Book of Common Prayer

120 The song of degrees. When I was set in tribulation, I cried to the Lord; and he heard me. (When I was beset with troubles, I cried to the Lord; and he answered me.)

² Lord, deliver thou my soul from wicked lips; and from a guileful tongue. (Lord, save thou me from wicked lips; and from a deceitful tongue.)

³ What shall be given to thee, either what shall be laid to thee; to a guileful tongue? (What shall be given to thee; that is, how shall he punish thee, O deceitful tongue?)

⁴ Sharp arrows of the mighty; with coals that make desolate. (With sharp arrows from the mighty; and with coals that shall make thee desolate.)

⁵ Alas to me! for my dwelling in an alien land is made long, I dwelled with men dwelling in Kedar; (Alas for me! for my stay here in Mesech is prolonged, and I must live among the people, or in the tents, of Kedar!)

⁶ my soul was much (time) a comeling. I was peaceable with them that hated peace; (I am here too long as a newcomer, or a stranger; yea, too long living with those who hate peace.)

⁷ when I spake to them, they impugned, either against-said, me without cause. (I am for peace; but whenever I speak of it to them, they be for war.)

121 The song of degrees. I raised mine eyes to the hills; from whence help shall come to me. (I raised up my eyes to the hills, or the mountains; O where shall I find help?/from where help shall come to me.)

² Mine help is of the Lord; that made heaven and earth. (My help is from the Lord; who made heaven and earth.)

³ The Lord give not thy foot into moving; neither he nap, that keepeth thee. (The Lord shall not let thy foot slip, or stumble; nor shall he nap, who keepeth thee safe.)

⁴ Lo! he shall not nap, neither sleep; that keepeth Israel. (Lo! he, who keepeth Israel safe; shall not nap, or sleep.)

⁵ The Lord keepeth thee; the Lord is thy protection above thy right hand. (The Lord keepeth thee safe; the Lord is thy protection at thy right hand.)

⁶ The sun shall not burn thee by day; neither the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord keep thee from all evil; the Lord keep thy soul. (The Lord shall keep thee safe from all evil; yea, the Lord shall keep thee safe.)

⁸ The Lord keep thy going in and thy going out; from this time now and into the world. (The Lord shall guard thy coming in, and thy going out; from this time now, and forever.)

122 The song of degrees of David. I am glad in these things, that be said to me; We shall go into the house of the Lord. (The song of degrees for David. I was glad, when they said to me, We shall go to the House of the Lord.)

² Our feet were standing; in thy halls/in thy foreyards, thou Jerusalem. (And now our feet stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.)

³ Jerusalem, which is builded as a city; whose partaking thereof is into the same thing. (Jerusalem is built to be a city, where people be together, yea, with one heart and mind.)

⁴ For the lineages, the lineages of the Lord, ascended thither, the witnessing of Israel; to acknowledge to the name of the Lord. (For the tribes, the Lord’s tribes, come there to give thanks to the Lord; that is Israel’s duty.)

⁵ For they sat there on seats in doom; seats on the house of David. (For the thrones of judgement, or of justice, be put there; yea, the thrones of the house of David.)

⁶ Pray ye those things, that be to the peace of Jerusalem; and abundance be to them that love thee. (Pray ye for the peace of Jerusalem; and say, May those who love thee prosper, or have great abundance.)

⁷ Peace be made in thy strength; and abundance in thy towers. (May there be peace within thy strongholds, or thy fortresses; and prosperity within thy palaces.)

⁸ For my brethren and my neighbours; I spake peace of thee. (For the sake of my brothers, or my kinsmen, and my neighbours; I say, Peace be with thee.)

⁹ For the house of our Lord God; I sought goods to thee. (For the sake of the House of the Lord our God; I shall seek thy good, or thy prosperity/I shall pray for good things for thee.)

123 The song of degrees. To thee I have raised mine eyes; that dwellest in heavens. (I raise up my eyes to thee; who livest in heaven.)

