Book of Common Prayer
131 The song of degrees to David. Lord, mine heart is not enhanced; neither mine eyes be raised. Neither I went in great things; neither in marvels above me. (The song of degrees for David. Lord, my heart is not exalted, or puffed up; nor be my eyes raised up. And I do not concern myself with great things; nor with marvellous things that be so high above me.)
2 If I feeled not meekly; but [I] enhanced my soul. As a child weaned on his mother; so yielding be in my soul. (I went forth humbly; and I did not exalt my soul. Like a weaned child upon his mother; so is the yielding in my soul.)
3 Israel, hope in the Lord; from this time now and into the world. (Israel, trust in the Lord; from this time now and forever.)
132 The song of degrees. Lord, have thou mind on David; and of all his mildness. (Lord, remember David; and all his troubles and tribulations.)
2 As he swore to the Lord; he made a vow to [the] God of Jacob.
3 I shall not enter into the tabernacle of mine house; I shall not ascend into the bed of my resting.
4 I shall not give sleep to mine eyes; and napping to mine eyelids. (I shall not give sleep to my eyes; or napping to my eyelids.)
5 And rest to my temples, till I find a place to the Lord; a tabernacle to [the] God of Jacob. (Until I find a place for the Lord; yea, a dwelling place for the Mighty God of Jacob.)
6 Lo! we heard that (the) ark of (the) testament (is) in Ephratah [Lo! we have heard (of) it in Ephratah]; we found it in the fields of the wood. (Lo! we have heard that the Covenant Box is in Ephratah; we found it in the fields of Jaar, or of Jearim.)
7 We shall enter into the tabernacle of him (We shall go into his Tabernacle, or his dwelling place); we shall worship in the place, where his feet stood.
8 Lord, rise thou into thy rest; thou, and the ark of thine hallowing. (Arise, O Lord, and come back to thy resting place; thou, and the Ark of thy power.)
9 Thy priests be clothed with rightfulness; and thy saints make full out joy. (Let thy priests be clothed in righteousness; and thy saints rejoice.)
10 For David, thy servant; turn thou not away the face of thy christ. (For the sake of thy servant David; turn thou not away thy face from thy anointed king.)
11 The Lord swore (in) truth to David, and he shall not make him [in] vain; Of the fruit of thy womb I shall set on thy seat. (The Lord swore truthfully to David, and he did not say in vain, I shall put the fruit of thy womb upon thy throne.)
12 If thy sons shall keep my testament; and my witnessings, these which I shall teach them. And the sons of them till into the world; they shall set on thy seat. (And if thy sons shall keep my covenant, and obey my teachings, which I shall teach them; then their sons shall sit on thy throne forever.)
13 For the Lord chose Zion; he chose it into (a) dwelling to himself (he chose it for his dwelling place).
14 This is my rest into the world of world (This shall be my resting place forever and ever); I shall dwell here, for I chose it.
15 I blessing shall bless the widow of it; I shall [ful]fill with loaves the poor men of it. (I blessing shall bless Zion’s widows; and I shall fulfill her poor with bread.)
16 I shall clothe with health the priests thereof; and the holy men thereof shall make full out joy in full out joying/in full out rejoicing. (I shall clothe her priests with salvation, or with deliverance; and her holy men shall make great joy rejoicing.)
17 Thither I shall bring forth the horn of David; I [have] made ready a lantern to my christ (I have prepared a lantern for my anointed king).
18 I shall clothe his enemies with shame; but mine hallowing shall flower out on him (but a shining crown shall be upon his head).
133 The song of degrees. Lo! how good and how merry it is; that brethren dwell together. (Lo! how good and how pleasant it is; for brothers, or God’s people, to live together in unity, or in harmony.)
2 As ointment in the head; that goeth down into the beard, into the beard of Aaron. That goeth down into the collar of his cloth; (Like ointment on the head, that goeth down onto the beard, onto Aaron’s beard; yea, that goeth down onto the collar of his cloak.)
3 as the dew of Hermon, that goeth down into the hill of Zion. For there the Lord sent blessing; and life till into the world, that is, without end. (Like the dew of Mount Hermon, that goeth down onto the hills of Zion. For there the Lord sent blessing; and life forevermore.)
134 The song of degrees. Lo! now bless ye the Lord; all the servants of the Lord. Ye that stand in the house of the Lord; in the halls/in the foreyards of the house of our God (Ye who stand in the House of the Lord; night after night).
2 In nights raise your hands into holy things; and bless ye the Lord. (Raise up your hands in the holy place; and bless ye the Lord.)
3 The Lord bless thee from Zion; the which Lord made heaven and earth. (May the Lord bless thee from Zion; the Lord who made heaven and earth.)
