Book of Common Prayer
93 The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with fairness; the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself. For he made steadfast the world; that shall not be moved. (The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself. He hath fixed the world in its place; so that it shall not be moved.)
2 God, thy seat was made ready from that time; thou art from the world. (God, thy throne was prepared from that time; thou art from before the beginning.)
3 Lord, the floods have raised; the floods have raised their voice. Floods have raised their waves; of the voices of many waters. (Lord, the oceans have raised, the oceans have raised up their roar. The oceans have raised up their roaring waves.)
4 The raisings of the sea be wonderful; the Lord is wonderful in high things. (But the Lord on high, thundereth more than the roar of many waters; he is mightier than the waves of the sea.)
5 Thy witnessings be made able to be believed greatly; Lord, holiness becometh thine house, into the length of days. (Thy laws stand firm, and unmoveable, or unchanging; Lord, thy House shall be holy forever.)
96 Sing ye a new song to the Lord; all (the) earth, sing ye to the Lord.
2 Sing ye to the Lord, and bless ye his name; tell ye his health from day into day (tell ye about his salvation, or his deliverance, yea, his saving grace, from day unto day).
3 Tell ye his glory among heathen men; his marvels among all peoples. (Tell ye of his glory to the heathen; and of his marvellous deeds to all the nations.)
4 For the Lord is great, and worthy to be praised full much; he is fearedful above all gods (he should be feared above all gods/he should be revered above all gods).
5 For all the gods of heathen men be fiends; but the Lord made heavens. (For all the gods of the heathen be but idols; but the Lord made the heavens.)
6 Acknowledging and fairness is in his sight; holiness and worthy doing is in his hallowing. (Majesty and glory surround him; strength and beauty be in his sanctuary.)
7 Ye countries of heathen men, bring to the Lord, bring ye glory and honour to the Lord; (Ye countries of the heathen, acknowledge to the Lord, acknowledge ye the glory and the strength of the Lord;)
8 bring ye to the Lord glory to his name. Take ye sacrifices, and enter ye into the halls of him; (give ye to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring ye your sacrifices, and enter ye into his courtyards;)
9 praise ye the Lord in his holy hall. All earth be moved of his face; (praise ye the Lord in the beauty of his holiness. All the earth tremble before him/All the earth dance before him;)
10 say ye among heathen men, that the Lord hath reigned. And he hath amended the world, that shall not be moved; he shall deem peoples in equity. (say ye among the heathen, that the Lord reigneth. And that he hath set the world firmly in place, so that it cannot be moved; he shall judge the nations with justice.)
11 Heavens be glad, and the earth make full out joy, the sea and the fullness thereof be moved (al)together; (Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice, let the sea roar, and all the creatures in it;)
12 fields shall make joy, and all things that be in those. Then all the trees of woods shall make full out joy, (let the fields make joy, and all the things that be in them. And let all the trees of the woods rejoice,)
13 for the face of the Lord, for he cometh; for he cometh to deem the earth. He shall deem the world in equity; and peoples in his truth. (before the Lord, for he cometh; yea, he cometh to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, or with justice; and all the peoples with fairness, or in good faith.)
34 To David, when he changed his mouth, or his word, before Abimelech, and he drove out David, and he went forth. I shall bless the Lord in all time; ever[more] his praising be in my mouth. (To David, when he changed his face, and his words, before Abimelech, who then drove David out, and so he went forth. I shall always bless the Lord; his praises shall be in my mouth forevermore.)
2 My soul shall be praised in the Lord; mild men hear, and be glad. (My soul shall have glory in the Lord; let the humble hear, and be glad.)
3 Magnify ye the Lord with me; and enhance we his name into itself (and let us exalt his name together).
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me; and he delivered me from all my tribulations (and he rescued, or saved, me, from all of my troubles).
5 Nigh ye to him, and be ye lightened (Go ye near to him, and ye shall shine with joy); and your faces shall not be shamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him; and saved him from all his tribulations.
