Book of Common Prayer

31 To victory, the psalm of David. Lord, I have hoped in thee, be I not shamed [into] without end; deliver thou me in thy rightfulness. (To victory, the song of David. Lord, I have put my trust in thee, let me never be shamed; save thou me in thy righteousness.)

² Bow down thine ear to me; haste thou to deliver me. Be thou to me into God a defender, and into an house of refuge; that thou make me safe. (Bow down thy ear to me; hasten thou to rescue me. God, be my defender, and a house of refuge; so that thou keep me safe/so that thou save me.)

³ For thou art my strength and my refuge; and for (the sake of) thy name, thou shalt lead me forth, and shalt nourish me.

⁴ Thou shalt lead me out of the snare, which they hid to me (which they have hid for me); for thou art my defender.

⁵ I betake my spirit into thine hands; Lord God of truth, thou hast again-bought me. (I commit, or I entrust, my spirit into thy hands; Lord God of truth, thou hast redeemed me.)

⁶ Thou hatest them that keep vanities superfluously. Forsooth I hoped in the Lord; (Thou hatest them who worship false gods, or useless idols. But I put my trust in the Lord;)

⁷ I shall have fully joy, and shall be glad in thy mercy. For thou beheldest my meekness; thou savedest my life from needs. (I shall have full out joy, or rejoice, and shall be glad for thy love. For thou hast beheld my troubles; thou hast saved my life from dis-eases, or distress.)

⁸ And thou closedest not me (al)together within the hands of the enemy; thou hast set my feet in a large place. (And thou enclosedest me not in the hands of the enemy; thou hast set me free in a large place.)

⁹ Lord, have thou mercy on me, for I am troubled; mine eye is troubled in ire, my soul and my womb also. (Lord, have thou mercy on me, for I am in trouble; my eyes be tired from so much grief, and my soul, and my womb, also be tired.)

¹⁰ For why my life failed in sorrow; and my years in wailings. My virtue is made feeble in poverty; and my bones be troubled. (For my life is failing, because of sorrows; and my years, because of wailings. My strength is made feeble, or weak, by poverty; and my bones be diseased.)

¹¹ Over all mine enemies I am made (a) shame, [and] greatly to my neighbours; and dread to my known. They that saw me withoutforth, fled from me; (I am shamed before all my enemies, and especially my neighbours; and I am thought of as someone to be feared by my acquaintances. Those who saw me withoutforth, fled from me;)

¹² I am given to forgetting, as a dead man from the heart. I am made as a (for)lorn vessel; (I am forgotten, like a dead man out of mind. I am made like a forlorn vessel;)

¹³ for I heard despising of many men dwelling in compass. In that thing while they came together against me; they counselled to take my life. (for I have heard the despising of many men who live all around me. And when they came together against me; they plotted to take away my life.)

¹⁴ But, Lord, I hoped in thee (But, Lord, I put my trust in thee); I said, Thou art my God;

¹⁵ my times be in thine hands. Deliver thou me from the hands of mine enemies; and from them that pursue me. (my life is in thy hands. Rescue thou me from the power of my enemies; and from those who persecute me.)

¹⁶ Make thou clear thy face on thy servant; Lord, make thou me safe in thy mercy; (Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; Lord, save thou me in thy love;)

¹⁷ be I not shamed, for I inwardly called thee. Unpious men be ashamed, and be they led forth into hell; (let me not be shamed, for I have called upon thee. Let the unpious, or the unrighteous, be ashamed, and let them go down to Sheol, or the land of the dead;)

¹⁸ guileful lips be made dumb. That speak wickedness against a just man; in pride, and in mis-using/in pride, and in abusing. (and let deceitful lips be made dumb. Yea, those who speak wickedness against the righteous; in pride, and in mis-using/in pride, and in abusing.)

¹⁹ Lord, the multitude of thy sweetness is full great; which thou hast hid to men dreading thee. Thou hast made a perfect thing to them that hope in thee; in the sight of the sons of men. (Lord, the multitude of thy goodness is very great; which thou hast kept safe for those who fear thee/for those who revere thee. Thou hast made a perfect thing for those who put their trust in thee; before the sons of men.)

