Book of Common Prayer
50 The psalm of Asaph. God, the Lord of gods, spake/God, the God of gods, spake; and called the earth, from the rising of the sun till to the going down. (The song of Asaph. God, the Lord of gods, spoke/God, the God of gods, spoke; and called to the people of the earth, from the rising of the sun unto the going down of it.)
2 The shape of his fairness from Zion, God shall come openly; (God shineth from Zion, perfect in beauty;)
3 our God, and he shall not be still. Fire shall burn on high in his sight; and a strong tempest in his compass. (our God shall come, and he shall not be silent. Fire shall burn on high before him; and it shall be a strong tempest surrounding him/and a strong tempest shall surround him.)
4 He called heaven above; and the earth, to (witness him) deem his people. (He calleth heaven above, and the earth beneath, to the judgement of his people.)
5 Gather ye to him his saints; that ordain his testament above sacrifices. (And he saith, Gather my saints to me; those who have made a covenant with me, by offering a sacrifice.)
6 And heavens shall show his rightwiseness/And heavens shall tell his rightfulness; for God is the judge. (And the heavens shall tell out his righteousness; for God himself is the judge.)
7 My people, hear thou, and I shall speak to Israel; and I shall witness to thee, I am God, thy God. (My people, hear thou, and I shall speak; Israel, I shall testify against thee; I am God, thy God.)
8 I shall not reprove thee in thy sacrifices; and thy burnt sacrifices be ever[more] before me. (I shall not rebuke thee for thy sacrifices, and for thy burnt sacrifices, that be before me forevermore./Shall I not rebuke thee for thy sacrifices, and for thy burnt sacrifices, that be before me forevermore?)
9 I shall not take calves of thine house; neither goat bucks of thy flocks. (But I do not need calves from thy house, or thy farm; or goat bucks from thy flocks.)
10 For all the wild beasts of (the) woods be mine; work beasts, and oxes in hills (and the work beasts as well, and the oxen on the hills).
11 I have known all the volatiles of the firmament; and the fairness of the field is with me. (I know all the birds on those hills; and the wild beasts of the fields be mine.)
12 If I shall be hungry, I shall not say to thee; for the world and the fullness thereof is mine. (If I am hungry, I have no need to tell thee; for the world and its fullness be mine.)
13 Whether I shall eat the flesh of bulls? either shall I drink the blood of goat bucks? (Shall I eat the flesh of bulls? or drink the blood of goat bucks? Nay!)
14 Offer thou to God the sacrifice of praising; and yield thine avows to the highest God. (Offer, or give, thou to God the sacrifice of praise; and pay thy vows to the Most High God.)
15 And inwardly call thou me in the day of tribulation; and I shall deliver thee, and thou shalt honour me. (And call thou on me in the day of trouble; and I shall save thee, and then thou shalt honour me.)
16 But God said to the sinner, Why tellest thou out my rightfulnesses; and takest my testament by thy mouth? (But God said to the sinner, Why should thou tell out my statutes? and why hast thou my covenant in thy mouth?)
17 Soothly thou hatedest lore, or discipline; and hast cast away my words behind (thee). (Truly thou hatedest chastisement; and hast thrown away my words behind thee.)
18 If thou sawest a thief, thou rannest with him; and thou settedest thy part with adulterers.
19 Thy mouth was plenteous of malice; and thy tongue meddled together guiles. (Thy mouth is full of malice; and thy tongue mixeth up batches of lies.)
20 Thou sitting spakest against thy brother, and thou settedest slander against the son of thy mother; (And thou sitteth down, and speakest against thy brother, yea, thou settest forth slander against thy mother’s son;)
21 thou didest these things, and I was still. Thou guessedest wickedly, that I shall be like thee; I shall reprove thee, and I shall set (them) against thy face. (thou didest these things, and I was silent. And thou wickedly guessedest that I was just like thee; but I shall rebuke thee, and I shall do it to thy face.)
22 Ye that forget God, understand these things; lest sometime he ravish, and none be that shall deliver. (Ye who forget God, understand these things; lest sometime I tear thee in pieces, and there be no one who shall save thee.)
23 The sacrifice of praising shall honour me; and there is the way, wherein I shall show to him the health of God. (The sacrifice of praise shall honour me; and to those who follow my way/and to those who obey me, I shall give them the salvation of God.)