² Lo! as the eyes of servants be in the hands of their lords. As the eyes of the handmaid be in the hands of her lady; so our eyes be to our Lord God, till he have mercy on us. (Lo! like the eyes of the servant look to the hand of his lord; and like the eyes of the servantess look to the hand of her lady; so let our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he have mercy upon us.)

³ Lord, have thou mercy on us, have thou mercy on us; for we be much filled with despising (for we be greatly despised).

⁴ For our soul is much filled; we be shame to them that be abundant with riches, and despising to proud men. (For our soul is filled full, with the scorn of those who have abundant riches; and with disdain from the proud.)

124 The song of degrees of David. Israel say now, No but for the Lord was in us; (The song of degrees for David. Let Israel say now, If the Lord was not with us/If the Lord had not been for us,)

² no but for the Lord was in us. When men rose up against us; (yea, if the Lord was not with us/if the Lord had not been for us; then when men rose up against us,)

³ in hap they had swallowed us quick. When the strong vengeance of them was wroth against us; (they would have swallowed us up alive. Yea, when their fury raged against us;)

⁴ in hap water had swallowed us up. Our soul passed through a strand; (the water would have swallowed us up. When the stream had gone up over our heads;)

⁵ in hap our soul had passed through a water unsufferable. (when the insufferable waters had gone up over our heads.)

⁶ Blessed be the Lord; that gave not us into taking, [(or) the catching,] of the teeth of them. (Blessed be the Lord; who did not allow us to be caught by their teeth.)

⁷ Our soul, as a sparrow, is delivered; from the snare of hunters. The snare is all-broken; and we be delivered. (We have escaped, like a sparrow, from the hunter’s snare. The snare is all-broken; and we be set free.)

⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord; that made heaven and earth (who made heaven and earth).

125 The song of degrees. They that trust in the Lord be as the hill of Zion; he shall not be moved [into] without end, that dwelleth in Jerusalem. (They who trust in the Lord be like Mount Zion; it cannot be shaken, but it remaineth firm, or steadfast, forever.)

² Hills be in the compass of it, and the Lord is in the compass of his people; from this time now, and into the world. (Like the mountains, or the hills, be all around Jerusalem, so the Lord is all around his people; from this time now, and forever.)

³ For the Lord shall not leave the rod of sinners on the part of just men; that just men hold not forth their hands to wickedness. (For the rod of the sinners shall not remain over the land of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands to wickedness.)

⁴ Lord, do thou well to good men; and to rightful in heart. (Lord, do thou good to good people; yea, to those with an upright heart.)

⁵ But the Lord shall lead them that bow into obligations, with them that work wickedness; peace be upon Israel. (But may the Lord lead forth those, who turn aside into depraved ways, with those who do evil. May peace be upon Israel.)

126 The song of degrees. When the Lord turned the captivity of Zion; we were made as comforted. (When the Lord returned the captives to Zion/When the Lord returned prosperity to Zion; we were made like in a dream.)

² Then our mouth was filled with joy; and our tongue with full out joying. Then they shall say among heathen men; The Lord magnified to do with them. (Then our mouths were filled with joy; and ours tongues with rejoicing. And the heathen said to each other, The Lord hath done great things for them.)

³ The Lord magnified to do with us; we be made glad. (Yea, the Lord did great things for us; and we were glad.)

⁴ Lord, turn thou (again) our captivity; as a strand in the south. (Lord, return thou the captives/return thou our prosperity; like the streams return to the south.)

⁵ They that sow in tears; shall reap in full out joying. (Then they who sowed in tears; shall reap with rejoicing.)

⁶ They going, went, and wept; sending their seeds. But they coming, shall come with full out joying; bearing their handfuls (They going, went, and wept; sending out their seeds. But when they shall return, they shall come back rejoicing; carrying their harvest.)

127 The song of degrees of Solomon. No but the Lord build the house; they that built it have travailed in vain. No but the Lord keepeth the city; he waketh in vain that keepeth it./But if the Lord build the house; they that built it have travailed in vain. But (if) the Lord keepeth the city; he waketh in vain that keepeth it. (The song of degrees for Solomon. Unless the Lord build the house; those who have built it, have laboured in vain. Unless the Lord guardeth the city; he who standeth watch, guardeth in vain.)

