Book of Common Prayer
146 Alleluia. My soul, praise thou the Lord;
2 I shall praise the Lord in my life (I shall praise the Lord all my life); I shall sing to my God as long as I shall be.
3 Do not ye trust in princes; neither in the sons of men, in whom is no health. (Do not ye trust in princes, or in your leaders; nor in other people, in whom there is no help, or deliverance.)
4 The spirit of him shall go out, and he shall turn again into his earth; in that day all the thoughts of them shall perish. (The breath of your prince, or of your leader, shall go out of him, and he shall return to the dust; and on that day all his thoughts shall perish.)
5 He is blessed, of whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in his Lord God, (He is blessed, whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in the Lord his God,)
6 that made heaven, and earth; the sea, and all things that be in those. Which keepeth truth into the world, (who made heaven, and earth; and the sea, and all the creatures that be in them. Who keepeth the truth safe forever,)
7 he maketh doom to them that suffer wrong; he giveth meat to them that be hungry. The Lord unbindeth fettered men; (he maketh justice for those who suffer wrong; he giveth food to those who be hungry. The Lord unbindeth the fettered;)
8 the Lord lighteneth blind men. The Lord raiseth men hurtled down; the Lord loveth just men. (the Lord giveth light to the blind/the Lord giveth sight to the blind. The Lord raiseth up those who be hurtled down; the Lord loveth the righteous.)
9 The Lord keepeth comelings; he shall take up a motherless child, and a widow; and he shall destroy the ways of sinners. (The Lord keepeth newcomers, or strangers, safe/The Lord keepeth watch over newcomers, or strangers; he taketh up the causes of a motherless child, and of a widow; but he destroyeth the ways of the sinners.)
10 The Lord shall reign into the worlds; Zion, thy God shall reign in generation and into generation. (The Lord shall reign forever; Zion, thy God shall reign for all generations/thy God shall reign in all generations.)
147 Alleluia. Praise ye the Lord, for the psalm is good; (let our) praising be merry, and fair to our God. (Alleluia. Praise ye the Lord, for it is good to sing to him; let our praises be joyful, and pleasing to our God.)
2 The Lord shall build [up] Jerusalem; and he shall gather together the scatterings of Israel. (The Lord shall rebuild Jerusalem; and he shall gather together the scattered people of Israel.)
3 The which Lord maketh whole men contrite in heart; and bindeth together the sorrows of them. (The Lord who maketh whole those who be contrite in heart, or who be broken-hearted; and who bindeth up their wounds.)
4 Which numbereth the multitude of stars; and calleth names to all those. (Who numbereth the multitude of the stars; and calleth all of them by their names.)
5 Our Lord is great, and his virtue is great; and of his wisdom there is no number. (Our Lord is great, and his power is great; and there is no measure of his wisdom.)
6 The Lord taketh up mild men; forsooth he maketh low sinners till to the earth. (The Lord raiseth up the meek, or the humble; but he bringeth the sinners down to the ground.)
7 Before sing ye to the Lord in acknowledging; say ye psalm to our God in an harp. (Sing ye to the Lord with thanksgiving; sing ye songs to our God on a harp.)
8 Which covereth heaven with clouds; and maketh ready rain to the earth. Which bringeth forth hay in hills; and herb to the service of men. (Who covereth the heavens with clouds; and prepareth rain for the earth. Who bringeth forth hay, or grass, on the hills; and plants for the service of all.)
9 Which giveth meat to their work beasts; and to the birds of crows calling him. (Who giveth food to their work beasts; and to the younglings of crows calling to him.)
10 He shall not have will in the strength of an horse; neither it shall be well pleasant to him in the legs of a man. (He shall not take delight in the strength of a horse; nor shall a man’s fast legs be well pleasing to him.)
11 It is well pleasant to the Lord on men that dread him; and in them that hope in his mercy. (But the Lord is well pleased with those who fear him/with those who revere him; and with those who trust in his love.)
12 Jerusalem, praise thou the Lord; Zion, praise thou thy God.
13 For he hath comforted the locks of thy gates; he hath blessed thy sons in thee. (For he hath strengthened the locks of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within them.)
14 Which hath set thy coasts peace (He who hath put thy land at peace); and filleth thee with the fatness of wheat.
15 Which sendeth out his speech to the earth; his word runneth swiftly. (Who sendeth out his word, or his command, to the earth; yea, his word runneth swiftly about.)
