Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

32 By David. -- An Instruction. O the happiness of him whose transgression [is] forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

² O the happiness of a man, To whom Jehovah imputeth not iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ When I have kept silence, become old have my bones, Through my roaring all the day.

⁴ When by day and by night Thy hand is heavy upon me, My moisture hath been changed Into the droughts of summer. Selah.

⁵ My sin I cause Thee to know, And mine iniquity I have not covered. I have said, `I confess concerning My transgressions to Jehovah,' And Thou -- Thou hast taken away, The iniquity of my sin. Selah.

⁶ For this doth every saintly one pray to Thee, As the time to find. Surely at an overflowing of many waters, Unto him they come not.

⁷ Thou [art] a hiding-place for me, From distress Thou dost keep me, [With] songs of deliverance dost compass me. Selah.

⁸ I cause thee to act wisely, And direct thee in the way that thou goest, I cause mine eye to take counsel concerning thee.

⁹ Be ye not as a horse -- as a mule, Without understanding, With bridle and bit, its ornaments, to curb, Not to come near unto thee.

¹⁰ Many [are] the pains of the wicked; As to him who is trusting in Jehovah, Kindness doth compass him.

¹¹ Be glad in Jehovah, and rejoice, ye righteous, And sing, all ye upright of heart!

4 And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceiveth and beareth Cain, and saith, `I have gotten a man by Jehovah;'

² and she addeth to bear his brother, even Abel. And Abel is feeding a flock, and Cain hath been servant of the ground.

³ And it cometh to pass at the end of days that Cain bringeth from the fruit of the ground a present to Jehovah;

⁴ and Abel, he hath brought, he also, from the female firstlings of his flock, even from their fat ones; and Jehovah looketh unto Abel and unto his present,

⁵ and unto Cain and unto his present He hath not looked; and it is very displeasing to Cain, and his countenance is fallen.

⁶ And Jehovah saith unto Cain, `Why hast thou displeasure? and why hath thy countenance fallen?

⁷ Is there not, if thou dost well, acceptance? and if thou dost not well, at the opening a sin-offering is crouching, and unto thee its desire, and thou rulest over it.'

⁸ And Cain saith unto Abel his brother, [`Let us go into the field;'] and it cometh to pass in their being in the field, that Cain riseth up against Abel his brother, and slayeth him.

⁹ And Jehovah saith unto Cain, `Where [is] Abel thy brother?' and he saith, `I have not known; my brother's keeper -- I?'

¹⁰ And He saith, `What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood is crying unto Me from the ground;

¹¹ and now, cursed [art] thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive the blood of thy brother from thy hand;

¹² when thou tillest the ground, it doth not add to give its strength to thee -- a wanderer, even a trembling one, thou art in the earth.'

¹³ And Cain saith unto Jehovah, `Greater is my punishment than to be borne;

¹⁴ lo, Thou hast driven me to-day from off the face of the ground, and from Thy face I am hid; and I have been a wanderer, even a trembling one, in the earth, and it hath been -- every one finding me doth slay me.'

¹⁵ And Jehovah saith to him, `Therefore -- of any slayer of Cain sevenfold it is required;' and Jehovah setteth to Cain a token that none finding him doth slay him.

¹⁶ And Cain goeth out from before Jehovah, and dwelleth in the land, moving about east of Eden;

¹⁴ Having, then, a great chief priest passed through the heavens -- Jesus the Son of God -- may we hold fast the profession,

¹⁵ for we have not a chief priest unable to sympathise with our infirmities, but [one] tempted in all things in like manner -- apart from sin;

¹⁶ we may come near, then, with freedom, to the throne of the grace, that we may receive kindness, and find grace -- for seasonable help.

5 For every chief priest -- out of men taken -- in behalf of men is set in things [pertaining] to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins,

² able to be gentle to those ignorant and going astray, since himself also is compassed with infirmity;

³ and because of this infirmity he ought, as for the people, so also for himself to offer for sins;

⁴ and no one to himself doth take the honour, but he who is called by God, as also Aaron:

⁵ so also the Christ did not glorify himself to become chief priest, but He who spake unto him: `My Son thou art, I to-day have begotten thee;'

⁶ as also in another [place] He saith, `Thou [art] a priest -- to the age, according to the order of Melchisedek;'

⁷ who in the days of his flesh both prayers and supplications unto Him who was able to save him from death -- with strong crying and tears -- having offered up, and having been heard in respect to that which he feared,

⁸ through being a Son, did learn by the things which he suffered -- the obedience,

⁹ and having been made perfect, he did become to all those obeying him a cause of salvation age-during,

¹⁰ having been addressed by God a chief priest, according to the order of Melchisedek,