Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

1 Blessed is the man, that goeth not in the counsel of wicked men; and stood not in the way of sinners, and sat not in the chair of pestilence. (Happy is the person who goeth not in the counsel of the wicked; and walketh not in the way of sinners, and sitteth not in the chair of pestilence.)

² But his will is in the law of the Lord; and he shall bethink in the law of him day and night. (But his delight is in the Law of the Lord; and he shall think about his Law day and night.)

³ And he shall be as a tree, which is planted beside the runnings of waters; that shall give his fruit in his time. And his leaf shall not fall down; and all things, whichever he shall do, shall have prosperity. (And he shall be like a tree, which is planted beside the running water; it shall give its fruit at its proper time, and its leaves shall not fall down. Yea, everything, whatever he shall do, shall prosper.)

⁴ Not so wicked men, not so; but they be as dust, which the wind casteth away from the face of the earth. (Not so the wicked, not so; but they be like the dust, which the wind bloweth away from off the face of the earth.)

⁵ Therefore wicked men rise not again in doom; neither sinners in the council of just men. (And so the wicked shall not stand long at the judgement; nor shall the sinners stand with the congregation of the righteous.)

⁶ For the Lord knoweth the way of just men; and the way of wicked men shall perish. (For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous; but the wicked shall perish on their own way.)

²⁰ Raise ye (up) your eyes, and see ye, what men come from the north; where is the flock which is given to thee, thy noble sheep?

²¹ What shalt thou say, when he shall visit thee? for thou hast taught them against thee, and thou hast taught against thine head. Whether sorrows have not taken thee, as a woman travailing of child? (What shalt thou say, when he shall punish thee? for thou hast taught them to be thy leaders, but now they be against thee. Shall sorrows not take hold of thee, like a woman in labour?)

²² That if thou sayest in thine heart, Why came these things to me? for the multitude of thy wickedness thy shamefuller things be showed, thy feet be defouled. (And if thou sayest in thy heart, Why did these things come to me? I shall answer, Because of the multitude of thy wickedness, thy shameful things be shown, and thy feet be defiled.)

²³ If a man of Ethiopia may change his skin (colour), either a leopard may change his diversities, and ye may do well, when ye have learned evil. (Only if a man of Ethiopia can change his skin colour, or if a leopard can change his spots, then can ye still do good, after all the evil that ye have learned.)

²⁴ And I shall sow them abroad, as stubble which is ravished, or taken away, of the wind in desert. (And so I shall sow them abroad, like stubble which is robbed, or is taken away, by the wind in the desert.)

²⁵ This is thy lot, and the part of thy measure of me, saith the Lord; for thou forgettedest me, and trustedest in a leasing. (This is thy lot, and the portion of thy measure from me, saith the Lord; for thou hast forgotten me, and hast trusted in lies.)

²⁶ Wherefore and I made naked thine hips against thy face, and thy shame appeared, (And so I made thy hips naked before thy face, and thy shameful things appeared,)

²⁷ thine adulteries, and thine neighing, and the felony of thy fornication on (the) little hills in the field; (yea,) I saw thine abominations. Jerusalem, woe to thee, thou shalt not be cleansed after me till yet (Jerusalem, woe to thee, if thou shalt not be cleansed by now, then when shall it be?).

¹⁷ And if ye inwardly call him Father, which deemeth without acception of persons by the work of each man [the which without acception of persons deemeth after the work of each man], live ye in dread in the time of your pilgrimage [in earth];

¹⁸ witting that not by corruptible gold, either silver [or silver], ye be bought again of your vain living of fathers' tradition,

¹⁹ but by the precious blood as of the lamb undefouled and unspotted, Christ Jesus,

²⁰ that was known before the making of the world, but he is showed in the last times, for you

²¹ that by him be faithful in God; that raised him from death [that raised him from dead men], and gave to him everlasting glory, that your faith and hope were in God.

²² And make ye chaste your souls in obedience of charity [Ye making chaste your souls in obedience of charity], in love of brotherhood; of simple heart love ye together more busily.

²³ And be ye born again, not of corruptible seed, but [of] uncorruptible, by the word of living God, and dwelling into without end.

²⁴ For each flesh is hay, and all the glory of it is as the flower of hay; the hay dried up, and his flower felled down^[a];

²⁵ but the word of the Lord dwelleth without end [into without end]. And this is the word, that is preached to you [Soothly this is the word, that is evangelized to you].

2 Therefore put ye away all malice, and all guile, and feignings, and envies, and all backbitings; [Therefore putting away all malice, and all guile, and simulations, or feignings, and envies, and all detractions;]