7 The angel of the Lord sendeth in the compass of men dreading him; and he shall deliver them. (The angel of the Lord guardeth those who fear him/who revere him; and he rescueth them.)
8 Taste ye, and see, for the Lord is sweet; blessed is the man, that hopeth in him. (Taste ye, and see, that the Lord is good; happy is the person, who trusteth in him.)
9 All ye holy men of the Lord, dread ye him; for no neediness is to men dreading him. (All ye holy people of the Lord, fear him; for there is no neediness in those who fear him./All ye holy people of the Lord, revere him; for there is no neediness in those who revere him.)
10 Rich men were needy, and were hungry; but men that seek the Lord shall not fail of all good (but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing).
11 Come, ye sons, hear ye me; I shall teach you the dread of the Lord. (Come, ye sons and daughters, and listen ye to me; I shall teach you the fear of the Lord/I shall teach you to revere the Lord.)
12 Who is the man, that willeth life; that loveth to see good days? (Who is the person who desireth life? who loveth to see good days?)
13 Forbid thy tongue from evil; and thy lips speak not guile (and do not let thy lips speak deceitfully).
14 Turn thou away from evil, and do good; seek thou peace, and perfectly follow thou it.
15 The eyes of the Lord be on just men (The eyes of the Lord be on the righteous); and his ears be to their prayers.
16 But the cheer of the Lord is on men doing evils; that he lose the mind of them from [the] earth. (But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil; and he shall blot out the memory of them from off the earth.)
17 Just men cried [The rightwise cried], and the Lord heard them; and delivered them from all their tribulations (and he rescued, or saved, them from all their troubles).
18 The Lord is nigh [to] them that be of troubled heart; and he shall save meek men in spirit. (The Lord is near to those who have a troubled heart; and he saveth those whose spirit is meek, or is humble.)
19 Many tribulations be of just men; and the Lord shall deliver them from all these. (Many troubles be to the righteous; but the Lord shall rescue, or save, them out of all of them.)
20 The Lord keepeth all the bones of them; one of those shall not be broken. (The Lord guardeth, or keepeth safe, all their bones; not one of them shall be broken.)
21 The death of sinners is worst; and they that hate a just man shall trespass. (The death of sinners is brought about by the Worst/Evil bringeth about the death of sinners; and those who hate the righteous shall be punished.)
22 The Lord shall again-buy the souls of his servants; and all, that hope in him, shall not trespass. (But the Lord redeemeth, or ransometh, the souls of his servants; and all who trust in him, shall not go astray.)
3 After these things king Ahasuerus enhanced Haman, the son of Hammedatha, that was of the kindred of Agag, and the king set his throne above all the princes that he had. (And after these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha, who was a descendant of Agag, and the enemy of the Jews, and the king put Haman’s throne above all the other princes, or the leaders, that he had.)
2 And all the servants of the king, that served in the gates of the palace, kneeled, and worshipped Haman; for so the emperor had commanded to them; but Mordecai alone bowed not his knees to him, neither worshipped him. (And all the king’s officials, who were in attendance at the royal court, kneeled before Haman, and honoured him; for the king had so commanded them; but Mordecai alone did not bow his knee to Haman, nor show him any respect.)
3 And the servants of the king, that sat above at the gates of the palace, said to Mordecai, Why keepest thou not the commandments of the king, (but doest) otherwise than other men? (And the king’s officials, who were in attendance at the royal court, said to Mordecai, Why followest thou not the king’s commands, like all the other men do?)
4 And when they said full oft to him these things, and he would not hear them, they told to Haman, for they coveted to know, whether he continued in the sentence that he had showed to them; for he had said to them, that he was a Jew. (And when they had repeatedly said these things to him, and he would not listen to them, and show respect for Haman, then they told all of this to Haman, for they coveted to know whether Mordecai’s conduct would be tolerated; for Mordecai had said to them, that he was a Jew.)
