Book of Common Prayer
102 The prayer of a poor man, when he was anguished, and shedded out his speech before the Lord. Lord, hear thou my prayer; and my cry come to thee. (The prayer of a poor man, when he was anguished, and poured out his words before the Lord. Lord, hear thou my prayer; and let my cry come unto thee.)
2 Turn not away thy face from me; in whatever day I am troubled, bow down thine ear to me. In whatever day I shall inwardly call thee; hear thou me swiftly. (Turn not away thy face from me; on whatever day I am troubled, bow down thy ear to me. On whatever day that I shall call to thee, please swiftly answer thou me.)
3 For my days have failed as smoke; and my bones have dried up as croutons/as cracklings, either (the) leaving(s) of frying. (For my days have vanished like smoke; and my bones have dried up like croutons.)
4 I am smitten as hay, and mine heart (hath) dried up; for I have forgotten to eat my bread. (I am beaten down like dry grass; and I have forgotten to eat my food.)
5 Of the voice of my wailing; my bone cleaved to my flesh. (My voice waileth; for my bones cleave to my flesh.)
6 I am made like a pelican of (the) wilderness; I am made as a night crow in an house.
7 I waked; and I am made as a solitary sparrow in the roof. (I lie awake; and I am like a solitary sparrow on the rooftop.)
8 All day mine enemies despised me; and they that praised me swore against me. (All day long my enemies despise me; and those who be angry with me/and those who mock me, conspire against me.)
9 For I ate ashes as bread; and I meddled my drink with weeping. (For I have eaten ashes for food; and I have mixed my tears with my drink.)
10 From the face of the ire of thine indignation; for thou raising me [up] hast hurtled me down. (All because of thy anger, and thy indignation; for first thou hast raised me up, and then thou hast hurtled me down.)
11 My days bowed away as a shadow; and I waxed dry as hay. (My days disappeared like a shadow; and I am dried up like the hay, or the grass.)
12 But, Lord, thou dwellest [into] without end; and thy memorial in generation and into generation. (But, Lord, thou livest forever; and shalt be remembered by all generations.)
13 Lord, thou rising up, shalt have mercy on Zion (Lord, thou shalt rise up, and have mercy on Zion); for the time to have mercy thereof cometh, for the time cometh.
14 For the stones thereof pleased thy servants; and they shall have mercy on the land thereof. (For its stones pleased thy servants; and they even love its dust.)
15 And, Lord, heathen men shall dread thy name; and all kings of earth shall dread thy glory. (And, Lord, the heathen shall fear thy name; and all the kings of the earth shall fear thy glory.)
16 For the Lord hath built [up] Zion; and he shall be seen in his glory. (And when the Lord buildeth up Zion again; he shall be seen in all his glory.)
17 He beheld on the prayer of meek men; and he despised not the prayer of them. (He heareth the prayers of the humble; and he did not despise their prayers.)
18 Be these things written in another generation; and the people that shall be made shall praise the Lord. (These things be written for another generation; and then those people, yet to be, shall praise the Lord.)
19 For he beheld from his high holy place; the Lord looked from heaven into earth (the Lord looked down from heaven onto the earth).
20 For to hear the wailings of fettered men; and for to unbind the sons of slain men.
21 That they tell in Zion the name of the Lord; and his praising in Jerusalem. (So that they tell out the Lord’s name in Zion; and his praises in Jerusalem.)
22 In gathering together peoples into one; and kings, that they serve the Lord. (Yea, when all peoples, and kingdoms, shall be gathered together into one, to serve the Lord.)
23 It answered to him in the way of his virtue; Tell thou to me the fewness of my days. (But he hath weakened my strength along the way; he hath shortened my days.)
24 Again-call thou not me in the middle of my days; thy years be in generation and into generation. (Please do not call me back in the middle of my days; thy years last for all generations.)
25 Lord, thou foundedest the earth in the beginning; and (the) heavens be the works of thine hands.
26 Those shall perish, but thou dwellest perfectly; and all shall wax eld as a cloth. And thou shalt change them as a covering, and those shall be changed; (They shall perish, but thou shalt live forever; all of them shall grow old like a cloak. And thou shalt change them like a covering, and they shall be changed;)
27 but thou art the same thyself, and thy years shall not fail. (but thou thyself art the same, and thy years shall have no end.)
28 The sons of thy servants shall dwell; and the seed of them shall be (ad)dressed, (or directed,) into the world. (The sons and daughters of thy servants shall live; and their children shall be secure before thee/and their descendants shall be established before thee.)
107 Alleluia. Acknowledge ye to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy is into the world. (Alleluia. Give ye thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his love is forever.)
