Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
124 The song of degrees of David. Israel say now, No but for the Lord was in us; (The song of degrees for David. Let Israel say now, If the Lord was not with us/If the Lord had not been for us,)
2 no but for the Lord was in us. When men rose up against us; (yea, if the Lord was not with us/if the Lord had not been for us; then when men rose up against us,)
3 in hap they had swallowed us quick. When the strong vengeance of them was wroth against us; (they would have swallowed us up alive. Yea, when their fury raged against us;)
4 in hap water had swallowed us up. Our soul passed through a strand; (the water would have swallowed us up. When the stream had gone up over our heads;)
5 in hap our soul had passed through a water unsufferable. (when the insufferable waters had gone up over our heads.)
6 Blessed be the Lord; that gave not us into taking, [(or) the catching,] of the teeth of them. (Blessed be the Lord; who did not allow us to be caught by their teeth.)
7 Our soul, as a sparrow, is delivered; from the snare of hunters. The snare is all-broken; and we be delivered. (We have escaped, like a sparrow, from the hunter’s snare. The snare is all-broken; and we be set free.)
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord; that made heaven and earth (who made heaven and earth).
4 A! ye men, I cry oft to you; and my voice is to the sons of men. (O! ye people, I often cry to you; and my words be for the sons and daughters of men.)
5 Little children, that is, little of wit, understand ye wisdom; and ye unwise men, perceiveth in heart. (Ye of little intelligence, understand ye wisdom; and ye who be unwise, think in your hearts.)
6 Hear ye (Listen ye), for I shall speak of great things; and my lips shall be opened, to preach rightful things.
7 My throat shall bethink truth; and my lips shall curse a wicked man. (My mouth shall speak the truth; and my lips shall curse the wicked/for my lips hate wicked words.)
8 My words be just; no shrewd thing, neither wayward is in those. (My words be right, or true; there is nothing depraved, or wicked, in them.)
9 They be rightful to them that understand; and they be even to them that find knowing. (They be right to those who understand; and they be obvious to those who find knowledge.)
10 Take ye my chastising, and not money (Receive, or accept, ye my discipline, and not money); choose ye teaching, more than treasure.
11 For wisdom is better than all riches most precious (For wisdom is better than all of the most precious riches); and all desirable thing may not be comparisoned thereto.
12 I, wisdom, dwell in counsel (live in good advice); and I am among learned thoughts.
13 The dread of the Lord hateth evil; I curse boast, and pride, and a shrewd way, and a double-tongued mouth. (The fear of the Lord is to hate evil/To have reverence for the Lord is to hate evil; I curse boast, and pride, and a depraved way, and speaking with a double-tongue, or with duplicity.)
14 Counsel is mine, and equity; prudence is mine, and strength. (Forethought is mine, and fairness, or equality; understanding is mine, and strength.)
15 Kings reign by me; and makers of laws deem just things by me. (Kings reign by me; and law-makers justly judge by me/and rulers make just laws by me.)
16 Princes command by me; and mighty men deem rightfulness by me. (Leaders command by me; and mighty men judge rightly, or with justice, by me.)
17 I love them that love me; and they that wake early to me, shall find me. (I love them who love me; and they who wake up early to seek me, shall find me.)
18 With me be riches, and glory; sovereign riches, and rightfulness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, and precious stone(s); and my seeds be better than chosen silver (and my recompense is better than chosen silver).
20 I go in the ways of rightfulness, in the midst of the paths of doom; (I go on the ways of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice;)
21 that I make rich them that love me (so that I make rich those who love me), and that I fill their treasures/their treasuries.
15 Therefore, brethren, see ye, how warily ye shall go; not as unwise men, but as wise men,
16 again-buying the time, for the days be evil.
17 Therefore do not ye be made unwise, but understanding which is the will of God [which is the will of the Lord].
18 And do not ye be drunk of wine, in which is lechery [in which is luxury], but be ye filled with the Holy Ghost;
19 and speak ye to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and saying psalm in your hearts to the Lord; [speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and saying psalm in your heart to the Lord;]
20 evermore doing thankings for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and to the Father [to God and the Father.]
2001 by Terence P. Noble