Book of Common Prayer

55 To victory in organs, the learning of David. God, hear thou my prayer, and despise thou not my beseeching; (To victory, on instruments, the teaching of David. God, hear thou my prayer, and despise thou not my plea;)

² give thou attention to me, and hear thou me. I am sorrowful in mine exercising (I am grieved by my distress);

³ and I am disturbed of the face of the enemy, and of the tribulation of the sinner. For they bowed wickednesses into me; and in ire they were dis-easeful to me. (and I am made afraid by my enemies, and by the trouble which the sinners have brought upon me. For they bowed down wickednesses upon me; and with great anger they were very hateful to me.)

⁴ Mine heart was troubled in me; and the dread of death felled on me. (My heart was troubled within me; and the fear of death fell upon me.)

⁵ Dread and trembling came on me (Fear and trembling came upon me); and darknesses covered me.

⁶ And I said, Who shall give to me feathers, as of a culver; and I shall fly, and shall take rest? (And I said, Who shall give me wings like a dove? and then I can fly away, and get some rest.)

⁷ Lo! I went far away, and fled; and I dwelled in wilderness. (Lo! I would flee far away; and I would live in the wilderness.)

⁸ I abode him, that made me safe from the littleness, either dread, of spirit; and from tempest. (I would hasten, and make myself safe from the wind, and from the tempest.)

⁹ Lord, cast thou down, [and] part thou the tongues of them; for I saw wickedness and against-saying in the city.

¹⁰ By day and night wickedness shall (en)compass it on the walls thereof; and travail and unrightfulness be in the midst of them. (Day and night they surround the city, all along its walls; and trouble and unrighteousness be in its midst.)

¹¹ And usury and guile failed not; from the streets thereof. (And greed, and deceit, always be found in its streets.)

¹² For if mine enemy had cursed me; soothly I had suffered. And if he, that hated me, had spoken great things on me; in hap I had hid me from him. (For if my enemy had cursed me; truly I would have suffered it. And if he, who hated me, had spoken great things against me; I would have hid myself from him.)

¹³ But thou art a man of one will (with me); my leader, and my known. (But thou art a man of one mind with me; my leader, and my dear friend.)

¹⁴ Which tookest together sweet meats with me; we went with consent in(to) the house of God. (Who shared his good counsel with me; and we went together to the House of God.)

¹⁵ Death come on them; and go they down quick into hell (May death come upon them; and may they go down alive into Sheol, or the land of the dead). For waywardnesses be in the dwelling places of them; (and) in the midst of them.

¹⁶ But I cried to thee, Lord; and the Lord saved me. (But I shall cry to thee, Lord; and the Lord will save me.)

¹⁷ In the eventide, and [the] morrowtide, and in midday (and at midday), I shall tell, and show (him); and he shall hear my voice.

¹⁸ He shall again-buy my soul in peace from them, that nigh to me; for among many they were with me. (And he shall deliver my soul unto peace again, from those who come against me; for there were many against me.)

¹⁹ God shall hear; and he that is before the worlds shall make them low. For changing is not to them, and they dreaded not God; (God shall hear; and he who was before the worlds, shall humble them. For changing is not to them, and they do not fear God;)

²⁰ he holdeth forth his hand in yielding. They defouled his testament, (indeed, they put forth their hands, against those who be at peace with them. They have broken their promise, or their covenant,)

²¹ the cheers thereof were parted from ire; and his heart nighed. The words thereof were softer than oil; and they be darts. (their words were smoother than butter; but battle was in their hearts. Their words were softer than oil; but they were as sharp as darts.)

²² Cast thy care, or thought, [(or) busyness,] on the Lord, and he shall fully nourish thee; and he shall not give [into] without end fluttering to a just man. (Cast thy burdens upon the Lord, and he shall nourish and protect thee; yea, he shall not allow the righteous to be moved, or shaken.)

²³ But thou, God, shalt lead them forth; into the pit of death. Men-quellers and beguilers shall not have half their days; but, Lord, I shall hope in thee. (But murderers and deceivers shall not have half their days; for thou, God, shalt lead them forth, into the pit of death. But, O Lord, I shall put my trust in thee.)

138 [The psalm of David.] Lord, I shall acknowledge to thee in all mine heart; for thou heardest the words of my mouth. My God, I shall sing to thee in the sight of angels; (The song of David. Lord, I shall praise thee with all my heart. My God, I shall sing praises to thee before the angels, or before the gods.)

