Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵ Nevertheless, my soul, be thou subject to God; for my patience is of him. (Nevertheless, my soul, be thou made subject under God; for my hope of deliverance is in him.)

⁶ For he is my God, and my saviour; mine helper, I shall not pass out. (For he is my God, and my saviour; my helper, and I shall not be moved, or shaken.)

⁷ Mine health, and my glory is in God; God is the giver of mine help, and mine hope is in God. (My salvation, or my deliverance, and my glory be in God; God is the giver of my help, and my trust is in God.)

⁸ All the gathering together of the people, hope ye in God, pour ye out your hearts before him; God is our helper [into] without end (All the gathering together of the people, trust ye in God, pour ye out your hearts before him; God shall be our helper forever.)

⁹ Nevertheless the sons of men be (all in) vain; the sons of men be liars in balances, that they deceive of vanity into the same thing. (Nevertheless the lives of the sons and daughters of men be but a puff of air; yea, the sons and daughters of men all be liars, and if you put them on a balance, their lives shall be lighter than a breath, or a puff of air.)

¹⁰ Do not ye have hope in wickedness, and do not ye covet ravens; if riches be plenteous, do not ye set the heart thereto. (Do not ye have trust in wickedness, and do not ye desire, or lust after, stolen goods; if riches be plentiful, do not ye set your heart on it.)

¹¹ God spake once, I heard these two things; that power is of God (that power belongeth to God),

¹² and, thou Lord, mercy is to thee; for thou shalt yield to each man by his works. (and, O Lord, that true love is from thee; for thou shalt yield to each person according to his works.)

⁷ (O) Lord, thou deceivedest me, and I am deceived; thou were stronger than I, and thou haddest the mastery; I am made into scorn all day. All men bemock me,

⁸ for now a while ago I spake, crying [out] wickedness, and I cried (out) destroying. And the word of the Lord is made to me into shame, and into scorn all day. (for a while now I have spoken, crying out against wickedness, and against destruction. But the word of the Lord hath only brought me shame, and scorn, each day.)

⁹ And I said, I shall not have mind on him, and I shall no more speak in his name. And the word of the Lord was made, as fire swelling in mine heart, and closed in my bones; and I failed, not suffering to bear. (And so I said, I shall not remember him, and I shall no longer speak in the Lord’s name. But the word of the Lord was made to me like a fire swelling in my heart, and enclosed in my bones; and I failed, and could not bear it, and so I had to speak it out.)

¹⁰ For I heard despisings of many men, and dread in compass, (and they said,) Pursue ye, and pursue we him, of all men that were peaceable to me, and keeping my side; if in any manner he be deceived, and we have the mastery against him, and get vengeance of him. (For I heard the despising of many people, and fear was all around, and they said, Pursue ye, yea, let us pursue him, even from all those who were peaceable to me, and on my side; yea, they said, perhaps he can be deceived, and we shall have the mastery over him, and take vengeance upon him.)

¹¹ Forsooth the Lord as a strong warrior is with me, therefore they that pursue me shall fall, and they shall be feeble; and they shall be shamed greatly (and they shall be greatly shamed), for they understood not (about) everlasting shame, that shall never be done away.

¹² And thou, Lord of hosts, the prover of a just man, which seest the reins and [the] heart, I beseech, see I thy vengeance of them; for I have showed my cause to thee. (And thou, Lord of hosts, the prover of the just, who seest the reins and the heart, I beseech thee, let me see thy vengeance upon them; for I have shown my cause to thee./And thou, Lord of hosts, the tester of the righteous, who seest the depths of the heart, I beseech thee, let me see thy vengeance upon them; for I have stated my case to thee.)

¹³ Sing ye to the Lord, praise ye the Lord, for he delivered the soul of a poor man from the hand of evil men. (Sing ye to the Lord, praise ye the Lord, for he rescued the souls of the poor from the hands, or the power, of evil people.)

3 Lo! ye most dear-worthy brethren, I write to you this second epistle [Lo! I write to you, most dear, this second epistle], in which I stir your clear soul by admonishing together,

² that ye be mindful of those words [that ye be mindful of the words], that I before-said of the holy prophets, and of the commandments of the holy apostles of the Lord and Saviour.

³ First know ye this thing, that in the last days deceivers shall come in deceit [First knowing this thing, that in the last days scorners shall come in deceit], going after their own covetings,

⁴ saying, Where is the promise, or the coming of him? for since the fathers died, all things last from the beginning of creature [for since fathers slept, either died, so all things last from the beginning of creature].

⁵ But it is hid from them willing this thing, that heavens were before, and the earth of water was standing by water, by God's word [that heavens were first, and the earth of water and by water being, or standing, together by God's word];

⁶ by which [things] that same world cleansed, then by water perished.

⁷ But the heavens that now be, and the earth, be kept by the same word, and be reserved to fire into the day of doom and perdition of wicked men. [Forsooth the heavens that now be, and the earth, by the same word put again, be kept to fire into the day of doom and perdition of unpious men.]