Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

35 The forsaken Judah and (the place) without (a) way shall be glad, and [the] wilderness shall make full out joy, and shall flower as a lily (The deserted Judah and the place without a way shall be happy, and the desert shall rejoice, and shall flower like a lily.)

² It burgeoning shall burgeon, and it glad and praising shall make full out joy. The glory of Lebanon is given to it, the fairness of Carmel and of Sharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the fairness of our God.

³ Comfort ye [the] clumsid hands (Strengthen ye the benumbed hands), and make ye strong [the] feeble knees.

⁴ Say ye, Men of little comfort, be ye comforted, and do not ye dread; lo! our God shall bring the vengeance of yielding, God himself shall come, and shall save us. (Say ye, People of little courage, be ye strengthened, and do not ye fear; lo! our God shall bring the vengeance of punishment, or of retribution, God himself shall come, and shall save us.)

⁵ Then the eyes of blind men shall be opened, and the ears of deaf men shall be open(ed). (Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened.)

⁶ Then a crooked man shall skip as an hart, and the tongue of dumb men shall be opened (Then the lame shall skip like a hart, and the tongues of the dumb shall be loosened, or shall be freed); for why waters be broken out in (the) desert, and streams in (the) wilderness.

⁷ And that that was dry, is made into a pond, and the thirsty is made into wells of waters. [The] Greenness of [the] reed, and of [the] spire shall grow in [the] dens, in which dwelled dragons before (where jackals lived before).

⁸ And a path and a way shall be there, and it shall be called an holy way, (and) he that is defouled shall not pass thereby; and this shall be a straight way to you, so that fools err not thereby (but this shall be a strait, or a narrow, way for you, and fools shall not go astray there).

⁹ A lion shall not be there, and an evil beast shall not ascend thereby, neither shall be found there. And they shall go, that be delivered (But they who be rescued, shall go there);

¹⁰ and (those) again-bought of the Lord; and they shall be converted, and shall come into Zion with praising (and those bought back, or redeemed, by the Lord, shall return, and shall come into Zion with praising); and everlasting gladness shall be on the head(s) of them; they shall have joy and gladness, and sorrow and wailing shall flee away.

⁵ He is blessed, of whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in his Lord God, (He is blessed, whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in the Lord his God,)

⁶ that made heaven, and earth; the sea, and all things that be in those. Which keepeth truth into the world, (who made heaven, and earth; and the sea, and all the creatures that be in them. Who keepeth the truth safe forever,)

⁷ he maketh doom to them that suffer wrong; he giveth meat to them that be hungry. The Lord unbindeth fettered men; (he maketh justice for those who suffer wrong; he giveth food to those who be hungry. The Lord unbindeth the fettered;)

⁸ the Lord lighteneth blind men. The Lord raiseth men hurtled down; the Lord loveth just men. (the Lord giveth light to the blind/the Lord giveth sight to the blind. The Lord raiseth up those who be hurtled down; the Lord loveth the righteous.)

⁹ The Lord keepeth comelings; he shall take up a motherless child, and a widow; and he shall destroy the ways of sinners. (The Lord keepeth newcomers, or strangers, safe/The Lord keepeth watch over newcomers, or strangers; he taketh up the causes of a motherless child, and of a widow; but he destroyeth the ways of the sinners.)

¹⁰ The Lord shall reign into the worlds; Zion, thy God shall reign in generation and into generation. (The Lord shall reign forever; Zion, thy God shall reign for all generations/thy God shall reign in all generations.)

⁴⁶ And Mary said, My soul magnifieth the Lord,

⁴⁷ and my spirit hath gladded in God, mine health [mine health-giver].

⁴⁸ For he hath beheld the meekness of his handmaiden. For lo! of this all generations shall say that I am blessed.^[a]

⁴⁹ For he that is mighty hath done to me great things, and his name is holy.

⁵⁰ And his mercy is from kindred into kindreds [from kindreds into kindreds], to men that dread him.

⁵¹ He made might in his arm, he scattered proud men with the thought of his heart.

⁵² He put down mighty men from their seats, and enhanced meek men.

⁵³ He hath full-filled hungry men with goods [He hath filled hungry men with good things], and he hath left rich men void.

⁵⁴ He, having mind of his mercy, took Israel, his child;

⁵⁵ as he hath spoken to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed, into worlds.

⁷ Therefore, brethren, be ye patient, till to the coming of the Lord. Lo! an earth-tiller abideth [the] precious fruit of the earth, patiently suffering, till he receive timeful and lateful fruit.

⁸ And be ye patient, and confirm ye your hearts, for the coming of the Lord shall approach. [And be ye patient, and confirm your hearts, for the coming of the Lord shall nigh.]

⁹ Brethren, do not ye be sorrowful each to other [Brethren, do not ye be scornful each to other], that ye be not deemed. Lo! the judge standeth nigh before the gate.

¹⁰ Brethren, take ye ensample of evil going out, and of long abiding, and travail [Brethren, take ye example of evil going out, and of long abiding of travail], and of patience, the prophets, that spake to you in the name of the Lord.

² But when John in bonds had heard the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

³ and said to him, Art thou he that shall come, or we abide another [or abide we another]?

⁴ And Jesus answered, and said to them, Go ye, and tell again to John those things that ye have heard and seen. [And Jesus answering, said to them, Ye going tell again to John those things which ye have heard and seen.]

⁵ Blind men see, crooked men go [crooked men wander], mesels be made clean, deaf men hear, dead men rise again, poor men be taken to preaching of the gospel [poor men be preached the gospel].

⁶ And he is blessed, that shall not be caused to stumble in me. [And he is blessed, that shall not be offended in me.]

⁷ And when they were gone away, Jesus began to say of John to the people [Jesus began to say of John to the companies], What thing went ye out into desert to see? a reed waved with the wind?

⁸ Or what thing went ye out to see? a man clothed with soft clothes [But what thing went ye out to see? whether a man clothed with soft clothings]? Lo! they that be clothed with soft clothes be in the houses of kings.

⁹ But what thing went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

¹⁰ For this is he, of whom it is written, Lo! I send mine angel before thy face, that shall make ready thy way before thee [which shall make ready thy way before thee].

¹¹ Truly I say to you, there rose none more than John Baptist among the children of women; but he that is less in the kingdom of heavens, is more than he. [Truly I say to you, none rose greater than John Baptist among the sons of women; forsooth he that is the least in the kingdom of heavens, is more than he.]