Book of Common Prayer
131 The song of degrees to David. Lord, mine heart is not enhanced; neither mine eyes be raised. Neither I went in great things; neither in marvels above me. (The song of degrees for David. Lord, my heart is not exalted, or puffed up; nor be my eyes raised up. And I do not concern myself with great things; nor with marvellous things that be so high above me.)
2 If I feeled not meekly; but [I] enhanced my soul. As a child weaned on his mother; so yielding be in my soul. (I went forth humbly; and I did not exalt my soul. Like a weaned child upon his mother; so is the yielding in my soul.)
3 Israel, hope in the Lord; from this time now and into the world. (Israel, trust in the Lord; from this time now and forever.)
132 The song of degrees. Lord, have thou mind on David; and of all his mildness. (Lord, remember David; and all his troubles and tribulations.)
2 As he swore to the Lord; he made a vow to [the] God of Jacob.
3 I shall not enter into the tabernacle of mine house; I shall not ascend into the bed of my resting.
4 I shall not give sleep to mine eyes; and napping to mine eyelids. (I shall not give sleep to my eyes; or napping to my eyelids.)
5 And rest to my temples, till I find a place to the Lord; a tabernacle to [the] God of Jacob. (Until I find a place for the Lord; yea, a dwelling place for the Mighty God of Jacob.)
6 Lo! we heard that (the) ark of (the) testament (is) in Ephratah [Lo! we have heard (of) it in Ephratah]; we found it in the fields of the wood. (Lo! we have heard that the Covenant Box is in Ephratah; we found it in the fields of Jaar, or of Jearim.)
7 We shall enter into the tabernacle of him (We shall go into his Tabernacle, or his dwelling place); we shall worship in the place, where his feet stood.
8 Lord, rise thou into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thine hallowing. (Arise, O Lord, and come back to thy resting place; thou, and the Ark of thy power.)
9 Thy priests be clothed with rightfulness; and thy saints make full out joy. (Let thy priests be clothed in righteousness; and thy saints rejoice.)
10 For David, thy servant; turn thou not away the face of thy christ. (For the sake of thy servant David; turn thou not away thy face from thy anointed king.)
11 The Lord swore (in) truth to David, and he shall not make him [in] vain; Of the fruit of thy womb I shall set on thy seat. (The Lord swore truthfully to David, and he did not say in vain, I shall put the fruit of thy womb upon thy throne.)
12 If thy sons shall keep my testament; and my witnessings, these which I shall teach them. And the sons of them till into the world; they shall set on thy seat. (And if thy sons shall keep my covenant, and obey my teachings, which I shall teach them; then their sons shall sit on thy throne forever.)
13 For the Lord chose Zion; he chose it into (a) dwelling to himself (he chose it for his dwelling place).
14 This is my rest into the world of world (This shall be my resting place forever and ever); I shall dwell here, for I chose it.
15 I blessing shall bless the widow of it; I shall [ful]fill with loaves the poor men of it. (I blessing shall bless Zion’s widows; and I shall fulfill her poor with bread.)
16 I shall clothe with health the priests thereof; and the holy men thereof shall make full out joy in full out joying/in full out rejoicing. (I shall clothe her priests with salvation, or with deliverance; and her holy men shall make great joy rejoicing.)
17 Thither I shall bring forth the horn of David; I [have] made ready a lantern to my christ (I have prepared a lantern for my anointed king).
18 I shall clothe his enemies with shame; but mine hallowing shall flower out on him (but a shining crown shall be upon his head).
133 The song of degrees. Lo! how good and how merry it is; that brethren dwell together. (Lo! how good and how pleasant it is; for brothers, or God’s people, to live together in unity, or in harmony.)
2 As ointment in the head; that goeth down into the beard, into the beard of Aaron. That goeth down into the collar of his cloth; (Like ointment on the head, that goeth down onto the beard, onto Aaron’s beard; yea, that goeth down onto the collar of his cloak.)
3 as the dew of Hermon, that goeth down into the hill of Zion. For there the Lord sent blessing; and life till into the world, that is, without end. (Like the dew of Mount Hermon, that goeth down onto the hills of Zion. For there the Lord sent blessing; and life forevermore.)
134 The song of degrees. Lo! now bless ye the Lord; all the servants of the Lord. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord; in the halls/in the foreyards of the house of our God (Ye who stand in the House of the Lord; night after night).
