Book of Common Prayer
38 The psalm of David, to bethink on the sabbath. Lord, reprove thou not me in thy strong vengeance; neither chastise thou me in thine ire. (The song of David, to remember the sabbath. Lord, rebuke thou me not in thy fury; nor chastise thou me in thy anger.)
2 For thine arrows be fixed in me; and thou hast made steadfast thine hand on me.
3 None health is in my flesh from the face of thine ire; no peace is to my bones from the face of my sins. (There is no health in my flesh, because of thy anger; there is no peace for my bones, because of my sins.)
4 For my wickednesses be gone over mine head; as an heavy burden, those be made heavy on me (like a heavy weight, they be made heavy upon me).
5 Mine healed wounds were rotten, and be broken; from the face of mine unwisdom. (My wounds became rotten, and broken; because of my folly, or my foolishness.)
6 I am made a wretch, and I am bowed down till into the end; all day I entered sorrowful. (I am made a wretch, and I am bent down to the ground; I go about in sorrow all day long.)
7 For my loins be filled with scornings; and health is not in my flesh. (For my loins be filled with sickness; and there is no health in my flesh.)
8 I am tormented, and made low full greatly (I am tormented, and brought down so very low); I roared for the wailing of mine heart.
9 Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my wailing is not hid from thee.
10 Mine heart is troubled in me, my virtue forsook me; and the light of mine eyes, and it is not with me. (My heart is troubled within me, my strength deserted me; and the light in my eyes, it hath also left me.)
11 My friends and my neighbours nighed; and stood (over) against me. And they that were beside me stood afar; (My friends and my neighbours stand far away from me; because of my sickness, or my sores. And even my family members stand far away from me;)
12 and they did violence, that sought my life. And they that sought evils to me, spake vanities; and thought guiles all day. (and they who sought my life, did violence to me. Yea, they who sought evil for me, spoke empty gossip; and they thought up lies and slander about me, all day long.)
13 But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and as a dumb man not opening his mouth. (But I, like a deaf man, did not listen to them; and like a dumb man, I did not open my mouth.)
14 And I am made as a man not hearing; and not having reprovings in his mouth. (And I am made like a deaf man; yea, one not speaking any rebuke, or reply.)
15 For, Lord, I hoped in thee (For, Lord, I trusted in thee); my Lord God, thou shalt hear me.
16 For I said, (Hear me,) Lest any time mine enemies have joy on me; and the while my feet be moved/and while my feet were moved, they spake great things on me. (For I said, Hear me, lest any time my enemies have joy over me; for when my feet slipped, or stumbled, they spoke many things against me.)
17 For I am ready to beatings; and my sorrow is ever[more] in my sight. (For I am about to fall; and my sorrow is before me forevermore.)
18 For I shall tell my wickedness; and I shall think for my sin. (For I shall tell out my wickedness; and I am afraid, when I think of my sin.)
19 But mine enemies live, and they be confirmed on me; and they be multiplied, that hate me wickedly. (But my enemies live, and they be strong against me; yea, there be many who wickedly hate me.)
20 They that yield evils for goods, backbited me; for I followed goodness. (Those who give back evil in return for good, backbite me; because I do what is right, or good.)
21 My Lord God, forsake thou not me (do not thou desert me); go thou not away from me.
22 Lord God of mine health; behold thou into mine help. (Lord God of my salvation, or of my deliverance, hasten thou to help me.)
25 [Daleth]. My soul cleaved to the pavement; quicken thou me by thy word. (My body lieth on the ground/lieth in the dust; grant thou me life according to thy word.)
26 I told out my ways, and thou heardest me; teach thou me thy justifyings. (I told thee all that I had done, and thou heardest me/and thou answeredest me; teach thou me thy statutes.)
27 Learn thou me the way of thy justifyings; and I shall be exercised in thy marvels. (Teach thou me the way of thy precepts; and I shall think about thy marvels, or thy wonders.)
28 My soul napped for, or because of, harm; confirm thou me in thy words. (I was harmed/My body was harmed, and could not sleep; strengthen thou me with thy words.)
