Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

19 To victory, the psalm of David. (To victory, the song of David.) (The) Heavens tell out the glory of God; and the firmament telleth (out) the works of his hands.

² The day telleth out to the day a word; and the night showeth knowing to the night. (The day telleth out a word to the next day; the night showeth knowledge to the next night.)

³ No languages be, neither words; of which the voices of them be not heard. (There be no languages, or words, where their voices be not heard.)

⁴ The sound of them went out into all (the) earth; and the words of them into the ends of the world. In the sun he hath set his tabernacle (In the sky he hath pitched a tent for the sun);

⁵ and he as a spouse coming forth of his chamber. He fully joyed, as a giant, to run his way; (and the sun is like a spouse coming forth from his bed-chamber. It rejoiced, like a strong man, who runneth his race;)

⁶ his going out was from [the] highest heaven. And his going again was to the highest thereof; and none there is that hideth himself from his heat. (it went out from the heights of the heavens, and that is also to where it returned. And there is nothing that can hide from its heat/And nothing is hidden from its heat.)

⁷ The law of the Lord is without wem, and converteth souls; the witnessing of the Lord is faithful, and giveth wisdom to little, either meek, children. (The Law of the Lord is without blemish, or without fault, and converteth souls; the teaching of the Lord is faithful, and giveth wisdom to the simple.)

⁸ The rightfulnesses of the Lord be rightful, gladdening hearts (The precepts of the Lord be right, gladdening hearts); the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening eyes.

⁹ The holy dread of the Lord dwelleth into the world of world; the dooms of the Lord be true, justified into themselves. (The fear of the Lord is holy, or pure/Reverence for the Lord is holy, or pure, and it remaineth forever and ever; the judgements of the Lord be true, and justified unto themselves.)

¹⁰ Desirable more than gold, and a stone much precious; and sweeter than honey and honeycomb. (They be more desirable than gold, or very precious stones; and sweeter than honey from a honeycomb.)

¹¹ For why thy servant keepeth those; much yielding is in those to be kept./Forsooth thy servant keepeth those; much yielding, or reward, is in those dooms to be kept. (For they instruct thy servant; and in obeying those judgements, there is much reward.)

¹² Who understandeth trespasses? make thou me clean from my privy sins; (Who understandeth his own trespasses? Lord, make thou me clean from my secret sins;)

¹³ and of alien sins spare thy servant. If those have not lordship of me, then I shall be undefouled of alien sins, or without wem; and I shall be cleansed of the most sin. (and spare thy servant from willful sins. For if they have no rule, or lordship, over me, then I shall be undefiled, or without blemish, or without fault; and I shall be cleansed from all great sin.)

¹⁴ And the speeches of my mouth shall be such, that they please; and the thinking of mine heart is ever[more] in thy sight. Lord, mine helper; and mine again-buyer. (May the words out of my mouth be such, that they please thee; and may the thinking of my heart be acceptable before thee forevermore, O Lord; my helper, and my redeemer.)

2 And it was done in the month of Nisan, that is, April, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, the king, and wine was before him, and I took up the wine, and I gave it to the king, and I was as languishing before his face.

² And the king said to me, Why is thy cheer sorry, or heavy, since I see not thee sick? This is not without cause; but I know not what evil is in thine heart. And I dreaded full greatly; (And the king said to me, Why is thy face so sad? for I see that thou art not sick. This is not without a cause; but I do not know what the problem is in thy heart. And I greatly feared;)

³ and I said to the king, King, live thou (into) without end; why should not my cheer mourn? for the city of the house of the sepulchres of my father[s] is deserted, either forsaken, and the gates thereof be burnt with fire. (and I said to the king, O king, may thou live forevermore; but why should my face not look sad? for the city of the house of my forefathers’ graves, or tombs, is deserted, and its gates be burned down.)

⁴ And the king said to me, For what thing askest thou? And I prayed (to the) God of heaven,

⁵ and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, and if it pleaseth thy servants which be before thy face, I beseech thee, that thou send me into Judah, to the city of the sepulchre(s) of my father(s), and I shall build it (again). (and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, and if thy servant who is before thy face pleaseth thee, I beseech thee, that thou send me to Judah, to the city of my forefathers’ graves, and I shall rebuild it.)

⁶ And the king said to me, and the queen sat beside him, Unto what time shall thy way be, and when shalt thou turn again? And it pleased to the king, and he sent me forth, and I set to the king a time of coming again; (And the king said to me, as the queen sat beside him, How long shalt thy be away, and when shalt thou return? And so it pleased the king, and he sent me forth, and I set a time when I would return to the king;)

⁷ and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, give he epistles, or letters, to me to the dukes of the country beyond the flood, that they lead me over, till I come into Judah; (and I said to the king, If it seemeth good to the king, let him give me letters to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, with orders to help me get to Judah;)

⁸ and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he give trees to me, that I may cover (with it) the gates of the tower of the house, and of the wall of the city, and the house, into which I shall enter. And the king gave (the letters) to me, by the good hand of my God, (that was) with me. (and also a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forests, ordering him to give me wood, or timber, so that I can make beams for the gates of the stronghold, or the fortress, and for the city wall, and for the house in which I shall live. And the king gave me the letters, by the good hand of my God, who was with me.)

⁹ And I came to the dukes of the country beyond the flood, and I gave to them the letters of the king. Soothly the king had sent with me the princes of knights, and (some) horsemen. (And I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, and I gave them the king’s letters. And the king had sent with me the leaders of the horsemen, and some horsemen as well.)

¹⁰ And Sanballat (the) Horonite, and Tobiah, the servant, (the) Ammonite, heard, and they were sorrowful by great torment, that a man was come, that sought prosperity of the sons of Israel. (And Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite servant, heard of it, and they were greatly vexed that a man had come, who sought to do good for the Israelites.)

12 Therefore, brethren, I beseech you by the mercy of God, that ye give your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, and your service reasonable.

² And do not ye be conformed to this world, but be ye reformed in newness of your wit, that ye prove which is the will of God, good, and well pleasing, and perfect.

³ For I say, by the grace that is given to me, to all that be among you, that ye understand not more than it behooveth to understand, but for to understand to soberness [to not savour, or know, more than it behooveth to know, but to know to soberness]; and to each man, as God hath parted the measure of faith.

⁴ For as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not the same deed [soothly all the members have not the same act, or deed];

⁵ so we many be one body in Christ [so we be many, one body in Christ], and each be members one of another.

⁶ Therefore we that have gifts diversing [Therefore having gifts diversing], after the grace that is given to us, either prophecy, after the reason of faith;

⁷ either service, in ministering; either he that teacheth, in teaching; [either ministry, or service, in ministering; or he that teacheth, in teaching;]

⁸ he that stirreth softly, in admonishing [he that stirreth softly, in exhortation, or admonishing]; he that giveth, in simpleness; he that is sovereign^[a], in busyness; he that hath mercy, in gladness.