Book of Common Prayer
50 The psalm of Asaph. God, the Lord of gods, spake/God, the God of gods, spake; and called the earth, from the rising of the sun till to the going down. (The song of Asaph. God, the Lord of gods, spoke/God, the God of gods, spoke; and called to the people of the earth, from the rising of the sun unto the going down of it.)
2 The shape of his fairness from Zion, God shall come openly; (God shineth from Zion, perfect in beauty;)
3 our God, and he shall not be still. Fire shall burn on high in his sight; and a strong tempest in his compass. (our God shall come, and he shall not be silent. Fire shall burn on high before him; and it shall be a strong tempest surrounding him/and a strong tempest shall surround him.)
4 He called heaven above; and the earth, to (witness him) deem his people. (He calleth heaven above, and the earth beneath, to the judgement of his people.)
5 Gather ye to him his saints; that ordain his testament above sacrifices. (And he saith, Gather my saints to me; those who have made a covenant with me, by offering a sacrifice.)
6 And heavens shall show his rightwiseness/And heavens shall tell his rightfulness; for God is the judge. (And the heavens shall tell out his righteousness; for God himself is the judge.)
7 My people, hear thou, and I shall speak to Israel; and I shall witness to thee, I am God, thy God. (My people, hear thou, and I shall speak; Israel, I shall testify against thee; I am God, thy God.)
8 I shall not reprove thee in thy sacrifices; and thy burnt sacrifices be ever[more] before me. (I shall not rebuke thee for thy sacrifices, and for thy burnt sacrifices, that be before me forevermore./Shall I not rebuke thee for thy sacrifices, and for thy burnt sacrifices, that be before me forevermore?)
9 I shall not take calves of thine house; neither goat bucks of thy flocks. (But I do not need calves from thy house, or thy farm; or goat bucks from thy flocks.)
10 For all the wild beasts of (the) woods be mine; work beasts, and oxes in hills (and the work beasts as well, and the oxen on the hills).
11 I have known all the volatiles of the firmament; and the fairness of the field is with me. (I know all the birds on those hills; and the wild beasts of the fields be mine.)
12 If I shall be hungry, I shall not say to thee; for the world and the fullness thereof is mine. (If I am hungry, I have no need to tell thee; for the world and its fullness be mine.)
13 Whether I shall eat the flesh of bulls? either shall I drink the blood of goat bucks? (Shall I eat the flesh of bulls? or drink the blood of goat bucks? Nay!)
14 Offer thou to God the sacrifice of praising; and yield thine avows to the highest God. (Offer, or give, thou to God the sacrifice of praise; and pay thy vows to the Most High God.)
15 And inwardly call thou me in the day of tribulation; and I shall deliver thee, and thou shalt honour me. (And call thou on me in the day of trouble; and I shall save thee, and then thou shalt honour me.)
16 But God said to the sinner, Why tellest thou out my rightfulnesses; and takest my testament by thy mouth? (But God said to the sinner, Why should thou tell out my statutes? and why hast thou my covenant in thy mouth?)
17 Soothly thou hatedest lore, or discipline; and hast cast away my words behind (thee). (Truly thou hatedest chastisement; and hast thrown away my words behind thee.)
18 If thou sawest a thief, thou rannest with him; and thou settedest thy part with adulterers.
19 Thy mouth was plenteous of malice; and thy tongue meddled together guiles. (Thy mouth is full of malice; and thy tongue mixeth up batches of lies.)
20 Thou sitting spakest against thy brother, and thou settedest slander against the son of thy mother; (And thou sitteth down, and speakest against thy brother, yea, thou settest forth slander against thy mother’s son;)
21 thou didest these things, and I was still. Thou guessedest wickedly, that I shall be like thee; I shall reprove thee, and I shall set (them) against thy face. (thou didest these things, and I was silent. And thou wickedly guessedest that I was just like thee; but I shall rebuke thee, and I shall do it to thy face.)
22 Ye that forget God, understand these things; lest sometime he ravish, and none be that shall deliver. (Ye who forget God, understand these things; lest sometime I tear thee in pieces, and there be no one who shall save thee.)
23 The sacrifice of praising shall honour me; and there is the way, wherein I shall show to him the health of God. (The sacrifice of praise shall honour me; and to those who follow my way/and to those who obey me, I shall give them the salvation of God.)
