Book of Common Prayer

101 The psalm of David. Lord, I shall sing to thee; mercy and doom. I shall sing, (The song of David. Lord, I shall sing of love and justice/I shall sing of mercy and judgement. I shall sing unto thee,)

² and I shall understand in a way without wem; when thou shalt come to me. I went perfectly in the innocence of mine heart; in the middle of mine house. (and I shall go on the way without blemish, or without fault; but when shalt thou come to me? I shall go about with purity in the midst of my house; yea, in the innocence of my heart.)

³ I setted not forth before mine eyes an unjust thing; I hated them that made trespassings. (I shall not set any impure thing before my eyes; I hate those who trespass, but I know, that that shall not cleave to me.)

⁴ A shrewd heart cleaved not to me; I knew not a wicked man bowing away from me. (I shall turn away from anyone with a depraved heart; and I shall not have any dealings with the wicked.)

⁵ I pursued him that backbited privily his neighbour. With the proud eye and an heart unable to be filled; I ate not with this. (I shall silence anyone who privately, or secretly, backbiteth his neighbour. And I shall not eat with anyone who hath a proud eye, and a heart unable to be filled, or ever satisfied.)

⁶ Mine eyes were to the faithful men of earth, that they sit with me; he that went in a way without wem, ministered to me. (But I look favourably upon those who be faithful, or loyal, and they shall sit with me; and he who goeth on the way without blemish, or without fault, shall serve me/shall be my servant.)

⁷ He that doeth pride, shall not dwell in the middle of mine house; he that speaketh wicked things, served not in the sight of mine eyes. (He who hath pride, shall not live in the midst of my house; he who speaketh wicked things, shall not serve me/shall not be my servant.)

⁸ In the morrowtide I killed all the sinners of earth; that I should lose from the city of the Lord all men working wickedness. (In the morning/Morning after morning, I shall kill all the sinners of the land; yea, I shall destroy all who do wickedness in the city of the Lord.)

109 To victory, the psalm of David. God, hold thou not still my praising; (To victory, the song of David. God of my praises, be thou not silent;)

² for the mouth of the sinner, and the mouth of the guileful man, is opened on me. They spake against me with a guileful tongue, (for the mouth of the sinner, and the mouth of the deceitful, were opened against me. Yea, they spoke against me with their lying tongues,)

³ and they (en)compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without cause. (and they surrounded me with hateful words; and fought against me for no reason.)

⁴ For that thing that they should love me (for), they backbited me; but I prayed (for them).

⁵ And they setted against me evils for goods (And they paid me back evil for good); and hatred for my love.

⁶ Ordain thou a sinner on him; and the devil stand on his right half. (Ordain thou a sinner over my enemy; and let the devil stand at his right hand.)

⁷ When he is deemed, go he out condemned; and his prayer be made into sin. (When he is judged, let him go out condemned; and let his prayer be made into sin.)

⁸ His days be made few; and another take his bishopric. (Let his days be made few; and another take his office.)

⁹ (Let) His sons be made fatherless; and his wife a widow.

¹⁰ His sons trembling be borne over, and beg; and be they cast out of their habitations. (Let his sons and daughters be made vagrants, and go begging; yea, let them be thrown out of their dwelling places.)

¹¹ An usurer seek all his chattel; and aliens ravish his travails. (Let an usurer take away all his chattel, or his substance; and let foreigners, or strangers, take all that he hath worked for.)

¹² None helper be to him; neither any be that have mercy on his motherless children. (Let there be no one to help him; nor let anyone have mercy on his motherless children.)

¹³ His sons be made into perishing (Let all his sons and daughters die); (and) the name of him be done away in one generation.

¹⁴ The wickedness of his fathers come again into mind in the sight of the Lord; and the sin of his mother be not done away. (Let the wickedness of his forefathers be remembered by the Lord; and let his mother’s sin be not done away, or wiped out.)

¹⁵ Be they made ever[more] against the Lord; and the mind of them perish from earth. (Let their sins be before the Lord forevermore; but let the remembrance of these people perish from all the earth.)

¹⁶ For that thing that he thought not to do mercy, and he pursued a poor man and a beggar; and to slay a man compunct in heart. (Because he never thought to show mercy, or love, but he persecuted the poor and the needy; and he even killed the broken-hearted.)

¹⁷ And he loved cursing, and it shall come to him; and he would not blessing, and it shall be made far from him. (And because he loved to curse others, now let it come to him; and because he delighted not to give anyone a blessing, now let it be made far from him.)

