Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

14 To the victory, [the psalm] of David. The unwise man said in his heart, God is not. They be corrupt, and they be made abominable in their studies; none there is that doeth good, none is till to one. (To victory, the song of David. The fool said in his heart, There is no God. Such men be corrupt, and they be made abominable in their deeds; there is no one who doeth good, no not one.)^[a]

² The Lord beheld from heaven on the sons of men; that he see, if any is understanding, either seeking God. (The Lord looked down from heaven on the sons and daughters of men; to see if there is anyone who hath understanding, or is seeking God.)

³ All bowed away, (al)together they be made unprofitable; none is that doeth good, none is till to one (But they all have turned away, they all be made utterly unredeemable; there is no one who doeth good, no not one). The throat of them is an open sepulchre, they did guilefully with their tongues; the venom of snakes is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness; their feet be swift to shed out blood. Sorrow and cursedness is in the ways of them, and they knew not the way of peace; the dread of God is not before their eyes.

⁴ Whether all men that work wickedness shall not know; that devour my people, as (the) meat of bread? They called not the Lord; (Surely all those, who do evil, already know this; yea, they who devour my people, like men eat bread. They do not call on the Lord;)

⁵ they trembled there for dread, where was no dread; for the Lord is in a rightful generation. (but they trembled there in fear, like never before. For the Lord is with the upright generation.)

⁶ Thou hast shamed the counsel of a poor man; for the Lord is his hope. (Ye evil-doers, ye have frustrated the plans of the poor; but the Lord is their hope.)

⁷ Who shall give from Zion health to Israel? When the Lord hath turned away the captivity of his people; Jacob shall fully be joyful/Jacob shall (make) full out joy, and Israel shall be glad. (Who shall give victory/Who shall give salvation, or deliverance, to Israel out of Zion? When the Lord hath returned the prosperity of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice; yea, Israel shall be glad.)

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?).

1 Paul, [the] apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Saviour, and of Jesus Christ our hope,

² to Timothy, beloved son in the faith, grace and mercy and peace, of God the Father, and of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

³ As I prayed thee, that thou shouldest dwell at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou shouldest command to some men [that thou shouldest announce, or warn, to some], that they should not teach other way,

⁴ neither give attention to fables and genealogies that be uncertain [and genealogies without end], which give questions, more than edification of God, that is in the faith [that is in faith].

⁵ For the end of the commandment is charity of clean heart, and good conscience, and of faith not feigned.

⁶ From which things some men have erred, and be turned into vain speech; [From which things some erring, be turned together into vain speech;]

⁷ and will to be teachers of the law, and understand not what things they speak^[a], neither of what things they affirm.

⁸ And we know that the law is good, if any man use it lawfully;

⁹ and witting this thing, that the law is not set to a just man, but to unjust men and not subject, to wicked men and to sinners, to cursed men and defouled, to slayers of father, and slayers of mother, to manslayers [witting this thing, that the law is not put to a just man, but to an unjust and not subject, to unpious men and sinners, to cursed men and defouled, to slayers of fathers, and slayers of mothers, to menslayers]

¹⁰ and lechers, to them that do lechery with men, lying-mongers and forsworn, and if any other thing is contrary to the wholesome teaching,^[b]

¹¹ that is after the gospel of the glory of blessed God, which is betaken to me.