Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
21 For mine heart is enflamed, and my reins be changed; (When my heart was enflamed, and my feelings were hurt;)
22 and I am driven to nought, and I knew not. As a work beast I am made with thee; (and I was driven down into nothing, and I knew nothing; yea, I was made like a work beast before thee;)
23 and I am ever with thee. Thou heldest my right hand, (but still I am ever with thee. Thou holdest my right hand,)
24 and in thy will thou leddest me forth; and with glory thou tookest me up. (and by thy counsel, or thy instruction, thou leadest me forth; and afterward thou shalt receive me with honour.)
25 For why what is to me in heaven; and what would I of thee on earth? (For what is there for me in heaven, but thee? and what else do I desire here on earth, but thee?)
26 My flesh and mine heart failed; God of mine heart, and my part is God [into] without end. (Though my flesh and my heart fail; but God is my strength, and my portion forever.)
27 For lo! they that draw away far themselves from thee shall perish; thou hast lost all men that do fornication from thee. (For lo! they who take themselves far away from thee, shall perish; thou shalt destroy all those who wantonly abandon thee.)
28 But it is good to me to cleave to God; and to set mine hope in the Lord God. That I tell all thy preachings, in the gates of the daughter of Zion. (But it is good for me to cleave to God; and to trust in the Lord God. And that I tell out all thy works, or all of thy deeds.)
22 Better is a good name, than many riches; for good grace is above silver and gold (for a good reputation is more valuable than silver and gold).
2 A rich man and a poor man met themselves; the Lord is [the] worker of ever either. (A rich person and a poor person met together; the Lord is the Maker of both of them.)
3 A fell man seeth evil, and hideth himself; and an innocent man passed, and he was tormented by harm. (A clever person seeth evil coming, and hideth himself; but a gullible person passed forth, or kept going, and so he was tormented by harm.)
4 The end of temperance is the dread of the Lord; riches, and glory, and life. (The fruit of humility is the fear of the Lord/is reverence for the Lord; along with riches, and glory, and life.)
5 Armours and swords be in the way of a wayward man; but the keeper of his soul goeth away far from those. (Arms, or weapons, and swords be on the way of the wayward; but he who keepeth his life safe goeth far away from them.)
6 It is a proverb, A young waxing man after his way, and when he hath waxed eld, he shall not go away from it. (Here is a proverb: If a young person is brought up in the right way, when he hath grown older, he shall not go away from it.)
7 A rich man commandeth to poor men; and he that taketh borrowing, is servant of the lender.
8 He that soweth wickedness shall reap evils; and the rod of his ire shall be ended.
9 He that is ready to (give) mercy shall be blessed; for (out) of his loaves he gave (some) to a poor man.
10 Cast thou out a scorner, and strife shall go out with him; and causes and despisings shall cease.
11 He that loveth the cleanness of heart, shall have the king (for) a friend, for the grace of his lips (for the eloquence of his words).
12 The eyes of the Lord keep knowing; and the words of a wicked man be deceived. (The eyes of the Lord keep knowledge safe; but the words of the wicked be deceitful.)
13 A slow man shall say (A lazy person shall say), A lion is withoutforth; I shall be slain in the midst of the streets.
14 The mouth of an alien woman is a deep ditch; he to whom the Lord is wroth shall fall into it. (The mouth of a woman whom thou hast been intimate with, but who is not thy wife, is a deep ditch; he to whom the Lord is angry with, shall fall into it.)
15 Folly is bound together in the heart of a child; and a rod of chastising shall drive it away. (Foolishness is bound up in a child’s heart, but the rod of discipline shall drive it away.)
16 He that falsely challengeth a poor man, to increase his own riches (He who oppresseth the poor, to increase his own riches), shall give to a richer man, and he shall be needy.
17 My son, bow down thine ear, and hear thou the words of wise men; but set thou the heart to my teaching. (My son, bow down thy ear, and listen thou to the words of the wise; yea, set thou thy heart unto my teaching, or my instruction.)
18 That shall be fair to thee, when thou hast kept it in thine heart, and it shall flow again in thy lips. (It shall please thee when thou hast kept it in thy heart, and it shall flow freely from thy lips.)
19 That thy trust be in the Lord; wherefore and I have showed it to thee today. (So that thy trust be in the Lord; and so I have showed it to thee today.)
20 Lo! I have described it in three manners[a]1, in thoughts and knowing,
21 (so) that I should show to thee the firmness and speeches of truth; to answer (out) of these things to them that sent (unto) thee.
9 What then? Surpass we them? Nay; for we have showed by skill, that all both Jews and Greeks be under sin,[a]
10 as it is written, For there is no man just [For there is not any man just];
11 there is no man understanding [there is not a man understanding], neither seeking God.
12 All bowed away, together they be made unprofitable; there is none that doeth good thing, there is none till to one [there is not till to one].
13 The throat of them is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they did guilefully; the venom of snakes is under their lips[b].
14 The mouth of whom is full of cursing and bitterness;
15 the feet of them be swift to shed blood.
16 Sorrow and cursedness be in the ways of them,[c]
17 and they knew not the way of peace;
18 the dread of God is not before their eyes.
19 And we know [Forsooth we know], that whatever things the law speaketh, it speaketh to them that be in the law, that each mouth be stopped, and each world be made subject to God.
20 For of the works of the law each flesh shall not be justified before him; for by the law there is knowing of sin [for by the law is knowing of sin].
2001 by Terence P. Noble