Book of Common Prayer
140 To victory, the psalm of David. Lord, deliver thou me from an evil man; deliver thou me from a wicked man. (To victory, the song of David. Lord, save thou me from evil people; yea, save thou me from violent, or wicked, people.)
2 Which thought wickednesses in the heart; all day they ordained battles. (Who always think in their hearts about doing wicked things; who plan out battles all day long/day after day.)
3 They sharpened their tongues as serpents; the venom of snakes is under the lips of them. (Their tongues be sharp like the fangs of serpents; the venom of snakes is on their lips.)
4 Lord, keep thou me from the hand of the sinner; and deliver thou me from wicked men. Which thought to deceive my goings; (Lord, keep thou me safe from the power of the sinner; and save thou me from the wicked, from those who think out ways to thwart my progress.)
5 proud men hid a snare to me. And they laid forth cords into a snare; they setted (a) trap to me beside the way. (Proud people hid a snare for me, yea, they laid out cords for a snare; they set a trap for me along the way.)
6 I said to the Lord, Thou art my God; Lord, hear thou the voice of my beseeching (Lord, hear thou the words of my plea).
7 Lord, Lord, the virtue of mine health; thou madest shadow on mine head in the day of battle. (Lord, Lord, my strong salvation/my strong deliverance; thou madest a shadow upon my head on the day of battle.)
8 Lord, betake thou not me from my desire to the sinner; they thought against me, forsake thou not me, lest peradventure they be enhanced. (Lord, do not thou deliver me unto the desires of the sinners; they have planned to harm me, so abandon thou me not, lest they gain an advantage over me.)
9 The head of the compass of them; the travail of their lips shall cover them. (As for the leaders of those who surround me; let the treachery of their own lips ensnare them.)
10 Coals shall fall on them, thou shalt cast them down into fire; in(to) wretchednesses (where) they shall not (be able to) stand. (Let burning coals fall upon them, and be they thrown down into the fire; yea, into a wretchedness from which they shall never be able to escape.)
11 A man that is a great jangler shall not be (well-) directed in earth (A man who is a great gossip, or a slanderer, shall not be successful in the world); evils shall take an unjust man in(to) perishing.
12 I have known, that the Lord shall make doom of a needy man; and the vengeance of poor men. (I know, that the Lord shall make judgement in favour of the needy; and he shall take vengeance for the poor.)
13 Nevertheless just men shall acknowledge to thy name; and rightful men shall dwell with thy cheer. (Truly the righteous shall give thanks to thy name; and the upright shall live in thy presence./Truly the righteous shall praise thy name; and the upright shall worship before thee.)
142 The learning of David; his prayer, when he was in the den. With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I prayed heartily to the Lord. (The teaching of David; his prayer, when he was in the cave. With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I heartily prayed to the Lord.)
2 I shedded out my prayer in his sight; and I pronounce(d) my tribulation before him. (I poured out my complaints before him; and I told him about all my troubles.)
3 While my spirit faileth of me; and thou hast known my paths. In this way in which I went; proud men hid a snare to me. (Yea, when my spirit failed within me; thou knewest which path I should take. For on the way in which I went; proud people hid a snare for me.)
4 I beheld to the right side, and I saw; and none there was that knew me. Flight perished from me; and none there is that seeketh (to help) my soul. (I looked to the right; and I saw, that there was no one there who knew me. I had no way to escape; there was no one to rescue me.)
5 Lord, I cried to thee; I said, Thou art mine hope; my part in the land of livers. (Lord, I cried to thee; I said, Thou art my only hope, my portion in the land of the living.)
6 Give thou attention to my beseeching; for I am made low full greatly. Deliver thou me from them that pursue me; for they be comforted on me. (Give thou attention to my plea; for I am brought down so very low. Save thou me from those who pursue me; for they be stronger than me.)
7 Lead my soul out of keeping to acknowledge to thy name; just men abide me, till thou yield to me. (Lead me out of this prison, so that I can praise thy name; the righteous shall gather around me, when thou shalt reward me.)
141 The psalm of David. (The song of David.) Lord, I cried to thee, hear thou me; give thou attention to my voice, when I shall cry to thee.
2 My prayer be (ad)dressed as incense in thy sight; the raising up of mine hands be as the eventide sacrifice. (Let my prayer be directed before thee like incense; and let the raising up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.)
3 Lord, set thou a keeping to my mouth; and a door of standing about to my lips. (Lord, set thou a guard at my mouth; yea, a sentry at the door of my lips.)
4 Bow thou not [down] mine heart into words of malice; to excuse excusings in sin. With men working wickedness; and I shall not commune with the chosen men of them. (Help thou me not to turn my heart to words of malice; to make excuses for sins, and for those who do evil. I shall not commune with their chosen ones/I shall not feast with their chosen ones.)
5 A just man shall reprove me in mercy, and he shall blame me; but the oil of a sinner make not fat mine head. For why and yet my prayer is in the well pleasant things of them; (The righteous shall rebuke me in love, and they shall reproach me; but my head shall not be anointed with the oil of sinners. For my prayer is still against what is pleasing to them.)