135 Alleluia. Praise ye the name of the Lord; ye servants of the Lord, praise ye (him).
2 Ye that stand in the house of the Lord; in the halls/in the foreyards of the house of our God. (Ye who stand in the House of the Lord; in the courtyards of the House of our God.)
3 Praise ye the Lord, for the Lord is good; sing ye to his name, for it is sweet (for it is pleasant to do so).
4 For the Lord chose Jacob to himself; [and] Israel into possession to himself. (For the Lord chose Jacob for himself; yea, he chose Israel as his special possession.)
5 For I have known, that the Lord is great; and our God (is) before all gods. (For I know that the Lord is great; and that our God is above all gods.)
6 The Lord made all things, whatever things he would, in heaven and in earth; in the sea, and in all depths of waters. (The Lord made everything, whatever he desired, in heaven and on earth; in the sea, and in all the depths of the waters.)
7 He led out clouds from the farthest part of earth; and made lightnings into rain. Which bringeth forth winds from his treasures; (He leadeth out the clouds from the farthest parts of the earth; and maketh lightning for the rains. He bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries, or out of his storehouses.)
8 which killed the first begotten things of Egypt, from man unto beast. (He killed all the first-born in Egypt, both man and beast.)
9 He sent out signs and great wonders, in the middle of thee, thou Egypt; into Pharaoh, and into all his servants. (He sent out signs and great wonders, into the midst of thee, O Egypt; against Pharaoh, and all his servants.)
10 Which smote many folks; and killed strong kings. (Who struck down many nations; and killed strong kings.)
11 Sihon, the king of Amorites, and Og, the king of Bashan; and all the realms of Canaan (and all the kings in Canaan).
12 And he gave the land of them heritage; to be heritage to Israel, his people. (And he gave their land for an inheritance; yea, to be an inheritance for his people Israel.)
13 Lord, thy name is [into] without end; Lord, thy memorial be in generation and into generation. (Lord, thy name shall endure forever; Lord, thou shalt be remembered by all generations.)
14 For the Lord shall deem his people; and he shall be prayed in his servants. (For the Lord shall judge his people; and he shall take pity upon his servants.)
15 The simulacra of heathen men be silver and gold; the works of the hands of men. (The idols of the heathen be but silver and gold; yea, the works of men’s hands.)
16 Those images have a mouth, and shall not speak; those have eyes, and shall not see. (Those idols have mouths, but they cannot speak; they have eyes, but they cannot see.)
17 Those have ears, and shall not hear; for there is no spirit in the mouth of them. (They have ears, but they cannot hear; for there is no breath in their mouths.)
18 They that make those [things], be made like them; and all that trust in them. (Let they who make those things, be made like them; and all who trust in them as well.)
19 The house of Israel, bless ye the Lord; the house of Aaron, bless ye the Lord.
20 The house of Levi, bless ye the Lord; ye that dread the Lord, bless ye the Lord (ye who fear the Lord/ye who revere the Lord, bless ye the Lord).
21 Blessed be the Lord (out) of Zion; that dwelleth in Jerusalem. (Blessed be the Lord in Zion; yea, he who dwelleth in Jerusalem.)
14 And Boaz said to her, When the hour of eating is, come thou hither, and eat bread, and wet thy morsel in vinegar. Therefore she sat at the side of [the] reapers; and he directed to her pottage, and she ate, and was filled; and she took the remnants. (And Boaz said to her, When it is time to eat, come thou here, and eat bread, and wet thy morsel in the vinegar. And so she sat beside the reapers; and Boaz passed her some roasted grain, and she ate, and was fulfilled; and she took up the remnants.)
15 And she rose from thence to gather the ears of corn, by custom. And Boaz commanded to his young men, and said, Also if she will reap with you, forbid ye not her, (And then she rose up from there to gather the ears of corn again, as was her custom. And Boaz commanded to his young men, and said, Yea, if she will reap with you, forbid ye her not,)
16 and also cast ye forth to her handfuls of purpose (and also throw ye forth to her some handfuls on purpose), and suffer ye those to abide, that she gather those without shame; and no man reprove her gathering them.
17 Therefore she gathered in the field till to eventide; and she beat with a rod, and shook out those things that she had gathered; and she found of barley as the measure of (an) ephah (and she found that she had about a bushel of barley).
18 Which she bare, and turned again into the city, and showed to her mother-in-law; furthermore she brought forth, and gave to her the remnants of her meat, with which meat she was (ful)filled. (Which she carried, and returned to the city, and showed to her mother-in-law; and she also brought forth, and gave her the remnants of her food, with which food she was fulfilled.)
19 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where hast thou gathered this today, and where hast thou done (all) this work? Blessed be he, that had mercy on thee. And Ruth told to her mother(-in-law) with whom she (had) wrought; and she said that the man’s name was called Boaz.