5 And when Haman had heard this thing, and had proved by experience, that Mordecai bowed not his knee to him, neither worshipped him, he was full wroth, (And when Haman had heard about this, and had seen with his own eyes, that Mordecai did not bow his knee to him, or show him any respect, he was enraged,)
6 and Haman areckoned it for nought to set his hands upon Mordecai alone, to kill him; for he had heard, that Mordecai was of the folk of Jews, and the more rather he would destroy all the nation of Jews, which were in the realm of Ahasuerus. (but Haman reckoned that it would be useless to only put his hands upon Mordecai; for he had heard that Mordecai was of the nation of the Jews, and so he plotted to destroy the entire nation of the Jews, who were in the kingdom of Ahasuerus.)
7 In the first month, whose name is Nisan, that is, April, in the twelfth year of the realm of Ahasuerus, lot was cast into a vessel, the which lot is said in Hebrew pur, before Haman, to know in what day and in what month the folk of Jews ought to be slain; and by the lot the twelfth month went out, that is called Adar, that is, March. (So in the first month, that is called Nisan, or April, in the twelfth year of Ahasuerus’ reign, the lot was cast, which is called pur in Hebrew, in the sight of Haman, to know on what day and on what month the nation of the Jews ought to be destroyed; and by the lot the twelfth month went out, that is called Adar, or March.)
8 And then Haman said to king Ahasuerus, A people is scattered by all the provinces of thy realm, and it is separated from itself, and this people useth new laws and ceremonies, and furthermore also it despiseth the behests of the king; and thou knowest best, that it speedeth not to thy realm, that it increase in malice by (thy) license. (And then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, There is a people scattered in all the provinces of thy kingdom, and they be separated unto themselves, and this people useth different laws and statutes, and furthermore they also despise the king’s laws; and thou knowest best, that it profiteth not to thy kingdom, if they increase their malice, yea, by thy license.)
9 If it please thee, deem and command thou that this people perish, and I shall pay ten thousand talents of silver to the keepers of thy treasure. (So if it please thee, judge this and then command thou that this people perish, or be destroyed, and I shall even pay ten thousand talents of silver to the keepers of thy treasury unto this end.)
10 Therefore the king took from his hand the ring which he used, and he gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha, of the kindred of Agag, the enemy of Jews. (And so the king took off the ring, which he used for a signet, from his finger, and he gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.)
11 And the king said to Haman, The silver, which thou promisedest, be thine (own); do thou of the people that, that pleaseth thee (thou may do with these people, whatever pleaseth thee).
12 And then the scribes, or the writers, of the king were called in the first month of Nisan, that is, April, in the thirteenth day of the same month; and it was written, as Haman had commanded, to all the princes of the king, and to doomsmen of diverse provinces and of folks, that for diversity of language, each folk might read these letters and hear them, in the name of king Ahasuerus. (And then the writers of the king were called on the thirteenth day of the first month, that is called Nisan, or April; and it was written, as Haman had commanded, to all the king’s princes, or leaders, and to the judges, or rulers, of diverse provinces and nations, so that in their own language, each nation might read these letters and hear them, in the name of King Ahasuerus.)
13 And letters, asealed with the ring of the king, were sent by the couriers of the king to all his provinces, (with orders) that they should slay, and do away, or destroy, all Jews, from a child to an eld man, little children and women, in one day, that is, in the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is called Adar, or March; and that they should (also) take away the goods of the Jews. (And letters, sealed with the king’s ring, that is, with his signet, were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces, with orders that the people should kill, and destroy, all the Jews, from a child unto an old man, women and children alike, in one day, that is, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is called Adar, or March; and that they should also take away all the possessions of the Jews.)
14 And the sentence of the letters was this, written in a few words, that all (the peoples of the) provinces should know (about), and make them(selves) ready, to the foresaid day. (And so in a few words, the sentence of the letters was this, that all the people of the provinces should know about, and prepare themselves for, the coming day of death and destruction.)