59 To the overcomer, lose thou not the seemly song of David (destroy thou not David’s comely song), when Saul sent and kept the house, to slay him. My God, deliver thou me from mine enemies; and deliver thou me from them that rise against me.
2 Deliver thou me from them that work wickedness; and save thou me from men-quellers. (Rescue thou me from those who do evil; and save thou me from these murderers.)
3 For lo! they have taken my soul; strong men fell in on me. Neither (for) my wickedness, neither (for) my sin; (For lo! they lie in wait for me; strong men have fallen in on me. But not because of my wickedness, nor for my sin.)
4 Lord, I ran without wickedness, and (ad)dressed my works. Rise up into my meeting, and see; (Lord, though I am innocent, they run into position against me. Rise up to help me, and see;)
5 and thou, Lord God of virtues, art God of Israel. Give thou attention to visit all folks; do thou not mercy to all that work wickedness. (for thou, Lord God of hosts, art the God of Israel. Give thou attention to punishing all the nations; do not thou give mercy to any who do evil.)
6 They shall be turned (again) at eventide, and they as dogs shall suffer hunger; and they shall compass, that is, go abegging, (in) the city. (They shall return in the evening, and they shall suffer hunger like dogs; and they shall go about begging in the city.)
7 Lo! they shall speak in their mouth, and a sword in their lips; for who heard? (Lo! they shall speak out insults with their mouths, and their lips, or their tongues, shall be like swords; for they say, Who shall hear us?)
8 And thou, Lord, shalt scorn them; thou shalt bring all folks to nought. (But thou, Lord, shalt scorn them; thou shalt bring down all these nations to nothing.)
9 I shall keep my strength to thee; for God is mine up-taker, (O my strength, I shall turn to thee; for God is my defender,)
10 my God, his mercy shall come before me. God showed to me (my desire) on mine enemies, (my God, his love shall come to me. God shall show me my heart’s desire for all my enemies.)
11 slay thou not them; lest any time my peoples forget. Scatter thou them in thy virtue; and, Lord, my defender, put thou them down. (But kill thou them not; lest any time my people forget. Rather, scatter thou them by thy strength; and, O Lord, my defender, put thou them down.)
12 Put down the trespass of their mouth, and the word of their lips; and be they taken in their pride. And of cursing and of leasing; they shall be showed (up) in the ending. (And for the trespasses of their mouths, and the words of their lips; let them be taken in their pride. And for their cursing and their lies; let them be shown up in the end.)
13 (Destroy thou them) In the ire of ending, and they shall not be; and they shall know, that the Lord shall be Lord of Jacob, and of the ends of earth. (Destroy thou them in thy anger, yea, destroy them altogether, and they shall be no more; and then they shall know, that the Lord is the lord, or the ruler, in Jacob, and unto the ends of the earth.)
14 They shall be turned (again) at eventide, and they as dogs shall suffer hunger; and they shall compass, that is, go abegging, (in) the city. (They shall return in the evening, and they shall suffer hunger like dogs; and they shall go about begging in the city.)
15 They shall be scattered abroad, for to eat; soothly if they be not [ful]filled, and they shall grutch. (They shall be scattered abroad, searching for food; and truly they shall grumble, if they be not satisfied, or fulfilled.)
16 But I shall sing (of) thy strength; and early I shall enhance thy mercy. For thou art made mine up-taker; and my refuge, in the day of my tribulation. (But I shall sing of thy strength; and in the morning I shall sing of thy love. For thou art my defender; and my refuge, in the days of my trouble.)
17 Mine helper, I shall sing to thee; for thou art God, mine up-taker, my God, my mercy. (My helper, I shall sing to thee; for thou art God, my defender, the God who loveth me.)
60 To victory, on the witnessing of (the) rose, the sweet song of David, to teach men, when he fought against Aram of floods, and Syria of Zobah; and Joab turned again, and smote Edom in the valley of salt pits, twelve thousand. God, thou hast put away us, and thou hast destroyed us; thou were wroth, and thou hast done mercy to us. (To victory, on the teaching of the lily, the sweet song of David, to teach men, when he fought against Aramnaharaim, and Aramzobah; and Joab returned, and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of the Salt Pits. God, thou hast cast us away, and thou hast destroyed us; thou were angry, but now, show thou thy mercy to us/show thou us thy mercy.)