²⁰ Thou shalt hide them in the private of thy face; from [the] troubling of men (Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence; from all the troubles caused by people). Thou shalt defend them in thy tabernacle; from [the] against-saying of tongues.

²¹ Blessed be the Lord; for he hath made wonderful his mercy to me in a strengthened city. (Blessed be the Lord; for he hath shown his wonderful love to me, like a city that is strengthened, or fortified.)

²² Forsooth I said in the out-passing of my soul; I am cast out from the face of thine eyes. Therefore thou heardest the voice of my prayer; while I cried to thee. (For I said in the going forth of my soul, I am cast out from before thine eyes. But thou heardest the words of my prayer; when I cried to thee for help.)

²³ All ye holy men of the Lord, love him; for the Lord shall seek truth, and he shall yield plenteously to them that do pride. (All ye holy people of the Lord, love him; for the Lord preserveth the faithful, but he shall strongly punish the proud.)

²⁴ All ye that hope in the Lord, do ye manly; and your heart be comforted. (All ye who hope in the Lord, be ye encouraged; and let your hearts be strengthened.)

35 To David. [The psalm of David.] Lord, deem thou them, that annoy me; overcome thou them, that fight against me. (The song of David. Lord, judge thou them, who harm me; overcome thou them, who fight against me.)

² Take thou armours and shield; and rise up into help to me. (Take thou up arms, or weapons, and shield; and rise up to help me.)

³ Shed out the sword/Hold out the sword, and close (al)together (the way) against them that pursue me; say thou to my soul, I am thine health. (Draw out the sword, and close up the way against those who persecute me; say thou to me, I am thy salvation, or thy deliverance.)

⁴ They that seek my life; be shamed, and ashamed. They that think evils to me; be turned away backward, and be they shamed. (Let those who seek my life; be shamed, and ashamed. Let those who plot evil against me; be turned back, and be shamed.)

⁵ Be they made as dust before the face of the wind; and the angel of the Lord make them strait. (Let them be made like the dust in the wind; and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.)

⁶ Their way be made darkness, and sliderness; and the angel of the Lord pursue them. (Let their way be made dark, and slippery; and may the angel of the Lord strike them down.)

⁷ For without cause they hid to me the death of their snare; in vain they despised my soul. (For no reason, they hid their deadly snare for me/they hid their snare for me in a pit; for no reason, they despised me.)

⁸ The snare which he knoweth not come to him, and the taking which he hid take him; and fall he into the snare in that thing. (But let the snare catch him unawares, or by surprise, yea, let the trap which he himself hid, catch him; and let him fall to his own destruction in that thing.)

⁹ But my soul shall fully have joy in the Lord; and shall delight on his health. (But my soul shall have full out joy, or shall rejoice, in the Lord; and it shall delight in his salvation, or in his deliverance.)

¹⁰ All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like thee? Thou deliverest a poor man from the hand of his stronger; a needy man and poor from them that diversely ravish him. (All my bones said, Lord, who is like thee? Thou rescuest the poor from the hands of those who be stronger; yea, the poor and the needy from those who oppress them.)

¹¹ Wicked witnesses rising (up) asked me things, which I knew not.

¹² They yielded to me evils for goods; barrenness to my soul. (They gave me evil for good; making my soul barren.)

¹³ But when they were dis-easeful to me; I was clothed in an hair-shirt. I meeked my soul in fasting; and my prayer shall be turned (again) into my bosom. (But yet when they were sick; I was clothed in a hair-shirt. I humbled myself with fasting; and I prayed to the Lord for them.)

¹⁴ I pleased so as our neighbour, as our brother; I was made meek, so as mourning and sorrowful. (I went around, like he was my neighbour, or my brother; I was humbled, like one mourning and sorrowful for his own mother.)

¹⁵ And they were glad, and came together against me; torments were gathered on me, and I knew it not. They were scattered, and not compunct; (But when I was in torment, they were glad, and came together against me; yea, they were gathered together against me, and I knew not why. They tore me apart, and would not stop;)

¹⁶ they tempted me, they scorned me with mocking, they gnashed on me with their teeth.

