Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

53 To the overcomer by the quire, the learning of David. The unwise man said in his heart, God is not. They be corrupt, and made abominable in their wickednesses; none is that doeth good. (To the overcomer, or the victor, the teaching of David. The fool said in his heart, There is no God. Such men be corrupt, and they be made abominable in their wickednesses; there is no one who doeth good, no not one.)^[a]

² God beheld from heaven on the sons of men; that he see, if there is any understanding, either seeking God. (God looked down from heaven on the sons and daughters of men; to see if there is anyone who hath understanding, or is seeking God.)

³ All bowed away, they be made unprofitable (al)together; none is that doeth good, there is not till to one. (But they all have turned away, they all be made utterly unredeemable; there is no one who doeth good, no not one.)

⁴ Whether all men, that work wickedness, shall not know; which devour my people, as the meat of bread? They called not God; (Surely all those, who do evil, already know this; yea, they who devour my people, like people eat bread. They do not call on the Lord;)

⁵ there they trembled for dread, where no dread was. For God hath scattered the bones of them, that please men; they be shamed, for God hath forsaken them. (but they trembled there in fear, like never before. For God hath scattered the bones of those who please people; they be put to shame, for God hath deserted, or hath despised, them.)

⁶ Who shall give from Zion health to Israel? when the Lord hath turned the captivity of his people, Jacob shall full out make joy, and Israel shall be glad. (Who shall give victory/Who shall give salvation, or deliverance, to Israel out of Zion? When the Lord hath returned the prosperity of his people, then Jacob shall make full out joy, or rejoice; yea, Israel shall be glad.)

²³ Forsooth the station of Philistines went out, that it should pass into Michmash. (And the Philistines’ garrison went out to the Michmash Pass.)

14 And it befelled in a day, that Jonathan, the son of Saul, said to his squire, a young man, Come thou, and pass we (over) to the station of the Philistines, which is beyond that place; soothly he showed not this same thing to his father. (And it befell one day, that Saul’s son Jonathan, said to the young man who was his squire, Come thou, and go we over to the Philistines’ station, or post, which is beyond that place over there; but he did not tell this to his father.)

² And Saul dwelled in the last part of Gibeah, under a pomegranate tree, that was in the field of Gibeah; and the people as of six hundred men was with him. (And Saul remained in the last part of Gibeah, under a pomegranate tree, that was in Migron; and the people who were with him were about six hundred men.)

³ And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, [the] brother of Ichabod, the son of Phinehas, that was engendered of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, bare the ephod, that is, the priest’s cloak; but also the people knew not whither Jonathan had gone (and the people did not know that Jonathan had gone).

⁴ And betwixt the goings up, by which Jonathan endeavoured to pass to the station of (the) Philistines, were stones standing forth on ever either side, and scars broken before, by the manner of teeth, on each side (and broken scarps on each side, like teeth); (the) name to the one was Bozez, and (the) name to the tother was Seneh;

⁵ one scar was standing forth to the north (over) against Michmash, and the tother scar to the south (over) against Gibeah. (one scarp was to the north, facing Michmash, and the other scarp was to the south, facing Gibeah.)

⁶ And Jonathan said to his young squire, Come thou, pass we (over) to the station of these uncircumcised men, if in hap the Lord do (battle) for us; for it is not hard to the Lord to save, either in many, either in few (for it is not hard for the Lord to keep a man safe, yea, either a few, or many).

⁷ And his squire said to him, Do thou all things that please thy soul; go whither thou covetest, I shall be with thee, wherever thou wilt.

⁸ And Jonathan said, Lo! we pass (over) to these men; and when we appear to them,

⁹ if they speak thus to us, Dwell ye (Stay ye), till we come to you; stand we in our place, and go we not up to them.

¹⁰ And if they say, Go ye up to us; go we up to them, for the Lord hath betaken them into our hands; this shall be a sign to us. (But if they say, Come ye up to us; then we shall go up to them, for the Lord hath delivered them into our hands; this shall be a sign to us.)

¹¹ Therefore ever either appeared to the station of Philistines (And so they both appeared before the Philistines’ station); and the Philistines said, Lo! the Hebrews go out of [the] caves, in which they were hid.