2 In nights raise your hands into holy things; and bless ye the Lord. (Raise up your hands in the holy place; and bless ye the Lord.)
3 The Lord bless thee from Zion; the which Lord made heaven and earth. (May the Lord bless thee from Zion; the Lord who made heaven and earth.)
135 Alleluia. Praise ye the name of the Lord; ye servants of the Lord, praise ye (him).
2 Ye that stand in the house of the Lord; in the halls/in the foreyards of the house of our God. (Ye who stand in the House of the Lord; in the courtyards of the House of our God.)
3 Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing ye to his name, for it is sweet (for it is pleasant to do so).
4 For the Lord chose Jacob to himself; [and] Israel into possession to himself. (For the Lord chose Jacob for himself; yea, he chose Israel as his special possession.)
5 For I have known, that the Lord is great; and our God (is) before all gods. (For I know that the Lord is great; and that our God is above all gods.)
6 The Lord made all things, whatever things he would, in heaven and in earth; in the sea, and in all depths of waters. (The Lord made everything, whatever he desired, in heaven and on earth; in the sea, and in all the depths of the waters.)
7 He led out clouds from the farthest part of earth; and made lightnings into rain. Which bringeth forth winds from his treasures; (He leadeth out the clouds from the farthest parts of the earth; and maketh lightning for the rains. He bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries, or out of his storehouses.)
8 which killed the first begotten things of Egypt, from man unto beast. (He killed all the first-born in Egypt, both man and beast.)
9 He sent out signs and great wonders, in the middle of thee, thou Egypt; into Pharaoh, and into all his servants. (He sent out signs and great wonders, into the midst of thee, O Egypt; against Pharaoh, and all his servants.)
10 Which smote many folks; and killed strong kings. (Who struck down many nations; and killed strong kings.)
11 Sihon, the king of Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan; and all the realms of Canaan (and all the kings in Canaan).
12 And he gave the land of them heritage; to be heritage to Israel, his people. (And he gave their land for an inheritance; yea, to be an inheritance for his people Israel.)
13 Lord, thy name is [into] without end; Lord, thy memorial be in generation and into generation. (Lord, thy name shall endure forever; Lord, thou shalt be remembered by all generations.)
14 For the Lord shall deem his people; and he shall be prayed in his servants. (For the Lord shall judge his people; and he shall take pity upon his servants.)
15 The simulacra of heathen men be silver and gold; the works of the hands of men. (The idols of the heathen be but silver and gold; yea, the works of men’s hands.)
16 Those images have a mouth, and shall not speak; those have eyes, and shall not see. (Those idols have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see.)
17 Those have ears, and shall not hear; for there is no spirit in the mouth of them. (They have ears, but they cannot hear; for there is no breath in their mouths.)
18 They that make those [things], be made like them; and all that trust in them. (Let they who make those things, be made like them; and all who trust in them as well.)
19 The house of Israel, bless ye the Lord; the house of Aaron, bless ye the Lord.
20 The house of Levi, bless ye the Lord; ye that dread the Lord, bless ye the Lord (ye who fear the Lord/ye who revere the Lord, bless ye the Lord).
21 Blessed be the Lord (out) of Zion; that dwelleth in Jerusalem. (Blessed be the Lord in Zion; yea, he who dwelleth in Jerusalem.)
19 Forsooth it was told to Joab, that the king wept, and bewailed his son;
2 and the victory in that day was turned into mourning to all the people; for the people heard, that it was said in that day, The king maketh sorrow on his son. (and so the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people; for the people heard, that it was said that day, The king sorroweth for his son.)
3 And the people eschewed to enter into the city in that day, as the people turned and fleeing from [the] battle is wont to bow away. (And the people entered into the city on that day in shameful quiet, like the people who turned, and fled away from a battle, be wont to go.)
4 And the king covered his head, and cried with great voice (and cried with a loud voice), My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son!
5 Therefore Joab entered to the king into the house, and said, Thou hast shamed today the cheers of all thy servants, that have made safe thy life, and the life of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the life of thy wives, and the life of thy secondary wives. (And so Joab entered into the palace, and said to the king, Today thou hast brought shame upon all of thy servants who have made thy life safe, and also upon the lives of thy sons and thy daughters, and thy wives, and thy secondary wives, or thy concubines.)