2 Say they, that be again-bought of the Lord; which he again-bought from the hand of the enemy, (Say they, who were redeemed by the Lord; whom he rescued from the power of the enemy,)
3 from countries he gathered them together. From the rising of the sun, and from the going down; from the north, and from the sea. (yea, he gathered them together from all the countries. From the rising of the sun, and from the going down of the same; from the north, and from the sea.)
4 They erred in wilderness, in a place without water; they found not way of the city of dwelling place. (They wandered about in the desert, in a place without water; they could not find the way to a city to live in.)
5 They were hungry and thirsty; their soul(s) failed in them.
6 And they cried to the Lord, when they were set in tribulation; and he delivered them from their needinesses. (And they cried to the Lord, when they were in trouble; and he saved them from all their distress.)
7 And he led forth them into the right way; that they should go into the city of dwelling. (And he led them forth by the right way; so that they came to a city to live in.)
8 The mercies of the Lord, acknowledge to him; and his marvels acknowledge to the sons of men. (Give thanks to the Lord for his constant love; and for the marvellous deeds which he hath done, for the sons and daughters of men.)
9 For he [ful]filled a void man; and he filled with goods an hungry man. (For he fulfilleth the thirsty; and he filleth the hungry with good things to eat.)
10 God delivered men sitting in darkness, and in the shadow of death; and men imprisoned in beggary, and in iron(s).
11 For they made bitter the speeches of God; and wrathed the counsel of the Highest. (Because they had rebelled against the words of God; and had rejected the counsel of the Most High.)
12 And the heart of them was made meek in travails; and they were sick, and none was that helped (them). (And their hearts were made weary by their labour; and they were enfeebled, or weak, and there was no one to help them.)
13 And they cried to the Lord, when they were set in tribulation; and he delivered them from their needinesses. (And they cried to the Lord, when they were in trouble; and he saved them from all their distress.)
14 And he led them out of darknesses, and [the] shadow of death; and brake the bonds of them.
15 The mercies of the Lord, acknowledge to him; and his marvels, acknowledge to the sons of men. (Give thanks to the Lord for his constant love; and for the marvellous deeds which he hath done, for the sons and daughters of men.)
16 For he all-brake [the] brazen gates; and he brake [the] iron bars. (For he broke all the bronze gates; and the iron bars.)
17 He up-took them from the way of their wickedness; for they were made low for their unrightfulnesses. (And some were fools, and they went forth in their wicked ways; and they were made low for their unrighteousnesses.)
18 The soul of them loathed all meat (They hated all kinds of food); and they nighed unto the gates of death.
19 And they cried to the Lord, when they were set in tribulation; and he delivered them from their needinesses. (And they cried to the Lord, when they were in trouble; and he saved them from all their distress.)
20 He sent his word, and healed them; and delivered them from the perishings of them (and saved them from death).
21 The mercies of the Lord, acknowledge to him; and his marvels to the sons of men. (Give thanks to the Lord for his constant love; and for the marvellous deeds which he hath done, for the sons and daughters of men.)
22 And offer they the sacrifice of praising; and tell they his works with full out joying. (And offer they the sacrifice of praise; and tell they about his works with rejoicing.)
23 They that go down into the sea in ships; and make working in many waters. (And let others go down to the sea in ships; and do their work/and ply their trade in many waters.)
24 They saw the works of the Lord; and his marvels in the depth. (And they saw the works of the Lord; and his marvellous deeds in the depths of the sea.)
25 He said, and the spirit of tempest stood; and the waves thereof were areared. (He spoke, and the wind of the tempest stood still; and its waves were lifted up high.)
26 They ascend till to heavens, and go down unto the depths; the soul of them failed in evils. (They were lifted up to the heavens, and then brought down to the depths; and their souls failed because of their troubles, yea, they lost all hope, or all courage.)
27 They were troubled, and they were moved as a drunken man; and all the wisdom of them was devoured. (They were troubled, and they staggered around like drunken men; and all their wisdom, or all their skill, had fled.)
28 And they cried to the Lord, when they were set in tribulation; and he led them out of their needinesses. (And they cried to the Lord, when they were in trouble; and he saved them from all their distress.)
29 And he ordained the tempest thereof into a soft wind, either peaceability; and the waves thereof were still(ed).
30 And they were glad, for those were still; and he led them forth into the haven of their will. (And they were glad that all was still; and he led them forth into the haven of their desire, yea, into a safe harbour.)
31 The mercies of the Lord, acknowledge to him; and his marvels to the sons of men. (Give thanks to the Lord for his constant love; and for the marvellous deeds which he hath done, for the sons and daughters of men.)
32 And enhance they him in the church of the people; and praise they him in the chair(s) of the elder men. (And let them exalt him in the congregation of the people; and praise they him in the council of the elders.)
