in court.)
8 Therefore the Lord of hosts saith these things, For that that ye heard not my words, (And so the Lord of hosts saith these things, Because ye did not listen to, or obey, my words,)
9 lo! I shall send (for), and take all the kindreds of the north, saith the Lord, and Nebuchadnezzar, my servant, the king of Babylon; and I shall bring them on this land, and on the dwellers thereof, and on all nations, that be in the compass thereof (lo! I shall send for all the tribes of the north, saith the Lord, and my servant Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon; and I shall bring them against this land, and its inhabitants, and all the nations that be all around it); and I shall slay them, and I shall set them into wondering, and into hissing, and into everlasting wildernesses.
10 And I shall lose of them the voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of spouse, and the voice of spousess, the voice of [the] quern, and the light of the lantern. (And I shall take from them the sound of joy, and the sound of happiness, the voice of the spouse, and the voice of the spousess, the sound of the quern, and the light of the lantern.)
11 And all the land thereof shall be into wilderness, and into wondering; and all these folks shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
12 And when seventy years be [ful]filled, I shall visit on the king of Babylon, and on that folk, (for) the wickedness of them, saith the Lord, and on the land of Chaldees, and I shall set it into everlasting wildernesses. (And when seventy years be fulfilled, I shall punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their wickedness, and I shall make the land of the Chaldeans into an everlasting wilderness.)
13 And I shall bring on that land all my words which I spake against it, all thing that is written in this book; whatever things Jeremy prophesied against all folks (whatever Jeremiah prophesied against all the nations);
14 for they served to them, when they were many folks, and great kings; and I shall yield to them after the works of them, and after the deeds of their hands. (and then they shall serve many nations, and great kings; and so I shall yield to them after their works, and after the deeds of their own hands.)
15 For the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, saith thus, Take thou the cup of wine of this strong vengeance from mine hand, and thou shall pour out drink thereof to all heathen men, to which I shall send thee.
16 And they shall drink, and shall be troubled, and shall be mad, of the face of sword, which I shall send among them. (And they shall drink it, and shall be troubled, and shall go mad, in the face of the sword, which I shall send among them.)
17 And I took the cup from the hand of the Lord, and I poured out drink to all folks, to which the Lord sent me; (And I took the cup from the Lord’s hand, and I poured out drink to all the nations, to which the Lord had sent me;)
10 Brethren, the will of mine heart and my beseeching is made to God for them into health.
2 But I bear witnessing to them [Forsooth I bear witnessing to them], that they have the love of God, but not after knowing.
3 For they not knowing God's rightwiseness [For they unknowing God's rightwiseness], and seeking to make steadfast their own rightwiseness, be not subject to the rightwiseness of God.
4 For the end of the law is Christ, to rightwiseness to each man that believeth.
5 For Moses wrote, For the man that shall do rightwiseness that is of the law, shall live in it.
6 But the rightwiseness that is of belief, saith thus, Say thou not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? that is to say, to lead down Christ;
7 or who shall go down into hell? that is, to again-call Christ from death.[a]
8 But what saith the scripture? The word is nigh in thy mouth, and in thine heart; this is the word of belief, which we preach.
9 That if thou acknowledge in thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and believest in thine heart, that God raised him from death [that God raised him from dead], thou shalt be safe.
10 For by heart me believeth to rightwiseness [Forsooth by heart men believeth to rightwiseness], but by mouth acknowledging is made to health.
11 For why the scripture saith, Each that believeth in him, shall not be confounded.
12 And there is no distinction of Jew and of Greek; for the same Lord of all is rich into all, that inwardly call him [that in-call him].
13 For each man, whoever shall inwardly call [whoever shall in-call] the name of the Lord, shall be safe.
18 Therefore the Jews believed not of him, that he was blind, and had seen, till they called his father and mother, that had seen.
19 And they asked them, and said, Is this your son, which ye say was born blind [And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, whom ye say, for he is born blind]? how then seeth he now?
20 His father and mother answered to them, and said, We know, that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21 but how he seeth now, we know not, or who opened his eyes, we know not; ask ye him, he hath age, speak he of himself.
22 His father and mother said these things, for they dreaded the Jews; for then the Jews had conspired [forsooth now the Jews had conspired], that if any man acknowledged him Christ, he should be done out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his father and mother said, That he hath age, ask ye him.
24 Therefore again they called the man, that was blind, and said to him, Give thou glory to God; we know, that this man is a sinner.
25 Then he said, If he is a sinner, I know not; one thing I know, that when I was blind, now I see.
26 Therefore they said to him, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes?
27 He answered to them, I said to you now, and ye heard; what will ye again hear? whether [and] ye will be made his disciples?
28 Therefore they cursed him, and said, Be thou his disciple; we be [the] disciples of Moses.
29 We know, that God spake to Moses; but we know not this, of whence he is.
30 That man answered, and said to them, For in this is a wonderful thing, that ye know not, of whence he is, and he hath opened mine eyes.
31 And we know, that God heareth not sinful men, but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, he heareth him. [Soothly we know, for God heareth not sinners, but if any man is worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.]
32 From the world it is not heard, that any man opened the eyes of a blind-born man;
33 but this man were of God, he might not do any thing.
34 They answered, and said to him, Thou art all born in sins, and teachest thou us? And they put him out. [They answered, and said to him, Thou art all born in sins, and thou teachest us? And they cast him out.]
35 Jesus heard, that they had put him out [Jesus heard, for they had cast him out]; and when he had found him, he said to him, Believest thou in the Son of God?
36 He answered, and said, Lord, who is he, that I believe in him?
37 And Jesus said to him, And thou hast seen him, and he it is, that speaketh with thee.
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he fell down, and worshipped him.
39 Therefore Jesus said to him, I came into this world, into doom, that they that see not, see, and they that see, be made blind.
40 And some of the Pharisees heard, that were with him, and they said to him, Whether [and] we be blind?
41 Jesus said to them, If ye were blind, ye should not have sin; but now ye say, That we see, your sin dwelleth still [your sin dwelleth].
2001 by Terence P. Noble