Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁴ The house of Jacob, and all the lineages of the house of Israel (and all the tribes of the house of Israel), hear ye the word of the Lord.

⁵ The Lord saith these things, What of wickedness found your fathers in me, for they went far away from me, and went after vanity, and were made vain? (The Lord saith these things, What wickedness did your forefathers find in me? for they went far away from me, and went after what was empty and futile.)

⁶ And they said not, Where is the Lord, that made us to go up from the land of Egypt, that led us over through desert, by the land unhabitable and without (a) way, by the land of thirst, and by the image of death, by the land in which a man went not, neither a man dwelled. (And they did not ask, Where is the Lord, who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us over through the wilderness, by the land that was uninhabited and without a way, by the land of thirst, and with portents of death, by the land in which no one went, nor in which anyone lived?)

⁷ And I brought you into the land of Carmel, that ye should eat the fruit thereof, and the goods thereof; and ye entered, and defouled my land, and setted mine heritage into abomination. (And I brought you into a plentiful land, so that ye could enjoy its fruit, and its goodness; and ye entered, and defiled my land, and made my inheritance into an abomination.)

⁸ Priests said not, Where is the Lord? and they that held the law, knew not me; and shepherds trespassed against me, and prophets prophesied in Baal, and followed idols. (The priests did not ask, Where is the Lord? yea, they who handled the Law, did not know me; and the shepherds of the people trespassed against me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal, and followed idols.)

⁹ Therefore yet I shall strive with you in doom, saith the Lord, and I shall dispute with your sons. (And so I shall contend, or argue, with you in judgement, saith the Lord, and I shall dispute with your sons.)

¹⁰ Go ye to the isles of Chittim, and see ye; and send ye into Kedar, and behold ye greatly (and send ye to Kedar, and greatly consider ye); and see ye, if such a thing is (ever) done,

¹¹ if a folk changed his gods; and certainly they be no gods; but my people changed his glory into an idol. (if a nation ever changed their gods? and certainly they be no gods; but my people exchanged their glory for an idol.)

¹² Heavens, be ye astonied on this thing, and, ye gates of heaven, be ye desolate greatly, saith the Lord. (Ye heavens, be ye astonished by this, and, ye gates of heaven, be ye greatly desolate, or in great despair, saith the Lord.)

¹³ For why my people hath done twain evils; they have forsaken me, the well of quick water, and have digged to them cisterns, that were destroyed, that may not hold waters. (For my people have done two evils; they have deserted me, the well of living water, and they have dug for themselves cisterns, that were destroyed, or cracked, and so cannot hold any water.)

81 To the overcomer, on the pressers, [the psalm] of Asaph. Make ye fully joy to God, our helper; sing ye heartily to God of Jacob. (To the overcomer, at the winepresses, the song of Asaph. Make ye full out joy to God, our helper; sing ye heartily to the God of Jacob.)

¹⁰ For I am thy Lord God, that led thee out of the land of Egypt; make large thy mouth, and I shall fill it. (For I am the Lord thy God, who led thee out of the land of Egypt; open thy mouth wide, and I shall fill it.)

¹¹ And my people heard not my voice; and Israel gave not attention to me. (But my people would not listen to my voice; yea, Israel would not give their attention to me.)

¹² And I let go them after the desires of their heart; they shall go in their findings. (So I let them go after the desires of their hearts; and they went forth in their own ways.)

¹³ If my people had heard me; if Israel had gone in my ways. (If my people would but listen to me; if Israel would just follow my ways,)

¹⁴ For not in hap I had made low their enemies; and I had sent mine hand on men doing tribulation to them. (then I would bring down their enemies; and I would send forth my hand against those who give them trouble.)

¹⁵ The enemies of the Lord lied (down) to him; and their time shall be into worlds. (And then the Lord’s enemies would fall down before me; and their punishment would last forever.)

¹⁶ And he fed them with the fatness of wheat; and he [ful]filled them with honey of the stone. (And I would feed you with the fatness of the wheat; and fulfill you with honey from the rocks, that is, with wild honey.)

13 The charity of brotherhood dwell in you,

² and do not ye forget hospitality; for by this some men pleased to angels, that were received to harbour [for by this some pleased to angels received to harbour].

³ Think ye on bound men, as ye were together bound [Be ye mindful of bound men, as ye together bound], and of travailing men, as [and] yourselves dwelling in the body.

⁴ Wedding is in all things honourable, and [the] bed unwemmed [and the bed undefouled]; for God shall deem fornicators and adulterers.

⁵ Be your manners without covetousness, satisfied with present things [satisfied with things being]; for he said, I shall not leave thee, neither forsake,

⁶ so that we say trustily [so that we trustily say], The Lord is an helper to me; I shall not dread, what a man shall do to me.

⁷ Have ye mind of your sovereigns, that have spoken to you the word of God; of whom behold ye the going out of living, and follow ye the faith of them,^[a]

⁸ Jesus Christ, yesterday, and to day, he is also into worlds.

¹⁵ Therefore by him offer we a sacrifice of praising evermore to God [By him therefore offer we an host of praising allway to God], that is to say, the fruit of lips acknowledging to his name.

¹⁶ And do not ye forget well-doing, and communing; for by such sacrifices God is well served^[a].

14 And it was done, when he had entered into the house of a prince of Pharisees, in the sabbath, to eat bread, they espied him.

⁷ He said also a parable to men bidden to a feast, and he beheld how they chose the first sitting places, and said to them, [Forsooth he said also a parable to men bidden to a feast, beholding how they chose the first sitting places, saying to them,]

⁸ When thou art bidden to bridals, sit not to meat in the first place [When thou shalt be bidden to weddings, sit not at the meat in the first place]; lest peradventure a worthier than thou be bidden of him,

⁹ and lest he come that called thee and him, and say to thee, Give place to this, and then thou shalt begin with shame [and thou shalt begin with shame] to hold the lowest place.

¹⁰ But when thou art bidden to a feast, go, and sit down in the last place, that when he cometh, that bade thee to the feast, he say to thee, Friend, come higher [Friend, ascend up higher]. Then worship shall be to thee, before men that sit [together] at the meat.

¹¹ For each that enhanceth himself, shall be lowed [shall be made low]; and he that meeketh himself, shall be highed.

¹² And he said [also] to him, that had bidden him to the feast, When thou makest a meat, or a supper, do not thou call thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy cousins, neither neighbours, nor rich men; lest peradventure [and] they bid thee again to the feast, and it be yielded again to thee [and retribution, or yielding again, be made to thee].

¹³ But when thou makest a feast, call poor men, feeble [men], crooked, and blind,

¹⁴ and thou shalt be blessed; for they have not whereof to yield [again] to thee, for it shall be yielded to thee [forsooth it shall be requited to thee] in the rising again of just men.