Book of Common Prayer

55 To victory in organs, the learning of David. God, hear thou my prayer, and despise thou not my beseeching; (To victory, on instruments, the teaching of David. God, hear thou my prayer, and despise thou not my plea;)

² give thou attention to me, and hear thou me. I am sorrowful in mine exercising (I am grieved by my distress);

³ and I am disturbed of the face of the enemy, and of the tribulation of the sinner. For they bowed wickednesses into me; and in ire they were dis-easeful to me. (and I am made afraid by my enemies, and by the trouble which the sinners have brought upon me. For they bowed down wickednesses upon me; and with great anger they were very hateful to me.)

⁴ Mine heart was troubled in me; and the dread of death felled on me. (My heart was troubled within me; and the fear of death fell upon me.)

⁵ Dread and trembling came on me (Fear and trembling came upon me); and darknesses covered me.

⁶ And I said, Who shall give to me feathers, as of a culver; and I shall fly, and shall take rest? (And I said, Who shall give me wings like a dove? and then I can fly away, and get some rest.)

⁷ Lo! I went far away, and fled; and I dwelled in wilderness. (Lo! I would flee far away; and I would live in the wilderness.)

⁸ I abode him, that made me safe from the littleness, either dread, of spirit; and from tempest. (I would hasten, and make myself safe from the wind, and from the tempest.)

⁹ Lord, cast thou down, [and] part thou the tongues of them; for I saw wickedness and against-saying in the city.

¹⁰ By day and night wickedness shall (en)compass it on the walls thereof; and travail and unrightfulness be in the midst of them. (Day and night they surround the city, all along its walls; and trouble and unrighteousness be in its midst.)

¹¹ And usury and guile failed not; from the streets thereof. (And greed, and deceit, always be found in its streets.)

¹² For if mine enemy had cursed me; soothly I had suffered. And if he, that hated me, had spoken great things on me; in hap I had hid me from him. (For if my enemy had cursed me; truly I would have suffered it. And if he, who hated me, had spoken great things against me; I would have hid myself from him.)

¹³ But thou art a man of one will (with me); my leader, and my known. (But thou art a man of one mind with me; my leader, and my dear friend.)

¹⁴ Which tookest together sweet meats with me; we went with consent in(to) the house of God. (Who shared his good counsel with me; and we went together to the House of God.)

¹⁵ Death come on them; and go they down quick into hell (May death come upon them; and may they go down alive into Sheol, or the land of the dead). For waywardnesses be in the dwelling places of them; (and) in the midst of them.

¹⁶ But I cried to thee, Lord; and the Lord saved me. (But I shall cry to thee, Lord; and the Lord will save me.)

¹⁷ In the eventide, and [the] morrowtide, and in midday (and at midday), I shall tell, and show (him); and he shall hear my voice.

¹⁸ He shall again-buy my soul in peace from them, that nigh to me; for among many they were with me. (And he shall deliver my soul unto peace again, from those who come against me; for there were many against me.)

¹⁹ God shall hear; and he that is before the worlds shall make them low. For changing is not to them, and they dreaded not God; (God shall hear; and he who was before the worlds, shall humble them. For changing is not to them, and they do not fear God;)

²⁰ he holdeth forth his hand in yielding. They defouled his testament, (indeed, they put forth their hands, against those who be at peace with them. They have broken their promise, or their covenant,)

²¹ the cheers thereof were parted from ire; and his heart nighed. The words thereof were softer than oil; and they be darts. (their words were smoother than butter; but battle was in their hearts. Their words were softer than oil; but they were as sharp as darts.)

²² Cast thy care, or thought, [(or) busyness,] on the Lord, and he shall fully nourish thee; and he shall not give [into] without end fluttering to a just man. (Cast thy burdens upon the Lord, and he shall nourish and protect thee; yea, he shall not allow the righteous to be moved, or shaken.)

