Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
142 The learning of David; his prayer, when he was in the den. With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I prayed heartily to the Lord. (The teaching of David; his prayer, when he was in the cave. With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I heartily prayed to the Lord.)
2 I shedded out my prayer in his sight; and I pronounce(d) my tribulation before him. (I poured out my complaints before him; and I told him about all my troubles.)
3 While my spirit faileth of me; and thou hast known my paths. In this way in which I went; proud men hid a snare to me. (Yea, when my spirit failed within me; thou knewest which path I should take. For on the way in which I went; proud people hid a snare for me.)
4 I beheld to the right side, and I saw; and none there was that knew me. Flight perished from me; and none there is that seeketh (to help) my soul. (I looked to the right; and I saw, that there was no one there who knew me. I had no way to escape; there was no one to rescue me.)
5 Lord, I cried to thee; I said, Thou art mine hope; my part in the land of livers. (Lord, I cried to thee; I said, Thou art my only hope, my portion in the land of the living.)
6 Give thou attention to my beseeching; for I am made low full greatly. Deliver thou me from them that pursue me; for they be comforted on me. (Give thou attention to my plea; for I am brought down so very low. Save thou me from those who pursue me; for they be stronger than me.)
7 Lead my soul out of keeping to acknowledge to thy name; just men abide me, till thou yield to me. (Lead me out of this prison, so that I can praise thy name; the righteous shall gather around me, when thou shalt reward me.)
9 I saw the Lord standing on the altar, and he said, Smite thou the hinge(s), and the over-thresholds, either lintels, be moved (al)together; for avarice is in the head of all, and I shall slay by sword the last of them; there shall no flight be to them, and he that shall flee of them, shall not be saved. (I saw the Lord standing by the altar, and he said, Strike thou the hinges, and the lintels be shaken; for greed is in all their hearts, and I shall kill all of them with the sword; there shall be no escape for them, and even he who shall flee, shall not be saved.)
2 If they shall go down till to hell, from thence mine hand shall lead out them; and if they shall ascend till to heaven, from thence I shall draw them down. (Yea, if they shall go down to Sheol, or the land of the dead, my hand shall bring them out of there; and if they shall go up to heaven, I shall pull them down from there.)
3 And if they shall be hid in the top of Carmel, from thence I seeking shall do them away (And if they shall be hidden on top of Mount Carmel, I shall seek them out there, and I shall do them away); and if they shall hide themselves from mine eyes in the deepness of the sea, there I shall command a serpent, and it shall bite them, (and devour them).
4 And if they shall go away into captivity before their enemies, there I shall command to sword, and it shall slay them. And I shall put mine eyes on them into evil, and not into good. (And if they be taken away into captivity by their enemies, I shall command to the sword there, and it shall kill them. I shall look upon them for evil, and not for good/I shall look at them to do evil, and not to do good.)
12 And when the day was come, some of the Jews gathered them(selves), and made a vow, and said [saying], that they should neither eat, nor drink, till they slew Paul.
13 And there were more than forty men, that made this swearing together [that made this conjuration, or swearing together].
14 And they went to the princes of priests, and elder men, and said, With devotion we have avowed [us], that we shall not taste any thing, till we have slain Paul.
15 Now therefore make ye known to the tribune, with the council, that he bring him forth to you, as if ye should know something more certainly of him; and we be ready to slay him, before that he come [nigh].
16 And when the son of Paul's sister had heard the ambush, he came, and entered into the castles, and told to Paul. [Which thing when the son of Paul's sister had heard the ambush, or treason, he came, and entered into the castles, and told Paul.]
17 And Paul called to him one of the centurions, and said, Lead this young man to the tribune, for he hath something to show to him.
18 And he took him, and led to the tribune, and said, Paul, that is bound, prayed me to lead to thee this young man, that hath something to speak to thee.
19 And the tribune took his hand, and went with him asides half, and asked him, What thing is it, that thou hast to show to me?
20 And he said, The Jews be accorded to pray thee, that to morrow thou bring forth Paul into the council, as if they should inquire something more certainly of him.
21 But believe thou not to them; for more than forty men of them ambush him, which have avowed, that they shall neither eat nor drink, till they slay him; and now they be ready, abiding thy promise.
22 Therefore the tribune let go the young man [Therefore the tribune left the young man], and commanded, that he should speak to no man, that he had made these things known to him.
23 And he called together two centurions, and he said to them, Make ye ready two hundred knights, that they go to Caesarea, and horsemen seventy, and spearmen two hundred, from the third hour of the night.
24 And make ye ready an horse, for Paul to ride on, to lead him safe to Felix, the president[a]. For the tribune dreaded, lest the Jews would take him by the way, and slay him, and afterward he might be challenged, as he had taken money.
25 [And] He wrote to him an epistle, containing these things.
26 Claudius Lysias to the best Felix, president, health.
27 This man that was taken of the Jews, and began to be slain, I came upon them with mine host, and delivered him from them, when I knew that he was a Roman.[b]
28 And I would know the cause, which they putted against him; and I led him to the council of them. [And I willing to know the cause, which they put against him, led him into the council of them.]
29 And I found, that he was accused of questions of their law, but he had no crime worthy the death, either bonds. [Whom I found to be accused of questions of the law of them, forsooth having no crime worthy the death, or bonds.]
30 And when it was told me of the ambush, that they arrayed for him, I sent him to thee, and I warned also the accusers, that they say at thee. Farewell.[c]
31 And so the knights, as they were commanded [Soothly knights, after thing commanded to them], took Paul, and led him by night into Antipatris.
32 And in the day following, when the horsemen were left, that [they] should go with him, they turned again to the castles.
33 And when they came to Caesarea, they took the epistle to the president, and they set also Paul before him. [Which when they came to Caesarea, and took the epistle to the president, they set before him also Paul.]
34 And when he had read, and asked, of what province he was, and knew that he was of Cilicia,
35 I shall hear thee, he said, when thine accusers [shall] come. And he commanded him to be kept in the moot hall of Herod.
2001 by Terence P. Noble