² I shall worship to(ward) thine holy temple, and I shall acknowledge to thy name. On thy mercy and thy truth; for thou hast magnified thine holy name above all thing. (I shall worship towards thy holy Temple, and I shall praise thy name; because of thy love, and thy faithfulness; for thou hast magnified thy holy name above all things.)

³ In whatever day I shall inwardly call thee, hear thou me; thou shalt multiply virtue in my soul. (On whatever day I called to thee, thou answeredest me; and thou hast multiplied the strength in my soul/and thou hast made me strong.)

⁴ Lord, all the kings of earth acknowledge to thee; for they heard all the words of thy mouth. (Lord, all the kings of the earth shall praise thee; for they have heard all the words of thy mouth.)

⁵ And sing they in the ways of the Lord (And they shall sing of the ways of the Lord); for the glory of the Lord is great.

⁶ For the Lord is high, and beholdeth meek things; and knoweth afar high things. (For though the Lord is high above, he looketh upon the meek/he careth for the humble; and he knoweth the proud from afar.)

⁷ If I shall go in the midst of tribulation, thou shalt quicken me; and thou stretchedest forth thine hand on the ire of mine enemies, and thy right hand made me safe. (Yea, though I go in the midst of trouble, or of tribulation, thou keepest me safe/thou keepest me alive; and thou stretchest forth thy hand against the rage of my enemies, and thy right hand savest me.)

⁸ The Lord shall yield for me, Lord, thy mercy is [into] without end; despise thou not the works of thine hands. (The Lord shall bring to pass his promises to me. O Lord, thy love is forever; so complete thy work.)

139 To victory, the psalm of David. Lord, thou hast proved me, and hast known me; (To victory, the song of David. Lord, thou hast assayed, or tested, me, and thou knowest me;)

² thou hast known my sitting, and my rising again. Thou hast understood my thoughts from [a]far; (thou hast known my sitting down, and my rising up. Thou hast understood my thoughts from afar;)

³ thou hast inquired (of) my path and my cord. And thou hast before-seen all my ways; (thou hast examined my path, and my resting places. And thou hast foreseen all my ways.)

⁴ for no word is in my tongue. Lo! Lord, thou hast known all things, (Yea, there is no word on my tongue, lo! Lord; but that thou not knowest it first.)

⁵ the new things and eld; thou hast formed me, and hast set thine hand on me. (Thou art behind me, and before me; and thou hast set thy hand upon me.)

⁶ Thy knowing is made wonderful of me; it is comforted, and I shall not be able to it. (Thy abundant knowledge is so wonderful to me; yea, it is so very great, and I shall never be able to comprehend it all.)

⁷ Whither shall I go from thy spirit; and whither shall I flee from thy face? (Where shall I go from thy spirit; and where shall I flee from thy presence?)

⁸ If I shall ascend into heaven, thou art there; if I shall go down into hell, thou art present. (If I shall go up into heaven, thou art there; if I shall go down into Sheol, or into the land of the dead, thou art there also.)

⁹ If I shall take my feathers full early; and shall dwell in the last parts of the sea. (If I shall take flight early in the morning; or if I shall live on the farthest edge, or the coast, of the sea.)

¹⁰ And soothly thither thine hand shall lead me forth; and thy right hand shall hold me. (Even there thy hand shall lead me forth; and thy right hand shall keep me safe.)

¹¹ And I said, In hap darknesses shall defoul me; and the night is my lightening in my delights. (And I said, Perhaps the darkness shall cover me; or the light all around me shall become my night.)

¹² For why darknesses shall not be made dark from thee, and the night shall be lightened as the day; as the darknesses thereof, so and the light thereof. (But the darkness shall not be dark for thee, and the night shall be like the daylight; yea, to you, the darkness is no different than the light.)

¹³ For thou haddest in possession my reins; thou tookest me up from the womb of my mother. (For thou haddest my reins in thy possession/For thou formedest my inner parts; yea, thou madest me in my mother’s womb.)

¹⁴ I shall acknowledge to thee, for thou art magnified dreadfully; thy works be wonderful, and my soul shall know (that) full much. (I shall praise thee, for thou art greatly to be feared/for thou hath filled me with awe; thy works be wonderful, and I truly know that.)

¹⁵ My bone, which thou madest in private, is not hid from thee; and my substance (formed) in the lower parts of earth. (My bones, which thou madest in secret, be not a mystery to thee; yea, when my substance was formed in the lower parts of the earth.)