16 Which giveth snow as wool; he spreadeth abroad a cloud as ashes. (Who giveth the snow like wool; and he spreadeth abroad the hoarfrost like ashes.)
17 He sendeth his crystal as morsels; who shall be able to suffer before the face of his coldness? (He sendeth out his ice like morsels; yea, who can survive the cold that he sendeth?)
18 He shall send out his word, and shall melt those; his spirit shall blow, and waters shall flow. (And then he sendeth out his word, and the ice melteth; and his wind bloweth, and the waters flow.)
19 Which telleth his word to Jacob; and his rightfulnesses and dooms to Israel. (Who telleth his word to Jacob; yea, his statutes and his laws, or his decrees, to Israel.)
20 He did not so to each nation; and he showed not his dooms to them. (He hath not done this for any other nation; he hath not shown his laws, or his decrees, to them.)
111 Alleluia. Lord, I shall acknowledge to thee in all mine heart; in the council, and congregation of just men. (Alleluia. Lord, I shall praise thee with all my heart, in the gathering together of the upright; yea, in the congregation.)
2 The works of the Lord be great; sought out into all his wills. (The works of the Lord be great; sought out by all who take delight in them.)
3 His work is acknowledging and great doing; and his rightfulness dwelleth into the world of world. (His works be full of honour and majesty; and his righteousness remaineth forever and ever.)
4 The Lord, merciful in will, and a merciful doer, hath made a mind of his marvels; (The Lord, merciful in will, and a giver of mercy, is remembered for his marvellous deeds;)
5 he hath given meat to men dreading him. He shall be mindful of his testament into the world; (he hath given food to those who fear him/to those who revere him. He shall always be mindful, or shall always remember, his covenant;)
6 he shall tell to his people the strength of his works. That he give to them the heritage of folks; (he hath shown his people his strength in his works. Yea, he hath given them the inheritance of the nations;)
7 the works of his hands be truth and doom (the works of his hands be truth and justice). All his commandments be faithful,
8 confirmed into the world of world; made in truth and equity. (confirmed forever, and made in truth and goodness.)
9 The Lord sent redemption to his people; he commanded his testament [into] without end. His name is holy and dreadful; (The Lord sent and redeemed his people; he commanded that his covenant should endure forever. His name is holy and fearful/His name is holy and worthy to be praised;)
10 the beginning of wisdom is the dread of the Lord. Good understanding is to all that do it; his praising dwelleth into the world of world. (the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord/the beginning of wisdom is to revere the Lord. All who obey his commandments grow in wisdom; praise shall be his forever.)
112 Alleluia. Blessed is the man that dreadeth the Lord; he shall delight full much in his commandments. (Alleluia. Happy is the person who feareth the Lord/who hath reverence for the Lord; he shall take great delight, or joy, in his commandments.)
2 His seed shall be mighty in [the] earth; the generation of rightful men shall be blessed. (His children shall be mighty in the earth; the descendants of good people shall be blessed/the generations of the upright shall be blessed.)
3 Glory and riches be in his house; and his rightfulness dwelleth into the world of world. (There shall be glory and riches in his house; and his righteousness remaineth forever and ever.)
4 Light is risen up in darknesses to rightful men; the Lord is merciful in will, and a merciful doer, and rightful. (Light riseth up in the darkness for the upright; the Lord is merciful in will, a giver of mercy, and fair to all.)
5 The man is merry, that doeth mercy, and lendeth; he disposeth his words in doom; (Happy is the person who giveth favour when he lendeth; he disposeth his deeds with justice, or with good judgement;)
6 for he shall not be moved [into] without end. A just man shall be in everlasting mind; (and nothing shall shake him. A good person’s deeds shall always be remembered;)
7 he shall not dread of an evil hearing. His heart is ready for to hope in the Lord; (he shall not fear to hear bad news. His heart is always ready to trust in the Lord;)
8 his heart is confirmed, he shall not be moved, till he despise his enemies. (his heart is firm, he shall not be moved, and he shall gloat over his enemies./his heart is steadfast, he shall not be shaken, and he shall see his enemies defeated.)
9 He spreaded abroad, he gave to poor men; his rightwiseness dwelleth into the world of world; his horn shall be raised in glory. (He spreadeth abroad much money, yea, he giveth to the poor; his righteousness remaineth forever and ever, his horn shall be raised up in glory.)
10 A sinner shall see (it), and shall be wroth; he shall gnash with his teeth, and shall fail, either shall wax rotten; the desire of sinners shall perish.
