Book of Common Prayer
101 The psalm of David. Lord, I shall sing to thee; mercy and doom. I shall sing, (The song of David. Lord, I shall sing of love and justice/I shall sing of mercy and judgement. I shall sing unto thee,)
2 and I shall understand in a way without wem; when thou shalt come to me. I went perfectly in the innocence of mine heart; in the middle of mine house. (and I shall go on the way without blemish, or without fault; but when shalt thou come to me? I shall go about with purity in the midst of my house; yea, in the innocence of my heart.)
3 I setted not forth before mine eyes an unjust thing; I hated them that made trespassings. (I shall not set any impure thing before my eyes; I hate those who trespass, but I know, that that shall not cleave to me.)
4 A shrewd heart cleaved not to me; I knew not a wicked man bowing away from me. (I shall turn away from anyone with a depraved heart; and I shall not have any dealings with the wicked.)
5 I pursued him that backbited privily his neighbour. With the proud eye and an heart unable to be filled; I ate not with this. (I shall silence anyone who privately, or secretly, backbiteth his neighbour. And I shall not eat with anyone who hath a proud eye, and a heart unable to be filled, or ever satisfied.)
6 Mine eyes were to the faithful men of earth, that they sit with me; he that went in a way without wem, ministered to me. (But I look favourably upon those who be faithful, or loyal, and they shall sit with me; and he who goeth on the way without blemish, or without fault, shall serve me/shall be my servant.)
7 He that doeth pride, shall not dwell in the middle of mine house; he that speaketh wicked things, served not in the sight of mine eyes. (He who hath pride, shall not live in the midst of my house; he who speaketh wicked things, shall not serve me/shall not be my servant.)
8 In the morrowtide I killed all the sinners of earth; that I should lose from the city of the Lord all men working wickedness. (In the morning/Morning after morning, I shall kill all the sinners of the land; yea, I shall destroy all who do wickedness in the city of the Lord.)
109 To victory, the psalm of David. God, hold thou not still my praising; (To victory, the song of David. God of my praises, be thou not silent;)
2 for the mouth of the sinner, and the mouth of the guileful man, is opened on me. They spake against me with a guileful tongue, (for the mouth of the sinner, and the mouth of the deceitful, were opened against me. Yea, they spoke against me with their lying tongues,)
3 and they (en)compassed me with words of hatred; and fought against me without cause. (and they surrounded me with hateful words; and fought against me for no reason.)
4 For that thing that they should love me (for), they backbited me; but I prayed (for them).
5 And they setted against me evils for goods (And they paid me back evil for good); and hatred for my love.
6 Ordain thou a sinner on him; and the devil stand on his right half. (Ordain thou a sinner over my enemy; and let the devil stand at his right hand.)
7 When he is deemed, go he out condemned; and his prayer be made into sin. (When he is judged, let him go out condemned; and let his prayer be made into sin.)
8 His days be made few; and another take his bishopric. (Let his days be made few; and another take his office.)
9 (Let) His sons be made fatherless; and his wife a widow.
10 His sons trembling be borne over, and beg; and be they cast out of their habitations. (Let his sons and daughters be made vagrants, and go begging; yea, let them be thrown out of their dwelling places.)
11 An usurer seek all his chattel; and aliens ravish his travails. (Let an usurer take away all his chattel, or his substance; and let foreigners, or strangers, take all that he hath worked for.)
12 None helper be to him; neither any be that have mercy on his motherless children. (Let there be no one to help him; nor let anyone have mercy on his motherless children.)
13 His sons be made into perishing (Let all his sons and daughters die); (and) the name of him be done away in one generation.
14 The wickedness of his fathers come again into mind in the sight of the Lord; and the sin of his mother be not done away. (Let the wickedness of his forefathers be remembered by the Lord; and let his mother’s sin be not done away, or wiped out.)
15 Be they made ever[more] against the Lord; and the mind of them perish from earth. (Let their sins be before the Lord forevermore; but let the remembrance of these people perish from all the earth.)
16 For that thing that he thought not to do mercy, and he pursued a poor man and a beggar; and to slay a man compunct in heart. (Because he never thought to show mercy, or love, but he persecuted the poor and the needy; and he even killed the broken-hearted.)
17 And he loved cursing, and it shall come to him; and he would not blessing, and it shall be made far from him. (And because he loved to curse others, now let it come to him; and because he delighted not to give anyone a blessing, now let it be made far from him.)
18 And he clothed cursing as a cloth, and it entered as water into his inner things; and as oil in his bones. (He clothed himself in cursing, like with a cloak, and it entered into his inner things, like water; yea, like oil into his bones.)