² It is vain to you to rise before the light; rise ye after ye have set, that eat the bread of sorrow. When he shall give sleep to his loved; (It is useless for you to rise before the light; and then to stay up late, only so that ye can eat the bread of sorrows. For he giveth to his beloved; even while they sleep.)

³ lo! the heritage of the Lord is sons, the meed is the fruit of womb. (Lo! sons and daughters be thy inheritance/be thy gift from the Lord; yea, the fruit of thy womb is his reward to you.)

⁴ As arrows be in the hand of the mighty; so the sons of them that be shaken out. (Like arrows be in the hand of the mighty; so be the sons and daughters that a man hath when he is young.)

⁵ Blessed is the man, that hath [full-]filled his desire of those; he shall not be shamed, when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate. (Happy is the man who hath filled his quiver full of them; he shall not be put to shame, or defeated, when he shall speak to his enemies in court.)

²¹ (So) Balaam rose early, and when his she ass was saddled, he went forth with them.

²² And God was wroth with Balaam. And the angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, that sat upon the she ass, and had two servants with him. (But God was angry with Balaam for going. And so the angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who rode on his donkey, and had his two servants with him.)

²³ The (she) ass saw the angel standing in the way, with sword drawn, and the (she) ass turned herself from the way, and went by the field (And the donkey saw the angel standing in the way, with his sword drawn, and she turned herself from the way, and went into a field). And when Balaam beat her, and would lead her again to the path,

²⁴ the angel stood in the straitness of two walls with which the vineries were (en)compassed. (the angel stood in the narrowness between two walls which went all around, or enclosed, the vineyards on either side.)

²⁵ And the female ass saw the angel, and she went herself nigh to the wall, and she hurtled the foot of the sitter upon her; and he beat again her. (And the female donkey saw the angel again, and she brought herself near to the wall, and hurtled the foot of her rider against it; and so he beat her again.)

²⁶ And nevertheless the angel went to a strait place, where was no going out of the way, neither to the right side, nor to the left, and stood against Balaam (Nevertheless the angel went to a narrow place, where there was no going out of the way, neither to the right side, nor to the left, and stood before Balaam.)

²⁷ And when the (she) ass saw the angel standing (there), she felled down under the feet of the sitter upon her, the which was wroth full greatly (who then was greatly angered), and (once more) he beat her sides with a staff.

²⁸ And the Lord opened the mouth of the (she) ass, and she spake, (And the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said), What have I done to thee? why smitest thou me, lo! now the third time?

²⁹ Balaam answered, For thou hast dis-served (me), and hast scorned me; I would that I had a sword to slay thee.

³⁰ And the (she) ass said, Whether I am not thy beast upon which thou were wont to ride ever[more] till into this present day? say thou, what like thing to this I did ever to thee? And Balaam said, Never thus thou servedest me. (And the donkey said, Am I not the beast upon which thou were always wont to ride until this present day? say thou, what thing like this have I ever done to thee before? And Balaam said, Never before hast thou served me thus.)

³¹ Anon the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way, holding a drawn sword in his hand; and Balaam worshipped him lowly into the earth. (And at once the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel standing in the way, holding a drawn sword in his hand; and Balaam worshipped, or honoured, him lowly on the ground.)

³² To whom the angel said, Why hast thou thrice beaten thine ass? I came (here) to be (an) adversary to thee, for thy way is wayward, and contrary to me;

³³ and if the (she) ass had not bowed away from the way, and given place to the against-stander, I had slain thee, and the (she) ass should have lived. (and if the donkey had not turned aside from the way, and given place to the one who stood against thee, I would have already killed thee, but the donkey would have lived.)

³⁴ Balaam said, I have sinned, not witting that thou stoodest against me; and now, if it displeaseth thee that I go, I shall turn again. (And Balaam said, I have sinned, not knowing that thou stoodest against me; and now, if it displeaseth thee I shall turn back/I shall go back home.)

³⁵ The angel said, (Nay,) Go thou with these men, but beware, that thou speak not [any] other thing than (what) I shall command to thee. Therefore Balaam went with the princes (And so Balaam went forth with Balak’s leaders).

