Book of Common Prayer

146 Alleluia. My soul, praise thou the Lord;

² I shall praise the Lord in my life (I shall praise the Lord all my life); I shall sing to my God as long as I shall be.

³ Do not ye trust in princes; neither in the sons of men, in whom is no health. (Do not ye trust in princes, or in your leaders; nor in other people, in whom there is no help, or deliverance.)

⁴ The spirit of him shall go out, and he shall turn again into his earth; in that day all the thoughts of them shall perish. (The breath of your prince, or of your leader, shall go out of him, and he shall return to the dust; and on that day all his thoughts shall perish.)

⁵ He is blessed, of whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in his Lord God, (He is blessed, whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in the Lord his God,)

⁶ that made heaven, and earth; the sea, and all things that be in those. Which keepeth truth into the world, (who made heaven, and earth; and the sea, and all the creatures that be in them. Who keepeth the truth safe forever,)

⁷ he maketh doom to them that suffer wrong; he giveth meat to them that be hungry. The Lord unbindeth fettered men; (he maketh justice for those who suffer wrong; he giveth food to those who be hungry. The Lord unbindeth the fettered;)

⁸ the Lord lighteneth blind men. The Lord raiseth men hurtled down; the Lord loveth just men. (the Lord giveth light to the blind/the Lord giveth sight to the blind. The Lord raiseth up those who be hurtled down; the Lord loveth the righteous.)

⁹ The Lord keepeth comelings; he shall take up a motherless child, and a widow; and he shall destroy the ways of sinners. (The Lord keepeth newcomers, or strangers, safe/The Lord keepeth watch over newcomers, or strangers; he taketh up the causes of a motherless child, and of a widow; but he destroyeth the ways of the sinners.)

¹⁰ The Lord shall reign into the worlds; Zion, thy God shall reign in generation and into generation. (The Lord shall reign forever; Zion, thy God shall reign for all generations/thy God shall reign in all generations.)

147 Alleluia. Praise ye the Lord, for the psalm is good; (let our) praising be merry, and fair to our God. (Alleluia. Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing to him; let our praises be joyful, and pleasing to our God.)

² The Lord shall build [up] Jerusalem; and he shall gather together the scatterings of Israel. (The Lord shall rebuild Jerusalem; and he shall gather together the scattered people of Israel.)

³ The which Lord maketh whole men contrite in heart; and bindeth together the sorrows of them. (The Lord who maketh whole those who be contrite in heart, or who be broken-hearted; and who bindeth up their wounds.)

⁴ Which numbereth the multitude of stars; and calleth names to all those. (Who numbereth the multitude of the stars; and calleth all of them by their names.)

⁵ Our Lord is great, and his virtue is great; and of his wisdom there is no number. (Our Lord is great, and his power is great; and there is no measure of his wisdom.)

⁶ The Lord taketh up mild men; forsooth he maketh low sinners till to the earth. (The Lord raiseth up the meek, or the humble; but he bringeth the sinners down to the ground.)

⁷ Before sing ye to the Lord in acknowledging; say ye psalm to our God in an harp. (Sing ye to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing ye songs to our God on a harp.)

⁸ Which covereth heaven with clouds; and maketh ready rain to the earth. Which bringeth forth hay in hills; and herb to the service of men. (Who covereth the heavens with clouds; and prepareth rain for the earth. Who bringeth forth hay, or grass, on the hills; and plants for the service of all.)

⁹ Which giveth meat to their work beasts; and to the birds of crows calling him. (Who giveth food to their work beasts; and to the younglings of crows calling to him.)

¹⁰ He shall not have will in the strength of an horse; neither it shall be well pleasant to him in the legs of a man. (He shall not take delight in the strength of a horse; nor shall a man’s fast legs be well pleasing to him.)

¹¹ It is well pleasant to the Lord on men that dread him; and in them that hope in his mercy. (But the Lord is well pleased with those who fear him/with those who revere him; and with those who trust in his love.)

¹² Jerusalem, praise thou the Lord; Zion, praise thou thy God.

¹³ For he hath comforted the locks of thy gates; he hath blessed thy sons in thee. (For he hath strengthened the locks of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within them.)

¹⁴ Which hath set thy coasts peace (He who hath put thy land at peace); and filleth thee with the fatness of wheat.

¹⁵ Which sendeth out his speech to the earth; his word runneth swiftly. (Who sendeth out his word, or his command, to the earth; yea, his word runneth swiftly about.)

¹⁶ Which giveth snow as wool; he spreadeth abroad a cloud as ashes. (Who giveth the snow like wool; and he spreadeth abroad the hoarfrost like ashes.)

¹⁷ He sendeth his crystal as morsels; who shall be able to suffer before the face of his coldness? (He sendeth out his ice like morsels; yea, who can survive the cold that he sendeth?)