6 for the doomsmen of them joined to the stone were sopped up. Hear they my words, for they were mighty. (And when their judges shall be thrown down from stony places, then the people shall listen to my words; for they be true.)
7 As fatness is broken out on the earth; our bones be scattered nigh hell. (As wood chopped into pieces lieth on the ground; so their bones shall be scattered nigh to Sheol/close to the grave.)
8 Lord, Lord, for mine eyes be to thee, I hoped in thee; take thou not away my soul. (Lord, Lord, I fix my eyes upon thee, and I put my trust in thee; do not let me die!)
9 Keep thou me from the snare which they ordained to me; and from the traps of them that work wickedness. (Keep thou me safe from the snare which they have set for me; yea, from the traps of those who do evil.)
10 Sinners shall fall in the net thereof; I am alone till I pass. (Let the sinners fall into their own nets; while I alone shall safely pass by.)
143 The psalm of David. Lord, hear thou my prayer, with ears perceive thou my beseeching; in thy truth hear thou me, in thy rightwiseness. (The song of David. Lord, hear thou my prayer, and listen thou to my plea; and answer thou me in thy faithfulness, and in thy righteousness.)
2 And enter thou not into doom with thy servant; for each man living shall not be made just in thy sight. (And enter thou not into the judgement of thy servant; for no one living can be made right, or justified, before thee.)
3 For the enemy pursued my soul; he made low my life in [the] earth. He hath set me in dark places, as the dead men of the world, (For the enemy hath pursued me; and he hath brought me down low to the ground. He hath put me in dark places, like the dead of the world,)
4 and my spirit was anguished on me; mine heart was troubled in me. (and my spirit was anguished within me; and my heart was troubled within me.)
5 I was mindful of eld days, I bethought in all thy works; I bethought in the deeds of thine hands. (I remembered the old days, and I thought about all thy works; yea, I thought about the deeds of thy hands.)
6 I held forth mine hands to thee; my soul (was) as earth without water to thee. (I held out my hands to thee; my soul was like dry ground without water, thirsting for thee.)
7 Lord, hear thou me swiftly; my spirit failed. Turn thou not away thy face from me; and I shall be like them that go down into the pit. (Lord, swiftly answer thou me; for my spirit faileth/for my spirit fainteth. Turn thou not away thy face from me; or I shall be like those who go down into the pit.)
8 Make thou early thy mercy heard to me; for I hoped in thee. Make thou known to me the way in which I shall go; for I raised my soul to thee. (Let me know thy love in the morning; for I put my trust in thee. Let me know which way I should go; for I raise up my soul to thee.)
9 Deliver thou me from mine enemies; Lord, I fled to thee; (Save thou me from my enemies; Lord, I fled to thee/Lord, I flee to thee;)
10 teach thou me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy good spirit shall lead me forth into a rightful land; (teach thou me to do thy will, for thou art my God. Thy good spirit shall lead me forth on the right path;)
11 Lord, for thy name thou shalt quicken me in thine equity. Thou shalt lead my soul out of tribulation; (Lord, for the sake of thy name, save me/let me live. And because of thy fairness, lead thou my soul out of trouble, or tribulation;)
12 and in thy mercy thou shalt scatter mine enemies. And thou shalt lose all them, that trouble my soul; for I am thy servant. (and in thy love for me, waste thou my enemies. Yea, destroy thou all those who trouble me; for I am thy servant.)
9 Hear these things, ye princes of the house of Jacob, and doomsmen of the house of Israel, which loathe doom, and pervert all right things; (Hear these things, ye leaders of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, who hate justice, and pervert, or warp, every good, or right, thing;)
10 which build Zion in bloods, and Jerusalem in wickedness. (who build up Zion with bloodshed, and Jerusalem with wickedness.)
11 The princes thereof deemed for gifts, and [the] priests thereof taught for hire, and the prophets thereof divined for money; and on the Lord they rested, and said, Whether the Lord is not in the middle of us? evils shall not come (up)on us. (Its leaders judged, or governed, for bribes, and its priests taught for pay, and its prophets divined for money; and yet they rested, or relied, upon the Lord, and said, Is not the Lord here in the midst of us? yea, evil shall not come upon us.)
12 For this thing because of you, Zion as a field shall be eared; and Jerusalem shall be as an heap of stones, and the hill of the temple shall be into high things of woods. (For this thing, because of you, Zion shall be plowed under like a field, and Jerusalem shall become a heap of stones, and the Temple mount shall become the high place of a forest.)
4 And in the last days, the hill of the house of the Lord shall be made ready in the top of [the] hills, and shall be high over small hills. And peoples shall flow to him, (And in the last days, the hill of the House of the Lord shall be made to be above the tops of all the other hills, and shall be high over all the small hills. And the peoples, or the nations, shall flow to it,)
2 and many peoples shall hasten, and shall say, Come ye, ascend we to the hill of the Lord, and to the house of God of Jacob; and he shall teach us of his ways, and we shall go in his paths. For the law shall go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; (yea, many people shall hasten there, and shall say, Come ye, go we up to the hill of the Lord, and to the House of the God of Jacob/Come ye, let us go up the hill of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob; and he shall teach us his ways, and we shall go on his paths. For the Law shall go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem;)
3 and he shall deem betwixt many peoples, and shall chastise strong folks till into far. And they shall beat together their swords into shares[a]1, and their spears into pickaxes; folk shall not take sword against folk, and they shall no more learn to fight. (and he shall judge between many peoples, and shall chastise, or shall discipline, strong nations afar off. And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pickaxes; yea, nation shall not take up sword against nation, and they shall no more prepare for battle.)