10 Israel was a vine full of boughs, fruit was made even to him (Israel was a vine full of branches, bringing forth fruit unto himself); by the multitude of his fruit he multiplied (the) altars, by the plenty of his land he was plenteous. [Israel a vine full of boughs, fruit is made even to him; after the multitude of his fruit he multiplied altars, after the plenty of his land he was plenteous in simulacra, or false gods.]
2 In simulacra the heart of them is parted, now they shall perish. He shall break the simulacra of them, he shall rob the altars of them. (Their hearts be all turned toward their idols, and now they shall perish. Yea, God shall destroy their idols, and shall rob their altars.) [The heart of them is parted, now they shall perish. He shall break together the simulacra of them, he shall spoil the altars of them (He shall altogether break their idols, he shall spoil their altars).]
3 For then they shall say, A king is not to us, for we dread(ed) not the Lord. And what shall a king do to us? (And then they shall say, We have no king, for we did not fear the Lord. But what good could a king do for us anyway?)
4 Speak ye words of unprofitable vision, and ye shall smite bond of peace with leasing; and doom as bitterness shall burgeon on the furrows of the field. (Speak ye words of unprofitable vision, and ye shall strike a covenant with lies; and a bitter justice shall burgeon on the furrows of the field.)
5 The dwellers of Samaria worshipped the kine of Bethaven. For the people thereof mourned on that calf, and the keepers of the house thereof; they made full out joy on it in the glory thereof, for it passed from that people. (The inhabitants of Samaria worshipped the calf of Bethaven. And so the people there, and the keepers of its temple, mourned when that calf was taken away; yea, they had rejoiced over it in its glory, before that it was taken away from that people.)
6 For also it was borne to Assur, a gift to the king venger. Confusion shall take Ephraim, and Israel shall be shamed in his will. (For it shall be carried over to Assyria, as a gift to the great king. And so shame shall overtake Ephraim, yea, Israel shall be ashamed of their own willfulness/Israel shall be shamed by their own willfulness.)
7 Samaria made his king to pass (away) as froth on the face of (the) water. (Samaria and his king were swept away, like froth upon the water.)
8 And the high things of idol, the sin of Israel, shall be lost. A clote and a briar shall ascend on the altars of them (And the high places, that is, the hill shrines, of Aven, or of Bethaven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorns and briars, or nettles, shall grow upon their altars). And they shall say to mountains, Cover ye us, and to little hills, Fall ye down on us.
9 From the days of Gibeah Israel sinned; there they stood. Battle shall not (over)take them in Gibeah, on the sons of wickedness. (From the days of Gibeah Israel hath sinned; and they have stood there in rebellion. So now in Gibeah the battle shall overtake them.)
10 By my desire I shall chastise them; peoples shall be gathered together on them (peoples shall be gathered together against them), when they shall be chastised for their two wickednesses.
11 Ephraim is a cow calf, taught for to love threshing; and I went on the fairness of the neck thereof. I shall go upon Ephraim. Judah shall ear, and Jacob shall break furrows to himself. (Ephraim is a cow calf, taught to love threshing; and I put a yoke upon its comely neck. And I shall go upon, or I shall drive, Ephraim. Yea, Judah shall plow, and Jacob, or Israel, shall break the furrows for themselves.)
12 Sow ye to you rightfulness in truth, and reap ye in the mouth of mercy, and make ye new to you a field newly brought to tilth. Forsooth time is to seek the Lord, when he cometh that shall teach you rightfulness. (And so I said, Sow ye for yourselves righteousness, or justice, in truth, and reap ye in the mouth of mercy, and make ye new to you a field newly brought to fallow. For it is time to seek the Lord, and when he cometh, he shall rain blessings upon you.)
13 Ye have eared unfaithfulness, ye have reaped wickedness, ye have eaten the corn of leasing. For thou trustedest in thy ways, and in the multitude of thy strong men. (But instead, ye have plowed unfaithfulness, ye have reaped wickedness, and ye have eaten the corn of lies. For thou hast trusted in thy chariots, and in the multitude of thy strong men.)
14 Noise shall rise in thy people, and all thy strongholds shall be destroyed; as Shalman was destroyed of the house of him, that took vengeance on Betharbel; in the day of battle, when the mother was hurtled down on the sons. (And so now the noise of battle shall rise against thy people, and all thy strongholds shall be destroyed; like Shalman destroyed Betharbel in the day of battle, when the mother and her sons were hurtled down to the ground.)
15 So Bethel did to you, for the face of malice of your wickednesses. As the morrowtide passeth, the king of Israel shall pass forth. (So Bethel, it shall be done to you, for the great malice of your wickednesses. Like the morning passeth into the day, so the king of Israel shall be swept away.)