6 Thou lovest them that hate thee, and thou hatest them that love thee; and thou hast showed today that thou reckest not of thy dukes and of thy servants; and verily I have known now, that if Absalom lived, and all we had been dead, then it should please thee. (Thou lovest them who hate thee, and thou hatest them who love thee; and thou hast shown today that thou carest not for thy leaders or for thy men; and now I truly know, that if Absalom had lived, and all of us had died, it would have pleased thee.)
7 Now therefore rise up, and go thou forth, and speak thou, and make satisfaction to thy servants; for I swear to thee by the Lord, that if thou shalt not go forth, soothly not one man shall dwell with thee in this night; and this shall be worse to thee, than all the evils that came [up]on thee from thy young waxing age till into this present time. (And so now rise up, and go thou out, and speak thou, and give satisfaction to thy men; for I swear by the Lord to thee, that if thou shalt not go out to them, truly not one man shall stay with thee through this night; and this shall be worse for thee, than all the evil that hath come upon thee from thy youngest age unto this present time.)
8 Therefore the king rose up, and sat in the gate; and it was told to all the people, that the king sat in the gate, and all the multitude came before the king. Forsooth Israel fled into their tabernacles (Meanwhile all the Israelites had fled to their homes).
9 And all the people strived in all the lineages of Israel, and said, The king delivered us from the hand of all our enemies, and he saved us from the hand of Philistines; and now he hath fled from the land for Absalom (and now he hath fled from the land because of Absalom).
10 Certainly Absalom, whom we anointed upon us, is dead in battle; how long be ye still, and bring not again the king? (how long shall ye be silent, and not bring back the king?) And the counsel of all Israel came to the king.
11 And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, and said, Speak ye to the greater men in birth of Judah, and say ye, Why came ye the last to bring again the king into his house? Soothly the word of all Israel came to the king, that they would bring him again into his house. For the king said, Ye shall say these things to the people, (And King David sent word to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, and said, Speak ye to the men of great age, that is, to the elders, of Judah, and say ye, Why be ye the last to help bring back the king to his palace? Truly the word of all Israel had come to the king, that they would bring him back to his palace. And so the king said, Ye shall say these things to the elders,)
12 Ye be my brethren, ye be my bone and my flesh; why the last bring ye again the king? (Ye be my kinsmen, ye be my flesh and blood; so why be ye the last to bring back the king?)
13 And say ye to Amasa, Whether thou art not my bone and my flesh? God do these things to me, and add these things too, if thou shalt not be master of chivalry (if thou shalt not be the leader of the cavalry, or of the army), before me in all time after Joab.
14 And David bowed to him the heart of all [the] men of Judah as of one man; and they sent to the king, and said, Turn thou again, and all thy servants. (And so David turned to himself the hearts of all the men of Judah as if one man; and they sent word to the king, and said, Come thou back again with all thy men.)
15 And the king turned again, and came till to Jordan (And so the king returned, and came to the Jordan River); and all Judah came till into Gilgal to meet the king, and to lead him over (the) Jordan.
16 But Shimei, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, of Bahurim, hasted, and came down with the men of Judah into the meeting of king David, (And Shimei, the son of Gera, the son of Benjamin, hastened from Bahurim, and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David,)
17 with a thousand men of Benjamin; and Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, and (the) fifteen sons of him, and (his) twenty servants were with him; and they brake into (the) Jordan, before the king (and they went over the Jordan River before the king),
18 and they passed the fords, that they should lead over the house of the king, and do by the behest of the king. Soothly Shimei, the son of Gera, kneeled before the king, when he had passed now Jordan, (and they passed over the crossing, in order to bring over the king’s household, and to do whatever the king commanded. And Shimei, the son of Gera, kneeled before the king, when he had crossed over the Jordan River,)
19 and said to the king, My lord the king, areckon thou not wickedness to me, neither have thou mind of the wrongs of thy servant in the day (nor remember the wrongs of thy servant on the day), in which thou, my lord the king, wentest out of Jerusalem, neither set thou, king, those wrongs in thine heart;
20 for I thy servant acknowledge my sin; and therefore today I came the first of all the house of Joseph, and I came down into the meeting of my lord the king (and I came down to meet my lord the king).
21 And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, answered and said, Whether Shimei, that cursed the christ of the Lord, shall not be slain for these words? (And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, answered to him and said, Should not Shimei, who cursed the Lord’s anointed, be killed for those words?)
