Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
43 God, deem thou me, and separate thou my cause from a folk not holy; deliver thou me from a wicked man, and guileful. (God, judge thou me, and plead my case before an unholy people; save thou me from the wicked, and the deceitful.)
2 For thou art God, my strength; why hast thou put me aback, and why go I sorrowful (and why must I go about in sorrow), while the enemy tormenteth me?
3 Send out thy light, and thy truth; those led me forth, and brought me into thine holy hill, and into thy tabernacles. (Send out thy light, and thy truth; they shall lead me forth, and bring me to thy holy hill, and to thy Temple.)
4 And I shall enter to the altar of God; to God, that gladdeth my youth. God, my God, I shall acknowledge to thee in an harp; (And I shall go to the altar of God; to God, who made the time of my youth happy/to the God of my joy. God, my God, I shall praise thee on the harp.)
5 my soul, why art thou sorry, and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall acknowledge to him; that is the health of my cheer, and my God. (My soul, why art thou feeling so sad? and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet shall I praise him; he is my true help, and my God.)
6 The son honoureth the father, and the servant shall dread his lord; therefore if I am (a) father, where is mine honour? and if I am (a) lord, where is my dread? saith the Lord of hosts. A! ye priests, to you that despise my name; and ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? (The son honoureth the father, and the servant shall fear his lord; so if I am a father, where is my honour? and if I am a lord, where is your fear of me? saith the Lord of hosts./The son honoureth the father, and the servant shall revere, or shall respect, his lord; so if I am a father, where is my honour? and if I am a lord, where is your reverence, or your respect, for me? saith the Lord of hosts. O! ye priests, to you who despise my name; and ye say, How have we despised thy name?)
7 Ye offer on mine altar defouled, either unclean, bread, and ye say, Wherein have we defouled thee? In that thing that ye say, The board of the Lord is despised. (Ye offer on my altar defiled, or unclean, food, and ye say, How have we defiled thee? Because ye say, The table of the Lord can be despised/The Lord’s altar is contemptible, or is worthy to be despised.)
8 If ye offer a blind beast to be sacrificed, whether it is not evil? And if ye offer a crooked and sick beast, whether it is not evil? Offer thou it to thy duke, if it shall please him, either if he shall receive thy face, saith the Lord of hosts. (If ye offer a blind beast to be sacrificed, is that not evil? And if ye offer a lame, or a sick, beast, is that not evil? Offer thou it to thy ruler, and see if it shall please him, or if he shall even receive thee, saith the Lord of hosts.)
9 And now beseech ye the cheer of the Lord, that he have mercy on you; for of your hand this thing is done, if in any manner he receive your faces, saith the Lord of hosts. (And now, beseech ye before the Lord’s face, that he should have mercy upon you, for this thing is done by your hand, and also if there is any way that he shall receive you, saith the Lord of hosts.)
10 Who is in you that closeth doors, and burneth (on) mine altar of his own will, either freely? Will is not to me in you, saith the Lord of hosts; and I shall not receive a gift of your hand. (Who is there among you who shall close the Temple doors, and so not allow anything to be burned upon my altar? I take no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts; and I shall not receive any gift from your hands.)
11 For from the rising of the sun till to the going down, my name is great among heathen men; and in each place a clean offering is sacrificed, and offered to my name; for my name is great among heathen men, saith the Lord of hosts. (For from the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, my name is great among the heathen; and in each place a clean, or a pure, offering is sacrificed, and offered in my name; for my name is great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.)
12 And ye have defouled it in that that ye say, The board of the Lord is defouled, and that that is put above is contemptible, or worthy for to be despised, with [the] fire that devoureth it. (But ye have defiled it because ye say, The table of the Lord, or the Lord’s altar, can be defiled, and that the food that is put upon it is contemptible, or is worthy to be despised, by the fire that devoureth it.)
13 And ye said, Lo! of travail; and ye have blown it away, saith the Lord of hosts. And ye brought in of ravens a crooked thing, and sick, and brought in (as) a gift; whether I shall receive it of your hand? saith the Lord. (And ye said, Lo! so much trouble!/how wearisome! and ye have blown it all away, saith the Lord of hosts. And then ye have brought in from your robberies a lame thing, or a sick thing, and brought it in as a gift; shall I receive it from your hand? saith the Lord. No!)
14 Cursed is the guileful, that hath in his flock a male beast, and he making a vow, offereth a feeble beast to the Lord; for I am a great king, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is dreadful among folks. (Cursed is the deceiver, who hath in his flock a male beast, yet when making a vow, he offereth a sick, or a weak, beast to the Lord; for I am a great King, saith the Lord of hosts, and my name is feared among the heathen.)