²³ But thou, God, shalt lead them forth; into the pit of death. Men-quellers and beguilers shall not have half their days; but, Lord, I shall hope in thee. (But murderers and deceivers shall not have half their days; for thou, God, shalt lead them forth, into the pit of death. But, O Lord, I shall put my trust in thee.)

138 [The psalm of David.] Lord, I shall acknowledge to thee in all mine heart; for thou heardest the words of my mouth. My God, I shall sing to thee in the sight of angels; (The song of David. Lord, I shall praise thee with all my heart. My God, I shall sing praises to thee before the angels, or before the gods.)

² I shall worship to(ward) thine holy temple, and I shall acknowledge to thy name. On thy mercy and thy truth; for thou hast magnified thine holy name above all thing. (I shall worship towards thy holy Temple, and I shall praise thy name; because of thy love, and thy faithfulness; for thou hast magnified thy holy name above all things.)

³ In whatever day I shall inwardly call thee, hear thou me; thou shalt multiply virtue in my soul. (On whatever day I called to thee, thou answeredest me; and thou hast multiplied the strength in my soul/and thou hast made me strong.)

⁴ Lord, all the kings of earth acknowledge to thee; for they heard all the words of thy mouth. (Lord, all the kings of the earth shall praise thee; for they have heard all the words of thy mouth.)

⁵ And sing they in the ways of the Lord (And they shall sing of the ways of the Lord); for the glory of the Lord is great.

⁶ For the Lord is high, and beholdeth meek things; and knoweth afar high things. (For though the Lord is high above, he looketh upon the meek/he careth for the humble; and he knoweth the proud from afar.)

⁷ If I shall go in the midst of tribulation, thou shalt quicken me; and thou stretchedest forth thine hand on the ire of mine enemies, and thy right hand made me safe. (Yea, though I go in the midst of trouble, or of tribulation, thou keepest me safe/thou keepest me alive; and thou stretchest forth thy hand against the rage of my enemies, and thy right hand savest me.)

⁸ The Lord shall yield for me, Lord, thy mercy is [into] without end; despise thou not the works of thine hands. (The Lord shall bring to pass his promises to me. O Lord, thy love is forever; so complete thy work.)

139 To victory, the psalm of David. Lord, thou hast proved me, and hast known me; (To victory, the song of David. Lord, thou hast assayed, or tested, me, and thou knowest me;)

² thou hast known my sitting, and my rising again. Thou hast understood my thoughts from [a]far; (thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up. Thou hast understood my thoughts from afar;)

³ thou hast inquired (of) my path and my cord. And thou hast before-seen all my ways; (thou hast examined my path, and my resting places. And thou hast foreseen all my ways.)

⁴ for no word is in my tongue. Lo! Lord, thou hast known all things, (Yea, there is no word on my tongue, lo! Lord; but that thou not knowest it first.)

⁵ the new things and eld; thou hast formed me, and hast set thine hand on me. (Thou art behind me, and before me; and thou hast set thy hand upon me.)

⁶ Thy knowing is made wonderful of me; it is comforted, and I shall not be able to it. (Thy abundant knowledge is so wonderful to me; yea, it is so very great, and I shall never be able to comprehend it all.)

⁷ Whither shall I go from thy spirit; and whither shall I flee from thy face? (Where shall I go from thy spirit; and where shall I flee from thy presence?)

⁸ If I shall ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I shall go down into hell, thou art present. (If I shall go up into heaven, thou art there; if I shall go down into Sheol, or into the land of the dead, thou art there also.)

⁹ If I shall take my feathers full early; and shall dwell in the last parts of the sea. (If I shall take flight early in the morning; or if I shall live on the farthest edge, or the coast, of the sea.)

¹⁰ And soothly thither thine hand shall lead me forth; and thy right hand shall hold me. (Even there thy hand shall lead me forth; and thy right hand shall keep me safe.)