¹² And men of the station spake to Jonathan and to his squire, and said, Go ye up to us, and we shall show to you a thing. And Jonathan said to his squire, Ascend we, follow thou me; for the Lord hath betaken them into the hands of Israel. (And the men of the station said to Jonathan and his squire, Come ye over to us, and we shall show you a thing or two. And Jonathan said to his squire, Go we up to them, follow thou me; for the Lord hath delivered them into the hands of Israel.)

¹³ And Jonathan went up, creeping on hands and feet, and his squire after him; and when they had seen the face of Jonathan, some felled down before Jonathan, his squire killed others, and followed him (and when they were face to face with Jonathan, he killed some, and his squire killed some others, following his master).

¹⁴ And the first wound was made, which Jonathan and his squire smote, as of twenty men, in the middle part of land, which a pair of oxen was wont to ear in the day. (And so the first attack was made, in which Jonathan and his squire killed about twenty men, in the middle part of a field which a pair of oxen could plow in a day.)

¹⁵ And a miracle was done in the Philistines’ tents, and by their fields, but also all the people of the Philistines’ station that went out to take prey, dreaded, and their tents were troubled; and it befelled as a miracle of God. (And so terror spread across that field, and among the Philistines’ host, or army, and all the people at the Philistines’ station who went out to take prey were afraid, and the army was greatly troubled; and so it befell as a miracle of God.)

¹⁶ And the espyers of Saul beheld this doing, that were in Gibeah of Benjamin, and lo! a multitude of the Philistines was cast down, and fleeing away hither and thither. (And Saul’s watchmen, who were in Gibeah of Benjamin, beheld this event, and lo! many Philistines were thrown down, and others fled away here and there.)

¹⁷ And Saul said to the people that were with him, Seek ye, and see ye, who went away from us. And when they had sought, it was found, that Jonathan and his squire were not present.

¹⁸ And Saul said to Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of the Lord; for the ark of God was there in that time with the sons of Israel. (And Saul said to Ahiah, Bring the ephod here; for at that time Ahiah carried the ephod before the Israelites.)

¹⁹ And when Saul spake to the priest, a great noise (a)rose in the tents of the Philistines; and it increased little and little, and it sounded more clearly. And Saul said to the priest, Withdraw thine hand (And Saul said to the priest, Hold back thy hand!).

²⁰ Therefore Saul cried, and all the people that was with him; and they came unto the place of battle, and, lo! the sword of each man was turned to his neighbour, and a full great slaying was. (And then Saul and all the people who were with him cried together; and they came to the place of the battle, and, lo! the sword of each man was turned against his neighbour, and there was a very great slaughter.)

²¹ But also the Hebrews that were with (the) Philistines yesterday and the third day ago, and had gone up with them in(to) their tents, turned again to be with the men of Israel, that were with Saul and Jonathan.

²² Also all the men of Israel, that had hid themselves in the hill (country) of Ephraim, heard that the Philistines had fled; and they fellowshipped themselves with their men in [the] battle, and as ten thousand of men were with Saul (and about ten thousand men were with Saul).

²³ And the Lord saved Israel in that day (And the Lord saved Israel that day). And the battle came till to Bethaven.

¹¹ See ye, what manner letters I have written to you with mine own hand.

¹² For whoever will please in the flesh, these constrain you to be circumcised, only that they suffer not the persecution of Christ's cross.

¹³ For neither they that be circumcised keep the law; but they will that ye be circumcised, that they have glory in your flesh [but they will you to be circumcised, that they glory in your flesh].

¹⁴ But far be it from me to have glory [Forsooth be it far to me to glory], but in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.

¹⁵ For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision is any thing worth, nor prepuce, but a new creature.

¹⁶ And whoever follow this rule, peace on them, and mercy, and on Israel of God [peace upon them, and mercy, and upon Israel of God].

¹⁷ And hereafter no man be heavy to me; for I bear in my body the tokens of our Lord Jesus Christ. [From henceforth, no man be heavy to me; forsooth I bear in my body the tokens, or wounds, of our Lord Jesus Christ.]

¹⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.