¹⁸ And he clothed cursing as a cloth, and it entered as water into his inner things; and as oil in his bones. (He clothed himself in cursing, like with a cloak, and it entered into his inner things, like water; yea, like oil into his bones.)

¹⁹ Be it made to him as a cloth, with which he is covered; and as a girdle, with which he is ever[more] girded. (Let it be made to him like a cloak, with which he is covered; yea, like a girdle, with which he is girded forevermore.)

²⁰ This is the work of them that backbite me with the Lord; and that speak evils against my life. (Let this be the reward of those who backbite me with the Lord; yea, those who speak evil against me.)

²¹ And thou, Lord God, do with me for thy name; for thy mercy is sweet. Deliver thou me, (But thou, Lord God, do with me for the sake of thy name; for thy love is good. Save thou me,)

²² for I am needy and poor (for I am poor and needy); and mine heart is troubled within me.

²³ I am taken away as a shadow, when it boweth away; and I am shaken away as locusts. (I fade away like a shadow in the evening; and I am shaken off like a bug.)

²⁴ My knees be made feeble with fasting; and my flesh was changed for oil. (My knees be made weak with fasting; and my flesh wasteth away for lack of oil.)

²⁵ And I am made (a) shame to them; they saw me, and moved their heads (they saw me, and shook their heads).

²⁶ My Lord God, help thou me; make thou me safe by thy mercy. (My Lord God, help thou me; save thou me in thy mercy/save thou me because of thy love.)

²⁷ And they shall know, that this is thine hand; and (that) thou, Lord, hast done it.

²⁸ And they shall curse, and thou shalt bless, they that rise against me, be shamed; but thy servant shall be glad. (And they shall curse, but thou shalt bless, so let those who rise against me, be put to shame; but thy servant shall be glad.)

²⁹ They that backbite me, be clothed with shame; and be they covered with their shame, as with a double cloth. (Let those who backbite me, be clothed with shame; yea, let them be covered with their shame, like with a cloak.)

³⁰ I shall acknowledge to the Lord greatly with my mouth; and I shall praise him in the middle of many men. (With my mouth I shall greatly thank the Lord; yea, I shall praise him in the midst of many people.)

¹²¹ [Ain]. I did doom and rightwiseness; betake thou not me to them that falsely challenge me. (I did what is just and right; so do not thou deliver me up to those who will oppress me.)

¹²² Take up thy servant into goodness; they that be proud challenge not me. (Yea, protect thy servant; let not those who be proud oppress me.)

¹²³ Mine eyes failed into thine health; and into the speech of thy rightfulness. (My eyes fail looking for thy salvation, or for thy deliverance; and for the word of thy righteousness.)

¹²⁴ Do thou with thy servant after thy mercy; and teach thou me thy justifyings. (Do thou with thy servant according to thy love; and teach thou me thy statutes.)

¹²⁵ I am thy servant; give thou understanding to me, that I know thy witnessings (so that I can know thy teachings).

¹²⁶ Lord, it is time to do; they have destroyed thy law. (Lord, it is time to act; for they have destroyed thy Law.)

¹²⁷ Therefore I loved thy commandments; more than gold and topaz. (Truly I love thy commandments; yea, more than gold and topaz.)

¹²⁸ Therefore I was (ad)dressed to all thy behests; I hated all wicked way. (And so I am directed, or guided, by all thy precepts; and I hate all wicked ways.)

¹²⁹ [Pe]. Lord, thy witnessings be wonderful; therefore my soul sought those. (Lord, thy teachings be wonderful; and so my soul gladly keepeth them/and so I gladly obey them.)

¹³⁰ Declaring of thy words lighteneth; and it giveth understanding to meek men. (The declaring, or the exposition, of thy words bringeth light, or enlightenment; and it giveth understanding even to the simple, or the untaught.)

¹³¹ I opened my mouth, and drew the spirit (and drew my breath, yea, I panted); for I desired thy commandments.

¹³² Behold thou on me, and have mercy on me; by the doom of them that love thy name. (Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me; as thou hast decreed thou shalt do, for those who love thy name.)

¹³³ (Ad)dress thou my goings by thy speech; that all unrightfulness have not lordship on me. (Direct thou my ways according to thy word; and do not let any unrighteousness have lordship, or rule, over me.)

¹³⁴ Again-buy thou me from the false challenges of men; that I keep thy behests. (Save thou me from those who would oppress me; so that I can obey thy precepts.)

