Book of Common Prayer

1 Blessed is the man, that goeth not in the counsel of wicked men; and stood not in the way of sinners, and sat not in the chair of pestilence. (Happy is the person who goeth not in the counsel of the wicked; and walketh not in the way of sinners, and sitteth not in the chair of pestilence.)

² But his will is in the law of the Lord; and he shall bethink in the law of him day and night. (But his delight is in the Law of the Lord; and he shall think about his Law day and night.)

³ And he shall be as a tree, which is planted beside the runnings of waters; that shall give his fruit in his time. And his leaf shall not fall down; and all things, whichever he shall do, shall have prosperity. (And he shall be like a tree, which is planted beside the running water; it shall give its fruit at its proper time, and its leaves shall not fall down. Yea, everything, whatever he shall do, shall prosper.)

⁴ Not so wicked men, not so; but they be as dust, which the wind casteth away from the face of the earth. (Not so the wicked, not so; but they be like the dust, which the wind bloweth away from off the face of the earth.)

⁵ Therefore wicked men rise not again in doom; neither sinners in the council of just men. (And so the wicked shall not stand long at the judgement; nor shall the sinners stand with the congregation of the righteous.)

⁶ For the Lord knoweth the way of just men; and the way of wicked men shall perish. (For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous; but the wicked shall perish on their own way.)

2 Why gnashed with teeth heathen men; and peoples thought vain things? (Why do the heathen gnash with their teeth? and the peoples think up useless plans?)

² The kings of earth stood together; and princes came together against the Lord, and against his Christ. (The kings of the earth stood together; yea, the rulers came together against the Lord, and against his anointed king.)

³ Break we the bonds of them; and cast we away the yoke of them from us. (And they said, Let us break their bonds, that is, their rule over us; yea, let us throw off their yoke from us.)

⁴ He that dwelleth in heavens shall scorn them; and the Lord shall bemock them. (But he who liveth in heaven shall scorn them; yea, the Lord shall mock them.)

⁵ Then he shall speak to them in his wrath; and he shall trouble them in his strong vengeance. (And then he shall speak to them in his anger; and he shall trouble them with his fury.)

⁶ Soothly I am ordained of him a king upon Zion, his holy hill; (And the Lord saith of me, I have set my king upon Zion; upon my holy hill.)

⁷ preaching his commandment. The Lord said to me, Thou art my son; I have begotten thee today. (And I said, I shall tell out his decree. Then the Lord said to me, Thou art my son; and today I have become thy father.)

⁸ Ask thou of me, and I shall give to thee heathen men (for) thine heritage; and (for) thy possession the terms of earth. (Ask thou of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thy inheritance; and the ends of the earth for thy possession.)

⁹ Thou shalt govern them in an iron rod; and thou shalt break them together as the vessel of a potter. (Thou shalt govern them with an iron rod; and thou shalt break them in pieces, like a clay pot.)

¹⁰ And now, ye kings, understand; ye that deem the earth, be ye learned. (And so now, ye kings, understand; ye who judge, or who rule, the earth, learn your lesson!)

¹¹ Serve ye the Lord with dread; and make ye full out joy to him with trembling. (Serve ye the Lord in fear/Serve ye the Lord with reverence; and bow down before him with trembling.)

¹² Take ye lore of chastising; lest the Lord be wroth sometime, and ye perish from the just way. When his wrath shall burn out in short time; blessed be all they, that trust in him. (Kiss ye the King, that is, worship and serve him; lest sometime, the Lord be angry. And then, ye perish on the way; when, in a moment of time, his anger flareth up. Happy be all they, who trust in him.)

3 The psalm of David, when he fled from the face of Absalom, his son. Lord, why be they multiplied that trouble me? many men rise against me. (The song of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. Lord, why be there so many who trouble me? why be there so many who rise up against me?)

² Many men say of my soul, None health there is to him in his God. (Many say of me, There is no help for him from his God.)

³ But thou, Lord, art mine up-taker; my glory, and enhancing mine head. (But thou, Lord, art my defender; my glory, and the one who lifteth up my head.)

⁴ With my voice I cried to the Lord; and he heard me from his holy hill. (I cried to the Lord with my voice; and he answered me from his holy hill.)

⁵ I slept, and rested, and I rose up; for the Lord received me (for the Lord had protected me).

⁶ I shall not dread thousands of people (en)compassing me; (I shall not fear even thousands of people surrounding me;)

⁷ Lord, arise thou; my God, make me safe. For thou hast smitten all men being adversaries to me without cause; thou hast all-broken the teeth of sinners. (Lord, rise thou up; my God, save me. Thou hast struck down all who be my adversaries; thou hast broken all the teeth of the sinners.)

⁸ Health is of the Lord; and thy blessing is on thy people. (Victory is from the Lord/Salvation, or deliverance, is from the Lord; and thy blessing is upon thy people.)

4 To the victory in organs, the psalm of David. When I inwardly called, God of my rightwiseness heard me; in tribulation thou hast alarged to me. Have thou mercy on me; and hear thou my prayer. (To victory, on instruments, the song of David. Please answer me when I call thee, O God of my righteousness. For when I was in trouble, thou set me free, or at large. So have thou mercy on me; and hear thou my prayer.)

² Sons of men, how long be ye of heavy heart? why love ye vanity, and seek leasing? (Sons and daughters of men, how long shall ye insult me? why love ye empty and futile, or worthless, things, and go after lies?)

³ And know ye, that the Lord hath made marvellous his holy man; the Lord shall hear me, when I shall cry to him. (And know ye, that the Lord hath chosen the holy man for his own/that the Lord hath shown me his wondrous love; and that the Lord shall hear me, when I shall cry to him.)

⁴ Be ye wroth, and do not ye sin; and for those evils to which ye say in your hearts and in your beds, be ye compunct. (Be ye angry, but sin ye not; and have ye remorse for the evils which ye say in your hearts, and in your beds.)

⁵ Sacrifice ye the sacrifice of rightfulness/Offer ye an offering of rightfulness, and hope ye in the Lord; (Offer ye a righteous sacrifice, and trust ye in the Lord;)

⁶ many say, Who showed good things to us? Lord, the light of thy cheer is marked upon us; (many say, Who hath shown us any good thing? Lord, shine the light of thy face upon us!)

⁷ thou hast given gladness in mine heart. They be multiplied of the fruit of wheat, and of wine; and of their oil. (But thou hast put more gladness in my heart, than they have ever had; yea, even when their corn, and their wine, were plentiful.)

⁸ In peace in the same thing; I shall sleep, and take rest. For thou, Lord; hast set me singularly in hope/hast set me only in hope. (And so I shall lie down in peace; and sleep. For thou alone, Lord, hast given me hope/hast made me safe.)

7 For the ignorance of David, which he sang to the Lord, on the words of (the) Ethiopian, the son of Benjamin. My Lord God, I have hoped in thee; make thou me safe from all that pursue me, and deliver thou me. (For the sin of ignorance by David, which he sang to the Lord, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. My Lord God, I put my trust in thee; save thou me from all who persecute me, and rescue thou me.)

² Lest any time he as a lion ravish my soul; while none there is that again-buyeth, neither that maketh safe. (Lest any time they tear me apart like a lion; when there is no one who can save me.)

³ My Lord God, if I did this thing, if wickedness is in mine hands, or works (if there is wickedness, or a stain, upon my hands, or deeds);

⁴ if I yielded to men yielding to me evils, fall I by deserving void from mine enemies; (if I gave back evil to those who first did good to me, let me deservedly fall before my enemies;)

⁵ mine enemy pursue he my soul, and take he, and defoul my life in earth; and bring my glory into dust. (let my enemy persecute me, and take hold of me, and tread me down into the ground; and bring my honour down into the dust, or down into the dirt.)

⁶ Lord, rise thou up in thine ire; and be thou raised (up) in the coasts of mine enemies. And, my Lord God, rise thou up in the commandment, which thou hast commanded (And, my Lord God, rise thou up in the justice, or in the judgement, which thou hast commanded);

⁷ and the synagogue of peoples shall (en)compass thee. And for this go thou again on high; (and the congregation of the people shall surround thee. And for them, go thou again on high;)

⁸ the Lord deemeth peoples. Lord, deem thou me by my rightfulness; and by mine innocence on me. (and then let the Lord judge the people. Lord, judge thou me according to my righteousness; and the innocence which is in me.)

⁹ The wickedness of sinners be ended; and thou, God, seeking the hearts, that is, thoughts, and reins, that is, delightings, shall (ad)dress a just man. (Let the wickedness of the sinners be ended; and thou, O God, who judgeth our thoughts, and our desires, shall direct the righteous.)

¹⁰ My just help is of the Lord; that maketh safe rightful men in heart. (My righteous help is from the Lord; who saveth the upright in heart.)

¹¹ The Lord is a just judge, strong and patient; whether he is wroth by all days? (The Lord is a righteous judge; every day he is angry with the wicked.)

¹² If ye be not converted (If they be not turned from their evil ways), he shall flourish his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

¹³ And therein he hath made ready the vessels of death; he hath fully made his arrows with burning things.

¹⁴ Lo! the wicked hath conceived sorrow; he painfully hath brought forth unrightfulness, and he hath childed wickedness. (Lo! he who is wicked hath conceived many ways to bring sorrow; yea, he hath painfully brought forth unrighteousness, and he hath birthed wickedness.)

¹⁵ He opened a pit, and digged it out; and he fell into the ditch which he made. (He opened a pit, and dug it out; but he himself shall fall into the ditch, which he hath made.)

¹⁶ His sorrow shall be turned into his head; and his wickedness shall come down into his neck. (His sorrow shall return onto his own head; and his wickedness shall come down onto his own neck.)

¹⁷ I shall acknowledge to the Lord by his rightfulness; and I shall sing to the name of the highest Lord. (I shall praise the Lord for his righteousness; and I shall sing to the name of the Most High Lord.)

¹¹ And when Michaiah, the son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord, of the book (from the book),

¹² he went down into the house of the king, to the treasury of the scribe. And lo! all the princes sat there, Elishama, the scribe, and Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah, the son of Hananiah, and all [the] princes. (he went down to the house of the king, to the chamber of the writer, or of the court secretary. And lo! all the leaders, or all the officers, sat there, Elishama, the writer, and Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah, the son of Hananiah, and all the other officers.)

¹³ And Michaiah told to them all the words, which he heard Baruch reading of the book, in the ears of the people. (And Michaiah told them all the words, which he had heard Baruch reading from the book, before the people.)

¹⁴ Therefore all the princes sent to Baruch Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, and said, Take in thine hand the book, of which thou readest in audience of the people, and come thou. Therefore Baruch, the son of Neriah, took the book in his hand, and came to them. (And so all the officers sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, and he said, Bring the book in thy hand, from which thou readest before the people, and come thou. And so Baruch, the son of Neriah, brought the book in his hand, and came to them.)

¹⁵ And they said to him, Sit thou, and read these things in our ears; and Baruch read (it) in the ears of them. (And they said to him, Sit thou, and read these things to us; and so Baruch read from the book to them.)

¹⁶ Therefore when they had heard all the words, they wondered each man to his neighbour, and they said to Baruch, Ought we to tell to the king all these words?

¹⁷ And they asked him, and said, Show thou to us, how thou hast written all these words of his mouth. (And they asked him, and said, Tell thou us, how thou hast written all these words from his mouth.)

¹⁸ Forsooth Baruch said to them, Of his mouth he spake, as (if) reading to me, all these words; and I wrote (them) in a book with ink. (And Baruch said to them, He spoke all these words out of his mouth, as if reading to me, and I wrote them down with ink in a book.)

¹⁹ And all the princes said to Baruch, Go, be thou hid, thou and Jeremy; and no man know where ye be. (And all the officers said to Baruch, Go, be thou hid, thou and Jeremiah; and let no one know where ye be.)

²⁰ And they entered to the king, into the hall; forsooth they betook the book to be kept into the treasury of Elishama, the scribe. And they told all the words, in audience of the king. (And then they went to the king, in the hall; and they had put the book in the chamber of Elishama, the writer, or the court secretary, for safekeeping. And they told everything to the king.)

²¹ Therefore the king sent Jehudi, that he should take the book. Which took the book from the treasury of Elishama, the scribe, and read in audience of the king, and of all the princes that stood about the king. (And so the king sent Jehudi, to get the book. Who brought the book from the chamber of Elishama, the writer, or the court secretary, and then he read it before the king, and before all the officers who stood about the king.)