59 To the overcomer, lose thou not the seemly song of David (destroy thou not David’s comely song), when Saul sent and kept the house, to slay him. My God, deliver thou me from mine enemies; and deliver thou me from them that rise against me.
2 Deliver thou me from them that work wickedness; and save thou me from men-quellers. (Rescue thou me from those who do evil; and save thou me from these murderers.)
3 For lo! they have taken my soul; strong men fell in on me. Neither (for) my wickedness, neither (for) my sin; (For lo! they lie in wait for me; strong men have fallen in on me. But not because of my wickedness, nor for my sin.)
4 Lord, I ran without wickedness, and (ad)dressed my works. Rise up into my meeting, and see; (Lord, though I am innocent, they run into position against me. Rise up to help me, and see;)
5 and thou, Lord God of virtues, art God of Israel. Give thou attention to visit all folks; do thou not mercy to all that work wickedness. (for thou, Lord God of hosts, art the God of Israel. Give thou attention to punishing all the nations; do not thou give mercy to any who do evil.)
6 They shall be turned (again) at eventide, and they as dogs shall suffer hunger; and they shall compass, that is, go abegging, (in) the city. (They shall return in the evening, and they shall suffer hunger like dogs; and they shall go about begging in the city.)
7 Lo! they shall speak in their mouth, and a sword in their lips; for who heard? (Lo! they shall speak out insults with their mouths, and their lips, or their tongues, shall be like swords; for they say, Who shall hear us?)
8 And thou, Lord, shalt scorn them; thou shalt bring all folks to nought. (But thou, Lord, shalt scorn them; thou shalt bring down all these nations to nothing.)
9 I shall keep my strength to thee; for God is mine up-taker, (O my strength, I shall turn to thee; for God is my defender,)
10 my God, his mercy shall come before me. God showed to me (my desire) on mine enemies, (my God, his love shall come to me. God shall show me my heart’s desire for all my enemies.)
11 slay thou not them; lest any time my peoples forget. Scatter thou them in thy virtue; and, Lord, my defender, put thou them down. (But kill thou them not; lest any time my people forget. Rather, scatter thou them by thy strength; and, O Lord, my defender, put thou them down.)
12 Put down the trespass of their mouth, and the word of their lips; and be they taken in their pride. And of cursing and of leasing; they shall be showed (up) in the ending. (And for the trespasses of their mouths, and the words of their lips; let them be taken in their pride. And for their cursing and their lies; let them be shown up in the end.)
13 (Destroy thou them) In the ire of ending, and they shall not be; and they shall know, that the Lord shall be Lord of Jacob, and of the ends of earth. (Destroy thou them in thy anger, yea, destroy them altogether, and they shall be no more; and then they shall know, that the Lord is the lord, or the ruler, in Jacob, and unto the ends of the earth.)
14 They shall be turned (again) at eventide, and they as dogs shall suffer hunger; and they shall compass, that is, go abegging, (in) the city. (They shall return in the evening, and they shall suffer hunger like dogs; and they shall go about begging in the city.)
15 They shall be scattered abroad, for to eat; soothly if they be not [ful]filled, and they shall grutch. (They shall be scattered abroad, searching for food; and truly they shall grumble, if they be not satisfied, or fulfilled.)
16 But I shall sing (of) thy strength; and early I shall enhance thy mercy. For thou art made mine up-taker; and my refuge, in the day of my tribulation. (But I shall sing of thy strength; and in the morning I shall sing of thy love. For thou art my defender; and my refuge, in the days of my trouble.)
17 Mine helper, I shall sing to thee; for thou art God, mine up-taker, my God, my mercy. (My helper, I shall sing to thee; for thou art God, my defender, the God who loveth me.)
60 To victory, on the witnessing of (the) rose, the sweet song of David, to teach men, when he fought against Aram of floods, and Syria of Zobah; and Joab turned again, and smote Edom in the valley of salt pits, twelve thousand. God, thou hast put away us, and thou hast destroyed us; thou were wroth, and thou hast done mercy to us. (To victory, on the teaching of the lily, the sweet song of David, to teach men, when he fought against Aramnaharaim, and Aramzobah; and Joab returned, and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of the Salt Pits. God, thou hast cast us away, and thou hast destroyed us; thou were angry, but now, show thou thy mercy to us/show thou us thy mercy.)
