Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

6 Hear ye which things the Lord speaketh. Rise thou, strive thou by doom against mountains, and little hills hear thy voice. (Listen ye to what the Lord saith. Rise thou, state thy case to the mountains, and let the little hills hear thy voice.)

² Mountains and the strong foundaments of earth, hear the doom of the Lord; for the doom of the Lord shall be with his people, and he shall be deemed with Israel. (O mountains and the strong foundations of the earth, listen to the Lord’s case; for the Lord hath a case against his people, and he shall judge Israel.)

³ My people, what have I done to thee, either (in) what was I grievous to thee? Answer thou to me. (My people, what have I done to thee, or how have I grieved thee? Answer thou me.)

⁴ For I led thee out of the land of Egypt, and of the house of servage I delivered thee; and I sent before thy face Moses, and Aaron, and Mary. (For I led thee out of the land of Egypt, and I brought thee out of the house of servitude, or of slavery; and I sent thee Moses, and Aaron, and Miriam.)

⁵ My people, bethink, I pray, what Balak, king of Moab, thought, and what Balaam, son of Beor, of Shittim, answered to him till to Gilgal, that thou shouldest know the rightwiseness of the Lord. (My people, remember, I pray thee, what Balak, the king of Moab, thought, or planned, to do against you, and what Balaam, the son of Beor, answered to him; remember the journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that thou shalt know the Lord’s righteousness.)

⁶ What worthy thing shall I offer to the Lord? shall I bow the knee to the high God? Whether shall I offer to him brunt sacrifices, and calves of one year? (What worthy thing shall I offer to the Lord? shall I bow my knee to the Most High God? Shall I offer him burnt sacrifices, and one year old calves?)

⁷ Whether God may be satisfied in thousands of wethers, either in many thousands of fat goat bucks? Whether I shall give my first begotten for my great trespass, the fruit of my womb for sin of my soul? (Can God truly be satisfied even with thousands of rams, or with many thousands of fat goat bucks? Shall I give my first begotten son for my great trespass, yea, the fruit of my womb for the sin of my soul?)

⁸ I shall show to thee, thou man, what is good, and what the Lord asketh of thee; forsooth for to do doom, and for to love mercy, and be busy for to walk with thy God. (I shall tell thee, ye people, what is good, and what the Lord asketh of thee; and that is, to act rightly, or with justice, and to love mercy/and to love mercifully, and to be busy, or committed, to walk with thy God.)

15 The psalm of David. Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle; either who shall rest in thine holy hill? (The song of David. Lord, who shall rest in thy Temple? who shall live on thy holy hill?)

² He that entereth without wem; and worketh rightfulness. He that speaketh truth in his heart; (He who goeth on the way without blemish, or without fault; and doeth what is right. He who speaketh the truth from his heart;)

³ which did not guile in his tongue. Nor did evil to his neighbour; and took not reproof against his neighbours. (and did not deceive with his tongue. Yea, he who did no evil to his neighbours; nor took up any reproach, or spreadeth any rumour, against them.)

⁴ A wicked man is brought to nought in his sight; but he glorifieth them that dread the Lord. He that sweareth to his neighbour, and deceiveth him not; (He who regardeth the wicked as worthless; but he honoureth those who fear the Lord/those who revere the Lord. He who sweareth an oath, or who promiseth, to his neighbour, and deceiveth him not;)

⁵ which gave not his money to usury; and took not gifts upon the innocent. He, that doeth these things, shall not be moved [into] without end. (who did not put out his money to usury; and who took no gifts, or bribes, to be against the innocent. He, who doeth these things, shall never be moved, or shaken, from his secure place in the Lord.)

¹⁸ For the word of the cross is folly to them that perish; but to them that be made safe, that is to say, to us, it is the virtue of God.

¹⁹ For it is written, I shall destroy the wisdom of wise men [I shall lose the wisdom of wise men], and I shall reprove the prudence of prudent men.

²⁰ Where is the wise man? where is the wise lawyer [where is the writer, or man of law]? where is the purchaser of this world? Whether God hath not made the wisdom of this world fond [Whether God hath not made the wisdom of this world foolish]?

²¹ For the world in wisdom of God knew not God by wisdom [For why for in the wisdom of God the world knew not God by wisdom], it pleased to God, by [the] folly of preaching, to make them safe that believed.

²² For Jews seek signs, and Greeks seek wisdom;

²³ but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews cause of stumbling [to Jews soothly offence], and to heathen men folly;

²⁴ but to those Jews and Greeks that be called, we preach Christ the virtue of God and the wisdom of God. [forsooth to them called, Jews and Greeks, Christ the virtue of God, and the wisdom of God.]

²⁵ For that that is folly thing of God, is wiser than men; and that that is the feeble thing of God [and that that is the sick thing, or frail, of God], is stronger than men.

²⁶ But, brethren, see ye your calling [Forsooth, see ye your calling, brethren]; for not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.

²⁷ But God chose those things that be fond of the world, to confound wise men; and God chose the feeble things of the world, to confound the strong things; [But God chose those things that be foolish of the world, that he confound wise men; and God chose the sick things, or frail, of the world, that he confound the strong things;]

²⁸ and God chose the unnoble things and despisable things of the world, and those things that be not, to destroy those things that be;

²⁹ that each man have not glory in his sight. [that each flesh, or man, glory not in his sight.]

³⁰ But of him ye be in Christ Jesus, which is made of God to us wisdom, and rightwiseness, and holiness, and again-buying;

³¹ that, as it is written, He that glorieth, have glory in the Lord [He that glorieth, glory in the Lord].

5 And Jesus, seeing the people, went up into the hill; and when he was set, his disciples came to him.^[a]

² And he opened his mouth, and taught them, and said [saying],

³ Blessed be poor men in spirit, for the kingdom of heavens is theirs. [Blessed be the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.]

⁴ Blessed be mild men [Blessed mild], for they shall wield the earth.

⁵ Blessed be they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

⁶ Blessed be they that hunger and thirst rightwiseness, for they shall be fulfilled [for they shall be filled].

⁷ Blessed be merciful men [Blessed the merciful], for they shall get mercy.

⁸ Blessed be they that be of clean heart, for they shall see God.

⁹ Blessed be peaceable men, for they shall be called God's children. [Blessed the peaceable, for they shall be called the sons of God.]

¹⁰ Blessed be they that suffer persecution for rightwiseness, for the kingdom of heavens is theirs [for the kingdom of heaven is theirs].

¹¹ Blessed be ye, when men shall curse you, and shall pursue you [and pursue you], and shall say all evil against you lying, for me.

¹² Joy ye, and be ye glad [full out], for your meed is plenteous in heavens; for so they have pursued the prophets also that were before you.