37 And when Paul began to be led into the castles, he said to the tribune, Whether it is leaveful to me [If it is leaveful to me], to speak any thing to thee? And he said [Which said], Canst thou Greek?
38 Whether thou art not the Egyptian, which before these days movedest a noise, and leddest out into desert four thousand of men, menslayers?
39 And Paul said to him, For I am a Jew, of Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen, which city is not unknown [Soothly I am a man Jew, of Tarsus of Cilicia, a citizen, or burgher, of a city not unknown]. And I pray thee, suffer me to speak to the people.
40 And when he suffered, Paul stood in the grees, and beckoned with the hand to the people. And when a great silence was made, he spake in Hebrew tongue, and said [saying],
22 Brethren and fathers [Men, brethren and fathers], hear ye what reason I yield now to you.
2 And when some heard that in Hebrew tongue he spake to them, they gave the more silence. And he said,
3 I am a man a Jew, born at Tarsus of Cilicia, nourished and in this city beside the feet of Gamaliel, taught by the truth of fathers' law, a lover of the law [nourished forsooth in this city beside the feet of Gamaliel, learned after the truth of fathers' law, follower, or lover, of the law], as also ye all be to day.
4 And I pursued this way till to the death, binding [together] and betaking into holds men and women,
5 as the prince of priests yieldeth witnessing to me, and all the greatest of birth [and all the more in birth]. Of whom also I took epistles to brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring from thence men bound into Jerusalem, that they should be pained.
6 And it was done, while I went, and approached to Damascus, at midday suddenly from heaven a great plenty of light shone about me. [Forsooth it was done, while I went and nighed to Damascus, in the midday suddenly from heaven a copious light shone about me.]
7 And I felled down to the earth, and heard a voice from heaven, saying to me, Saul, Saul, what pursuest thou me? It is hard to thee to kick against the prick [It is hard for thee for to kick against the prick].
8 And I answered, Who art thou Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou pursuest.
9 And they that were with me saw but the light [And they that were with me saw soothly the light], but they heard not the voice of him, that spake with me.
10 And I said, Lord, what shall I do? And the Lord said to me, Rise thou, and go to Damascus; and there it shall be said to thee, of all things which it behooveth thee to do.
11 And when I saw not, for the clarity of that light, I was led by the hand of fellows, and I came to Damascus.
12 And a man, Ananias, that by the law had witnessing of all Jews dwelling in Damascus, [Forsooth some man, Ananias, after the law having witnessing of all Jews dwelling in Damascus,]
13 came to me, and stood nigh, and said to me, Saul, brother, behold. And I in the same hour beheld into him.
14 And he said, God of our fathers hath before-ordained thee, that thou shouldest know the will of him, and shouldest see the rightful man [and shouldest see just Christ], and hear the voice of his mouth.
15 For thou shalt be his witness to all men, of those things that thou hast seen and heard.
16 And now, what dwellest thou? Rise up, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, by the name of him called to help [Rise up, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, in-call the name of him].
12 And it was done in those days, he went out into an hill to pray; and he was all night dwelling in the prayer of God.
13 And when the day was come, he called his disciples, and chose twelve of them, which he called also apostles [whom and apostles he named];
14 Simon, whom he called Peter, and Andrew, his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15 Matthew and Thomas, James Alphaeus, and Simon, that is called Zelotes,
16 Judas of James, and Judas Iscariot, that was traitor.
17 And Jesus came down from the hill with them, and stood in a field place; and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of [poor] people, of all Judaea, and Jerusalem, and of the sea coasts, and of Tyre and Sidon, that came to hear him [which came, that they should hear him], and to be healed of their sicknesses;
18 and they that were travailed of unclean spirits, were healed. [and they that were travailed with unclean spirits, were healed.]
19 And all the people [And each company of the people] sought to touch him, for virtue went out of him, and healed all.
20 And when his eyes were cast up into his disciples, he said, Blessed be ye, poor men [Blessed ye, poor], for the kingdom of God is yours.
21 Blessed be ye, that now hunger, for ye shall be full-filled. Blessed be ye, that now weep, for ye shall laugh. [Blessed be ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled. Blessed be ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.]
22 Ye shall be blessed, when men shall hate you, and [shall] separate you away, and [shall] put reproof to you [and shall put shame on you], and cast out your name as evil, for man's Son.
23 Joy ye in that day, and be ye glad; for lo! your meed is much in heaven; for after these things the fathers of them did to prophets.
24 Nevertheless woe to you, rich men, that have your comfort.
25 Woe to you that be full-filled [Woe to you that be filled], for ye shall hunger. Woe to you that now laugh [Woe to you that laugh now], for ye shall mourn, and weep.
26 Woe to you, when all men shall bless you; after these things the fathers of them did to [false] prophets.
2001 by Terence P. Noble