2 Thou movedest the earth, and thou troubledest it; make thou whole (again) the sorrows thereof, for it is moved. (Thou hast shaken the earth, and thou hast troubled it; but now heal thou its wounds, for it is broken in pieces.)
3 Thou showedest hard things to thy people; thou gavest drink to us with the wine of compunction. (Thou hast shown thy people hard times; and thou hast made us stagger, as though we were drunk with wine.)
4 Thou hast given a signifying to them that dread thee; that they flee from the face of the bow. (Thou hast given a sign, or a warning, to those who fear thee/to those who revere thee; so that they can flee, or escape, from the face of the bow.)
5 That thy darlings be delivered; make thou safe with thy right hand, and hear thou me. (Save thy dear ones; yea, save thou us with thy right hand, and answer thou me.)[a]
6 God spake by his holy (place); I shall be glad, and I shall part Shechem, and I shall mete the great valley of tabernacles. (God spoke in his holiness/God spoke from his sanctuary, and he said, I shall be glad, and I shall divide Shechem; and I shall measure out the Succoth Valley.)
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; and Ephraim is the strength of mine head. Judah is my king; (Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, and Judah is my sceptre.)
8 Moab is the pot of mine hope. Into Idumea I shall stretch forth my shoe; aliens be made subject to me. (But Moab is my washbowl. And I shall throw my shoes at Edom; and Philistia shall be made subject to me.)
9 Who shall lead me into a city made strong; who shall lead me into Idumea? (Who shall lead me into the strengthened, or the fortified, city? who shall lead me unto Edom?)
10 Whether not thou, God, that hast put away us; and shalt thou not, God, go out in our virtues? (Shalt not thou, O God, even though thou hast cast us off, or rejected us? or shalt not thou, O God, go out with our hosts, or our armies, any more?)
11 Lord, give thou to us help (out) of tribulation; for the help of man is vain. (Lord, give thou us help in the time of trouble; for the help of man is worthless, yea, but an empty hope.)
12 In God we shall make virtue; and he shall bring to nought them that trouble us/that disturb us. (With God’s help, we shall do valiantly/we shall have the victory; and he shall bring down those who trouble us into nothing.)
93 The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with fairness; the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself. For he made steadfast the world; that shall not be moved. (The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself. He hath fixed the world in its place; so that it shall not be moved.)
2 God, thy seat was made ready from that time; thou art from the world. (God, thy throne was prepared from that time; thou art from before the beginning.)
3 Lord, the floods have raised; the floods have raised their voice. Floods have raised their waves; of the voices of many waters. (Lord, the oceans have raised, the oceans have raised up their roar. The oceans have raised up their roaring waves.)
4 The raisings of the sea be wonderful; the Lord is wonderful in high things. (But the Lord on high, thundereth more than the roar of many waters; he is mightier than the waves of the sea.)
5 Thy witnessings be made able to be believed greatly; Lord, holiness becometh thine house, into the length of days. (Thy laws stand firm, and unmoveable, or unchanging; Lord, thy House shall be holy forever.)
96 Sing ye a new song to the Lord; all (the) earth, sing ye to the Lord.
2 Sing ye to the Lord, and bless ye his name; tell ye his health from day into day (tell ye about his salvation, or his deliverance, yea, his saving grace, from day unto day).
3 Tell ye his glory among heathen men; his marvels among all peoples. (Tell ye of his glory to the heathen; and of his marvellous deeds to all the nations.)
4 For the Lord is great, and worthy to be praised full much; he is fearedful above all gods (he should be feared above all gods/he should be revered above all gods).
5 For all the gods of heathen men be fiends; but the Lord made heavens. (For all the gods of the heathen be but idols; but the Lord made the heavens.)
6 Acknowledging and fairness is in his sight; holiness and worthy doing is in his hallowing. (Majesty and glory surround him; strength and beauty be in his sanctuary.)
7 Ye countries of heathen men, bring to the Lord, bring ye glory and honour to the Lord; (Ye countries of the heathen, acknowledge to the Lord, acknowledge ye the glory and the strength of the Lord;)
8 bring ye to the Lord glory to his name. Take ye sacrifices, and enter ye into the halls of him; (give ye to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring ye your sacrifices, and enter ye into his courtyards;)
9 praise ye the Lord in his holy hall. All earth be moved of his face; (praise ye the Lord in the beauty of his holiness. All the earth tremble before him/All the earth dance before him;)
10 say ye among heathen men, that the Lord hath reigned. And he hath amended the world, that shall not be moved; he shall deem peoples in equity. (say ye among the heathen, that the Lord reigneth. And that he hath set the world firmly in place, so that it cannot be moved; he shall judge the nations with justice.)