¹⁷ Lord, when thou shalt behold, restore thou my soul from the wickedness of them; mine one alone from lions. (Lord, how long shalt thou but look at me? rescue thou me from their wicked assailings, yea, save my life from these lions.)

¹⁸ I shall acknowledge to thee in a great church; I shall praise thee in a firm people. (I shall give thanks to thee in the great congregation; I shall praise thee before many people.)

¹⁹ They that be adversaries wickedly to me, have not joy on me; that hate me without cause, and beckon with eyes. (Let not those who be my adversaries wickedly have joy over me; let not those who hate me for no reason, leer at me with delight.)

²⁰ For soothly they spake (not) peaceably to me; and they speaking in wrathfulness of [the] earth, thought guiles. (For they do not speak peacefully; but they tell forth all kinds of lies, against those, who live quietly upon the earth.)

²¹ And they made large their mouth on me; they said, Well, well! our eyes have seen. (And they opened their mouths wide against me; and they said, Well, well! now our eyes have seen it all!)

²² Lord, thou hast seen, be thou not still; Lord, depart thou not from me. (Lord, thou hast seen all of this, so keep thou not silent; Lord, go thou not away from me.)

²³ Rise up, and give attention to my doom; my God and my Lord, behold into my cause. (Rise up, and give me justice; my God and my Lord, please plead my case!)

²⁴ My Lord God, deem thou me by thy rightfulness; and have they not joy on me. (My Lord God, judge thou me by thy righteousness; and do not let them have joy over me.)

²⁵ Say they not in their hearts, Well, well, to our soul; neither say they, We shall devour him. (Let them not say in their hearts, Well, well; nor let them say, We have devoured him!)

²⁶ Shame they, and dread they together; that joy for mine evils. Be they clothed with shame and dread; that speak evil things on me. (Let them all be ashamed, and fearful; who take joy over my suffering. Let them be clothed with shame and fear; who speak evil against me.)

²⁷ Have they full joy, and be they glad, that will my rightfulness; and say they ever[more], The Lord be magnified, which desire the peace of his servant. (Have they full out joy, or rejoice, and be they glad, who desire my vindication; and let them say forevermore, The Lord be magnified, who delighteth in his servant’s prosperity.)

²⁸ And my tongue shall bethink thy rightfulness; all day thy praising. (And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness, or thy justice, and thy praises; all day long.)

² Praise thou not a man in (or for) his fairness; neither despise thou a man in (or for) his sight.

³ A bee is little among birds; and his fruit hath the beginning of sweetness.

⁴ Have thou never glory in clothing, and be thou not enhanced (or exalted) in the day of thine honour; for why the works of the Highest alone be wonderful, and his works be glorious, and hid, and unseen.

⁵ Many tyrants have set in (or upon) (a) throne; and a man of whom was no supposing bare the diadem.

⁶ Many mighty men be oppressed strongly; and glorious men be given into the hands of other men. [Many mighty men be oppressed greatly; and the glorious be taken into the hands of other men.]

⁷ Before that thou ask, blame thou not any man; and when thou hast asked, blame thou justly. [Before that thou ask, not blame thou any man; and when thou shalt ask, chastise thou rightly.]

⁸ Before that thou hear, answer thou not a word; and in the midst of elder men add thou not to speak. [Before that thou hear, not answer thou a word; and in the middle of elder men not lay thou to speak.]

⁹ Strive thou not, of (or in) that thing that dis-easeth not thee; and stand thou not in the doom of sins. [Of that thing that grieveth not thee, strive thou not; and in the middle of sinners not abide thou.]

¹⁰ Son, thy deeds be not in many things; and if thou art rich, thou shalt not be without part of guilt. For if thou (pur)suest (after), thou shalt not (over-)take; and thou shalt not escape, if thou runnest before. [Son, be not in many things thy deeds; and if thou were rich, thou shalt not be guiltless from trespass. If forsooth thou shalt follow, thou shalt not over-take; and if thou shall run before, thou shalt not escape.]

¹¹ There is a man travailing, and hast(en)ing, and sorrowing, and unpious; and by so much the more he shall not have plenty [or he shall not abound].