4 And a man shall sit under his vineyard, and under his fig tree; and there shall not be that shall make afeared (and there shall be no one and nothing that shall make him afraid), for the mouth of the Lord of hosts spake.
5 For all peoples shall go, each man in the name of his Lord God; but we shall walk in the name of our Lord God into the world, and over. (For all peoples go forth, each person in the name of their god; but we shall walk in the name of the Lord our God, forever and ever.)
24 And after some days Felix came, with Drusilla his wife, that was a Jewess, and called Paul, and heard of him the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
25 And while he disputed of rightwiseness, and chastity, and of doom to coming [and of doom to come], Felix was made trembling, and answered, That pertaineth now, go; but in time opportune I shall call thee [soothly in time covenable I shall call thee].
26 Also he hoped, that money should be given to him of Paul; for which thing again he called him [for which thing and oft he called him], and spake with him.
27 And when two years were filled, Felix took a successor, Porcius Festus; and Felix would give grace to the Jews, and left Paul bound.[a]
25 Therefore when Festus came into the province, after the third day he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea.
2 And the princes of priests, and the worthiest of the Jews went to him against Paul [And the prince of priests, and the first of Jews went to him against Paul], and prayed him,
3 and asked grace against him, that he should command him to be led to Jerusalem; and they set ambush to slay him in the way [setting ambush to slay him in the way].
4 But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept in Caesarea; soothly that he himself should proceed more advisedly [soothly that he himself should go forth more ripely, or hastily].
5 Therefore he said, They that in you be mighty, come down together; and if any crime is in the man, accuse they him [accuse him].
6 And he dwelled among them no more than eight either ten days, and came down to Caesarea [Soothly he dwelling among them no more than eight or ten days, came down to Caesarea]; and the tother day he sat for doomsman, and commanded Paul to be brought.
7 And when he was brought forth, Jews stood about him, which came down from Jerusalem, putting against him many and grievous causes, which they might not prove.
8 For Paul yielded reason in all things, That neither against the law of Jews, neither against the temple, neither against the emperor [neither against Caesar], I sinned any thing.
9 But Festus would do grace to the Jews, and answered to Paul, and said [Forsooth Festus willing to give grace to the Jews, answering to Paul, said], Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be deemed of these things before me?
10 And Paul said, At the doom place of the emperor I stand [At the doom place of Caesar I stand], where it behooveth me to be deemed. I have not harmed the Jews, as thou knowest well.
11 For if I have harmed, either done any thing worthy death, I forsake not to die; but if nothing of those is, that they accuse me, no man may give me to them. I appeal to the emperor.[b]
12 Then Festus spake with the council, and answered, To the emperor thou hast appealed, to the emperor thou shalt go [To Caesar thou hast appealed, to Caesar thou shalt go].
8 And it was done afterward, and Jesus made journey by cities and castles, preaching and evangelizing the realm of God, and twelve with him;
2 and some women that were healed of wicked spirits and sicknesses, Mary, that is called Magdalene, of whom seven devils went out,
3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, the procurator of Herod, and Susanna, and many others, that ministered to him of their riches [which ministered to him of their faculties, or riches].
4 And when much people was come together, and men hied to him from the cities, he said by a similitude, [Forsooth when full much company came together, and from cities hasted to him, he said by a likeness, or example,]
5 He that soweth, went out to sow his seed. And while he soweth, some fell beside the way, and was defouled, and birds of the air ate it.
6 And other fell on a stone, and it sprang up, and dried, for it had not moisture [for it had no moisture].
7 And other fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up together, and strangled it.
8 And other fell into good earth [And another fell down into good land], and it sprang up, and made an hundredfold fruit. He said these things, and cried, He that hath ears of hearing, hear he.
9 But his disciples asked him, what this parable was.
10 And he said to them, To you it is granted to know the private of the kingdom of God [To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God]; but to other men in parables, that they seeing see not, and they hearing understand not.
11 And this is the parable. The seed is God's word;
12 and they that be beside the way, be these that hear; and afterward the fiend cometh, and taketh away the word from their heart, lest they believing be made safe.[a]
13 But they that fell on a stone, be these that when they have heard [be these men which when they have heard], receive the word with joy. And these have no roots [And these have not root]; for at a time they believe, and in time of temptation they go away.
14 But that that fell among thorns, be these that heard, and of busynesses, and riches, and lusts of life [and volupties of life] they go forth, and be strangled, and bring forth no fruit.
15 But that that fell into good earth, be these that, in a good heart, and best, hear the word, and hold, and bring forth fruit in patience. [Forsooth that that fell into good earth, be these which, in good heart and best, hearing the word hold, and bring forth fruit in patience.]
2001 by Terence P. Noble