¹¹ And I said, In hap darknesses shall defoul me; and the night is my lightening in my delights. (And I said, Perhaps the darkness shall cover me; or the light all around me shall become my night.)

¹² For why darknesses shall not be made dark from thee, and the night shall be lightened as the day; as the darknesses thereof, so and the light thereof. (But the darkness shall not be dark for thee, and the night shall be like the daylight; yea, to you, the darkness is no different than the light.)

¹³ For thou haddest in possession my reins; thou tookest me up from the womb of my mother. (For thou haddest my reins in thy possession/For thou formedest my inner parts; yea, thou madest me in my mother’s womb.)

¹⁴ I shall acknowledge to thee, for thou art magnified dreadfully; thy works be wonderful, and my soul shall know (that) full much. (I shall praise thee, for thou art greatly to be feared/for thou hath filled me with awe; thy works be wonderful, and I truly know that.)

¹⁵ My bone, which thou madest in private, is not hid from thee; and my substance (formed) in the lower parts of earth. (My bones, which thou madest in secret, be not a mystery to thee; yea, when my substance was formed in the lower parts of the earth.)

¹⁶ Thine eyes saw mine unperfect thing, and all men shall be written in thy book; days shall be formed, and no man is in those. (Thine eyes saw my imperfect substance, and all was written in thy Book; but when those days were formed, no man was there.)

¹⁷ Forsooth, God, thy friends be made honourable full much to me; the princehood of them is comforted full much. (But, God, how deep be thy thoughts to me; and how many of them there be!)

¹⁸ I shall number them, and they shall be multiplied above the gravel; I rose up, and yet I am with thee. (If I tried to count them all up, their number would be more than all the grains of sand. And then I awake; and still I am with thee.)

¹⁹ For thou, God, shalt slay sinners; ye men-quellers, bow away from me. (O God, I wish that thou wouldest kill the sinners; ye murderers, go far away from me!)

²⁰ For they say in thought; Take they their cities in vanity. (For out loud they say against thee, We shall take thy name in vain.)

²¹ Lord, whether I hated not them that hated thee; and I failed, that is, mourned greatly, on (those who be) thine enemies? (Lord, how I hate those who hate thee; and I am greatly grieved by those who be thy enemies!)

²² By perfect hatred I hated them; they were made enemies to me. (Yea, with perfect hatred I hate them; they be made my enemies too.)

²³ God, prove thou me, and know thou mine heart; ask thou me, and know thou my paths. (God, assay, or test, thou me, and know thou my heart; ask thou me, and know thou my thoughts.)

38 Forsooth the Lord answered from the whirlwind to Job, and said, (Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,)

² Who is this man, wrapping together sentences with unwise words?

³ Gird thou as a man thy loins; I shall ask thee, and answer thou [to] me. (Gird thou up thy loins like a man; I shall ask thee, and thou shalt answer me.)

⁴ Where were thou, when I set the foundaments of the earth? (when I made the foundations of the earth?) show thou to me, if thou hast understanding.

⁵ Who setted [the] measure(ment)s thereof, if thou knowest? either who stretched forth a line thereupon?

⁶ Upon what thing be the foundaments thereof made (stead)fast? either who sent down the cornerstone thereof,

⁷ when the morrow stars praised me together, and all the sons of God sang joyfully?

⁸ Who closed together the sea with doors, when it brake out coming forth as of the womb? (Who altogether enclosed the sea with doors, when it broke out as if coming forth from the womb?)

⁹ When I setted a cloud the covering thereof, and I wrapped it with darkness, as with (the) ’clothes of young childhood.

¹⁰ I (en)compassed it with my terms, and I setted a bar, and doors; (I surrounded it with borders, and I set its doors and bars in place;)

¹¹ and I said, Hitherto thou shalt come, and thou shalt not go further; and here thou shalt break together thy swelling waves. (and I said, Thou shalt come hitherto, and thou shalt go no further; and here thou shalt altogether break thy swelling waves.)