¹⁸ He shall send out his word, and shall melt those; his spirit shall blow, and waters shall flow. (And then he sendeth out his word, and the ice melteth; and his wind bloweth, and the waters flow.)

¹⁹ Which telleth his word to Jacob; and his rightfulnesses and dooms to Israel. (Who telleth his word to Jacob; yea, his statutes and his laws, or his decrees, to Israel.)

²⁰ He did not so to each nation; and he showed not his dooms to them. (He hath not done this for any other nation; he hath not shown his laws, or his decrees, to them.)

111 Alleluia. Lord, I shall acknowledge to thee in all mine heart; in the council, and congregation of just men. (Alleluia. Lord, I shall praise thee with all my heart, in the gathering together of the upright; yea, in the congregation.)

² The works of the Lord be great; sought out into all his wills. (The works of the Lord be great; sought out by all who take delight in them.)

³ His work is acknowledging and great doing; and his rightfulness dwelleth into the world of world. (His works be full of honour and majesty; and his righteousness remaineth forever and ever.)

⁴ The Lord, merciful in will, and a merciful doer, hath made a mind of his marvels; (The Lord, merciful in will, and a giver of mercy, is remembered for his marvellous deeds;)

⁵ he hath given meat to men dreading him. He shall be mindful of his testament into the world; (he hath given food to those who fear him/to those who revere him. He shall always be mindful, or shall always remember, his covenant;)

⁶ he shall tell to his people the strength of his works. That he give to them the heritage of folks; (he hath shown his people his strength in his works. Yea, he hath given them the inheritance of the nations;)

⁷ the works of his hands be truth and doom (the works of his hands be truth and justice). All his commandments be faithful,

⁸ confirmed into the world of world; made in truth and equity. (confirmed forever, and made in truth and goodness.)

⁹ The Lord sent redemption to his people; he commanded his testament [into] without end. His name is holy and dreadful; (The Lord sent and redeemed his people; he commanded that his covenant should endure forever. His name is holy and fearful/His name is holy and worthy to be praised;)

¹⁰ the beginning of wisdom is the dread of the Lord. Good understanding is to all that do it; his praising dwelleth into the world of world. (the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord/the beginning of wisdom is to revere the Lord. All who obey his commandments grow in wisdom; praise shall be his forever.)

112 Alleluia. Blessed is the man that dreadeth the Lord; he shall delight full much in his commandments. (Alleluia. Happy is the person who feareth the Lord/who hath reverence for the Lord; he shall take great delight, or joy, in his commandments.)

² His seed shall be mighty in [the] earth; the generation of rightful men shall be blessed. (His children shall be mighty in the earth; the descendants of good people shall be blessed/the generations of the upright shall be blessed.)

³ Glory and riches be in his house; and his rightfulness dwelleth into the world of world. (There shall be glory and riches in his house; and his righteousness remaineth forever and ever.)

⁴ Light is risen up in darknesses to rightful men; the Lord is merciful in will, and a merciful doer, and rightful. (Light riseth up in the darkness for the upright; the Lord is merciful in will, a giver of mercy, and fair to all.)

⁵ The man is merry, that doeth mercy, and lendeth; he disposeth his words in doom; (Happy is the person who giveth favour when he lendeth; he disposeth his deeds with justice, or with good judgement;)

⁶ for he shall not be moved [into] without end. A just man shall be in everlasting mind; (and nothing shall shake him. A good person’s deeds shall always be remembered;)

⁷ he shall not dread of an evil hearing. His heart is ready for to hope in the Lord; (he shall not fear to hear bad news. His heart is always ready to trust in the Lord;)

⁸ his heart is confirmed, he shall not be moved, till he despise his enemies. (his heart is firm, he shall not be moved, and he shall gloat over his enemies./his heart is steadfast, he shall not be shaken, and he shall see his enemies defeated.)

⁹ He spreaded abroad, he gave to poor men; his rightwiseness dwelleth into the world of world; his horn shall be raised in glory. (He spreadeth abroad much money, yea, he giveth to the poor; his righteousness remaineth forever and ever, his horn shall be raised up in glory.)

¹⁰ A sinner shall see (it), and shall be wroth; he shall gnash with his teeth, and shall fail, either shall wax rotten; the desire of sinners shall perish.

113 Alleluia. Servants, praise ye the Lord; praise ye the name of the Lord.

² The name of the Lord be blessed; from this time now, and till into the world (and forever).

³ From the rising of the sun till to the going down (From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same); the name of the Lord is worthy to be praised.

⁴ The Lord is high above all folks (The Lord is high above all the nations); and his glory is above (the) heavens.

⁵ Who is as our Lord God, that dwelleth in high things; (Who is like the Lord our God, who liveth in high places/who liveth on high;)

⁶ and beholdeth meek things in heaven and in earth? (and yet who deigneth himself to look upon the things in the heavens, and the things on earth!)