19 Be it made to him as a cloth, with which he is covered; and as a girdle, with which he is ever[more] girded. (Let it be made to him like a cloak, with which he is covered; yea, like a girdle, with which he is girded forevermore.)
20 This is the work of them that backbite me with the Lord; and that speak evils against my life. (Let this be the reward of those who backbite me with the Lord; yea, those who speak evil against me.)
21 And thou, Lord God, do with me for thy name; for thy mercy is sweet. Deliver thou me, (But thou, Lord God, do with me for the sake of thy name; for thy love is good. Save thou me,)
22 for I am needy and poor (for I am poor and needy); and mine heart is troubled within me.
23 I am taken away as a shadow, when it boweth away; and I am shaken away as locusts. (I fade away like a shadow in the evening; and I am shaken off like a bug.)
24 My knees be made feeble with fasting; and my flesh was changed for oil. (My knees be made weak with fasting; and my flesh wasteth away for lack of oil.)
25 And I am made (a) shame to them; they saw me, and moved their heads (they saw me, and shook their heads).
26 My Lord God, help thou me; make thou me safe by thy mercy. (My Lord God, help thou me; save thou me in thy mercy/save thou me because of thy love.)
27 And they shall know, that this is thine hand; and (that) thou, Lord, hast done it.
28 And they shall curse, and thou shalt bless, they that rise against me, be shamed; but thy servant shall be glad. (And they shall curse, but thou shalt bless, so let those who rise against me, be put to shame; but thy servant shall be glad.)
29 They that backbite me, be clothed with shame; and be they covered with their shame, as with a double cloth. (Let those who backbite me, be clothed with shame; yea, let them be covered with their shame, like with a cloak.)
30 I shall acknowledge to the Lord greatly with my mouth; and I shall praise him in the middle of many men. (With my mouth I shall greatly thank the Lord; yea, I shall praise him in the midst of many people.)
121 [Ain]. I did doom and rightwiseness; betake thou not me to them that falsely challenge me. (I did what is just and right; so do not thou deliver me up to those who will oppress me.)
122 Take up thy servant into goodness; they that be proud challenge not me. (Yea, protect thy servant; let not those who be proud oppress me.)
123 Mine eyes failed into thine health; and into the speech of thy rightfulness. (My eyes fail looking for thy salvation, or for thy deliverance; and for the word of thy righteousness.)
124 Do thou with thy servant after thy mercy; and teach thou me thy justifyings. (Do thou with thy servant according to thy love; and teach thou me thy statutes.)
125 I am thy servant; give thou understanding to me, that I know thy witnessings (so that I can know thy teachings).
126 Lord, it is time to do; they have destroyed thy law. (Lord, it is time to act; for they have destroyed thy Law.)
127 Therefore I loved thy commandments; more than gold and topaz. (Truly I love thy commandments; yea, more than gold and topaz.)
128 Therefore I was (ad)dressed to all thy behests; I hated all wicked way. (And so I am directed, or guided, by all thy precepts; and I hate all wicked ways.)
129 [Pe]. Lord, thy witnessings be wonderful; therefore my soul sought those. (Lord, thy teachings be wonderful; and so my soul gladly keepeth them/and so I gladly obey them.)
130 Declaring of thy words lighteneth; and it giveth understanding to meek men. (The declaring, or the exposition, of thy words bringeth light, or enlightenment; and it giveth understanding even to the simple, or the untaught.)
131 I opened my mouth, and drew the spirit (and drew my breath, yea, I panted); for I desired thy commandments.
132 Behold thou on me, and have mercy on me; by the doom of them that love thy name. (Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me; as thou hast decreed thou shalt do, for those who love thy name.)
133 (Ad)dress thou my goings by thy speech; that all unrightfulness have not lordship on me. (Direct thou my ways according to thy word; and do not let any unrighteousness have lordship, or rule, over me.)
134 Again-buy thou me from the false challenges of men; that I keep thy behests. (Save thou me from those who would oppress me; so that I can obey thy precepts.)
135 Lighten thy face on thy servant; and teach thou me thy justifyings. (Let thy face shine upon thy servant; and teach thou me thy statutes.)
136 Mine eyes led forth the outgoings of waters; for they kept not thy law. (My eyes stream with tears; because of those who do not obey thy Law.)
137 [Tzaddi]. Lord, thou art just; and thy doom is rightful. (Lord, thou art just; and thy judgements, or thy decrees, be righteous.)
138 Thou hast commanded rightfulness, thy witnessings; and thy truth greatly to be kept. (The teachings that thou hast commanded be right, and true; and greatly to be obeyed.)
139 My fervent love made me to be melted, either languished; for mine enemies forgat thy words. (My fervent love for thee made me feel greatly distressed; because my enemies did not obey thy words.)
140 Thy speech is set afire; and thy servant loved it. (Thy word is tried by fire; and thy servant loveth it.)
141 I am young, and despised; I forgat not thy justifyings. (I am young and despised; but I do not forget thy precepts.)
142 Lord, thy rightfulness is rightfulness [into] without end; and thy law is truth. (Lord, thy righteousness is righteousness forever; and thy Law is true forever/and thy Law is the truth forever.)
143 Tribulation and anguish have found me; thy behests is my thinking. (Though trouble and anguish have found me; thy commandments still be my delight.)
144 Thy witnessings is equity [into] without end (Thy teachings be just forever); give thou understanding to me, and I shall live.
15 Behold thou from heaven, and see from thine holy dwelling place, and from the seat of thy glory. Where is thy fervent love, and thy strength, the multitude of thine entrails, and of thy merciful doings? They withheld themselves on me (Why hast thou withheld thyself from us?).
16 Forsooth thou art our father, and Abraham knew not us, and Israel knew not us. Thou, Lord, art our father, and our again-buyer; thy name is from the world. (For thou art our father, though Abraham knew us not, and Israel, or Jacob, knew us not. Thou, Lord, art our father, and our Redeemer; thy name is from forever.)
17 Lord, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways? thou hast made hard our heart, that we dreaded not thee? be thou converted, for thy servants, the lineages of thine heritage. (Lord, why hast thou let us go astray from thy ways? hast thou hardened our hearts, so that we do not fear thee?/so that we do not have reverence for thee? return thou for the sake of thy servants, the tribes of thy inheritance.)
18 They had as nought thine holy people in possession, and our enemies defouled thine hallowing. (For a little while they had thy holy people in possession, and our enemies defiled thy sanctuary.)
19 We be made as in the beginning, when thou were not Lord of us, neither thy name was called to help on us. (And we were made like in the beginning, when thou were not Lord of us, and we did not call on thy name for help/and we were not called by thy name.)
64 I would that thou brakest heavens, and camest down, that hills floated away from thy face, (O that thou wouldest break open the heavens, and come down, and that the hills would flow down before thee,)
2 and failed, [(or) vanish(ed) away,] as the burning of fire, and (as) [waters] burnt in (the) fire; that thy name were made known to thine enemies, and folks were troubled of thy face. (and tremble, and perish, like something burned in the fire, or like water boiled by the fire; so that thy name was made known to thy enemies, and the nations were troubled before thee.)
3 When thou shalt do marvels, we shall not abide. Thou camest down, and hills floated away from thy face. (There was a time when thou camest down, and did terrible things, which we did not expect; and the hills flowed down before thee.)
4 From the world they heard not, neither perceived with ears; God, none eye saw, without thee, what things thou hast made ready to them that abide thee. (From the beginning of the world, none have heard of, nor have perceived with their ears; and not one eye hath seen anyone besides thee, O God, who hath made such things as thou hast, for those who wait for thee.)
5 Thou mettest him that is glad, and doeth rightfulness; in thy ways they shall bethink on thee. Lo! thou art wroth, and we sinned; in those sins we were ever, and we shall be saved. (Thou meetest him who is happy to do what is right; yea, all those who remember thee in thy ways. But lo! thou wast angry, for we sinned; and we were ever in those sins.)
6 And all we be made as an unclean man; all our rightfulnesses be as the cloth of a woman in menstruation, or unclean blood; and all we fell down as a leaf, and our wickednesses, as (the) wind, have taken away us. (And we all be made like an unclean man; all our righteousnesses be like the cloth of a woman in menstruation, or in unclean blood; and we all fell down like a leaf, and our wickednesses have taken us away, like the wind.)
7 None is, that calleth thy name to help, that riseth, and holdeth thee; thou hast hid thy face from us, and thou hast hurtled down us in(to) the hand of our wickedness. (There is no one who calleth on thy name for help, or who riseth up, and taketh hold of thee; and so thou hast hid thy face from us, and thou hast hurtled us down into the hand, or the power, of our own wickedness.)
8 And now, Lord, thou art our father; forsooth we be clay, and thou art our maker, and all we be the works of thine hands. (But now, Lord, thou art our father; and we be but clay, and thou art our Maker, and we all be the works of thy hands.)
9 Lord, be thou not wroth (any more than) enough, and have thou no more mind on our wickedness. Lo! Lord, behold thou, all we be thy people. (Lord, be thou not angry any more than enough, and no more remember thou our wickedness. Lo! Lord, behold thou, we all be thy people.)
3 A faithful word [I shall say]. If any man desireth a bishopric [If any man desire a bishopric], he desireth a good work.
2 Therefore it behooveth a bishop to be without reproof [Therefore it behooveth a bishop to be irreprehensible, or without reproof], the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, chaste, virtuous, holding hospitality, a teacher;
3 not given much to wine, not a smiter, but temperate, not full of chiding, not covetous, [not given much to wine, not smiter, but temperate, or patient, not litigious, or full of strife, or chiding, not covetous,]
4 well-ruling his house, and have sons subject with all chastity [having sons subject with all chastity];
5 for if any man know not how to govern his house, how shall he have diligence of the church of God [how shall he have diligence, or keeping, of the church of God]?
6 not new converted to the faith, lest he be borne up into pride, and fall into [the] doom of the devil.
7 For it behooveth him to have also good witnessing of them that be withoutforth, that he fall not into reproof, and into the snare of the devil.
8 Also it behooveth deacons to be chaste, not double-tongued, not given much to wine [not given to much wine], not following foul winning;
9 that have the mystery of faith in clean conscience. [having the mystery of faith in clean conscience.]
10 But be they proved first, and minister they so, having no crime. [And forsooth be they proved first, that they minister so, having no crime, or great sin.]
11 Also it behooveth women to be chaste, not backbiting, sober, faithful in all things.
12 Deacons be [they] husbands of one wife; which govern well their sons and their houses.
13 For they that [shall] minister well, shall get a good degree to themselves, and much trust in the faith, that is in Christ Jesus.
14 Son Timothy, I write to thee these things, hoping that I shall come soon to thee [hoping me to come soon to thee];
15 but if I tarry, that thou knowest, how it behooveth thee to live in the house of God, that is the church of living God, a pillar and firmness of truth.
16 And openly it is a great sacrament of piety, that thing that was showed in flesh, it is justified in Spirit [And openly it is a great sacrament of piety, that that is showed in flesh, is justified in Spirit], it appeared to angels, it is preached to heathen men, it is believed in the world, it is taken up into glory.
27 And again they came to Jerusalem. And when he walked in the temple, the highest priests, and scribes, and the elder men came to him. [And again they come to Jerusalem. And when he walked into the temple, the highest priests, and scribes, and elder men come nigh to him,]
28 and said to him [and say to him], In what power doest thou these things? or who gave to thee this power, that thou do these things [or who gave to thee this power, that to do these things]?
29 Jesus answered and said to them, And I shall ask [of] you one word, and answer ye to me, and I shall say to you in what power I do these things.
30 Whether was the baptism of John of heaven, or of men? answer ye to me.
31 And they thought within themselves, saying, If we [shall] say of heaven, he shall say to us, Why then believe ye not to him [Why therefore believed ye not to him];
32 if we [shall] say of men, we dread the people; for all men had John, that he was verily a prophet.
33 And they answered, and said to Jesus, We know not. And Jesus answered, and said to them [And Jesus answering saith to them], Neither I say to you, in what power I do these things.
12 And Jesus began to speak to them in parables. A man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and delved a lake, and builded a tower [and built a tower], and hired it to earth-tillers, and went forth in pilgrimage.
2 And he sent to the earth-tillers in time a servant, to receive of the earth-tillers of the fruit of the vineyard.[a]
3 And they took him, and beat him, and let him go void [and left him void].
4 And again he sent to them another servant, and they wounded him in the head, and tormented him [and punished him with chidings, or reprovings].
5 And again he sent another, and they slew him, and others more, beating some, and slaying others. [And again he sent another, and they killed him, and others more, and they beat some, soothly they killed others.]
6 But yet he had a most dear-worthy son, and he sent him last to them, and said [Therefore yet he having one son most dear-worthy, and to them he sent him the last, saying], Peradventure they shall dread [with reverence] my son.
7 But the earth-tillers said together [said to themselves], This is the heir; come ye, slay we him, and the heritage shall be ours.
8 And they took him, and killed him, and casted [cast] him out without the vineyard.
9 Then what shall the lord of the vineyard do [What therefore shall the lord of the vinery do]? He shall come, and destroy [and lose] the earth-tillers, and give the vineyard to others.
10 Whether ye have not read this scripture, The stone which the builders have despised, this is made into the head of the corner?
11 This thing is done of the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes.
12 And they sought to hold him, and they dreaded the people; for they knew that to them he said this parable; and they left him, and they went away.
2001 by Terence P. Noble