29 Remove thou from me the way of wickedness; and in thy law have thou mercy on me. (Remove thou me, or keep me away, from the ways of wickedness; and in thy Law have mercy upon me.)
30 I chose the way of truth; I forgat not thy dooms (I did not forget thy judgements).
31 Lord, I cleaved to thy witnessings; do not thou shame me. (Lord, I have held fast to thy teachings, or thy commands; do not let me be shamed.)
32 I ran the way of thy commandments; when thou alargedest mine heart. (I shall go the way of thy commandments; for thou hast enlarged my heart.)
33 [He]. Lord, set thou to me a law, the way of thy justifyings; and I shall seek it ever[more]. (Lord, set thou thy Law before me, yea, the way of thy statutes; and I shall follow it forevermore.)
34 Give thou understanding to me, and I shall seek thy law; and I shall keep it in all mine heart. (Give thou understanding to me, and I shall follow thy Law; yea, I shall obey it with all my heart.)
35 Lead me forth in the path of thy behests; for I would it. (Lead me forth on the path of thy commandments; for I delight in them/for that is what I desire.)
36 Bow down mine heart into thy witnessings; and not into avarice. (Turn my heart to thy teachings, or thy commands; and not to greed.)
37 Turn thou away mine eyes, that they see not vanity; quicken thou me in thy way. (Turn thou away my eyes from the empty, and the worthless; grant thou me life in thy way.)
38 Ordain thy speech to thy servant; (who is) in thy dread. (Ordain thy word to thy servant; who feareth thee/who hath reverence for thee.)
39 Cut away my shame, which I supposed; for thy dooms be merry. (Turn away the shame, or the rebuke, which I fear; for thy judgements be good.)
40 Lo! I coveted thy commandments; quicken thou me in thine equity. (Lo! I desired to obey thy precepts; grant thou me life in thy righteousness.)
41 [Vau]. And, Lord, thy mercy come [up]on me; thine health come by thy speech. (And, Lord, let thy love come to me; let thy salvation, or thy deliverance, come according to thy word.)
42 And I shall answer a word to men saying shame to me; for I hoped in thy words. (And then I shall answer a word to those shaming me; for I put my trust in thy words.)
43 And take thou not away from my mouth the word of truth utterly; for I hoped above in thy dooms. (And never take away the word of truth from my mouth; for I put my hope in thy judgements, or in thy decrees.)
44 And I shall keep thy law ever[more]; into the world, and into the world of world. (And I shall obey thy Law forevermore; yea, forever and ever.)
45 And I went in largeness; for I sought thy commandments. (And I shall walk in freedom; for I have sought out thy commandments.)
46 And I spake of thy witnessings in the sight of kings; and I was not shamed. (And I shall speak of thy teachings, or thy commands, before kings; and I shall not be ashamed.)
47 And I bethought in thy behests; which I loved. (And I delight myself in thy commandments; which I love.)
48 And I raised mine hands to thy commandments, which I loved; and I shall be exercised in thy justifyings. (And I shall raise up my hands to thy commandments, which I love; and I shall think about thy statutes.)
4 Do not thou seek of a man (the) leading, neither of a king the chair of honour. [Do not thou seek of a man the dignity of a leader, nor of a king the chair of worship.]
5 Justify thou not thee (or thyself) before God, for he is the knower of the heart; and do not thou desire to be seen wise with the king.
6 Do not thou seek to be made a judge, no but thou mayest break wickednesses by (thy) virtue; lest thou dread the face of a mighty man, and set slander (or a cause of stumbling) in thy swiftness. [Do thou not seek to be made a doomsman, but if thou be able by virtue (to) break wickednesses; lest peradventure thou out dread the face of the mighty, and put a cause of stumbling in thine hither and thither deliberateness.]
7 Do not thou sin in (or against) the multitude of a city, neither send thee (or thyself) (down) into the people; [Sin thou not in the multitude of the city, nor put thee into the people;]
8 neither bind thou [to] double sins, for thou shalt not be guiltless in one.
