Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

73 The psalm of Asaph. God of Israel is full good; to them that be of rightful heart. (The song of Asaph. The God of Israel is very good; to those who have an upright heart.)

² But my feet were moved almost; my steps were shed out almost. (But my feet almost stumbled; my steps almost slipped.)

³ For I loved fervently on wicked men; seeing the peace of sinners. (For I envied the wicked; when I saw the prosperity of the sinners.)

⁴ For beholding is not to the death of them; and steadfastness in the sickness of them. (For it seemed that they never die; yea, they always be strong, and never get sick.)

⁵ They be not in travail of (other) men; and they shall not be beaten with men. (They do not have trouble, or tribulation, like other people do; and they be not beaten down like others be.)

⁶ Therefore pride hath held them; they were covered with their wickedness and unfaithfulness.

⁷ The wickedness of them came forth as of fatness; they went into desire of heart. (Their wickedness came forth like fatness; and they went forth in the desire of their hearts.)

⁸ They thought and spake waywardness; they spake wickedness on high (they spoke wickedness out loud).

⁹ They putted their mouth into heaven; and their tongue passed in earth. (They put their mouths against heaven; and their tongues went about over all the earth.)

¹⁰ Therefore my people shall be turned again here; and full days shall be found in them. (And so my people followed them; and found nothing to condemn them for.)

¹¹ And they said, How knoweth God; and whether knowing is on high? (And they said, How could God know? how can the Most High have any knowledge of this?)

¹² Lo! those sinners and having abundance in the world; (they) held riches.

¹³ And I said, Therefore without cause I justified mine heart; and washed mine hands among innocents. (And I said, And so I have keep my heart pure, and I have kept my hands clean, all for nothing/all in vain.)

¹⁴ And I was beaten all day; and my chastising was in morrowtides. (Yea, all day long I am beaten down; and I am punished every morning.)

¹⁵ If I said, I shall tell thus; lo! I [have] reproved the nation of thy sons. (If I had said, I shall talk as they do; lo! I would have brought reproach upon the nation of thy children.)

¹⁶ I guessed, that I should know this; (but too much) travail is before me. (I tried to work through all of this; but it was too much for me.)

¹⁷ Till I enter into the saintuary of God; and understand in the last things of them. (Until I entered into the sanctuary of God; and there I understood their last things, that is, their end.)

¹⁸ Nevertheless for guiles thou hast put to them; thou castedest them down, while they were raised. (For thou shalt put them in slippery places; thou shalt throw them down, after they be raised up.)

¹⁹ How be they made into desolation; they failed suddenly, they perished for their wickedness/for their waywardness. (How they shall go into desolation! they shall suddenly fail, and they shall perish for all their wickedness/for all their wayward ways.)

²⁰ As the dream of men that (a)rise; Lord, thou shalt drive their image to nought, in thy city. (Like a dream when one awaketh, and it vanisheth; so, Lord, thou shalt drive them down into nothing/until they completely disappear.)

11 A guileful balance is abomination with God; and an even weight is his will. (A deceitful scale is an abomination to God; and equal, or honest, weights be his desire.)

² Where pride is, there also despising shall be; but where meekness is, there also is wisdom. (Where there is pride, there shall also be despising; but where there is humility, there is also wisdom.)

³ The simpleness of just men shall (ad)dress them; and the deceiving of wayward men shall destroy them. (The honesty, or the integrity, of the righteous shall direct them; and the deceptions of the wayward shall destroy them.)

⁴ Riches shall not profit in the day of vengeance; but rightfulness shall deliver from death. (Riches shall not profit anyone on the day of vengeance; but uprightness shall deliver one from death.)

⁵ The rightfulness of a simple man shall (ad)dress his way; and a wicked man shall fall in his wickedness. (The uprightness of an honest person shall direct his way; and a wicked person shall fall because of his wickedness.)

⁶ The rightfulness of rightful men shall deliver them; and wicked men shall be taken in their ambushings. (The uprightness of the righteous shall save them; but the wicked shall be caught in their own ambushings.)

⁷ When a wicked man is dead, none hope shall be further of him; and [the] abiding of busy men in evil shall perish. (When the wicked die, they shall have no further hope; and the abundance, or the wealth, of those busy with evil shall perish.)

⁸ A just man is delivered from anguish; and a wicked man shall be given for him. (The righteous person is delivered from all his anguish; and it is given to a wicked person instead.)

⁹ A feigner by mouth deceiveth his friend; but just men shall be delivered by knowing. (A faker, or a hypocrite, deceiveth his friend with his mouth; but the righteous rescue others with their wisdom.)

¹⁰ A city shall be enhanced in the goods of just men; and praising shall be in the perdition of wicked men. (A city shall rejoice for the prosperity of the righteous; and praising shall be in the perdition, or in the perishing, of the wicked.)

¹¹ A city shall be enhanced by [the] blessing of just men; and it shall be destroyed by the mouth of wicked men. (A city shall be enhanced by the blessing of the righteous; and it shall be destroyed by the words of the wicked.)