20 To whom Naomi answered, Blessed be he of the Lord, for he [hath] kept also to dead men the same grace, which he gave to the quick. And again she said, He is our kinsman. (To whom Naomi answered, May the Lord bless him; yea, the Lord hath given the same favour to the living, as to the dead. And she said to Ruth, He is our kinsman.)
21 And Ruth said, Also he commanded this thing to me, that so long I should be joined to his reapers, till all his corns were reaped. (And Ruth said, And he also commanded this to me, that I should be joined to his reapers, until all his grain was harvested.)
22 To whom her mother-in-law said, My daughter, it is better, that thou go out to reap with his damsels, lest in another field any man against-stand thee.
23 And so Ruth was joined to the damsels of Boaz; and so long she reaped with them, till both the barley and the wheat were closed in the barns. (And so Ruth was joined to Boaz’s young women; and she worked with them, until all the barley and the wheat were harvested, and enclosed in the barns.)
3 Begin we therefore again to praise us selves? or whether we need, as some men, epistles of praising to you, or of you? [Begin we again to commend, or praise, ourselves? or whether we need, as some, praising letters to you, or of you?]
2 Ye be our epistle, written in our hearts, which is known and read of all men,
3 and made open [and ye be made open], for ye be the epistle of Christ ministered of us, and written, not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living God; not in stone tables [not in stony tables], but in fleshly tables of heart.
4 For we have such trust by Christ to God;
5 not that we be sufficient to think any thing of us[selves], as of us, but our sufficience is of God.
6 Which also made us able ministers of the new testament, not by letter, but by Spirit; for the letter slayeth, but the Spirit quickeneth.
7 And if the ministration of death written by letter in stones [formed by letters in stones] was in glory, so that the children of Israel might not behold into the face of Moses, for the glory of his face, which is voided[a],
8 how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be more in glory?
9 For if the ministration of condemnation was in glory [For why if the ministration of condemnation is in glory], much more the ministration of rightwiseness is plenteous in glory.
10 For neither that that was clear was glorified in this part for the excellent glory;
11 and if that that is voided [for why if that that is voided], was by glory, much more that that dwelleth still is in glory.
12 Therefore we that have such hope, use much trust;
13 and not as Moses laid a veil on his face [and not as Moses put a veil on his face], that the children of Israel should not behold into his face, which veil is voided.
14 But the wits of them be astonished; for [till] into this day the same veil in [the] reading of the old testament dwelleth not showed [dwelleth unshowed], for it is voided in Christ,
15 but [till] into this day, when Moses is read, the veil is put on their hearts [the veil is put upon their hearts].
16 But when Israel shall be converted to God, the veil shall be done away.
17 And the Spirit is the Lord; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.[b]
18 And all we that with open face see the glory of the Lord, be transformed into the same image, from clearness into clearness, as of the Spirit of the Lord. [Forsooth all we with showed face beholding the glory of the Lord, be transformed into the same image, from clearness to clearness, as of the Spirit of the Lord.]
27 Ye have heard that it was said to old men, Thou shalt not do lechery.
28 But I say to you, that every man that seeth a woman [for] to covet her, hath now done lechery by her in his heart [now he hath done lechery with her in his heart].
29 That if thy right eye cause thee to stumble [That if thy right eye offend thee], pull it out, and cast it from thee; for it speedeth to thee, that one of thy members perish, than that all thy body go into hell.
30 And if thy right hand cause thee to stumble [And if thy right hand offend thee], cut it away, and cast [it] from thee; for it speedeth to thee that one of thy members perish, than that all thy body go into hell.
31 And it hath been said, Whoever leaveth his wife, give he to her a bill of forsaking. [Forsooth it is said, Whoever shall leave his wife, give he to her a libel, that is, a little book of forsaking.]
32 But I say to you, that every man that leaveth his wife [that every man that shall leave his wife], except (for) [the] cause of fornication, maketh her to do lechery, and he that weddeth the forsaken wife, doeth adultery.
33 Again ye have heard, that it was said to old men, Thou shalt not forswear, but thou shalt yield thine oaths to the Lord. [Again ye have heard, that it was said to old men, Thou shalt not forswear, but to the Lord thou shalt yield thine oaths.]
34 But I say to you, that ye swear not for any thing [Forsooth I say to you, to not swear on all manner]; neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
35 neither by the earth, for it is the stool of his feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of a great king [for it is the city of the great king];
36 neither thou shalt swear by thine head, for thou mayest not make one hair white, or black;
37 but be your word, Yea, yea; Nay, nay [but your word be Yea, yea; Nay, nay]; and that that is more than these, is of evil.
2001 by Terence P. Noble