2 And now, A! ye priests, this commandment is to you. (And now, O! ye priests, this command, or this decree, is for you.)
2 If ye will (not) hear, and if ye will not put on the heart, that ye give glory to my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I shall send neediness into you, and I shall curse your blessings; and I shall curse them, for ye have not put on the heart. (If ye will not listen to me, and if ye will not put it in your hearts, that ye should give glory to my name, saith the Lord of hosts, I shall send need, or want, into you, and I shall curse your blessings; yea, I shall curse them, for ye have not put it in your hearts.)
3 Lo! I shall cast forth to you the arm, and I shall scatter on your face the drit of your solemnities, and it shall take you with it. (Lo! I shall cut off your arms, that is, I shall punish your children, and I shall rub the dirt, or the dung, from the animals that you offer at your solemn feasts, all over your faces, and then you shall be taken away with it.)
4 And ye shall know, that I sent to you this commandment, that my covenant were with Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. (And ye shall know, that I have given you this command, or that I have issued this decree, so that my covenant with the Levites shall not be broken, saith the Lord of hosts./And ye shall know, that I have given you this command, or that I have issued this decree, that my covenant with the Levites is finished, or is over, saith the Lord of hosts.)
5 My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave to him a dread, and he dreaded me, and he dreaded of the face of my name. (My covenant for life and peace was with them; and I gave them the fear of me, and they did fear me, and they were afraid before my name/and I gave them reverence, or respect, for me, and they did revere, or respect, me, and they did have reverence, or awe, before my name.)
6 The law of truth was in his mouth, and wickedness was not found in his lips; in peace and in equity he walked with me, and he turned away many men from wickedness. (The Law of Truth was in their mouths, and wickedness was not found on their lips; they walked with me in peace and in uprightness, and they turned many people away from wickedness.)
7 For the lips of a priest keep knowing, and they shall again-seek the law of his mouth, for he is the angel of the Lord of hosts. (For a priest’s lips should guard my gift of knowledge, and my people should seek the Law from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.)
8 But ye went away from the way, and caused to stumble full many in the law; ye made void the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. (But then ye went away from the way, and have caused a great many to stumble in the Law; ye priests have made void my covenant with the Levites, saith the Lord of hosts.)
9 For the which thing and I gave you worthy to be contemptible, either worthy to be despised, and bowed to all peoples, as ye kept not my ways, and took a face [of a person] in the law. (For which thing I made you worthy to be contemptible, or worthy to be despised, and bowed low before all the people of Israel, for ye have not kept my ways, and ye took a face of a person in the law, that is, ye have shown partiality.)
13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that close the kingdom of heavens before men; and ye enter not, neither suffer other men entering to enter[a].
14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that eat the houses of widows, and pray by long prayer; for this thing ye shall take the more doom.
15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that go about the sea and the land, to make one proselyte [that compass the sea and the land, to make one proselyte, that is, converted to your order]; and when he is made, ye make him a son of hell, double more than ye be [double more than you].
16 Woe to you, blind leaders, that say, Whoever sweareth by the temple of God, it is nothing; but he that sweareth in the gold of the temple, is debtor.[b]
17 Ye fools and blind, for what is greater, the gold, or the temple that halloweth the gold?
18 And whoever sweareth in the altar [And whoever shall swear in the altar], it is nothing; but he that sweareth in the gift that is on the altar, oweth [is debtor].
19 Blind men, for what is more, the gift, or the altar that halloweth the gift?
20 Therefore he that sweareth in the altar, sweareth in it, and in all things that be thereon.
21 And he that sweareth in the temple, sweareth in it, and in him that dwelleth in the temple.
22 And he that sweareth in heaven, sweareth in the throne of God, and in him that sitteth thereon.
23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that tithe mint, anise, and cummin, and have left those things that be of more charge of the law, doom, and mercy, and faith. And it behooved to do these things [And these things it behooved, or needed, to do], and not to leave those.
24 Blind leaders, cleansing a gnat, but swallowing a camel.
25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that cleanse the cup and the platter withoutforth [that make clean that thing of the cup and of the platter, that is withoutforth]; but within ye be full of raven and uncleanness.
26 Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the cup and the platter withinforth, that that that is withoutforth be made clean.[c]
27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, that be like to sepulchres whited [that be like to sepulchres made white], which withoutforth seem fair to men; but within they be full of bones of dead men, and of all filth.
28 So [and] ye withoutforth seem just to men [So and ye forsooth withoutforth appear rightful to men]; but within ye be full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
2001 by Terence P. Noble