¹⁶ Thine eyes saw mine unperfect thing, and all men shall be written in thy book; days shall be formed, and no man is in those. (Thine eyes saw my imperfect substance, and all was written in thy Book; but when those days were formed, no man was there.)

¹⁷ Forsooth, God, thy friends be made honourable full much to me; the princehood of them is comforted full much. (But, God, how deep be thy thoughts to me; and how many of them there be!)

¹⁸ I shall number them, and they shall be multiplied above the gravel; I rose up, and yet I am with thee. (If I tried to count them all up, their number would be more than all the grains of sand. And then I awake; and still I am with thee.)

¹⁹ For thou, God, shalt slay sinners; ye men-quellers, bow away from me. (O God, I wish that thou wouldest kill the sinners; ye murderers, go far away from me!)

²⁰ For they say in thought; Take they their cities in vanity. (For out loud they say against thee, We shall take thy name in vain.)

²¹ Lord, whether I hated not them that hated thee; and I failed, that is, mourned greatly, on (those who be) thine enemies? (Lord, how I hate those who hate thee; and I am greatly grieved by those who be thy enemies!)

²² By perfect hatred I hated them; they were made enemies to me. (Yea, with perfect hatred I hate them; they be made my enemies too.)

²³ God, prove thou me, and know thou mine heart; ask thou me, and know thou my paths. (God, assay, or test, thou me, and know thou my heart; ask thou me, and know thou my thoughts.)

35 He that keepeth the word of God, multiplieth prayer. Wholeful sacrifice is to take heed to (or of) the commandments, and to depart from all wickedness. And to offer the pleasing of sacrifice for unrightfulnesses, and beseeching for sins, is to go away from unrightfulness. [Who keepeth the word, multiplieth orison. Wholesome sacrifice is to take heed to the commandments, and to go away from all wickedness. And to sacrifice pleasing of sacrifice upon unrightwisenesses, and lowly praying for sins, to go away from unrightwiseness.]

² He that offereth purest flour of wheat, shall yield grace, that is, shall give a pleasant (or a pleasing) service to God; and he that doeth mercy, offereth a sacrifice. [He shall yield grace, that offereth tried flour; and he that doeth mercy, offereth sacrifice.]

³ It is well pleasant to the Lord, to go away from wickedness; and prayer is to go away from unrightfulness. [Well-pleasing thing (it) is to the Lord, to go away from wickedness; and lowly praying, to go away from unrightwiseness.]

⁴ Thou shalt not appear void (or empty) before the sight of God;

⁵ for why all these things be done for the behests, (or for the commands, or the commandments) of God.

⁶ The offering of a just man maketh fat the altar, and is (the) odour of sweetness in the sight of the Highest. [The offering of the rightwise fatteth the altar; and the smell of sweetness is in the sight of the Highest.]

⁷ The sacrifice of a just man is acceptable, and the Lord shall not forget the mind (or the memory) of him. [The sacrifice of the rightwise is accepted, and the mind of him the Lord shall not forget.]

⁸ With good will yield thou glory to God, and make thou not less the first fruits of thine hands.

⁹ In each gift make glad thy cheer, and in full out joying hallow thy tithes. [In all gifts glad make thy cheer, and in full out joying hallow thy dimes.]

¹⁰ Give thou to the Highest after his gift [or Give to the Highest after the free gift of him], that is, after the quantity of thy goods, which thou hast of (or from) God; and with good eye make thou the findings of thine hands, that is, with rightful intent, ordain thy good works, to the praising of God and not of man.

¹¹ For why the Lord is a yielder, and he shall yield sevenfold so much to thee. [For yielding is the Lord, and seven times as much he shall yield to thee.]

¹² Do not thou offer shrewd (or depraved) gifts; for he shall not receive those. And do not thou behold an unjust sacrifice; for the Lord is judge, and glory, or taking, (or favouring) of person(s) is not at him. [Do thou not offer shrewd gifts; forsooth he shall not take them. And do thou not behold the unrightwise sacrifice; for the Lord is doomsman, and there is not with him glory of person(s).]

¹³ The Lord shall not take a person against a poor man (The Lord will not favour someone over a poor person); and he shall hear the prayer of him that is hurt.

¹⁴ He shall not despise the prayers of a fatherless child, neither a widow, if she sheddeth out (the) speech of wailing. [He shall not despise the prayers of the fatherless child, nor the widow, if she poured out the speech of wailing.]