15 And the couriers, that were sent forth, hasted to [ful]fill the commandment of the king; and anon the behest of the king was hanged up in the city of Susa, while the king and Haman made a feast, and all the Jews wept, that were in that city. (And the couriers, who were sent out, hastened to fulfill the king’s command; and the king’s order was also hung up at once in the capital city of Susa; and so while the king and Haman drank together, all the Jews, who were in that city, wept and mourned.)
4 And when Mordecai had heard these things, he rent his clothes, and he was clothed in a sackcloth, and he sprinkled ashes upon his head, and he cried with great voice in the street of the midst of the city, and showed the bitterness of his soul, (And when Mordecai had heard these things, he tore his clothes, and then he was clothed in a sackcloth, and he sprinkled ashes on his head, and he cried with a great voice in the streets in the midst of the city, and told of the bitterness in his soul,)
2 and he went with this yelling unto the gates of the palace; for it was not leaveful (for) a man clothed with a sackcloth to enter into the hall of the king (for it was not lawful for someone clothed in sackcloth to enter into the king’s hall).
3 Also in all provinces, cities, and places, to which the cruel sentence of the king was come, there was great wailing, fasting, and weeping, and yelling with the Jews, and many Jews used a sackcloth and ashes for their bed. (And in all the provinces, and cities, and places, to which the cruel sentence of the king had come, there was great wailing, and fasting, and weeping, and yelling from the Jews, and many Jews lay in sackcloth and ashes.)
19 Know ye, my brethren most loved, be each man swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man worketh not the rightwiseness of God.
21 For which thing cast ye away all uncleanness, and plenty of malice, and in mildness receive ye the word that is planted[a], that may save your souls.
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
23 For if any man is an hearer of the word, and not a doer, this shall be likened to a man that beholdeth the face of his birth in a mirror [this shall be comparisoned, or likened, to a man beholding the cheer of his birth in a mirror];
24 for he beheld himself, and went away, and at once he forgot which he was. [for he beheld himself, and went away, and anon he forgot what manner man he was.]
25 But he that beholdeth into the law of perfect freedom, and dwelleth in it, and is not made a forgetful hearer, but a doer of work, this shall be blessed in his deed.
26 And if any man guesseth himself to be religious, and refraineth not his tongue, but deceiveth his heart, the religion of him is vain.
27 A clean religion, and unwemmed with God and the Father, is this, to visit fatherless and motherless children, and widows in their tribulation, and to keep himself undefouled from this world [and to keep himself undefouled from the world].
6 Take heed, that ye do not your rightwiseness before men, to be seen of them, else ye shall have no meed at your Father that is in heavens [else ye shall not have meed of your Father which is in heavens].
2 Therefore when thou doest alms, do not thou trumpet before thee, as hypocrites do in synagogues and streets, that they be worshipped of men[a]; soothly I say to you, they have received their meed.
3 But when thou doest alms, know not thy left hand what thy right hand doeth,
4 that thine alms be in huddles, and thy Father that seeth in huddles, shall requite thee [shall yield to thee].
5 And when ye pray, ye shall not be as hypocrites, that love to pray standing in synagogues and [in] corners of streets, to be seen of men [that they be seen of men]; truly I say to you, they have received their meed.
6 But when thou shalt pray, enter into thy bedchamber, and when the door is shut, pray thy Father in huddles, and thy Father that seeth in huddles, shall yield to thee.
16 But when ye fast, do not ye be made as hypocrites sorrowful, for they deface themselves, to seem fasting to men [for they put their faces out of natural terms, that they seem fasting to men]; truly I say to you, they have received their meed.
17 But when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face,
18 that thou be not seen fasting to men, but to thy Father that is in huddles, and thy Father that seeth in privy [and thy Father that seeth in huddles], shall yield to thee.
2001 by Terence P. Noble