11 Heavens be glad, and the earth make full out joy, the sea and the fullness thereof be moved (al)together; (Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice, let the sea roar, and all the creatures in it;)
12 fields shall make joy, and all things that be in those. Then all the trees of woods shall make full out joy, (let the fields make joy, and all the things that be in them. And let all the trees of the woods rejoice,)
13 for the face of the Lord, for he cometh; for he cometh to deem the earth. He shall deem the world in equity; and peoples in his truth. (before the Lord, for he cometh; yea, he cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, or with justice; and all the peoples with fairness, or in good faith.)
18 After many days the word of the Lord was made to Elijah, in the third year, and said, Go, and show thee to Ahab, that I give rain upon the face of the earth (Go, and show thyself to Ahab, and I shall send rain upon the face of the earth).
2 Therefore Elijah went to show himself to Ahab; forsooth a great hunger was made in Samaria (and there was then a great famine in Samaria).
3 And Ahab called Obadiah, the dispenser, either steward, of his house; forsooth Obadiah dreaded greatly the Lord God of Israel (and Obadiah greatly feared/greatly revered the Lord God of Israel).
4 For when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, he took an hundred prophets, and hid them, by fifties and fifties, in dens (and hid them in caves, fifty by fifty), and fed them with bread and water.
5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, Go thou into the land, to all the wells of waters, and into all (the) valleys, if in hap we may find grass, and save (the) horses and mules; and [the] work beasts perish not utterly (and so the work beasts shall not utterly perish).
6 And they parted the countries to themselves, that they should compass those; Ahab went by one way, and Obadiah went by another way, by himself.
7 And when Obadiah was in the way, Elijah met him (And when Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him); and when he had known Elijah, he felled on his face, and said, Whether thou art my lord Elijah?
8 To whom he answered, I am. And Elijah said, Go thou, and say to thy lord, Elijah is present (Elijah is here).
9 And Obadiah said, What have I sinned, for thou betakest me in(to) the hand of Ahab, that he slay me?
10 Thy Lord God liveth, for no folk either realm is, whither my lord, seeking thee, sent not; and when all men answered, He is not here, he charged greatly all realms and folks, for thou were not found; (As the Lord thy God liveth, for there is no nation, or kingdom, where my lord hath not sent, seeking thee; and when all people answered, He is not here, he greatly charged each kingdom, and nation, to swear, that thou were not found there;)
11 and now thou sayest to me, Go, and say to thy lord, Elijah is present (Elijah is here).
12 And when I shall depart from thee, the Spirit of the Lord shall bear thee away into a place which I know not; and I shall enter, and tell to Ahab, and he shall not find thee, and he shall slay thee; forsooth thy servant dreadeth the Lord from his young childhood. (And when I shall leave thee, the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee away to a place which I know not; and I shall go, and tell Ahab, but he shall not find thee, and then he shall kill me; and know ye that thy servant feareth the Lord/revereth the Lord, from his young childhood.)
13 Whether it is not showed to thee, my lord, what I did, when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid of the prophets of the Lord an hundred men, by fifty and fifty, in dens, and I fed them with bread and water? (Was it not told to thee, my lord, what I did, when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, that I hid a hundred of the prophets of the Lord in caves, fifty by fifty, and that I fed them with bread and water?)
14 And now thou sayest, Go, and say to thy lord, Elijah is present/Elijah is nigh, that he slay me. (And now thou sayest, Go, and say to thy lord, Elijah is here. No! he shall kill me!)
15 And Elijah said, The Lord of hosts liveth, before whose sight I stand, for today I shall appear to him. (And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, whom I stand before, I shall appear before him today.)
16 Therefore Obadiah went into the meeting of Ahab, and showed it to him; and Ahab came into the meeting of Elijah. (And so Obadiah went to find Ahab, and told him everything; and Ahab came to meet with Elijah.)
17 And when he had seen Elijah, he said, Whether thou art he, that troublest Israel? (And when he had seen Elijah, he said, Art thou he who troublest Israel?)