¹³⁵ Lighten thy face on thy servant; and teach thou me thy justifyings. (Let thy face shine upon thy servant; and teach thou me thy statutes.)

¹³⁶ Mine eyes led forth the outgoings of waters; for they kept not thy law. (My eyes stream with tears; because of those who do not obey thy Law.)

¹³⁷ [Tzaddi]. Lord, thou art just; and thy doom is rightful. (Lord, thou art just; and thy judgements, or thy decrees, be righteous.)

¹³⁸ Thou hast commanded rightfulness, thy witnessings; and thy truth greatly to be kept. (The teachings that thou hast commanded be right, and true; and greatly to be obeyed.)

¹³⁹ My fervent love made me to be melted, either languished; for mine enemies forgat thy words. (My fervent love for thee made me feel greatly distressed; because my enemies did not obey thy words.)

¹⁴⁰ Thy speech is set afire; and thy servant loved it. (Thy word is tried by fire; and thy servant loveth it.)

¹⁴¹ I am young, and despised; I forgat not thy justifyings. (I am young and despised; but I do not forget thy precepts.)

¹⁴² Lord, thy rightfulness is rightfulness [into] without end; and thy law is truth. (Lord, thy righteousness is righteousness forever; and thy Law is true forever/and thy Law is the truth forever.)

¹⁴³ Tribulation and anguish have found me; thy behests is my thinking. (Though trouble and anguish have found me; thy commandments still be my delight.)

¹⁴⁴ Thy witnessings is equity [into] without end (Thy teachings be just forever); give thou understanding to me, and I shall live.

²¹ And (later,) the king said to Joab, Lo! I am pleased, and I have done thy word; therefore go thou, and again-call thou the child Absalom. (And later, the king said to Joab, Lo! I grant thy request; go thou, and bring back the young man Absalom.)

²² And Joab felled upon his face to the earth, and he worshipped, and blessed the king; and Joab said, Thy servant hath understood today, that I have found grace in thine eyes, my lord (the) king, for thou hast done the word of thy servant. (And Joab fell down on the ground, or the floor, and he honoured the king, and blessed him; and Joab said, Thy servant knoweth today, that I have found favour in thine eyes, my lord the king, for thou hast granted my request.)

²³ Therefore Joab rose up, and went into Geshur, and brought Absalom into Jerusalem. (And so Joab rose up, and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.)

²⁴ And the king said, Turn he again into his house, and see not he my face. Therefore Absalom turned again into his house, and saw not the face of the king. (And the king said, Go he back to his own house, for he shall not come before me, or into my presence. And so Absalom returned to his own house, and did not come before the king.)

²⁵ Soothly no man in all Israel was so fair as Absalom, and full comely; from the step of the foot unto the top, there was no wem in him (there was no flaw, or blemish, on him);

²⁶ and inasmuch as he clipped more his hairs, by so much the more they waxed; but he was clipped once in the year, for his hair grieved him. And when he clipped the hairs, he weighed the hairs of his head by two hundred shekels by common weight (And when he cut his hair, the hairs of his head weighed two hundred shekels by common weight).

²⁷ And three sons, and a daughter, Tamar by name, (and she was) of seemly shape, or excellent form, were born to Absalom.

²⁸ And Absalom dwelled in Jerusalem two years, and he saw not the face of the king. (And Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but he never came before the king.)

²⁹ Therefore he sent to Joab, that he should send him to the king; and Joab would not come to him. And when he had sent the second time, and Joab would not come, (And so he sent for Joab, so that he could take a message to the king; but Joab would not come to him. And when he had sent for him a second time, and Joab would still not come,)

³⁰ Absalom said to his servants, Ye know the field of Joab beside my field, (the field of his) having ripe barley; therefore go ye, and burn ye it [up] with fire. Therefore the servants of Absalom burnt the (barley) corn with fire. (Absalom said to his servants, Ye know Joab’s field beside my field, the one with the ripe barley; go ye, and burn it down. And so Absalom’s servants burned down the crop.)

³¹ And Joab rose up, and came to Absalom into his house, and said, Why have thy servants burnt [up] my (barley) corn with fire? (And Joab rose up, and came to Absalom at his house, and said, Why have thy servants burned down my crop?)

