Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
56 To the overcoming on the dumb culver of far drawing away, the comely song of David, when the Philistines held him in Gath. God, have mercy on me, for a man hath defouled me; all day he impugned, and troubled me. (To the overcomer, for the silent dove, for it went far away, the comely song of David, when the Philistines held him in Gath. God, have mercy on me, for men have persecuted me; all day long they impugned, and troubled, me.)
2 Mine enemies defouled me all day; for many fighters were against me. (My enemies persecuted me all day long; yea, many fight against me.)
3 Of the highness of day I shall dread; but God, I shall hope in thee. (From the height of the day, I have fear; but God, I put my trust in thee.)
4 In God I shall praise my words; I hoped in God, I shall not dread what thing flesh, or man, shall do to me. (Yea, I shall praise God with my words; for I trust in God, and I shall not fear what any person shall do to me.)
5 All day they cursed my words; against me all their thoughts were into evil. (All day long they cursed my words; all their thoughts were against me for evil.)
6 They shall dwell, and they shall hide; they shall ambush mine heel. As they abide my life (But though they lie in wait for my life),
7 for nought shalt thou make them safe; in ire thou shalt break (al)together peoples. (it is they who shall not escape; for in thy anger, God, thou shalt break them all in pieces.)
8 God, I showed my life to thee; thou hast set my tears in thy sight. As and in thy promise, Lord; (God, thou knowest my troubles; thou hast set my tears before thee. Be they not in thy Book, O Lord?)
9 then mine enemies shall be turned aback. In whatever day I shall inwardly call thee; lo! I have known, that thou art my God. (On whatever day I shall call to thee, then my enemies shall be turned back; for lo! I know this, that thou art with me, my God.)
10 In God I shall praise a word; in the Lord I shall praise a word. (I shall praise God with my words; yea, I shall praise the Lord with my words.)
11 I shall hope in God; I shall not dread what thing man shall do to me. (I put my trust in God; and I shall not fear what anyone shall do to me.)
12 God, thine avows be in me; which I shall yield praisings to thee. (God, thy vows be upon me/God, I shall pay my vows to thee; I shall give praises to thee.)
13 For thou hast delivered my life from death, and my feet from sliding; that I please before God in the light of them that live. (For thou hast rescued my life from death, and my feet from slipping, or stumbling; so that I can walk before God in the light that shineth on the living.)
5 Naaman, prince of the chivalry of the king of Syria, was a great man, and worshipped with his lord; for by him the Lord gave health to Syria; soothly he was a strong man and rich, but he was leprous. (Naaman, the leader of the cavalry, or of the army, of the king of Syria, was a great man, and honoured by his lord; and by him the Lord gave victory to Syria; truly he was a strong man, and a rich one, but he was also a leper.)
2 Forsooth thieves went out of Syria, and led (away as) prisoner from the land of Israel a little damsel, that was in the service of the wife of Naaman (who was now in the service of Naaman’s wife).
3 And she said to her lady, Would God, that my lord had been at the prophet that is in Samaria (If only my lord had been to the prophet who is in Samaria); soothly the prophet would have cured him of [the] leprosy that he hath.
4 Therefore Naaman entered to his lord, and told to him, and said, A damsel of the land of Israel spake so and so.
5 Therefore the king of Syria said to him, Go thou, and I shall send letters to the king of Israel. And when Naaman had gone forth, and had taken with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand golden pieces, either florins, and ten changings of clothes (and ten changes of clothing),
6 he brought (the) letters to the king of Israel by these words (he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read thus); When thou hast taken this epistle, know thou, that I have sent to thee Naaman, my servant, (so) that thou (can) cure him of his leprosy.
7 And when the king of Israel had read the letters, he rent his clothes, and said, Whether I am God, that may slay and quicken, for this king sent to me, that I cure a man of his leprosy? Perceive ye, and see, that he seeketh occasions against me. (And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes, and said, Am I God, who may kill and make alive, for this king sent to me, that I should cure a man of his leprosy? See ye, and understand, that he seeketh a reason, or an excuse, to attack me.)
8 And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, that is, that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, and said, Why rentest thou thy clothes? come he to me, and know he, that there is a prophet in Israel. (And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, that is, that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, and said, Why tearest thou thy clothes? Let him come to me, and then know he, that there is a prophet in Israel.)
9 Then Naaman came with horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent to him a messenger (And Elisha sent a messenger to him), and said, Go, and be thou washed seven times in Jordan; and thy flesh shall receive health, and thou shalt be cleansed.
11 Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, I guessed, that he would have gone out to me, and that he would have stood, and inwardly have called (on) the name of the Lord his God, and that he should have touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and should have cured me so. (And Naaman was angry, and went away, and said, I guessed, that he would have come out to me, and that he would have stood there, and inwardly called on the name of the Lord his God, and then he would have touched the place of the leprosy with his hand, and thus he would have cured me.)
12 Whether Abana and Pharpar, the floods of Damascus, be not better than all the waters of Israel, that I be washed in them, and be cleansed? Therefore when he had turned himself, and went away, having indignation, (Be not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, and that I be washed in them, and be cleansed? And so when he had turned, and went away, having indignation,)
13 his servants nighed to him, and spake to him, Father, though the prophet had said to thee a great thing, certainly thou oughtest to do it; how much more for now he said to thee, Be thou washed, and thou shalt be cleansed. (his servants came to him, and spoke to him, and said, Father, if the prophet had said to thee to do a great thing, certainly thou wouldest have done it; how much more now for that he hath simply said to thee, Be thou washed, and thou shalt be cleansed, or healed.)
14 Then Naaman went down, and washed him(self) seven times in Jordan, by the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed (and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young child, and he was healed).
13 And therefore he that speaketh in language, pray, that he expound. [And therefore he that speaketh in tongue, pray, that he interpret, or expound.]
14 For if I pray in tongue, my spirit prayeth; mine understanding is without fruit. [For why if I pray in tongue, my spirit prayeth; forsooth my mind, or reason, is without fruit.]
15 What then? I shall pray in spirit, I shall pray [and] in mind; I shall say psalm in spirit, I shall say psalm also in mind.
16 For if thou blessest in spirit, who filleth the place of an unlearned man, how shall he say Amen on thy blessing, for he knoweth not, what thou sayest?[a]
17 For thou [soothly] doest well thankings, but another man is not edified. [For why thou soothly doest well graces, or thankings, but another is not edified.]
18 I thank my God, for I speak in the language of all you; [I do graces to my God, for I speak in the tongue of all you;]
19 but in the church I will speak five words in my wit, that also I teach other men, than ten thousand words in tongue [than ten thousands of words in tongue not understood].
20 Brethren, do not ye be made children in wits, but in malice be ye children; but in wits be ye perfect.
21 For in the law it is written, That in other tongues and other lips I shall speak to this people, and neither so they shall hear me, saith the Lord.
22 Therefore languages be into token, not to faithful men, but to men out of the faith; but prophecies be not to men out of the faith, but to faithful men.
23 Therefore if all the church come together into one, and all men speak in tongues, if unlearned men, either men out of the faith enter, whether they shall not say [soothly if idiots enter, or men out of the faith, whether they say not], What be ye mad?
24 But if all men prophesy, if any unfaithful man or unlearned man enter [Forsooth if all men prophecy, forsooth if any unfaithful man or idiot enter], he is convicted of all, he is wisely deemed of all.
25 For the hid things of his heart be known, and so he shall fall down on the face, and shall worship God[b], and show verily that God is in you.
2001 by Terence P. Noble