¹² He that despiseth his friend, is needy in heart; but a prudent man shall be still. (He who despiseth his friend is foolish; but a man of understanding shall be silent.)

¹³ He that goeth guilefully, showeth privates (He who goeth deceitfully, telleth secrets); but he that is faithful, covereth the private (matter) of a friend.

¹⁴ Where a governor is not, the people shall fall; but health is, where be many counsels. (Without a leader, or good governance, the people shall fall; but there is victory/but there is salvation, or deliverance, where there be many counsellors, or much planning, or good advice.)

¹⁵ He that maketh faith, that is, (an) obligation, for a stranger, shall be tormented with evil; but he that escheweth snares, shall be secure.

¹⁶ A gracious woman shall find glory (A gracious woman shall receive honour); and strong men shall have riches.

¹⁷ A merciful man doeth well to his soul (A merciful person doeth good to his own soul); but he that is cruel, casteth away, yea, (even his own) kinsmen.

¹⁸ A wicked man maketh unstable work; but faithful meed is to him, that soweth rightfulness. (There is no surety with the work of the wicked; but there is a sure reward for those who sow goodness.)

¹⁹ Mercy shall make ready life; and the following of evil, death. (Mercy bringeth forth life; but death followeth after evil.)

²⁰ A shrewd heart is abominable to the Lord; and his will is in them, that go simply. (A depraved heart is abominable to the Lord; but his delight is in those who do things honestly, or with integrity.)

²¹ Though hand be in hand, an evil man shall not be innocent; but the seed of just men shall be saved. (Be assured, that the evil shall be punished; but the children, or the descendants, of the righteous shall be saved.)

²² A golden ring in the nostrils of a sow, (is like) a woman fair and fool. (A gold ring in the nostrils of a pig, is like a woman who is comely, but foolish.)

²³ The desire of just men is all good; (but the) abiding of wicked men is strong vengeance. (The desire of the righteous is only for good; but the longing of the wicked is for strong vengeance.)

²⁴ Some men part their own things, and be made richer; other men ravish things, that be not theirs, and they be ever in neediness. (Some people share their own things, and grow richer; other people steal things, that be not theirs, and still they always be in need.)

²⁵ A soul that blesseth, shall be made fat; and he that filleth, shall be filled also. (A person who blesseth, or who shareth, shall be made prosperous; and he who filleth, shall also be filled.)

²⁶ He that hideth wheat, shall be cursed among the peoples; but blessing shall come [up]on the head(s) of sellers. (He who hideth corn, shall be cursed by the people; but blessing, or praise, shall come to the sellers.)

²⁷ Well (be) he (who) riseth early, that seeketh good things; but he that is a searcher of evils, shall be oppressed of those. (He who riseth early, to seek out the good, shall find favour; but he who searcheth out evils, shall be oppressed by them.)

²⁸ He that trusteth in his riches, shall fall; but just men shall burgeon as a green leaf (but the righteous shall flourish like the green leaves).

²⁹ He that troubleth his house, shall have (the) winds in possession; and he that is a fool, shall serve a wise man.

³⁰ The fruit of a rightful man is the tree of life; and he that taketh souls, is a wise man. (The fruit of righteousness is the tree of life; and he who winneth souls, is wise.)

³¹ If a just man receiveth in [the] earth, how much more an unfaithful man, and a sinner. (If the righteous receive recompense here on earth, how much more shall the unfaithful, and the sinners!)

³ And bethink ye on him that suffered such gainsaying of sinful men against himself [Forsooth bethink ye on him that sustained such against-saying of sinful men against himself], that ye be not made weary, failing in your souls.

⁴ For ye against-stood not yet unto blood, fighting against sin.

⁵ And ye have forgotten the comfort that speaketh to you as to sons, and saith, My son, do not thou despise the teaching of the Lord [saying, My son, do not thou despise the discipline of the Lord], neither be thou made weary, the while thou art chastised of him.

⁶ For the Lord chastiseth him that he loveth; he beateth every son that he receiveth.^[a]

⁷ Abide ye still in chastising; God proffereth him(self) to you as to sons^[b]. For what son is it, whom the father chastiseth not?

⁸ That if ye be out of chastising, whose partners be ye all made [That if ye be out of discipline, of which all be made partners], then ye be adulterers, and not sons.

⁹ And afterward we had fathers of our flesh, teachers, and we with reverence dreaded them. Whether not much more we shall obey to the Father of spirits, and we shall live?

¹⁰ And they [soothly] in time of few days taught us by their will; but this Father teacheth to that thing that is profitable [forsooth this Father to that thing that is profitable], in receiving the hallowing of him.

¹¹ And each chastising in [this] present time seemeth to be not of joy, but of sorrow; but afterward it shall yield fruit of rightwiseness most peaceable to men exercised by it.

¹² For which thing raise ye [up] slow hands, and knees unbound,

¹³ and make ye rightful steps to your feet [and make rightful goings, or steps, to your feet]; that no man halting err, but more be healed.