Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

7 For the ignorance of David, which he sang to the Lord, on the words of (the) Ethiopian, the son of Benjamin. My Lord God, I have hoped in thee; make thou me safe from all that pursue me, and deliver thou me. (For the sin of ignorance by David, which he sang to the Lord, concerning the words of Cush, the Benjamite. My Lord God, I put my trust in thee; save thou me from all who persecute me, and rescue thou me.)

² Lest any time he as a lion ravish my soul; while none there is that again-buyeth, neither that maketh safe. (Lest any time they tear me apart like a lion; when there is no one who can save me.)

³ My Lord God, if I did this thing, if wickedness is in mine hands, or works (if there is wickedness, or a stain, upon my hands, or deeds);

⁴ if I yielded to men yielding to me evils, fall I by deserving void from mine enemies; (if I gave back evil to those who first did good to me, let me deservedly fall before my enemies;)

⁵ mine enemy pursue he my soul, and take he, and defoul my life in earth; and bring my glory into dust. (let my enemy persecute me, and take hold of me, and tread me down into the ground; and bring my honour down into the dust, or down into the dirt.)

⁶ Lord, rise thou up in thine ire; and be thou raised (up) in the coasts of mine enemies. And, my Lord God, rise thou up in the commandment, which thou hast commanded (And, my Lord God, rise thou up in the justice, or in the judgement, which thou hast commanded);

⁷ and the synagogue of peoples shall (en)compass thee. And for this go thou again on high; (and the congregation of the people shall surround thee. And for them, go thou again on high;)

⁸ the Lord deemeth peoples. Lord, deem thou me by my rightfulness; and by mine innocence on me. (and then let the Lord judge the people. Lord, judge thou me according to my righteousness; and the innocence which is in me.)

⁹ The wickedness of sinners be ended; and thou, God, seeking the hearts, that is, thoughts, and reins, that is, delightings, shall (ad)dress a just man. (Let the wickedness of the sinners be ended; and thou, O God, who judgeth our thoughts, and our desires, shall direct the righteous.)

¹⁰ My just help is of the Lord; that maketh safe rightful men in heart. (My righteous help is from the Lord; who saveth the upright in heart.)

¹¹ The Lord is a just judge, strong and patient; whether he is wroth by all days? (The Lord is a righteous judge; every day he is angry with the wicked.)

¹² If ye be not converted (If they be not turned from their evil ways), he shall flourish his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

¹³ And therein he hath made ready the vessels of death; he hath fully made his arrows with burning things.

¹⁴ Lo! the wicked hath conceived sorrow; he painfully hath brought forth unrightfulness, and he hath childed wickedness. (Lo! he who is wicked hath conceived many ways to bring sorrow; yea, he hath painfully brought forth unrighteousness, and he hath birthed wickedness.)

¹⁵ He opened a pit, and digged it out; and he fell into the ditch which he made. (He opened a pit, and dug it out; but he himself shall fall into the ditch, which he hath made.)

¹⁶ His sorrow shall be turned into his head; and his wickedness shall come down into his neck. (His sorrow shall return onto his own head; and his wickedness shall come down onto his own neck.)

¹⁷ I shall acknowledge to the Lord by his rightfulness; and I shall sing to the name of the highest Lord. (I shall praise the Lord for his righteousness; and I shall sing to the name of the Most High Lord.)

⁹ Make ye heard in the houses of Ashdod, and in the houses of the land of Egypt; and say ye, Be ye gathered together on the hills of Samaria, and see ye many strong vengeances in the midst thereof, and them that suffer false challenge in the privy places thereof (and say ye, Be ye gathered together on the hills of Samaria, and see ye many strong vengeances in their midst, and those who suffer oppression there).

¹⁰ And they could not do rightful thing/And they knew not (to) do rightful thing, saith the Lord, and they treasured wickedness and raven in their houses. (And they did not know how to do what is right/And they do not know how to be honest, saith the Lord, and they treasured wickedness and spoils in their houses.)

