Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁸ Lord God of virtues, hear thou my prayer; God of Jacob, perceive thou with ears. (Lord God of hosts, hear thou my prayer; God of Jacob, please listen thou to me.)

⁹ God, our defender, behold thou; and behold into the face of thy christ (and look upon the face of thy anointed king).

¹⁰ For why one day in thine halls is better; than a thousand (elsewhere). I choose to be abject, either an outcast, in the house of my God; more than to dwell in the tabernacles of sinners. (For one day in thy courtyards, is better than a thousand days elsewhere. I would rather choose to be a doorkeeper in the House of my God; than to live in the tents, or in the homes, of the sinners.)

¹¹ For God loveth mercy and truth; the Lord shall give grace and glory. He shall not deprive them from goods, that go in innocence; (For God loveth mercy and faithfulness; and the Lord giveth favour and glory. He will not hold back any good thing, from those who go in innocence/from those who do what is right.)

¹² Lord of virtues, blessed is the man, that hopeth in thee. (Lord of hosts, happy is the person, who trusteth in thee.)

5 (Years later,) Belshazzar, the king, made a great feast to his best men a thousand, and each man drank after his age. (Years later, King Belshazzar had a great feast for a thousand of his best men, and they all drank together.)

² Forsooth the king, then drunken, commanded that the golden and silveren vessels should be brought forth, which Nebuchadnezzar, his father^[a], had borne out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, (so) that the king, and his best men, his wives, and his concubines, should drink in those vessels. (And then the king, now drunk, commanded that the gold and silver vessels should be brought forth, which Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor, had carried out of the Temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king, and his best men, and his wives, and his concubines, could drink out of those vessels.)

³ Then the golden vessels and silveren, which he had borne out of the temple that was in Jerusalem, were brought forth; and the king, and his best men, and his wives, and his concubines, drank in those vessels. (Then the gold and silver vessels, which had been carried out of the Temple that was in Jerusalem, were brought forth; and the king, and his best men, and his wives, and his concubines, drank from those vessels.)

⁴ They drank wine, and praised their gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, and of iron, and of tree, and of stone. (They drank wine, and praised their gods made of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and wood, and stone.)

⁵ In the same hour fingers appeared, as of the hand of a man, writing (over) against the candlestick, in the plain part of the wall of the king’s hall; and the king beheld the fingers of the hand (that was) writing. (In the same hour fingers appeared, like a man’s hand, writing opposite the lamp, on the plain part of the wall of the king’s hall; and the king watched the fingers of the hand that was writing.)

⁶ Then the face of the king was changed, and his thoughts disturbed him; and the jointures of his reins were loosed, and his knees were hurtled to themselves together. (Then the king’s face went pale, and his thoughts disturbed him; and his joints became loose, and his knees were hurtled together against themselves.)

⁷ Therefore the king cried strongly, that they should bring in (the) astronomers, Chaldees, and diviners by looking of altars. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this scripture, and maketh open the interpreting thereof to me, shall be clothed in purple, and he shall have a golden band in the neck, and he shall be the third in my realm. (And so the king loudly cried out, that they should bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the diviners by looking on altars. And then the king spoke, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whoever shall read this writing, and maketh open to me its interpretation, shall be clothed in purple, and he shall have a gold band around his neck, and he shall be the third in power in my kingdom.)

⁸ Then all the wise men of the king entered, and might not read the scripture, neither show to the king the interpreting thereof. (Then all the wise men of the king entered, but they could not read the writing, nor could they tell the king its interpretation.)

⁹ Wherefore king Belshazzar was disturbed enough, and his cheer was changed, but also his best men were disturbed. (And so King Belshazzar was greatly disturbed, and his face was pale, and also his best men were disturbed.)

¹⁰ Forsooth the queen entered into the house of feast, for the thing that had befelled to the king, and (his) best men; and she spake, and said, (O) King, live thou without end. Thy thoughts disturb not thee, and thy face be not changed (Let not thy thoughts disturb thee, and thy face be so pale).

¹¹ A man is in thy realm, that hath the spirit of holy gods in himself, and in the days of thy father knowing and wisdom were found in him; for why and Nebuchadnezzar, thy father, made him prince of astronomers, of enchanters, of Chaldees, and of diviners by looking on altars; soothly thy father, thou king, did this; (There is a man in thy kingdom, who hath the spirit of the holy gods in himself, and in the days of thy predecessor, knowledge and wisdom were found in him; because of this, Nebuchadnezzar, thy predecessor, made him the chief of the astrologers, the enchanters, the Chaldeans, and the diviners by looking on altars; truly thy predecessor, O king, did this;)

¹² for [the] more spirit, and more prudent, and understanding, and interpreting of dreams, and showing of privates, and solving of bound things were found in him, that is, in Daniel, to whom the king putted the name Belteshazzar. Now therefore Daniel be called, and he shall tell the interpreting. (for great ability, and much prudence, or wisdom, and understanding, and the interpreting of dreams, and the revealing of mysteries, or of secrets, and the solving of bound things were found in him, that is, in Daniel, to whom the king gave the name Belteshazzar. And so now let Daniel be called, and he shall tell thee the interpretation.)

5 Therefore I, an even-elder man, and a witness of Christ's passions, which also am a communer of that glory, that shall be showed in time to come; beseech the elder men, that be among you,^[a]

² feed ye the flock of God, that is among you, and purvey ye, not as constrained, but willfully, by God [purveying not constrainingly, but willfully, after God]; not for love of foul winning, but willfully,

³ neither as having lordship in the clergy, but that ye be made ensample to the flock, of will.^[b]

⁴ And when the prince of shepherds shall appear, ye shall receive the crown of glory, that may never fade [that shall never fade].

⁵ Also, ye young men, be ye subject to elder men, and all show ye together meekness^[c]; for the Lord withstandeth proud men, but he giveth grace to meek men.

⁶ Therefore be ye meeked under the mighty hand of God, that he raise you in the time of visitation [that he raise you in the day of visitation],

⁷ and cast ye all your busyness into him, for to him is care of you. [ye casting into him all your busyness, for to him is care of you.]

⁸ Be ye sober, and wake ye, for your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion goeth about, seeking whom he shall devour.

⁹ Whom against stand ye, strong in the faith, witting that the same passion is made to that brotherhood of you, that is in the world [witting the same passion to be done to that your brotherhood, that is in the world].

¹⁰ And God of all grace, that called you into his everlasting glory, you suffering a little [in Christ Jesus], he shall perform, and shall confirm, and shall make firm [he shall perform, shall confirm, and shall make firm].

¹¹ To him be glory and lordship, into worlds of worlds. Amen.