2 Thou movedest the earth, and thou troubledest it; make thou whole (again) the sorrows thereof, for it is moved. (Thou hast shaken the earth, and thou hast troubled it; but now heal thou its wounds, for it is broken in pieces.)
3 Thou showedest hard things to thy people; thou gavest drink to us with the wine of compunction. (Thou hast shown thy people hard times; and thou hast made us stagger, as though we were drunk with wine.)
4 Thou hast given a signifying to them that dread thee; that they flee from the face of the bow. (Thou hast given a sign, or a warning, to those who fear thee/to those who revere thee; so that they can flee, or escape, from the face of the bow.)
5 That thy darlings be delivered; make thou safe with thy right hand, and hear thou me. (Save thy dear ones; yea, save thou us with thy right hand, and answer thou me.)[a]
6 God spake by his holy (place); I shall be glad, and I shall part Shechem, and I shall mete the great valley of tabernacles. (God spoke in his holiness/God spoke from his sanctuary, and he said, I shall be glad, and I shall divide Shechem; and I shall measure out the Succoth Valley.)
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; and Ephraim is the strength of mine head. Judah is my king; (Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, and Judah is my sceptre.)
8 Moab is the pot of mine hope. Into Idumea I shall stretch forth my shoe; aliens be made subject to me. (But Moab is my washbowl. And I shall throw my shoes at Edom; and Philistia shall be made subject to me.)
9 Who shall lead me into a city made strong; who shall lead me into Idumea? (Who shall lead me into the strengthened, or the fortified, city? who shall lead me unto Edom?)
10 Whether not thou, God, that hast put away us; and shalt thou not, God, go out in our virtues? (Shalt not thou, O God, even though thou hast cast us off, or rejected us? or shalt not thou, O God, go out with our hosts, or our armies, any more?)
11 Lord, give thou to us help (out) of tribulation; for the help of man is vain. (Lord, give thou us help in the time of trouble; for the help of man is worthless, yea, but an empty hope.)
12 In God we shall make virtue; and he shall bring to nought them that trouble us/that disturb us. (With God’s help, we shall do valiantly/we shall have the victory; and he shall bring down those who trouble us into nothing.)
114 Alleluia. In the going out of Israel from Egypt; of the house of Jacob from the heathen people. (Alleluia. When Israel went out from Egypt, yea, the house of Jacob from a people with a strange language;)
2 Judah was made the hallowing of him; Israel the power of him. (Judah was made the Lord’s sanctuary; and Israel was made his dominion.)
3 The sea saw, and fled; Jordan was turned aback. (The Red Sea, or the Sea of Reeds, saw it, and fled away; the Jordan River turned back, or backed away.)
4 Mountains full out joyed as rams; and little hills as the lambs of sheep. (The mountains rejoiced like rams; and the little hills like the lambs of sheep.)
5 Thou sea, what was to thee, for thou fleddest; and thou, Jordan, for thou were turned aback? (O Red Sea/O Sea of Reeds, what happened to thee, that thou fleddest away? and O Jordan, why hast thou turned back?)
6 Mountains, ye made full out joy as rams; and little hills, as the lambs of sheep. (O mountains, why did ye rejoice like rams? and ye little hills, like the lambs of sheep?)
7 The earth was moved from the face of the Lord; from the face of God of Jacob. (The earth shaketh at the presence of the Lord; at the presence of the God of Jacob.)
8 Which turned a stone into a pond of waters; and an hard rock into wells of waters. (Who turned the rock into a pool of water; yea, the hard rock cliff into a flowing spring.)
115 Lord, not to us, Lord, not to us; but give thou glory to thy name. Of thy mercy, and of thy truth; (Lord, not to us, Lord, not to us; but give thou glory to thy name. For thy love, and for the sake of thy faithfulness;)
2 lest any time heathen men say, Where is the God of them? (lest any time the heathen say, Where is their God?)
3 Forsooth our God in heaven; did all things, whichever he would. (For our God is in heaven; and he doeth whatever he desireth.)
4 The simulacra of heathen men be silver and gold (The idols of the heathen be made out of silver and gold); the works of men’s hands.
5 They have mouth(s), and shall not speak; they have eyes, and shall not see. (They have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see.)
6 They have ears, and shall not hear; they have nostrils, and shall not smell. (They have ears, but they cannot hear; they have nostrils, but they cannot smell.)