113 Alleluia. Servants, praise ye the Lord; praise ye the name of the Lord.
2 The name of the Lord be blessed; from this time now, and till into the world (and forever).
3 From the rising of the sun till to the going down (From the rising of the sun until the going down of the same); the name of the Lord is worthy to be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all folks (The Lord is high above all the nations); and his glory is above (the) heavens.
5 Who is as our Lord God, that dwelleth in high things; (Who is like the Lord our God, who liveth in high places/who liveth on high;)
6 and beholdeth meek things in heaven and in earth? (and yet who deigneth himself to look upon the things in the heavens, and the things on earth!)
7 Raising a needy man from the earth; and enhancing a poor man from drit. (Raising up the needy from the dust; and lifting up the poor out of the dirt.)
8 That he set him with princes; with the princes of his people. (So that they may sit with princes; yea, with the leaders of the people.)
9 Which maketh a barren woman dwell in the house; a glad mother of sons. (Who maketh a barren woman, who liveth in her home, into a happy mother of sons.)
8 Lead thou forth the blind people, and having eyes; the deaf people, and ears be to it. (Lead thou forth the people who have eyes, but be blind; the people who have ears, but be deaf.)
9 All heathen men be gathered together, and lineages be gathered together. Who among you, who shall tell this, and shall make you to hear those things, that be the first? give they [the] witnesses of them, and be they justified, and hear they, and say, (That is the truth). (All the heathen be gathered together, and the tribes be gathered together. Who among you, who shall tell out this, and shall help us to understand the former things? bring they in their witnesses, and be they justified, or proven right, and listen they, and say, That is the truth.)
10 Verily ye be my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant(s), whom I chose; that ye know, and believe to me, and understand, for I myself am; before me is no God former, and after me shall none be. (Truly ye be my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servants, whom I chose; so that ye would know me, and believe me, and understand, that I am he; before me no God was formed, and there shall be no one after me.)
11 I am, I am the Lord, and without me is no saviour. (I am, yea, I am the Lord, and there is no other saviour besides me.)
12 I told, and saved; I made hearing, and none alien God was among you (I have told it out, and I have saved; I have made it heard, when there was no foreign, or strange, god among you). Ye be my witnesses, saith the Lord; and I am God,
13 from the beginning, I myself am, and none there is that delivereth from mine hand; I shall work, and who shall destroy it? (yea, from the beginning, I am he, and there is no one who taketh anything from my hand; I shall do my work, and who shall be able to destroy it?)
2 as now born young children, reasonable, without guile, covet ye milk [of full teaching], that in it ye wax into health;
3 if nevertheless ye have tasted, that the Lord is sweet.
4 And approach ye to him, that is a living stone, and reproved of men [To whom ye going nigh, a quick stone, reproved soothly of men], but chosen of God, and honoured;
5 and yourselves as quick stones be ye above builded [and yourselves as quick stones be above builded] into spiritual houses, and an holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 For which thing the scripture saith, Lo! I shall set in Sion the highest corner stone, chosen and precious [For which thing the scripture holdeth, Lo! I shall put in Sion the highest stone, a corner stone, chosen, precious]; and he that shall believe in him, shall not be confounded.
7 Therefore honour to you that believe; but to men that believe not, the stone whom the builders reproved, this is made into the head of the corner;
8 and the stone of hurting, and the stone of stumbling, to them that offend to the word, neither believe it, in which they be set.[a]
9 But ye be a chosen kin, a kingly priesthood, holy folk, a people of purchasing, that ye tell the virtues of him, that called you from darknesses into his wonderful light.
10 Which sometime were not a people of God, but now ye be the people of God; which had not mercy, but now ye have mercy.
14 Be not your heart afraid [Be not your heart distroubled], nor dread it; ye believe in God, and believe ye in me.
2 In the house of my Father be many dwellings; if any thing less, I had said to you [if any thing less, I should have said to you], for I go to make ready to you a place.
3 And if I go, and make ready to you a place, again I come, and I shall take you to myself, that where I am, ye be.
4 And whither I go, ye know, and ye know the way.
5 Thomas saith to him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest, and how be we able to know the way [and how may we know the way]?
6 Jesus saith to him, I am way, truth, and life; no man cometh to the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, soothly ye had known also my Father; and afterward ye shall know him, and ye have seen him.
2001 by Terence P. Noble