¹² There is a man fade, that is, feeble, failing more than others, needy of recovering, failing more in virtue, and plenteous in poverty; and the eye of God beheld him in good, and raised him (up) from his lowness, [There is a man withered, needing recovering, more failing in virtue, and abounding in poorness; and the eye of God beheld him in good, and reared him (up) from his lowness;]

¹³ and enhanced his head; and many men wondered in (or about) him, and honoured God. [and enhanced his head; and many marvelled in (or at) him, and worshipped God.]

¹⁴ Goods and evils, that is, prosperities and adversities, life and death, poverty [or poorness] and honesty, (or poverty and honours or riches), be of (or from) God.

¹⁵ Wisdom, and learning, and cunning (or knowing) of the law be with the Lord; love and the ways of good men be at (or from) him. [Wisdom, and discipline, and cunning of the law with the Lord; loving and the ways of good men with him.]

¹⁶ Error and darknesses be made together to (or with) sinners; forsooth they that make full out joy in evil, wax eld together into evils. [Error and darknesses to sinners be formed; who forsooth full out joy into evil, wax old together into evils.]

¹⁷ The gift of God dwelleth to (or with) just [or rightwise] men; and (the) increasings of him shall have prosperities [into] without end.

¹⁸ Some man there is made rich in doing scarcely, and this is the part of his meed, [There is that is made rich (in) scarcely doing, and this (is) the part of the meed of him,]

¹⁹ in that that he saith, I have found rest to (or for) me, and now I alone shall eat of my goods. And he know not that time passeth him, and death nigheth (or approacheth), and he shall leave all things to other men, and shall die [or and die].

²⁰ Stand thou in thy testament, and speak thou (al)together in it; and wax thou eld in the work of thy behests (or thy commands). [Stand in thy testament, and in it speak (al)together; and in the work of thy behests wax old.]

¹³ After these things also the sixth angel trumpeted [After these things also the sixth angel sang in trump]; and I heard a voice from the four corners of the golden altar, that is before the eyes of God,

¹⁴ and said to the sixth angel that had a trumpet, Unbind thou four angels, that be bound in the great river Euphrates. [saying to the sixth angel that had a trump, Unbind the four angels, that be bound in the great flood Euphrates.]

¹⁵ And the four angels were unbound, which were ready into hour, and day, and month, and year, to slay the third part of men.

¹⁶ And the number of the host of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard the number of them.

¹⁷ And so I saw horses in vision; and they that sat on them had fiery habergeons, and of jacinth, and of brimstone [and brimstone]. And the heads of the horses were as [the] heads of lions; and fire, and smoke, and brimstone, cometh forth of the mouth of them [and of the mouth of them fire came forth, and smoke and brimstone].

¹⁸ Of these three plagues the third part of men was slain, of the fire, and of the smoke, and of the brimstone, that came out of the mouth of them.

¹⁹ For the power of the horses is in the mouth of them, and in the tails of them; for the tails of them be like to serpents, having heads, and in them they harm.

²⁰ And the other men, that were not slain in these plagues, neither did penance of the works of their hands, that they worshipped not devils, and simulacra of gold, and of silver [and silver], and of brass, and of stone [and brass, and stone], and of tree, which neither be able to see [which neither may see], neither hear, neither wander;

²¹ and [they] did not penance of their manslayings, neither of their witchcrafts, neither of their fornication, neither of their thefts, were slain [neither of their fornication, neither of their thefts].

³⁸ And it was done, while they went, he entered into a castle; and a woman, Martha by name, received him into her house. [Forsooth it was done, while they went, and he entered into some castle; and some woman, Martha by name, received him into her house.]

³⁹ And to this was a sister, Mary by name, which also sat beside the feet of the Lord, and heard his word.

⁴⁰ But Martha busied about the oft service. And she stood, and said, Lord, takest thou no keep, that my sister hath left me alone to serve? therefore say thou to her, that she help me.^[a]

⁴¹ And the Lord answered, and said to her, Martha, Martha, thou art busy, and art troubled about full many things;

⁴² but one thing is necessary. Mary hath chosen the best part [Mary hath chosen the better part], which shall not be taken away from her.