²² Forsooth the king sat in the winter house, in the ninth month; and a pan full of coals was set before him.

²³ And when Jehudi had read three pages, either four, he cutted it with the knife of a scribe, and casted into the fire (he cut it with a writer’s knife, and threw it into the fire), that was in the pan, till all the book was wasted by the fire, that was in the pan.

²⁴ And the king, and all his servants, that heard all these words, dreaded not, neither rent their clothes. (And the king, and all his officers, who heard all these words, did not fear, nor tore their clothes.)

²⁵ Nevertheless Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah against-said [to] the king, that he should not burn the book; and he heard not them (but he would not listen to them).

²⁶ And the king commanded to Jerahmeel, son of Hammelech, and to Seraiah, son of Azriel, and to Shelemiah, son of Abdeel, that they should take (hold of) Baruch, the writer, and Jeremy, the prophet; forsooth the Lord hid them.

13 If I speak with tongues of men and of angels, and I have not charity, I am made as brass sounding, or a cymbal tinkling.

² And if I have prophecy, and know all mysteries, and all knowing [and all knowing, or science], and if I have all faith, so that I move hills from their place [so that I bear over hills from one place to another], and I have not charity, I am nought.

³ And if I part all my goods into the meats of poor men, and if I betake my body, so that I burn, and if I have not charity, it profiteth to me nothing.

⁴ Charity is patient, it is benign; charity envieth not, it doeth not wickedly, it is not blown [it is not in-blown with pride],

⁵ it is not covetous [of worships], it seeketh not those things that be his own [it seeketh not those things that be her own], it is not stirred to wrath, it thinketh not evil,

⁶ it joyeth not on wickedness, but it joyeth together to truth; [it joyeth not in wickedness, forsooth it joyeth together with truth;]

⁷ it suffereth all things, it believeth all things, it hopeth all things, it sustaineth all things.

⁸ Charity falleth never down, whether prophecies shall be voided, either languages shall cease, either science shall be destroyed [whether prophecies shall be voided, or languages shall cease, or science shall be destroyed].

⁹ For a part we know, and a part we prophesy; [For of part we know, and of part we prophesy;]

¹⁰ but when that shall come that is perfect, that thing that is of part shall be voided.

¹¹ When I was a little child, I spake as a little child, I understood as a little child, I thought as a little child; but when I was made a man, I voided those things that were of a little child.

¹² And we see now [Forsooth we see now] by a mirror in darkness, but then face to face; now I know of part, but then I shall know, as [and] I am known.

¹³ And now dwelleth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the most of these is charity.

⁵ Jesus sent these twelve, and commanded them, and said [commanding to them, and saying], Go ye not into the way of heathen men, and enter ye not into the cities of Samaritans;

⁶ but rather go ye to the sheep of the house of Israel, that have perished. [but rather go ye to the sheep of the house of Israel, that perished.]

⁷ And go ye, and preach ye, and say, that the kingdom of heavens shall approach; [Soothly ye going preach, saying, for the kingdom of heavens shall nigh;]

⁸ heal ye sick men, raise ye dead men, cleanse ye mesels [cleanse ye leprous men], cast ye out devils; freely ye have taken, freely give ye.

⁹ Do not ye wield gold, nor silver, nor money in your girdles,

¹⁰ not a scrip in the way, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor a staff; for a workman is worthy his meat. [neither a scrip in the way, neither two coats, neither shoes, neither a rod; for a workman is worth his meat.]

¹¹ Into whatever city or castle ye shall enter, ask ye who therein is worthy, and there dwell ye, till ye go out.

¹² And when ye go into an house, greet ye it, and say [Forsooth ye entering into an house, greet ye, or salute ye, it, saying], Peace to this house.

¹³ And if that house be worthy, your peace shall come on it; but if that house be not worthy, your peace shall turn again to you.

¹⁴ And whoever receiveth not you, nor heareth your words, go ye forth from that house or city, and sprinkle off the dust of your feet.^[a]

¹⁵ Truly I say to you, it shall be more sufferable to the land of men of Sodom and of Gomorrha [of Sodom and Gomorrha] in the day of judgment, than to that city.