9 Do not thou be a coward in thy soul, to pray; and despise thou not to do alms-[deeds].
10 Say thou not, God shall behold in the multitude of my gifts; and when I shall offer to God alder-highest [or to the highest God], he shall take my gifts.
11 Scorn thou not a man in the bitterness of (his) soul; for why God is the beholder, that maketh meek, and enhanceth (or exalteth). [Scorn thou not a man in the bitterness of soul; God forsooth the looker about is, that enhanceth and meeketh.]
12 Do not thou love a leasing (or a lie) against thy brother; neither do thou in like manner against a friend.
13 Do not thou desire to lie any leasing (or any lie); for why the continuance thereof is not good. [Do thou not desire to lie each leasing; the busyness forsooth of them is not good.]
14 Do not thou be a jangler [or full of words] in the multitude of priests; and rehearse thou not a word in thy prayer.
8 And when he had opened the seventh seal, a silence was made in heaven [silence was made in heaven], as half an hour.
2 And I saw seven angels standing in the sight of God, and seven trumpets were given to them [and seven trumps were given to them].
3 And another angel came, and stood before the altar, and had a golden censer; and many incenses were given to him, that he should give of the prayers of all saints on the golden altar, that is before the throne of God.[a]
4 And the smoke of the incenses of the prayers of the holy men ascended up from the angel's hand before God. [And the smoke of incenses of the prayers of hallows ascended up of the angel's hand before God.]
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it of the fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth. And thunders, and voices, and lightnings were made, and a great earth-moving.
6 And the seven angels, that had the seven trumpets, made them ready, that they should trumpet. [And the seven angels, that had seven trumps, made them ready, that they should sing in trump.]
7 And the first angel trumpeted [And the first angel sang in trump]; and hail was made, and fire mingled together in blood; and it was sent into the earth. And the third part of the earth was burnt, and the third part of trees was burnt, and all the green grass was burnt.
8 And the second angel trumpeted [And the second angel sang in trump]; and as a great hill burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea was made blood,
9 and the third part of [the] creature was dead [and the third part of creatures is dead], that had lives in the sea, and the third part of [the] ships perished.
10 And the third angel trumpeted; and a great star burning as a little brand, fell from heaven; and it fell into the third part of rivers, and into the wells of waters. [And the third angel sang in trump; and a great star burning as a brand, fell down from heaven; and it fell into the third part of floods, and into wells of waters.]
11 And the name of the star is said Wormwood. And the third part of waters was made into wormwood; and many men were dead of the waters, for those were made bitter [for they be made bitter].
12 And the fourth angel trumpeted [And the fourth angel sang in trump]; and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of [the] stars, so that the third part of them was darked, and the third part of the day shined not [and the third part of the day shone not], and also of the night.
13 And I saw, and heard the voice of an eagle flying by the middle of heaven, and saying with a great voice, Woe! woe! woe! to men that dwell in earth, of the other voices of the three angels, that shall trumpet after [that were to sing in trump].
17 And the two and seventy disciples turned again with joy, and said [saying], Lord, also devils be subject to us in thy name.
18 And he said to them, I saw Satan falling down from heaven, as lightning.
19 And lo! I have given to you power to tread on serpents, and scorpions, and on [upon] all the virtue of the enemy, and nothing shall harm you.
20 Nevertheless do not ye [have] joy in this thing, that spirits be subject to you; but joy ye, that your names be written in heavens.
21 In that hour he gladded in the Holy Ghost, and said, I acknowledge to thee, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for thou hast hid these things from wise men and prudent, and hast showed them to small children. Yea, Father, for so it pleased before thee.[a]
22 All things be given to me of my Father, and no man knoweth, who is the Son, but the Father; and who is the Father, but the Son, and to whom the Son will show.
23 And he turned to his disciples, and said, Blessed be the eyes, that see those things that ye see [Blessed be the eyes, which see those things that ye see].
24 For I say to you, that many prophets and kings would have seen those things, that ye see [which ye see], and they saw not; and hear those things, that ye hear, and they heard not.
2001 by Terence P. Noble