³² And Absalom answered to Joab, I sent to thee, and besought that thou shouldest come to me, and that I should send thee to the king, that thou shouldest say to him, Why came I from Geshur? It was better to me to have been there; therefore I beseech, that I see the face of the king, that if he is mindful of my wickedness, slay he me. (And Absalom answered to Joab, I sent for thee, and desired that thou wouldest come to me, so that I could send thee to the king, and thou couldest say to him for me, Why did I come back from Geshur? It was better for me to have stayed there; and so I beseech thee, let me go before the king, and if he thinketh on my wickedness, then let him kill me.)

³³ (So) Joab entered to the king, and told to him. And Absalom was called, and he entered to the king, and he worshipped on the face of [the] earth before him (and honouring him, he bowed low to the ground before him), and the king kissed Absalom.

¹⁵ And after these days we were made ready [Soothly after these days we made ready], and went up to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ And some of the disciples came with us from Caesarea, and led with them a man [and led with them some man], Jason of Cyprus, an old disciple, at whom we should be harboured.

¹⁷ And when we came to Jerusalem, brethren received us willfully.

¹⁸ And in the day following Paul entered with us to James, and all the elder men were gathered.

¹⁹ Which when he had greeted [Whom when he had greeted], he told by all things, what [things] God had done in heathen men, by the ministry of him.

²⁰ And when they heard, they magnified God, and said to him, Brother, thou seest how many thousands be in Jews, that have believed to God, and all be lovers of the law. [And when they heard, magnified God, and said to him, Thou brother, seest how many thousands be in Jews, that have believed to God, and all be followers, or lovers, of the law.]

²¹ And they heard of thee, that thou teachest departing from Moses of those Jews that be by heathen men, that say [saying], that they owe not to circumcise their sons, neither owe to enter by custom [neither owe to enter after custom].

²² Therefore what is [this]? It behooveth that the multitude come together; for they shall hear, that thou art come.

²³ Therefore do thou this thing, that we say to thee. There be to us four men, that have a vow on them.

²⁴ Take thou these men [These take to], and hallow thee with them; hang on them, that they shave their heads; and that all men know, that those things that they heard of thee be false, but that thou walkest, and thyself keepest the law.

²⁵ But of these that believed of heathen men, we have written, deeming that they abstain them from thing offered to idols, and from blood, and also from strangled thing [deeming that they abstain them from things offered to idols, and blood, and strangled things], and from fornication.

²⁶ Then Paul took the men, and in the day following he was purified with them, and entered into the temple, and showed the filling of days of purifying [showing the fulfilling of days of purifying], till the offering was offered for each of them.

¹⁷ And when Jesus was gone out into the way, a man ran before, and kneeled before him, and prayed him, and said^[a], Good master, what shall I do, that I receive everlasting life?

¹⁸ And Jesus said to him, What sayest thou, that I am good? There is no man good, but God himself.^[b]

¹⁹ Thou knowest the commandments, do thou none adultery, slay not, steal not, say not false witnessing, do no fraud, honour thy father and thy mother [worship thy father and mother].

²⁰ And he answered, and said to him, Master, I have kept all these things from my youth.

²¹ And Jesus beheld him, and loved him [Soothly Jesus beholding him loved him], and said to him, One thing faileth to thee; go thou, and sell all things that thou hast [sell whatever things thou hast], and give to poor men, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven; and come, [and] follow thou me.

²² And he was full sorry in the word, and went away mourning [The which made sorrowful in the word, went away mourning], for he had many possessions.

²³ And Jesus beheld about, and said to his disciples [And Jesus beholding about, saith to his disciples], How hard they that have riches shall enter into the kingdom of God.

²⁴ And the disciples were astonished in his words. And Jesus again answered, and said to them, Ye little children, how hard it is for men that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God^[c].

²⁵ It is lighter a camel to pass through a needle's eye, than a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. [It is easier that a camel pass through a needle's eye, than that a rich man enter into the realm of God.]

²⁶ And they wondered more, and said among themselves [saying at themselves], And who may be saved?

²⁷ And Jesus beheld them, and said [And Jesus beholding them, saith to them], With men it is impossible, but not with God; for all things be possible with God.

²⁸ And Peter began to say to him, Lo! we have left all things, and have followed thee.

²⁹ Jesus answered, and said, Truly I say to you, there is no man that leaveth house, or brethren, or sisters [or sistren], or father, or mother, or children, or fields for me and for the gospel,

³⁰ which shall not take an hundredfold so much now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters [and sistren], and mothers, and children, and fields, with persecutions, and in the world to coming everlasting life [and in the world to come everlasting life].

³¹ But many shall be, the first the last, and the last the first.