Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹²¹ [Ain]. I did doom and rightwiseness; betake thou not me to them that falsely challenge me. (I did what is just and right; so do not thou deliver me up to those who will oppress me.)

¹²² Take up thy servant into goodness; they that be proud challenge not me. (Yea, protect thy servant; let not those who be proud oppress me.)

¹²³ Mine eyes failed into thine health; and into the speech of thy rightfulness. (My eyes fail looking for thy salvation, or for thy deliverance; and for the word of thy righteousness.)

¹²⁴ Do thou with thy servant after thy mercy; and teach thou me thy justifyings. (Do thou with thy servant according to thy love; and teach thou me thy statutes.)

¹²⁵ I am thy servant; give thou understanding to me, that I know thy witnessings (so that I can know thy teachings).

¹²⁶ Lord, it is time to do; they have destroyed thy law. (Lord, it is time to act; for they have destroyed thy Law.)

¹²⁷ Therefore I loved thy commandments; more than gold and topaz. (Truly I love thy commandments; yea, more than gold and topaz.)

¹²⁸ Therefore I was (ad)dressed to all thy behests; I hated all wicked way. (And so I am directed, or guided, by all thy precepts; and I hate all wicked ways.)

²⁹ Also God gave to Solomon wisdom, and prudence full much (and a great deal of prudence), and largeness of heart, as the sand that is in the brink of the sea.

³⁰ And the wisdom of Solomon passed the wisdom of all [the] east men, and Egyptians; (And Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the men of the East, and of all the Egyptians;)

³¹ and he was wiser than all men; he was wiser than Ethan (the) Ezrahite, and than Heman, and than Chalcol, and than Darda, the sons of Mahol; and he was named among all folks by compass.

³² And Solomon spake three thousand parables, and his songs were a thousand and five;

³³ and he disputed of trees, from a cedar which is in Lebanon, till to the hyssop that goeth out of the wall; he disputed of work beasts, and (of) birds, and of creeping beasts, and of fishes.

³⁴ And they came from all peoples to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of [the] earth, that heard his wisdom (who heard of his wisdom).

¹⁰ Here afterward, brethren, be ye comforted in the Lord, and in the might of his virtue.

¹¹ Clothe you with the armour of God, that ye be able to stand against the ambushings [the ambushings, or assailings,] of the devil.

¹² For why striving is not to us against flesh and blood [For striving, or battle, is not to us against flesh and blood], but against [the] princes and potentates, against governors of the world of these darknesses, against spiritual things of wickedness, in heavenly things.

¹³ Therefore take ye the armour of God, that ye be able to against-stand in the evil day; and in all things stand perfect.

¹⁴ Therefore stand ye, and be girded about your loins in soothfastness [Therefore stand ye, girded about your loins in soothfastness], and clothed with the habergeon of rightwiseness,

¹⁵ and your feet shod in making ready of the gospel of peace.

¹⁶ In all things take ye the shield of faith, in which ye be able to quench all the fiery darts of him that is most wicked.^[a]

¹⁷ And take ye the helmet of health, and the sword of the Ghost, that is, the word of God.

¹⁸ By all prayer and beseeching pray ye all time in Spirit, and in him waking in all busyness, and beseeching for all holy men, [By all prayer and beseeching praying all time in Spirit, and in him waking in all busyness, and beseeching for all saints,]