7 They have hands, and shall not grope; they have feet, and shall not go; they shall not cry in their throat. (They have hands, but they cannot feel; they have feet, but they cannot move; and they cannot make any sound.)
8 They that make those simulacra be made like those; and all that trust in them. (Let all who make those idols be made like them; and also all who trust in them.)
9 The house of Israel hoped in the Lord (But let the house of Israel trust in the Lord); he is the helper of them, and the defender of them.
10 The house of Aaron hoped in the Lord (And let the house of Aaron trust in the Lord); he is the helper of them, and the defender of them.
11 They that dread the Lord, hoped in the Lord (Let all who fear the Lord/Let all who revere the Lord, trust in the Lord); he is the helper of them, and the defender of them.
12 The Lord was mindful of us; and blessed us. He blessed the house of Israel; he blessed the house of Aaron. (The Lord remembereth us; and will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.)
13 He blessed all men that dread the Lord; both little and greater. (He will bless all those who fear the Lord/all those who revere the Lord; both small and great alike.)
14 The Lord add, either increase, on you; on you, and on your sons. (May the Lord give you increase; yea, you, and your sons and your daughters.)
15 Blessed be ye of the Lord; that made heaven and earth. (May ye be blessed by the Lord; who made heaven and earth.)
16 Heaven of heaven is to the Lord/Heaven of heavens to the Lord; but he gave the earth to the sons of men. (Heaven and the heavens be the Lord’s; but he gave the earth to the sons and daughters of men.)
17 Lord, not dead men shall praise thee; neither all men that go down into hell. (Lord, the dead shall not praise thee; yea, none who go down into Sheol, or the land of the dead/none who go down into the grave.)
18 But we that live, bless the Lord; from this time now, and till into the world. (But we who live, bless the Lord; from this time now, and forever.)
9 All those things passed as (a) shadow, and as a messenger before running. [All those things passed as shadow, and as a messenger running before.]
10 And as a ship, that passeth through the flowing water, of [the] which when it hath passed, it is not to find a step [or a step is not to find], neither the path of the bottom thereof in (the) waves.
11 Either as a bird, that flyeth over in the air, of which no proof is found of the way thereof, but only the sound of wings beating (the) light wind, and carving the air by the might of (the) way, and with wings moved together it flew over, and after this no sign is found of the way thereof. [Or as a bird, that over-flyeth in the air, of the which none evidence is found of his way, but only the sound of wings beating the light wind, and cutting by force the air of the way, and together stirred the wings over-flyeth, and after that no sign is found of his way.]
12 Either as an arrow shot out into a place ordained, the air is parted, and is closed again anon (or at once), (so) that the passing thereof be not known. [Or as an arrow sent out into the ordained place, the air divided continually is reclosed in it, that the passing of it be unknown.]
13 Right so we born ceased anon (or at once) to be, and soothly we might show no sign of virtue; but we were wasted in our malice. They that sinned, said such things in hell (or in the grave).
14 For the hope of a wicked man [or the unpious] is as the flower of a briar, [or (a) thistle-down], which is taken away of (or by) the wind, and as small froth [or foam] which is scattered abroad of (or by) a tempest, and as smoke which is spread abroad of (or by) (the) wind, and as the mind of a guest of one day, that passeth forth.
15 But just men shall live without end, and the meed of them is with the Lord; and the thought of them is with the Highest. [Rightwise men forsooth into without end shall live, and with the Lord is the mead of them; and the thought of them with the Highest.]
16 Therefore they shall take of (or from) the hand of the Lord the realm of fairness, and a diadem of comeliness; for he shall govern them with his right hand, and he shall defend them with his holy arm. [Therefore they shall take the realm of worship, and the diadem of fairness of (or from) the hand of the Lord; for with his right hand he shall cover them, and with his holy arm defend them.]
17 And his fervent love shall take armour, and he shall arm the creature to the vengeance of (his) enemies. [And the jealousy of him shall take armour, and arm creature to the venging of enemies.]
18 He shall clothe rightfulness for an habergeon (or a breastplate), and he shall take certain doom for a basinet (or a helmet); [He shall clothe for the breastplate rightwiseness, and he shall take for the helmet certain doom;]
19 he shall take a shield that may not be overcome, equity, either evenness; [he shall take the shield unquenchable equity;]
20 forsooth he shall whet hard wrath into a spear, and the world shall fight with him against unwitty (or unwitting) men. [he shall sharpen forsooth hard wrath into a spear, and the roundness of (the) earth’s shall fight with him against the unwise.]
