Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

26 [The psalm of David.] Lord, deem thou me, for I entered in mine innocence; and I hoping in the Lord, shall not be made unsteadfast. (The song of David. Lord, judge me, for I have gone my way in innocence; and trusting in the Lord, I have not been made unsteady, that is, I have not slipped, or stumbled.)

² Lord, prove thou me, and assay me; burn thou my reins, and mine heart (burn thou my will, and my heart).

³ For why thy mercy is before mine eyes; and I pleased in thy truth. (For thy love is always before me; and I have gone in thy faithfulness.)

⁴ I sat not with the counsel of vanity; and I shall not enter with men doing wicked things. (I sat not down with vain, that is, empty, or worthless, people; and I shall not go along with those who do wicked things.)

⁵ I hated the church of evil men; and I shall not sit with wicked men. (I hate the company of evil people; and I shall not sit with the wicked.)

⁶ I shall wash mine hands among innocents; and, Lord, I shall compass thine altar. (I shall wash my hands in innocence; and then, Lord, I shall march around thy altar.)

⁷ That I hear the voice of praising; and that I tell out all thy marvels. (And I shall sing thy praises with thanksgiving; and I shall tell of all thy marvellous deeds.)

⁸ Lord, I have loved the fairness of thine house; and the place of the dwelling of thy glory. (Lord, I love the beauty of thy House; yea, the place where thy glory dwelleth.)

⁹ God, lose thou not my soul with unfaithful men; and my life with men of bloods. (God, do not thou destroy me along with the unfaithful; and do not take away my life along with those who thirst for blood, that is, murderers.)

¹⁰ In whose hands wickednesses be; the right hand of them is full-filled with gifts. (In whose hands be wickednesses; their right hands be filled full with bribes.)

¹¹ But I entered in mine innocence; again-buy thou me, and have mercy on me. (But I went forth in innocence; so redeem thou me, and have mercy on me.)

¹² My foot stood in rightfulness; Lord, I shall bless thee in churches. (Yea, my feet standeth on firm ground; Lord, I shall bless thee in the congregations.)

¹¹ And then three friends of Job heard (of) all the evil that had befallen to him, and they came to him, each of them from his place, Eliphaz (the) Temanite, and Bildad (the) Shuhite, and Zophar (the) Naamathite; for they had said together to themselves, that they would come together, and visit Job, and comfort him.

¹² And when they had raised afar their eyes, they knew not him; and they cried [out], and wept, and rent their clothes, and sprinkled dust on their head(s) into heaven. (And when they had raised up their eyes from afar, they did not know him, or they could not recognize him; and they cried out, and wept, and tore their clothes, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the heavens.)

¹³ And they sat with him in the earth seven days and seven nights, and no man spake a word to him; for they saw, that his sorrow was great. (And then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him; for they saw, that his sorrow was great.)

3 After these things Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day,

² and he said,

³ Perish the day in which I was born, and the night in which it was said, A man is conceived.

⁴ That day be turned into darknesses; God seek not it [from] above, and be it not in mind, neither be it lightened with light. (Let that day be turned into darkness; let God not seek it out from above, and be it forgotten, and let no light shine upon it.)

⁵ Darkness make it dark, and the shadow of death and of mist occupy it; and be it wrapped with bitterness. (Let darkness make it dark, and the shadow of death and mist fill it full; and let it be wrapped up in bitterness.)

⁶ Dark whirlwind hold that night; be it not reckoned among the days of the year, neither be it numbered among the months (Let a dark whirlwind hold that night; be it not reckoned among the days of the year, nor let it be counted among the months.)

⁷ (Let) That night be sullen, and not worthy of praising.

⁸ Curse they it, that curse the day, that be ready to raise Leviathan^[a]. (Curse they it, who curse the day, yea, they who be ready to raise up even Leviathan.)

⁹ [The] Stars of that night be they made dark with the darkness thereof; abide it light, and see it not, neither see it the beginning of the morrowtide rising up. (Let the stars of that night be made dark in its darkness; let it wait for the light, but not see it, nor let it see the beginning of the morning rising up.)

¹⁰ For it closed not (up) the doors of the womb, that bare me, neither it took away evil from mine eyes.

¹¹ Why was not I dead in the womb? why went I out of the womb, and perished not anon? (Why was I not dead in the womb? why did I not go out of the womb, and perish at once?)

¹² Why was I taken on knees? why was I given suck with teats?

¹³ For now I sleeping should be still, and I should rest in my sleep, (For then, now sleeping, I would be silent, and I would be resting in my sleep,)

¹⁴ with kings and counsellors of the earth, which build to them sullen places; (with kings and counsellors of the earth, who built palaces for themselves;)

¹⁵ either with princes that have gold in possession, and fill their houses with silver; (and with princes who had a great deal of gold, and filled their houses with silver;)

¹⁶ either as a child, or a beast, born before the time, and hid, I should not have been; either as they that be conceived, and saw not light. (or like a child, or a beast, born early, or still-born, and then hidden, or buried, I should not have been; or like they who be conceived, but never saw the light.)

¹⁷ There wicked men ceased of (making) noise, and there men made weary of strength rested. (There the wicked cease making noise, and there the strong, made weary, rest.)

¹⁸ And sometime men bound together (now be) without dis-ease, they heard not the voice of the wrongful asker. (And those who before were bound together, now be without unease, or distress; they hear no more their taskmaster’s voice.)

¹⁹ A little man and (a) great man be there, and a servant (is) free from his lord.

²⁰ Why is light given to the wretch, and life to them that be in bitterness of soul? (Why is light given to the wretch, and life to those who have a bitter soul?)

²¹ Which abide death, and it cometh not; as men that dig out treasure, (They who wait for death, but it cometh not; like men who dig out treasure,)

²² and joy greatly, when they have found a sepulchre? (and greatly rejoice, when they have found a tomb, or a grave?)

²³ Why is light given to a man, whose way is hid, and God hath (en)compassed him with darknesses? (Why is light given to a man, whose way forward is hidden, or obscured, and God hath surrounded him with darkness?)

²⁴ Before that I eat, I sigh; and as of water flowing, so is my roaring. (Before that I eat, I sigh; and my roaring floweth out, like the water.)

²⁵ For the dread, which I dreaded, hath come to me; and that thing, that I shamed [of], hath befallen to me. (For the fear, which I feared, hath come to me; and what I was afraid of, hath befallen me.)

²⁶ Whether I dissembled, or feigned, not? whether I was not still? (was I not silent?) whether I rested not? and yet indignation hath come [up]on me.

²³ And before that belief came, they were kept under the law, enclosed into that belief that was to be showed. [Forsooth before that the faith came, we were kept under the law, shut together into that faith that was to be showed.]

²⁴ And so the law was our under-master in Christ, that we be justified of belief.^[a]

²⁵ But after that belief came [But after that the faith came], we be not now under the under-master.

²⁶ For all ye be the children of God through the belief of Jesus Christ. [For all ye be the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus.]

²⁷ For all ye that be baptized, be clothed with Christ. [Forsooth whoever ye be baptized in Christ, ye have clothed in Christ.]

²⁸ There is no Jew, nor Greek, no bondman, nor free man, no male, nor female [There is not Jew, neither Greek; there is not servant, neither free man; there is not male, neither female]; for all ye be one in Christ Jesus.

²⁹ And if ye be one in Jesus Christ, then ye be the seed of Abraham, and heirs by promise. [Forsooth if ye be of Christ, therefore ye be seed of Abraham, after the promise ye be heirs.]