³⁶ And when Balak heard that Balaam was nigh, he went out into the coming of him, in (Ar,) the city of Moabites, which is set in the last coast of (the) Arnon. (And when Balak heard that Balaam was near, he went out to meet him, at Ar, the city of the Moabites, which is set on their most distant border, by the Arnon River.)

³⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, I sent messengers to call thee; why camest thou not anon to me? whether for I may not yield meed to thy coming? (And Balak said to Balaam, I sent messengers to call thee; why did thou not come at once to me? did you think that I would not reward thee for coming?)

³⁸ To whom Balaam answered, Lo! I am present, (but) whether I shall be able to speak (any) other thing than that, that God shall put in my mouth? (To whom Balaam answered, Lo! I am present, but do not think that I shall speak anything, other than what God himself shall put in my mouth!)

7 Brethren, whether ye know not; for I speak to men that know the law; for the law hath lordship in a man, as long time as he liveth?

² For that woman that is under an husband, is bound to the law, while the husband liveth; but if her husband is dead, she is delivered from the law of the husband [soothly if her husband be dead, she is delivered, or unbound, from the law of the husband].

³ Therefore she shall be called adulteress, if she be with another man, while the husband liveth [Therefore living the man, she shall be called adulteress, if she be with another man]; but if her husband is dead [forsooth if her husband be dead], she is delivered from the law of the husband, that she be not adulteress, if she be with another man.

⁴ And so, my brethren, ye be made dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye be of another, that rose again from death, that ye bear fruit to God. Therefore, my brethren, and ye be made dead to the law by the body of Christ, that ye be another's, that rose from dead, that we bear fruit to God.

⁵ For when we were in flesh, passions of sins, that were by the law, wrought in our members, to bear fruit to death.

⁶ But now we be unbound from the law of death, in which we were held [in which we were holden], so that we serve in newness of spirit, and not in oldness of letter.

⁷ What therefore shall we say? The law is sin? God forbid [Far be it]. But I knew not sin, but by [the] law; for I knew not that coveting was sin, but for the law said, Thou shalt not covet.

⁸ And through occasion taken, sin by the commandment hath wrought in me all covetousness [sin by the commandment hath wrought in me all coveting, or covetousness]; for without the law, sin was dead.

⁹ And I lived [Forsooth I lived] without the law sometime; but when the commandment was come, sin lived again. But I was dead,

¹⁰ and this commandment [and the commandment] that was to life, was found to me, to be to death.

¹¹ For sin, through occasion taken by the commandment, deceived me, and by that it slew me [and by it slew me].

¹² Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, and just, and good.

²³ And when he came into the temple, the princes of priests and elder men of the people came to him that taught, and said [And when he came into the temple, the princes of priests and the elder men of the people came nigh to him teaching, and said], In what power doest thou these things? and who gave thee this power?

²⁴ Jesus answered, and said to them, And I shall ask you one word, the which if ye tell me [which if ye shall say to me], I shall say to you, in what power I do these things.

²⁵ Of whence was the baptism of John; of heaven, or of men? And they thought within themselves, saying, If we [shall] say of heaven, he shall say to us, Why then believe ye not to him?

²⁶ [Soothly] If we [shall] say of men, we dread the people, for all had John as a prophet.

²⁷ And they answered to Jesus, and said, We know not. And he said to them, Neither I say to you, in what power I do these things.

²⁸ But what seemeth to you? A man had two sons [Some man had two sons]; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work this day [to day] in my vineyard.

²⁹ And he answered, and said, I will not; but afterward he repented, and went forth [but afterward he stirred by penance, or repenting, went].

³⁰ But he came to the other, and said in like manner. And he answered, and said, Lord, I go; and he went not.

³¹ Who of the twain did the father's will? They say to him, The first. Jesus saith to them, Truly I say to you, for publicans and whores shall go before you into the kingdom of God.

³² For John came to you in the way of rightwiseness, and ye believed not to him; but publicans and whores believed to him. But ye saw, and had no repenting after, that ye believed to him [But ye seeing, had not penance afterward, that ye should believe to him].