18 And he said, Not I trouble Israel, but thou, and the house of thy father, which have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and followed Baalim. (And Elijah said, It is not I who trouble Israel, but thou, and the house of thy father, who have deserted the commandments of the Lord, and followed Baalim.)
19 Nevertheless now send thou, and gather to me all Israel, into the hill of Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and [the] four hundred prophets of (the) maumet woods, that eat of the table of Jezebel. (But now send thou, and gather together for me all Israel on Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.)
12 Therefore, my most dear-worthy brethren [my most dear-worthy], as evermore ye have obeyed, not in my presence only, but much more now in mine absence, work ye with dread and trembling your health.
13 For it is God that worketh in you, both to will [both to desire], and to perform, for good will.
14 And do ye all things without grumblings and doubtings; [Forsooth do ye all things without grutchings and doubtings;]
15 that ye be without plaint, and simple as the sons of God, without reproof, in the middle of a depraved nation [in the middle of a shrewd nation] and a wayward; among which ye shine as givers of light in the world [among whom ye shine as givers of light in the world;].
16 And hold ye together the word of life to my glory in the day of Christ; for I have not run in vain, neither I have travailed in vain. [holding together the word of life to my glory in the day of Christ; for I have not run in vain, neither in vain travailed.]
17 But though I be offered, or slain, on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I have joy, and I thank you all. [But and if I be offered, or slain, upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I have joy, and together thank you all.]
18 And for the same thing have ye joy, and thank ye me. [The same thing forsooth and ye have joy, and together thank me.]
19 And I hope in the Lord Jesus, that I shall send Timothy soon to you [Forsooth I hope in the Lord Jesus, me to send Timothy soon to you], that I be of good comfort, when those things be known that be about you.
20 For I have no man so of one will, that is busy for you with clean affection.
21 For all men seek those things that be their own, not those that be of Christ Jesus.
22 But know ye the assay of him [Forsooth know ye the experiment, or assay, of him], for as a son to the father he hath served with me in the gospel.
23 Therefore I hope that I shall send him to you, at once as I see what things be about me. [Forsooth I hope me to send him to you, anon as I shall see what things be about me.]
24 And I trust in the Lord, that also myself shall come to you soon.
25 And I guessed it needful to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and even-worker, and mine even-knight, but your apostle, and the minister of my need.
26 For he desired you all, and he was sorrowful, therefore that ye heard that he was sick.
27 For he was sick [till] to the death, but God had mercy on him; and not only on him, but also on me, lest I had heaviness on heaviness [lest I had heaviness upon heaviness].
28 Therefore more hastily I sent him, that when ye have seen him, ye have joy again, and I be without heaviness.
29 Therefore receive ye him with all joy in the Lord, and have ye such with all honour.
30 For the work of Christ he went to death, giving his life, that he should fulfill that that failed of you with my service. [For why for the work of Christ unto the death he went, giving his life, that he should fulfill that that failed to you with my service.]
13 And when they were gone [And when they had gone away], lo! the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in sleep, and said [saying], Rise up, and take the child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there, till that I say to thee; for it is to come, that Herod seek the child, to destroy him [to lose him].
14 And Joseph rose [up], and took the child and his mother by night, and went into Egypt,
15 and he was there till the death of Herod; that it should be fulfilled, that was said of the Lord by the prophet, saying, From Egypt I have called my son.
16 Then Herod seeing that he was scorned, either deceived, of the astrologers [Then Herod seeing that he was scorned, or deceived, of the kings], was full wroth; and he sent, and slew all the children, that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years age and within, after the time that he had inquired of the astrologers [after the time that he had sought out of the kings].
17 Then it was fulfilled, that was said by Jeremy, the prophet, saying,
18 A voice was heard on high, weeping and much wailing, Rachel beweeping her sons, and she would not be comforted, for they be nought [for they be not].
19 But when Herod was dead, lo! the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in sleep in Egypt, [Soothly Herod dead, lo! the angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt,]
20 and said [saying], Rise up, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they that sought the life of the child be dead.
21 Joseph rose [up], and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 And he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judaea for Herod, his father, and dreaded to go thither. And he was warned in sleep, and went into the parts of Galilee;
23 and [he] came, and dwelt in a city, that is called Nazareth, that it should be fulfilled, that was said by prophets, For he shall be called a Nazarene.
2001 by Terence P. Noble