Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵ He is blessed, of whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in his Lord God, (He is blessed, whom the God of Jacob is his helper; his hope is in the Lord his God,)

⁶ that made heaven, and earth; the sea, and all things that be in those. Which keepeth truth into the world, (who made heaven, and earth; and the sea, and all the creatures that be in them. Who keepeth the truth safe forever,)

⁷ he maketh doom to them that suffer wrong; he giveth meat to them that be hungry. The Lord unbindeth fettered men; (he maketh justice for those who suffer wrong; he giveth food to those who be hungry. The Lord unbindeth the fettered;)

⁸ the Lord lighteneth blind men. The Lord raiseth men hurtled down; the Lord loveth just men. (the Lord giveth light to the blind/the Lord giveth sight to the blind. The Lord raiseth up those who be hurtled down; the Lord loveth the righteous.)

⁹ The Lord keepeth comelings; he shall take up a motherless child, and a widow; and he shall destroy the ways of sinners. (The Lord keepeth newcomers, or strangers, safe/The Lord keepeth watch over newcomers, or strangers; he taketh up the causes of a motherless child, and of a widow; but he destroyeth the ways of the sinners.)

¹⁰ The Lord shall reign into the worlds; Zion, thy God shall reign in generation and into generation. (The Lord shall reign forever; Zion, thy God shall reign for all generations/thy God shall reign in all generations.)

2 And Hannah worshipped, and said, Mine heart fully joyed in the Lord, and mine horn is raised in my God; my mouth is alarged on mine enemies, for I was glad in thine health. (And Hannah worshipped, and said, My heart full out joyeth in the Lord, and my head is raised up to my God; my mouth is enlarged upon my enemies, or harshly speaketh about them, and I am happy for thy help.)

² None is holy as the Lord is; for none other is, except thee, and none is strong as our God. (No one is as holy as the Lord is; for there is no other, except thee, and no one is as strong as our God.)

³ Do not ye multiply to speak high things, and have glory therein; eld things go away from your mouth; for God is Lord of knowings, and thoughts be made ready to him. (Do not ye continue to speak proud things, and have glory in it; let not proud words come out of your mouth; for God is the Lord of all knowledge, and he judgeth all that people do.)

⁴ The bow of strong men is overcome, and feeble men be girded with strength.

⁵ Men full-filled before, setted themselves to hire for loaves, and hungry men be filled; while the barren woman childed full many, and she that had many sons, was made sick. (Men filled full before, now hire themselves out to work for loaves, and hungry men be filled; while the barren woman bare a great many, and she who had many sons, was made feeble, or weak.)

⁶ The Lord slayeth, and quickeneth; he leadeth forth to hells, and bringeth again. (The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; he leadeth down to Sheol, or into the grave, and bringeth up again.)

⁷ The Lord maketh poor, and he maketh rich; he maketh low, and he raiseth up.

⁸ He raiseth a needy man from powder, and he raiseth a poor man from drit, that he sit with princes, and hold the seat of glory; for the ends of [the] earth be of the Lord, and he hath set the world on those. (He raiseth up the needy from the dust, and he raiseth up the poor from the dirt, so that they sit with princes, and have seats, or places, of honour; for the ends of the earth be the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.)

3 In the fifteen year of the empire of Tiberius, the emperor, when Pilate of Pontii governed Judaea, and Herod was prince of Galilee, and Philip, his brother, was prince of Ituraea, and of the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias was prince of Abilene,

² under the princes of priests Annas and Caiaphas, the word of the Lord was made on [upon] John, the son of Zacharias, in desert.

³ And he came into all the country of Jordan, and preached [preaching] baptism of penance into remission of sins.

⁴ As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias, the prophet, The voice of a crier in desert [The voice of one crying in desert], Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths right.

⁵ Each valley shall be full-filled, and every hill and little hill shall be made low; and depraved things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways; [Each valley shall be filled, and each mountain and little hill shall be made low; and shrewd things shall be into dressed things, and sharp things into plain ways;]

⁶ and every flesh [and each flesh] shall see the health of God.

⁷ Therefore he said to the people, which went out to be baptized of him, Kindlings of adders, who showed to you to flee from the wrath to coming?^[a]

⁸ Therefore do ye worthy fruits of penance, and begin ye not to say, We have a father Abraham; for I say to you, that God is mighty to raise of these stones the sons of Abraham [soothly I say to you, God is mighty of these stones to raise the sons of Abraham].

⁹ And now an ax is set [is put] to the root of the tree; and therefore every tree that maketh not good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire [shall be cut down, and sent into the fire].

¹⁰ And the people asked him, and said [saying], What then shall we do?

¹¹ He answered, and said to them [Soothly he answering said to them], He that hath two coats, give he to him that hath none; and he that hath meats, do in like manner.

¹² And [the] publicans came to be baptized; and they said to him, Master, what shall we do?

¹³ And he said to them, Do ye nothing more, than that that is ordained to you.

¹⁴ And [the] knights asked him, and said, What shall also we do [Forsooth and the knights asked him, saying, What shall and we do]? And he said to them, Smite ye wrongfully no man, neither make ye false challenge, and be ye satisfied with your wages [and be satisfied with your wages].

¹⁵ When all the people guessed, and all men thought in their hearts of John, lest peradventure he were Christ,

¹⁶ John answered, and said [saying] to all men, [Soothly] I baptize you in water; but a stronger than I shall come after me, of whom I am not worthy to unbind the lace of his shoes [of whose I am not worthy to unbind the thong of his shoes]; he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.

¹⁷ Whose fan in his hand/Whose winnowing tool is in his hand, and he shall purge his floor of corn [and he shall purge his corn floor], and shall gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he shall burn with fire unquenchable.

¹⁸ And many other things also he spake, and preached to the people. [Forsooth and he stirring, or admonishing, many other things, evangelized to the people.]