¹⁵ Whether the tears of a widow go not down to the cheek, and the crying of her on him that leadeth forth those tears? For why those ascend from the cheek unto heaven, and the Lord hearing shall not delight in those [or in them].

¹⁶ He that worshippeth God in delighting, shall be received; and his prayer shall nigh (or shall approach) unto the clouds.

¹⁷ The prayer of him that meeketh himself shall pierce (the) clouds, and till it nigheth (or approacheth), he shall not be comforted, and he shall not go away, till the Highest behold (him). And the Lord shall not be far [or long away], but he shall judge just [or rightwise] men, and shall make doom;

¹¹ And I saw another beast ascending up from the earth, and it had two horns, like the lamb; and it spake as the dragon [and he spake as the dragon],

¹² and [it] did all the power of the former beast, in his sight. And it made the earth, and men dwelling in it, to worship the first beast, whose wound of death was cured [healed].

¹³ And it did great signs, that also it made fire to come down from heaven to the earth, in the sight of all men.

¹⁴ And it deceiveth men, that dwell in the earth, for signs which be given to it [And deceiveth men dwelling in earth, for signs which be given to him] to do in the sight of the beast; saying to men that dwell in earth, that they make an image of the beast, that hath the wound of [a] sword, and lived.

¹⁵ And it was given to him, that he should give [a] spirit to the image of the beast, and that the image of the beast speak. And he shall make, that whoever honour not the image of the beast [that whoever shall not honour the image of the beast], be slain.

¹⁶ And he shall make all, small and great, rich and poor, free men and bondmen, to have a character, either mark, in their right hand, either in their foreheads [or in their foreheads];

¹⁷ that no man may buy, either sell, but they have the character, either the name of the beast, either the number of his name. [that no man may buy, or sell, no but he that hath the character, or his name, or the number of his name.]

¹⁸ Here is wisdom; he that hath understanding, acount the number of the beast; for it is the number of man, and his number is six hundred sixty and six.

³² Do not ye, little flock, dread, for it pleased to your Father to give you a kingdom.

³³ Sell ye those things that ye have in possession [Sell ye those things that ye wield], and give ye alms. And make to you satchels that wax not old, treasure that faileth not in heavens, whither a thief approacheth not [whither a thief nigheth not], neither moth destroyeth.

³⁴ For where is thy treasure, there thine heart shall be. [Forsooth where thy treasure is, there also thine heart shall be.]

³⁵ Be your loins girded above, and lanterns burning in your hands;

³⁶ and be ye like to men that abide their lord [and ye like to men abiding their lord], when he shall turn again from the weddings, that when he shall come, and knock, at once [anon] they open to him.

³⁷ Blessed be those servants, that when the lord shall come [whom when the lord shall come], he shall find waking. Truly I say to you, that he shall gird himself, and make them sit to meat [and make them sit at the meat], and he shall go, and serve them.

³⁸ And if he [shall] come in the second waking, and if he come in the third waking, and find so, those servants be blessed.

³⁹ And know ye this thing, for if an husbandman knew, in what hour the thief would come, soothly he should wake, and not suffer his house to be mined [and suffer not his house to be mined].

⁴⁰ And be ye ready, for in what hour ye guess not, man's Son shall come.

⁴¹ And Peter said to him, Lord, sayest thou this parable to us, or to all?

⁴² And the Lord said, Who, guessest thou, is a true dispenser, and prudent [Who, guessest thou, is a faithful dispenser, and prudent], whom the lord hath ordained on [upon] his household, to give them in time a measure of wheat?

⁴³ Blessed is that servant, that the lord when he cometh, shall find so doing. [Blessed is that servant, whom when the lord shall come, he shall find so doing.]

⁴⁴ Verily I say to you, that on [upon] all things that he wieldeth, he shall ordain him.

⁴⁵ That if that servant say in his heart, My lord tarrieth to come; and begin to smite children, and handmaidens, and eat, and drink, and be full-filled over measure [and be filled over measure],

⁴⁶ the lord of that servant shall come, in the day that he hopeth not, and in the hour that he knoweth not, and shall part him (in pieces), and [shall] put his part with unfaithful men.

⁴⁷ But that servant that knew the will of his lord, and made not him(self) ready, and did not after his will, shall be beaten with many beatings.

⁴⁸ But he that knew not, and did worthy things of strokes, shall be beaten with few. For to each man to whom much is given, much shall be asked of him; and they shall ask more of him, to whom they betook much.