¹² Whether after thy birth thou commandedest to the beginning of the day, and showedest to the morrowtide his place? (and hast shown, or told, the morning its place?)

¹³ Whether thou heldest shaking together the last parts of [the] earth, and shakedest away [the] wicked men therefrom? (Hast thou taught it to take hold of the last parts of the earth, and shakedest out the wicked from there?)

¹⁴ A sealing shall be restored as clay, and it shall stand as a cloth. (It shall be as clear as the mark of a seal on a piece of clay, and it shall stand out like the folds of a cloak.)

¹⁵ The light of wicked men shall be taken away from them, and an high arm shall be broken.

¹⁶ Whether thou hast entered into the depth of the sea, and hast walked in the last parts of the depth, that is, the ocean, or the great west sea? (Hast thou entered into the depths of the sea? or hast thou walked in the deep parts of the ocean?)

¹⁷ Whether the gates of death be opened to thee, and thou hast seen the dark doors? (Be the gates of death opened to thee, and hast thou seen the dark doors?)

²² Then it pleased to the apostles, and to the elder men [and elder men], with all the church, to choose men of them, and send to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, Judas, that was named Barsabas, and Silas, the first men among brethren;

²³ and wrote by the hands of them, Apostles and elder brethren to them that be at Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia, brethren of heathen men, greeting.

²⁴ For we heard that some went out from us, and troubled you with words, and turned upside-down your souls [turning upside-down your souls], to which men we commanded not,

²⁵ it pleased to us gathered into one, to choose men, and send to you, with our most dear-worthy Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶ men that gave their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷ Therefore we sent Judas and Silas, and they shall tell the same things to you by words.

²⁸ For it is seen to the Holy Ghost and to us, to put to you nothing more of charge, than these needful things,

²⁹ that ye abstain you from the offered things of maumets [that ye abstain you from the offered things of simulacra], and blood strangled, and fornication. From which ye keeping you, shall do well. Fare ye well.

³⁰ Therefore they were let go, and came down to Antioch; and when the multitude was gathered, they took the epistle; [Therefore they dismissed, came down to Antioch; and, when the multitude was gathered, they betook the epistle;]

³¹ which when they had read, they joyed on the comfort.

³² And Judas and Silas and they, for they were prophets, comforted brethren, and confirmed [them] with full many words. [Forsooth Judas and Silas and they, when they were prophets, with full much word comforted brethren, and confirmed them.]

³³ But after that they had been there a little while, they were let go of brethren with peace [they were dismissed, or left, with peace of brethren], to them that had sent them.

³⁴ But it was seen to Silas, to dwell there; and Judas went alone to Jerusalem.

³⁵ And Paul and Barnabas dwelt at Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with others many [with many others].

⁴⁵ Therefore many of the Jews that came to Mary and Martha, and saw what things Jesus did, believed in him.

⁴⁶ But some of them went to the Pharisees, and said to them, what things Jesus had done.

⁴⁷ Therefore the bishops and the Pharisees gathered a council against Jesus, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles [for this man doeth many signs, or miracles].

⁴⁸ If we leave him thus, all men shall believe in him; and Romans shall come, and shall take our place and our folk [and Romans shall come, and take our place and folk].

⁴⁹ But one of them, Caiaphas by name, when he was bishop of that year, said to them, Ye know nothing,

⁵⁰ nor think, that it speedeth to you, that one man die for the people, and that all the folk perish not.

⁵¹ But [Forsooth] he said not this thing of himself, but when he was bishop of that year, he prophesied, that Jesus was to die for the folk,

⁵² and not only for the folk, but that he should gather into one the sons of God that were scattered.

⁵³ Therefore from that day they thought for to slay him.

⁵⁴ Therefore Jesus walked not then openly among the Jews [Therefore Jesus walked not now openly at the Jews]; but he went into a country beside [the] desert, into a city, that is said Ephraim, and there he dwelled with his disciples [and there he dwelt with his disciples].