21 Straight sendings-out of lightnings shall go, and as the sides of a rainbow, when the bow of clouds is crooked, they shall be destroyed; and they shall skip into a certain place. [The sendings-out of lightnings shall go even right, and as at the teasing the bow of clouds bent, they shall be out-lawed; and to a certain place they shall leap in.]
22 And full hailstones shall be sent from a stony wrath, and the water of the sea shall wax white against them, and (the) floods shall run (al)together hard.
23 The spirit of virtue shall stand against them, and as the whirling of wind it shall depart them; and the wickedness of them shall bring all the land to desert, and malice shall destroy the seats of mighty men. Wisdom is better than strengths (or strongholds), and a prudent man doeth more than a strong man [or Better is wisdom than strengths, and a man prudent more than a strong man].
8 See ye that no man deceive you by philosophy and vain fallacy, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth body-like all the fullness of the Godhead.
10 And ye be filled in him [And ye be fulfilled in him], that is head of all principat and power.
11 In whom also ye be circumcised in circumcision not made with hand, in despoiling of the body of flesh [in nakedness of the body of flesh], but in circumcision of Christ;
12 and ye be buried together with him in baptism, in whom also ye have risen again by faith of the working of God, that raised him from death.[a]
13 And when ye were dead in your guilts, and in the prepuce of your flesh, he quickened together you with him; forgiving to you all guilts [all guilts, or trespasses],
14 doing away that writing of decree that was against us, that was contrary to us; and he took away that from the middle, pitching it on the cross [pitching it to the cross];
15 and he spoiled principats and powers, and led out trustily, openly overcoming them in himself.
16 Therefore no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in part of feast day, or of new moon, or of sabbaths,
17 which be shadow of things to coming [which be shadow of things to come]; for the body is of Christ.
18 No man deceive you, willing to teach in meekness, and [the] religion of angels, those things which he hath not seen, walking vainly, swollen with wit of his flesh [in-blown with wit of his flesh],
19 and not holding the head, of which all the body, by bands and joinings together [by bonds and joinings together] under-ministered and made, waxeth into [the] increasing of God.
20 For if ye be dead with Christ from the elements of the world, what yet as men living to the world deem ye?
21 That ye touch not, neither taste, neither treat with hands those things, [Neither ye shall touch, neither taste, neither treat with hands,]
22 which all be into death by that use, after the commandments and teachings of men;
23 which have a reason of wisdom in vain religion and meekness [which be soothly having reason of wisdom in superstition, or vain religion, and meekness], and not to spare the body, not in any honour to the fulfilling of the flesh.
39 And he said to them a likeness, Whether the blind may lead the blind? nor fall they not both into the ditch [whether they fall not both into the ditch]?
40 A disciple is not above his master; but each shall be perfect, if he [shall] be as his master.
41 And what seest thou in thy brother's eye a mote, but thou beholdest not a beam, that is in thine own eye?
42 Or how mayest thou say to thy brother, Brother, suffer, I shall cast out the mote of thine eye, and thou beholdest not a beam that is in thine own eye? Hypocrite, first take out the beam of thine eye [first cast out the beam of thine eye], and then thou shalt see to take out the mote of thy brother's eye.
43 It is not a good tree [Forsooth it is not a good tree], that maketh evil fruits, neither an evil tree, that maketh good fruits;
44 for every tree is known of his fruit. And men gather not figs of thorns, neither men gather a grape of a bush of briers.
45 A good man of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things [A good man of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good thing, and an evil man of evil treasure bringeth forth evil thing]; for of the plenty of the heart the mouth speaketh.
46 And what call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not those things that I say.
47 Each that cometh to me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I shall show to you, to whom he is like.
48 He is like to a man that buildeth an house, that digged deep, and set the foundament on a stone. And when a great flood was made, the flood was hurled to that house, and it might not move it, for it was founded on a firm stone.[a]
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like to a man building his house on earth [upon the earth] without foundament; into which the flood was hurled, and at once it fell down [into which the flood was hurtled, and anon it felled down]; and the falling down of that house was made great.
2001 by Terence P. Noble