Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

5 Jerusalem, unclothe thee of the stole of thy mourning, and travailing; and clothe thou thee in the fairness, and (the) honour of it, which is of (or from) God to thee in everlasting glory. [Jerusalem, unclothe thee (of) the stole of mourning, and of thy travail; and clothe thee with fairness, and honour of it, that is to thee of (or from) God in everlasting glory.]

² God of rightfulness shall (en)compass thee with a double cloth (or with a double cloak), and shall set on thine head a mitre of everlasting honour. [Forsooth God shall environ thee with (a) double cloth of rightwiseness, and shall put to (or on) thine head a mitre of everlasting honour.]

³ For God shall show his brightness in (or to) thee, which is under heaven.

⁴ For thy name shall be named of (or by) God to thee without end, The peace of rightfulness [or (The) Peace of rightwiseness], and The honour of piety.

⁵ Jerusalem, rise up, and stand in an high place [or stand in (or on) high], and behold about to the east; and see thy sons gathered together from the sun rising till to the west in (or by) the word of the Holy (One), that make joy [or joying] in the mind of God.

⁶ For they went out from thee, and were led (away) of enemies on feet (or and were led away on foot by their enemies); but the Lord shall bring to thee them borne into honour, as the sons of (the) realm. [Forsooth they went out from thee, led in feet of enemies (or led away on foot by the enemies); forsooth the Lord shall bring to thee them borne into honour, as the sons of (the) kingdom.]

⁷ For God hath ordained to make low each high hill, and (the) everlasting rocks of stones, and great valleys, to fill the unevenness of (the) earth [or and for to full-fill the even valleys into the evenness of (the) earth]; (so) that Israel (may) go diligently into the honour of God.

⁸ Forsooth the woods, and each tree of sweetness, (over)shadowed Israel, by the commandment of God.

⁹ For God shall bring Israel with mirth, into the light of his majesty, with mercy and rightfulness, which is of (or from) him. [Forsooth God shall lead-to Israel with mirth, in the light of his majesty, with mercy and rightwiseness, that is in him.]

3 Lo! I shall send mine angel, and he shall make ready the way before my face; and anon the Lord, whom ye seek, shall come to his holy temple, and the angel of the testament, whom ye will. Lo! he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts; (Lo! I shall send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before my face; and at once the Lord, whom ye seek, shall come to his holy Temple, and also the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in. Lo! he cometh, saith the Lord of hosts;)

² and who shall be able to think (on) the day of his coming? and who shall stand to see him? For he shall be as fire welling together, and as the herb of fullers, either tuckers; (and then who shall be able to even think, let alone endure, on the day of his coming? and who shall be able to stand firm to see him? For he shall be like a fire welling together, or purging and refining, and like fuller’s, or tucker’s, soap;)

³ and he shall sit welling together and cleansing silver, and he shall purge the sons of Levi; and he shall purge them as gold and as silver, and they shall be offering to the Lord sacrifices in rightwiseness. (and he shall sit welling together and cleansing, or purging and refining, silver, and he shall purge the Levites; yea, he shall refine them like gold and silver, and then they shall offer to the Lord sacrifices in righteousness.)

⁴ And the sacrifice of Judah and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, as the days of the world, and as old years. (And then the sacrifices, or the offerings, of Judah and of Jerusalem shall please the Lord, like in the days of old, and like in the years long ago.)

⁶⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited, and made redemption of his people.

⁶⁹ And he hath raised to us an horn of health in the house of David, his child.

⁷⁰ As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, that were from the world.

⁷¹ Health from our enemies, and from the hand of all men that hated us [and from the hand of all that hated us].

⁷² To do mercy with our fathers, and to have mind of his holy testament.

⁷³ The great oath [The oath] that he swore to Abraham, our father,

⁷⁴ to give himself to us. That we without dread delivered from the hand of our enemies, serve to him [That we delivered from the hand of our enemies, serve to him without dread],

⁷⁵ in holiness and rightwiseness before him in all our days.

⁷⁶ And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to make ready his ways.

⁷⁷ To give science of health to his people, into remission of their sins;

⁷⁸ by the inwardness of the mercy of our God, in the which [in which] he springing up from on high hath visited us.

⁷⁹ To give light to them that sit in darknesses and in the shadow of death; to direct [to dress] our feet into the way of peace.

³ I do thankings to my God in all mind of you

⁴ evermore in all my prayers for all you with joy, and make beseeching

⁵ on your communing in the gospel of Christ, from the first day till now [from the first day unto now];

⁶ trusting this same thing, that he that began in you a good work, shall perform it till into the day of Jesus Christ.

⁷ As it is just to me to feel this thing for all you [for you all], for that I have you in heart, and in my bonds, and in defending and confirming of the gospel, that all ye be fellows of my joy.

⁸ For God is a witness to me, how I covet all you [how I covet you all] in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

⁹ And this thing I pray, that your charity be plenteous more and more in knowing [that your charity be plenteous more and more in science, or knowing], and in all wit;

¹⁰ that ye approve the better things [that ye prove the better things], that ye be clean and without offence in the day of Christ;

¹¹ filled [full-filled] with the fruit of rightwiseness by Jesus Christ, into the glory and praising of God.

3 In the fifteen year of the empire of Tiberius, the emperor, when Pilate of Pontii governed Judaea, and Herod was prince of Galilee, and Philip, his brother, was prince of Ituraea, and of the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was prince of Abilene,

² under the princes of priests Annas and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord was made on [upon] John, the son of Zacharias, in desert.

³ And he came into all the country of Jordan, and preached [preaching] baptism of penance into remission of sins.

⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias, the prophet, The voice of a crier in desert [The voice of one crying in desert], Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths right.

⁵ Each valley shall be full-filled, and every hill and little hill shall be made low; and depraved things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways; [Each valley shall be filled, and each mountain and little hill shall be made low; and shrewd things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways;]

⁶ and every flesh [and each flesh] shall see the health of God.