Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
34 To David, when he changed his mouth, or his word, before Abimelech, and he drove out David, and he went forth. I shall bless the Lord in all time; ever[more] his praising be in my mouth. (To David, when he changed his face, and his words, before Abimelech, who then drove David out, and so he went forth. I shall always bless the Lord; his praises shall be in my mouth forevermore.)
2 My soul shall be praised in the Lord; mild men hear, and be glad. (My soul shall have glory in the Lord; let the humble hear, and be glad.)
3 Magnify ye the Lord with me; and enhance we his name into itself (and let us exalt his name together).
4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me; and he delivered me from all my tribulations (and he rescued, or saved, me, from all of my troubles).
5 Nigh ye to him, and be ye lightened (Go ye near to him, and ye shall shine with joy); and your faces shall not be shamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him; and saved him from all his tribulations.
7 The angel of the Lord sendeth in the compass of men dreading him; and he shall deliver them. (The angel of the Lord guardeth those who fear him/who revere him; and he rescueth them.)
8 Taste ye, and see, for the Lord is sweet; blessed is the man, that hopeth in him. (Taste ye, and see, that the Lord is good; happy is the person, who trusteth in him.)
19 Many tribulations be of just men; and the Lord shall deliver them from all these. (Many troubles be to the righteous; but the Lord shall rescue, or save, them out of all of them.)
20 The Lord keepeth all the bones of them; one of those shall not be broken. (The Lord guardeth, or keepeth safe, all their bones; not one of them shall be broken.)
21 The death of sinners is worst; and they that hate a just man shall trespass. (The death of sinners is brought about by the Worst/Evil bringeth about the death of sinners; and those who hate the righteous shall be punished.)
22 The Lord shall again-buy the souls of his servants; and all, that hope in him, shall not trespass. (But the Lord redeemeth, or ransometh, the souls of his servants; and all who trust in him, shall not go astray.)
1 The words of Nehemiah, the son of Hachaliah. And it was done in the month of Chisleu, that is, November, in the twentieth year, and I was in the castle of Susa (and I was in the capital city of Susa);
2 and Hanani, one of my brethren, came to me, he and men of Judah; and I asked them of the Jews, that were left, and were alive of the captivity, and of Jerusalem. (and Hanani, one of my brothers, came to me, he and some men from Judah; and I asked them about Jerusalem, and about the Jews who had remained there since the captivity/and about the Jews who had returned there from the captivity.)
3 And they said to me, They that be left of the captivity, and that dwelled there still in the province, be in great torment, and shame; and the wall of Jerusalem is destroyed, and the gates of it be burnt with fire. (And they said to me, They who survived the captivity, and had returned there to the province, be in great torment, and shame/They who had remained there in the province, and had not gone into captivity, be in great torment, and shame; and the wall of Jerusalem is broken in many places, and its gates be burned with fire.)
4 And when I had heard such words, I sat and wept, and mourned many days, and I fasted, and prayed before the face of (the) God of heaven;
5 and I said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, that art strong, great, and fearedful, that keepest covenant and mercy with them that love thee, and keep thy behests; (and I said, I beseech thee, Lord God of heaven, who art strong, and great, and fearful, and who keepest covenant and mercy with those who love thee, and who keep thy commandments;)
6 thine ear be made harkening, and thine eyes opened, that thou hear the prayer of thy servant, by which prayer I pray before thee now, by night and day, for the sons of Israel, thy servants, and I acknowledge for the sins of the sons of Israel, by which they have sinned to thee; both I and the house of my father have sinned; (let thine ear harken, and thine eyes be opened, so that thou hear the prayer of thy servant, by which prayer I pray before thee now, by night and day, for thy servants the Israelites, and I confess the sins of the Israelites, which we have sinned against thee; both I and the house of my father have sinned;)
7 we were deceived by vanity, and we kept not thy commandment(s), and ceremonies, and dooms, which thou commandedest to Moses, thy servant. (we were deceptive and vain, that is, sinful and proud, and we kept not thy commandments, and statutes, and judgements, which thou commandedest to thy servant Moses.)
8 Have mind of the word (Remember the word), which thou commandedest to thy servant Moses, and saidest, When ye have trespassed, I shall scatter you into (the) peoples;
9 and if ye turn again to me, that ye keep my behests, and do those, yea, though ye be led away to the furthest things of heaven, from thence I shall gather you together, and I shall bring you into the place, that I have chosen, that my name should dwell there. (but if ye return to me, and ye keep my commandments, and do them, yea, though ye be led away to the farthest reaches of the heavens, that is, unto the ends of the earth, I shall gather you together from there, and I shall bring you into the place which I have chosen, that my name should be there.)
10 And we be thy servants, and thy people, which thou hast again-bought in thy great strength, and in thy strong hand. (And we be thy servants, and thy people, whom thou hast bought back, that is, redeemed, or rescued, with thy great strength, and with thy strong hand.)
11 Lord, I beseech thee, thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, that will dread thy name; and direct thy servant to day, and give thou mercy to him before this man, that is, Artaxerxes, (the) king. For I was the bottler of the king. (Lord, I beseech thee, let thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayers of thy servants, who desire to revere thy name; and give thy servant success today, and give thou mercy to him before this man, that is, King Artaxerxes. For I was the king’s butler.)
11 Therefore if perfection was by the priesthood of Levi, for under him the people took the law, what yet was it needful, another priest to rise, by the order of Melchisedec, and not to be said by the order of Aaron [what yet was it needful, another priest to rise, after the order of Melchisedec, and not to be said after the order of Aaron]?
12 For why when the priesthood is translated, it is need [it is needful] that also [the] translation of the law be made.
13 But he in whom these things be said, is of another lineage, of which no man was priest to the altar [of which no man was priest, or ready, to the altar].
14 For it is open [Soothly it is openly known], that our Lord is born of Juda, in which lineage Moses spake nothing of priests.
15 And more yet it is known, if by the order of Melchisedec another priest is risen up; [And more yet it is known, if after the order of Melchisedec another priest riseth;]
16 which is not made by the law of fleshly commandment, but by [the] virtue of life that may not be undone. [the which is not made after the law of fleshly commandment, but after virtue of life indissoluble, or that may not be undone.]
17 For he witnesseth, That thou art a priest without end, by the order of Melchisedec; [Soothly he witnesseth, For thou art a priest into without end, after the order of Melchisedec;]
18 that reproving of the commandment before-going is made, for the unfirmness and unprofit of it.
19 For why the law brought nothing to perfection, but there is a bringing in of a better hope, by which we approach to God [by which we nigh to God].
20 And how great it is, not without swearing [that Christ is made priest after the order of Melchisedec];
21 but the others [forsooth others] be made priests without an oath; but this priest with an oath, by him that said to him, The Lord swore, and it shall not rue him, Thou art a priest without end, by the order of Melchisedec [Thou art a priest into without end, after the order of Melchisedec];
22 in so much Jesus is made [better] promiser of the better testament.
2001 by Terence P. Noble