22 And David said, What is (it) to me and to you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Why be ye made to me today into Satan, that is, (an) adversary? Therefore whether a man shall be slain today in Israel? Whether I know not (that) me (am) made king today on Israel? (And David said, What is it to me or to you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Why be ye made into my adversaries today? Should any man be put to death on this day in Israel? The day that I am made king upon Israel? Nay!)
23 And the king said to Shimei, Thou shalt not die; and the king swore to him.
24 And after five days, Ananias, prince of priests, came down with some elder men, and Tertullus, a fair speaker [and Tertullus, some orator, or advocate], which went to the president against Paul.
2 And when Paul was summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, and said, When in much peace we do by thee, and many things be amended by thy wisdom, [And Paul summoned, Tertullus began to accuse, saying, When in much peace we do by thee, and many things be amended by thy providence, or wisdom,]
3 evermore and every where, thou best Felix, we have received with all doing of thankings.
4 But lest I tarry thee longer, I pray thee, shortly hear us for thy meekness.
5 We have found this wicked man stirring dissension to all [the] Jews in all the world, and author of dissension of the sect of Nazarenes;[a]
6 and he also endeavored to defoul the temple; whom also we took, and would deem, after our law.
7 But Lysias, the tribune, came above with great strength, and delivered him from our hands;[b]
8 and commanded his accusers to come to thee [commanding his accusers to come to thee], of whom thou deeming, mayest know of all these things, of which we accuse him.
9 And Jews put to, and said, that these things had them so. [Forsooth and Jews casted to, saying that these things had them so.]
10 And Paul answered, when the president granted [to] him to say, Of many years I know thee, that thou art doomsman to this folk, and I shall do enough for me with good reason.
11 For thou mayest know, for to me be not more than twelve days [for to me be no more than twelve days], since I came up [for] to worship in Jerusalem;
12 and neither in the temple they found me disputing with any man, neither making concourse of the people, neither in the synagogues, neither in city;
13 neither they be able to prove to thee, of the which things they now accuse me. [neither they may prove to thee, of which things they now accuse me.]
14 But I acknowledge to thee this thing, that after the sect which they say heresy, so I serve to God the Father, believing to all things that be written in the law and prophets;
15 and I have hope in God, which also they themselves abide, the again-rising to coming of just men and wicked.[c]
16 In this thing [and] I study without hurting, to have conscience to God, and to men evermore.
17 But after many years, I came to do almsdeeds to my folk, and offerings, and avows [and offerings, and vows];
18 in which they found me purified in the temple, not with company, neither with noise. And they caught me, and they cried, and said [And they caught me, crying, and saying], Take away our enemy. And some Jews of Asia,
19 which it behooved to be now present at thee [whom it behooved to be now present at thee], and accuse, if they had any thing against me,
20 either these themselves say [or these themselves say], if they found in me any thing of wickedness, since I stand in the council,
21 but only of this [one] voice, by which I cried standing among them, For of the again-rising of dead men I am deemed this day of you [For of the again-rising of dead I am deemed this day of you].
22 Soothly Felix delayed them, and knew most certainly of the way [Soothly Felix deferred them, most certainly he knowing of the way], and said, When Lysias, the tribune, shall come down, I shall hear you.
23 And he commanded to a centurion to keep him, and that he had rest[d], neither to forbid any man to minister of his own things to him.
28 And one of the scribes, that had heard them disputing together, came nigh, and saw that Jesus had well-answered them, and asked him[a], which was the first commandment of all.
29 And Jesus answered to him, That the first commandment of all is, Hear thou, Israel, thy Lord God is one God;[b]
30 and thou shalt love thy Lord God of all thine heart, and of all thy soul, and of all thy mind, and of all thy might [and thou shalt love the Lord thy God of all thine heart, and of all thy soul, and of all thy mind, and of all thy virtue, or strength]. This is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like to this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said to him, Master, in truth thou hast well said; for one God is, and there is none other, except him;
33 [and] that he be loved of all the heart, and of all the mind, and of all the understanding, and of all the soul, and of all the strength, and to love the neighbour as himself, is greater than all burnt offerings and sacrifices [and to love thine neighbour as himself, is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices].
34 And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, said to him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And then no man durst ask him more any thing [And now no man durst ask him more].
2001 by Terence P. Noble