¹¹ Therefore the Lord God saith these things, The land shall be troubled, and be (en)compassed; and thy strength shall be drawn down of thee, and thine houses shall be ravished [and thine houses shall be robbed]. (And so the Lord God saith these things, The land shall be troubled, and surrounded; and thy strength shall be drawn out of thee/and thy fortress shall be pulled down, and thy houses shall be robbed.)

¹² The Lord saith these things, As if a shepherd ravisheth from the mouth of a lion twain hips, either the last thing of the ear, so the children of Israel shall be ravished, that dwell in Samaria, in the country of (a) bed, and in the bed of Damascus. (The Lord saith these things, Like a shepherd taketh out of the mouth of a lion only two legs, or the last part of an ear, so only a few Israelites, who live in Samaria, shall be rescued, from the corner of a bed there, and from their beds in Damascus.)

¹³ Hear ye, and witness ye in the house of Jacob, saith the Lord God of hosts.

¹⁴ For in the day, when I shall begin to visit the trespassings of Israel on him, I shall visit also on the altars of Bethel; and the horns of the altar shall be cut away, and shall fall down into the earth. (For on the day, when I shall begin to punish Israel for their trespasses, I shall destroy the altars of Bethel; and the corners of the altars shall be cut off, and shall fall to the ground.)

¹⁵ And I shall smite the winter house with the summer house, and the houses of ivory shall perish, and many houses shall be destroyed, saith the Lord. (And I shall strike both the winter house and the summer house, and the ivory houses, or the palaces, shall perish, yea, every great house shall be destroyed, saith the Lord.)

4 Ye fat kine, that be in the mount of Samaria, hear this word; which make false challenge to needy men, and break poor men; which say to your lords, Bring ye, and we shall drink. (Ye fat cows of Bashan, who live on the mount of Samaria, hear this word; ye who oppress the needy, and trample down the poor; who say to your lords, or to your masters, Bring ye us something to drink!)

² The Lord God swore in his holy (place), for lo! days shall come on you; and they shall raise you in shafts, and your remnants in boiling pots. (The Lord God swore by his holiness, for lo! days shall come upon you; and then they shall raise you up with shafts, and shall put your remnants into boiling pots.)

³ And ye shall go out by the openings, one against another, and ye shall be cast forth into Harmon, saith the Lord. (And ye shall go out by the openings in the walls, one after the other, and ye shall be thrown forth onto the dunghill, saith the Lord.)

⁴ Come ye to Bethel, and do ye wickedly; to Gilgal, and multiply your trespassing; and offer ye early your sacrifices, in three days your tithes (and offer ye your sacrifices early in the morning, and your tithes every three days).

⁵ And sacrifice ye praising of bread made sour, and call ye (out about your) willful offerings, and tell ye; for ye, sons of Israel, would so, saith the Lord God. (And offer ye the unleavened bread of thanksgiving, and shout ye out about your freewill offerings, and tell ye everyone; for ye, Israelites, delighteth to do so, saith the Lord God.)

2 My brethren, do not ye have the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory, in acception of persons [in acception, or taking, of persons].

² For if a man that hath a golden ring, and in a fair clothing, cometh in your company, and a poor man entereth in a foul clothing, [Forsooth if there shall enter into your covent, or gathering together, a man having a gold ring, in white, or fair, cloth, forsooth and a poor man shall enter in foul habit, or cloth,]

³ and if ye behold into him [and ye behold into him] that is clothed with clear clothing, and if ye say to him, Sit thou here well; but to the poor man ye say, Stand thou there, either sit under the stool of my feet [Stand thou there, or sit under the stool of my feet];

⁴ whether ye deem not with yourselves, and be made doomsmen of wicked thoughts?

⁵ Hear ye, my most dear-worthy brethren, whether God chose not poor men in this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, that God promised to men that love him?

⁶ But ye have despised the poor man. Whether rich men oppress not you by power, and they draw you to dooms [and draw you to dooms]?

⁷ Whether they blaspheme not the good name, that is called to help on you [that is in-called of you]?