⁷ Raising a needy man from the earth; and enhancing a poor man from drit. (Raising up the needy from the dust; and lifting up the poor out of the dirt.)

⁸ That he set him with princes; with the princes of his people. (So that they may sit with princes; yea, with the leaders of the people.)

⁹ Which maketh a barren woman dwell in the house; a glad mother of sons. (Who maketh a barren woman, who liveth in her home, into a happy mother of sons.)

6 Hear ye which things the Lord speaketh. Rise thou, strive thou by doom against mountains, and little hills hear thy voice. (Listen ye to what the Lord saith. Rise thou, state thy case to the mountains, and let the little hills hear thy voice.)

² Mountains and the strong foundaments of earth, hear the doom of the Lord; for the doom of the Lord shall be with his people, and he shall be deemed with Israel. (O mountains and the strong foundations of the earth, listen to the Lord’s case; for the Lord hath a case against his people, and he shall judge Israel.)

³ My people, what have I done to thee, either (in) what was I grievous to thee? Answer thou to me. (My people, what have I done to thee, or how have I grieved thee? Answer thou me.)

⁴ For I led thee out of the land of Egypt, and of the house of servage I delivered thee; and I sent before thy face Moses, and Aaron, and Mary. (For I led thee out of the land of Egypt, and I brought thee out of the house of servitude, or of slavery; and I sent thee Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam.)

⁵ My people, bethink, I pray, what Balak, king of Moab, thought, and what Balaam, son of Beor, of Shittim, answered to him till to Gilgal, that thou shouldest know the rightwiseness of the Lord. (My people, remember, I pray thee, what Balak, the king of Moab, thought, or planned, to do against you, and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered to him; remember the journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that thou shalt know the Lord’s righteousness.)

⁶ What worthy thing shall I offer to the Lord? shall I bow the knee to the high God? Whether shall I offer to him brunt sacrifices, and calves of one year? (What worthy thing shall I offer to the Lord? shall I bow my knee to the Most High God? Shall I offer him burnt sacrifices, and one year old calves?)

⁷ Whether God may be satisfied in thousands of wethers, either in many thousands of fat goat bucks? Whether I shall give my first begotten for my great trespass, the fruit of my womb for sin of my soul? (Can God truly be satisfied even with thousands of rams, or with many thousands of fat goat bucks? Shall I give my first begotten son for my great trespass, yea, the fruit of my womb for the sin of my soul?)

⁸ I shall show to thee, thou man, what is good, and what the Lord asketh of thee; forsooth for to do doom, and for to love mercy, and be busy for to walk with thy God. (I shall tell thee, ye people, what is good, and what the Lord asketh of thee; and that is, to act rightly, or with justice, and to love mercy/and to love mercifully, and to be busy, or committed, to walk with thy God.)

⁹ And I guess, that God showed us the last apostles, as those that be sent to the death [Soothly I ween, that God showed us the last apostles, as made ready to death]; for we be made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.

¹⁰ We fools for Christ, but ye prudent in Christ; we frail [we sick], but ye strong; ye noble, but we unnoble.

¹¹ Till into this hour we hunger, and thirst, and be naked, and be smitten with buffets, and we be unstable [and we be unstable, moving from place to place],

¹² and we travail working with our hands; we be cursed, and we bless; we suffer persecution, and we abide long [and we sustain, or abide long];

¹³ we be blasphemed, and we beseech; as cleansings of this world we be made the out-casting [we be made the parings, or out-castings,] of all things till yet.

¹⁴ I write not these things, that I confound you, but I warn you as my most dear-worthy sons.

¹⁵ For why if ye have ten thousand of under-masters in Christ, but not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have engendered you by the gospel [for why in Christ Jesus I have gendered you by the gospel].

¹⁶ Therefore, brethren, I pray you [Therefore I pray you], be ye followers of me, as I of Christ.

²¹ And Jesus went out from thence, and went into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.

²² And lo! a woman of Canaan went out of those coasts, and cried, and said to him [saying to him], Lord, the son of David, have mercy on me; my daughter is evil travailed of a fiend [my daughter is evil travailed of a devil].

²³ And he answered not to her a word. And his disciples came, and prayed him, and said, Let go thou her, for she crieth after us [And his disciples coming to, prayed him, saying, Leave thou her, for she crieth after us].

²⁴ [Forsooth] He answered, and said, I am not sent, but to the sheep of the house of Israel that have perished. [Forsooth he answering saith, I am not sent, no but to the sheep of the house of Israel that perished.]

²⁵ And she came, and worshipped him, and said, Lord, help me. [But she came, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.]

²⁶ Which answered, and said, It is not good to take the bread of children, and cast [it] to hounds.

²⁷ And she said, Yes, Lord; for [the] whelps eat of the crumbs, that fall down from the board of their lords'.

²⁸ Then Jesus answered, and said to her, A! woman [O! thou woman], thy faith is great; be it done to thee, as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour.