Book of Common Prayer

137 On the floods of Babylon, there we sat, and wept; while we bethought on Zion. (By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, and wept; when we thought about Zion.)

² In sallows in the midst thereof; we hanged up our organs. (On the willows nearby; we hung up our harps.)

³ For they that led us prisoners; asked us there the words of songs. And they that led away us said; Sing ye to us an hymn of the songs of Zion. (For they who led us away as prisoners; told us to sing there. Yea, they who led us away said, Sing ye for us a hymn of the songs of Zion.)

⁴ How shall we sing a song of the Lord; in an alien land? (But how can we sing a song to the Lord, in a foreign, or a strange, land?)

⁵ If I forget thee, Jerusalem; my right hand be given to forgetting. (Yea, if I forget thee, Jerusalem; may my right hand forget how to play my harp/may my right hand wither away.)

⁶ My tongue cleave to my cheeks; if I bethink not on thee. If I purposed not of thee, Jerusalem; in the beginning of my gladness. (And may my tongue cleave to my cheeks; if I do not remember thee, Jerusalem. Yea, if I do not think of thee, as my greatest joy.)

⁷ Lord, have thou mind on the sons of Edom; for the day of Jerusalem. Which say, Extinguish ye, extinguish ye; till to the foundament therein. (Lord, remember what the Edomites did; on that day that Jerusalem fell. They said, Destroy ye it! destroy ye it! unto its foundations!)

⁸ Thou wretched daughter of Babylon; he is blessed, that yieldeth to thee thy yielding, which thou yieldest to us. (O wretched daughter of Babylon; happy is he, who doeth to thee, what thou hast done to us/happy be those, who repay thee, for all that thou hast done to us.)

⁹ He is blessed, that shall hold; and hurtle down his little children at the stone. (Happy is he/Happy be they, who shall take hold of thy little children; and hurtle them against a stone.)

144 A psalm of David. Blessed be my Lord God, that teacheth mine hands to war; and my fingers to battle. (A song of David. Blessed be the Lord my God, who traineth my hands for war; and my fingers for battle.)

² My mercy, and my refuge; my taker up, and my deliverer. My defender, and I hoped in him; and thou makest subject my people under me. (My mercy, and my refuge; my defender, and my deliverer. Yea, my defender, and in whom I trust; and thou makest the peoples to be subject under me.)

³ Lord, what is a man, for thou hast made (thyself) known to him; either the son of man, for thou areckonest him of some value? (Lord, what is man, that thou hast taken notice of him?/that thou carest for him? or the son of a man, that thou reckonest, or esteemest, him of some value?)

⁴ A man is made like vanity; his days pass as shadow. (A person is but like vanity, yea, but a puff of air; his days pass like a shadow.)

⁵ Lord, bow down thine heavens, and come thou down; touch thou [the] hills, and they shall make smoke.

⁶ Light thou shining, and thou shalt scatter them (Send thou forth thy lightning, and thou shalt scatter thy enemies); send thou out thine arrows, and thou shalt trouble them.

⁷ Send out thine hand from on high, ravish me out, and deliver thou me from many waters; and from the hand of alien sons. (Send out thy hand from on high, and take me out of here, that is, rescue me; save thou me from the deep waters, and from the power of foreigners, or of strangers.)

⁸ The mouth of whom spake vanity (Their mouths spoke lies); and the right hand of them is the right hand of wickedness.

⁹ God, I shall sing to thee a new song; I shall say psalm to thee in psaltery of ten strings (yea, I shall sing a song to thee to the strains of a ten-stringed lute).

¹⁰ Which givest health to kings, which again-boughtest David, thy servant; from the wicked sword ravish thou out me. (Who givest salvation, or deliverance, to kings, and redeemest thy servant David; rescue thou me from the wicked sword.)

¹¹ And deliver thou me from the hand of alien sons; the mouth of which spake vanity, and the right hand of them is the right hand of wickedness. (And save thou me from the power of foreigners, or of strangers; whose mouths spoke lies, and whose right hands be the right hands of wickedness, that is, they always break their oaths, or their pledges.)

¹² Whose sons be as new plantings in their youth. The daughters of them be arrayed; adorned about as the likeness of a temple. (May our sons be like plants fully grown in their youth; may our daughters be arrayed, or adorned, like a palace.)

¹³ The cellars of them be full; bringing out from this vessel into that/from one vessel into another. The sheep of them be with lambs, plenteous in their goings out; (May our cellars be full; and we be able to bring forth from this vessel into that one/and we be able to bring forth from one vessel into another. May our sheep be with lambs; yea, plentiful and innumerable.)

¹⁴ their kine be fat. There is no falling of their wall, neither passing over (of it); neither cry is in the streets of them. (May all our kine be fat; and be there no parting in the walls of their wombs, nor any passing over of them. And may there be no cries of distress in all our streets.)

¹⁵ They said, The people is blessed, that hath these things; blessed is the people, whose Lord is the God of it. (And so we say, Happy be the people, who have things like we do; happy be the people, whose God is the Lord.)

42 To victory, to the sons of Korah. As an hart desireth to the wells of waters; so thou, God, my soul desireth to thee. (To victory, for the sons of Korah, for their teaching. Like a hart desireth a well of water; so, O God, my soul desireth thee.)

² My soul thirsted to God, the quick well/(the) well of life (My soul thirsted for God, the living well/the well of life); when shall I come, and appear before the face of God?

³ My tears were loaves to me day and night; while it is said to me each day, Where is thy God? (My tears were my only food day and night; while my enemies said to me every day/over and over, Where is thy God?)

⁴ I bethought of these things, and I poured out in me my soul; for I shall pass into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, till to the house of God. In the voice of full out joying, and acknowledging; is the sound of the eater. (I remembered these things, as I poured out my soul; for I had gone with the people, yea, I had gone with them to the House of God. With words of rejoicing, and praising; yea, the sound of the people going in pilgrimage.)

⁵ My soul, why art thou sorry; and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall acknowledge to him; he is the health of my cheer, and my God. (My soul, why art thou feeling so sad? and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall praise him; he is my true help, and my God.)

⁶ My soul is troubled with(in) myself; therefore, God, I shall be mindful of thee from the land of Jordan, and from the little hill of Hermonites. (My soul is troubled within me; and so, O God, I shall remember thee from the land of the Jordan River, and from Mount Hermon, and Mount Mizar.)

⁷ Depth calleth depth; in the voice of thy windows. All thine high things, and thy waves; passed over me. (One depth calleth unto another depth; in the rush of thy channels. All thy billows, yea, all thy waves, passed over me.)

⁸ The Lord sent his mercy in the day; and his song in the night (The Lord sent forth his love in the day; and his song in the night). With me is the prayer to (the) God of my life;

⁹ I shall say to God, Thou art mine up-taker. Why forgettest thou me; and why go I sorrowful, while the enemy tormenteth me? (I shall say to God, Thou art my defender. So why hast thou forgotten me? and why must I go about in sorrow, while the enemy tormenteth me?)

¹⁰ While my bones be broken altogether; mine enemies, that trouble me, despised me. While they say to me, by all days; Where is thy God? (I feel as if my bones be altogether broken, or crushed; when my enemies, who trouble me, despise and scorn me. And they say to me, every day/over and over, Where is thy God?)

¹¹ My soul, why art thou sorry; and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall acknowledge to him; he is the health of my cheer, and my God. (My soul, why art thou feeling so sad? and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall praise him; he is my true help, and my God.)

43 God, deem thou me, and separate thou my cause from a folk not holy; deliver thou me from a wicked man, and guileful. (God, judge thou me, and plead my case before an unholy people; save thou me from the wicked, and the deceitful.)

² For thou art God, my strength; why hast thou put me aback, and why go I sorrowful (and why must I go about in sorrow), while the enemy tormenteth me?

³ Send out thy light, and thy truth; those led me forth, and brought me into thine holy hill, and into thy tabernacles. (Send out thy light, and thy truth; they shall lead me forth, and bring me to thy holy hill, and to thy Temple.)

⁴ And I shall enter to the altar of God; to God, that gladdeth my youth. God, my God, I shall acknowledge to thee in an harp; (And I shall go to the altar of God; to God, who made the time of my youth happy/to the God of my joy. God, my God, I shall praise thee on the harp.)

⁵ my soul, why art thou sorry, and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall acknowledge to him; that is the health of my cheer, and my God. (My soul, why art thou feeling so sad? and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet shall I praise him; he is my true help, and my God.)

²⁷ Lo! days come, saith the Lord, and I shall sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of men, and with the seed of work beasts.

²⁸ And as I waked on them, to draw up by the root, and to destroy, and to scatter, and to lose, and to torment; so I shall wake on them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord. (And as I kept watch over them, in order to draw them up by the root, and to destroy, and to scatter, and to lose, and to torment them, now I shall keep watch over them, in order to build, and to plant them, saith the Lord.)

²⁹ In those days they shall no more say, The fathers ate a sour grape, and the teeth of [the] sons were astonied;

³⁰ but each man shall die in his wickedness, each man that eateth a sour grape, his teeth shall be astonied. (but each person shall die for their own wickedness, each person who eateth a sour grape, his teeth shall be astonished, or shall be set on edge.)

³¹ Lo! days come, saith the Lord, and I shall smite a new bond of peace to the house of Israel, and to the house of Judah; (Lo! days shall come, saith the Lord, and I shall strike a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah;)

³² not by the covenant which I made with your fathers, in the day in which I took the hand of them, to lead them out of the land of Egypt, the covenant which they made void; and I was Lord of them, saith the Lord (though I was like a lord, or like a husband, to them, saith the Lord).

³³ But this shall be the covenant, which I shall smite with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I shall give my law in the entrails of them, and I shall write it in the heart of them, and I shall be into God to them, and they shall be into a people to me. (But this shall be the covenant, which I shall strike with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I shall put my Law in their bowels, or in their innards, and I shall write it upon their hearts, and I shall be their God, and they shall be my people.)

³⁴ And a man shall no more teach his neighbour, and a man his brother, and say, Know thou the Lord; for all shall know me, from the least of them unto the most, saith the Lord; for I shall be merciful to the wickednesses of them, and I shall no more be mindful on the sin of them (for I shall be merciful to them regarding their wickednesses, and I shall remember their sin no more).

²⁵ But, brethren, I will not that ye not know this mystery, that ye be not wise to yourselves; for blindness hath fallen a part in Israel, till that the plenty of heathen men entered, [Forsooth, brethren, I will not that ye unknow this mystery, that ye be not wise to yourselves; for blindness hath felled of part in Israel, till the plenty of heathen men entered,]

²⁶ and so all Israel should be made safe. As it is written, He shall come of Sion, that shall deliver, and turn away the wickedness of Jacob [and turn away the unpiety of Jacob].

²⁷ And this testament to them of me, when I shall do away their sins.

²⁸ After the gospel they be enemies for you, but they be most dear-worthy by the election [after the election] for the fathers.

²⁹ And the gifts and the calling of God be without repenting. [Soothly the gifts and calling of God be without repenting.]

³⁰ And as sometime also ye believed not to God, but now ye have gotten mercy for the unbelief of them;

³¹ so and these now believed not into your mercy [so and these now believed not to your mercy], that also they get mercy.

³² For God closed all things together in unbelief [Forsooth God closed together all things in unbelief], that he have mercy on all.

³³ O! the highness of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowing of God; how incomprehensible be his dooms, and his ways be unsearchable. [O! the depth of the riches of wisdom and knowing of God; how incomprehensible be his dooms, and his ways unsearchable.]

³⁴ For why who knew the wit of the Lord, or who was his counsellor?

³⁵ or who former gave to him, and it shall be requited [again] to him?

³⁶ For of him, and by him, and in him be all things. To him be glory into worlds [of worlds]. Amen.

²⁸ And when she had said this thing, she went, and called Mary, her sister, in silence, and said [she went, and called Mary, her sister, in silence, or stillness, saying], The master is come, and calleth thee.

²⁹ She, as she heard, arose at once [rose anon], and came to him.

³⁰ And Jesus came not yet into the castle, but he was yet in that place, where Martha had come to meet him.

³¹ Therefore the Jews that were with her in the house, and comforted her, when they saw Mary, that she rose swiftly, and went out, they followed her, and said [when they saw Mary, for soon she rose, and went out, followed her, saying], For she goeth to the grave, to weep there.

³² But when Mary was come where Jesus was, she seeing him felled down to his feet [seeing him fell down to this feet], and said to him, Lord, if thou haddest been here, my brother had not be dead.

³³ Therefore when Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews weeping that were with her, he made noise in spirit, and troubled himself,

³⁴ and said, Where have ye laid him? They said to him, Lord, come, and see.

³⁵ And Jesus wept.

³⁶ Therefore the Jews said, Lo! how he loved him.

³⁷ And some of them said, Whether this man that opened the eyes of the born-blind man [Whether this man that opened the eyes of the born-blind], might not make that this should not die?

³⁸ Therefore Jesus again making noise in himself, came to the grave. And there was a den, and a stone was laid thereon.

³⁹ And Jesus saith, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith to him, Lord, he stinketh now, for he hath lain four days.^[a]

⁴⁰ Jesus saith to her, Have I not said to thee, that if thou believest [for if thou shalt believe], thou shalt see the glory of God?

⁴¹ Therefore they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I do thankings to thee, for thou hast heard me;

⁴² and I knew, that thou evermore hearest me [forsooth, I knew, for thou ever hearest me], but for the people that standeth about, I said, that they believe, that thou hast sent me.

⁴³ When he had said these things, he cried with a great voice, Lazarus, come forth.

⁴⁴ And at once he that was dead, came out, bound the hands and feet with bonds, and his face bound with a sudarium. And Jesus saith to them, Unbind ye him, and suffer ye him to go forth. [And anon, he that was dead, came forth, bound the hands and feet with bonds, and his face was bound with a sudarium, or sweating cloth. Jesus saith to them, Unbind ye him, and suffer ye him for to go away.]

³⁷ And when he had done so many miracles before them [Soothly when he had done so many signs, or miracles, before them], they believed not in him;

³⁸ that the word of Esaias, the prophet, should be fulfilled, which he said, Lord, who hath believed to our hearing, and to whom is the arm of the Lord showed?

³⁹ Therefore they might not believe, for again Esaias said,

⁴⁰ He hath blinded their eyes, and hath made hard the heart of them [and he hath endured, or made hard, the heart of them], that they see not with eyes, and understand [not] with heart; and that they be converted, and I heal them.

⁴¹ Esaias said these things, when he saw the glory of him, and spake of him.

⁴² Nevertheless of the princes many believed in him, but for the Pharisees they acknowledged not, that they should not be put out of the synagogue;

⁴³ for they loved the glory of men, more than the glory of God.

⁴⁴ And Jesus cried, and said, He that believeth in me, believeth not in me, but in him that sent me.

⁴⁵ He that seeth me, seeth him that sent me.

⁴⁶ I light came into the world, that each that believeth in me, dwell not in darknesses.

⁴⁷ And if any man heareth my words, and keepeth them not, I deem him not [And if any man shall hear my words, and shall not keep, I deem not him]; for I came not, that I deem the world, but that I make the world safe.

⁴⁸ He that despiseth me, and taketh not my words, hath him that shall judge him; that word that I have spoken, [that] shall deem him in the last day [the word that I have spoken, that shall deem him in the last day].

⁴⁹ For I have not spoken of myself, but that Father that sent me, [he] gave to me a commandment, what I shall say, and what I shall speak.

⁵⁰ And I know, that his commandment is everlasting life; therefore those things that I speak, as the Father said to me, so I speak.