Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

142 The learning of David; his prayer, when he was in the den. With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I prayed heartily to the Lord. (The teaching of David; his prayer, when he was in the cave. With my voice I cried to the Lord; with my voice I heartily prayed to the Lord.)

² I shedded out my prayer in his sight; and I pronounce(d) my tribulation before him. (I poured out my complaints before him; and I told him about all my troubles.)

³ While my spirit faileth of me; and thou hast known my paths. In this way in which I went; proud men hid a snare to me. (Yea, when my spirit failed within me; thou knewest which path I should take. For on the way in which I went; proud people hid a snare for me.)

⁴ I beheld to the right side, and I saw; and none there was that knew me. Flight perished from me; and none there is that seeketh (to help) my soul. (I looked to the right; and I saw, that there was no one there who knew me. I had no way to escape; there was no one to rescue me.)

⁵ Lord, I cried to thee; I said, Thou art mine hope; my part in the land of livers. (Lord, I cried to thee; I said, Thou art my only hope, my portion in the land of the living.)

⁶ Give thou attention to my beseeching; for I am made low full greatly. Deliver thou me from them that pursue me; for they be comforted on me. (Give thou attention to my plea; for I am brought down so very low. Save thou me from those who pursue me; for they be stronger than me.)

⁷ Lead my soul out of keeping to acknowledge to thy name; just men abide me, till thou yield to me. (Lead me out of this prison, so that I can praise thy name; the righteous shall gather around me, when thou shalt reward me.)

⁷ To Idumea, the Lord of hosts saith these things. Whether wisdom is no more in Teman? Counsel perished from sons, the wisdom of them is made unprofitable. (About Edom, the Lord of hosts saith these things. Is wisdom no more in Teman? hath counsel, or good advice, perished from its people? is their wisdom made worthless?)

⁸ Flee ye, and turn ye the backs; go down into a swallow, ye dwellers of Dedan, for I have brought the perdition of Esau on him, the time of his visitation. (Flee ye, and turn ye the backs; go down into a hollow, ye inhabitants of Dedan, for I have brought the perdition of Esau upon him, yea, the time of his punishment.)

⁹ If gatherers of grapes had come [up]on thee, they should have left (at least) a cluster; if thieves in the night, they should have ravished that that sufficed to them (if thieves in the night, they should have robbed, or taken, only what sufficed for themselves).

¹⁰ Forsooth I have uncovered Esau, and I have showed the hid things of him, and he may not be able to be hid; his seed is destroyed, and his brethren, and his neighbours, and it shall not be. (But I have uncovered Esau, and I have shown his hidden things, and he cannot hide himself; his children, or his descendants, be destroyed, and also his kinsmen, and his neighbours, and now he is not.)

¹¹ Forsake thy fatherless children, and I shall make them to live, and thy widows shall (have) hope in me.

¹⁷ Therefore I say and witness this thing in the Lord [Therefore this thing I say, and witness in the Lord], that ye walk not now, as heathen men walk, in the vanity of their wit;

¹⁸ that have understanding darkened with darknesses [having their understanding darkened], and be aliened from the life of God, by ignorance that is in them, for the blindness of their heart.

¹⁹ Which despairing betook themselves to unchastity, into the working of all uncleanness in covetousness.

²⁰ But ye have not so learned Christ,

²¹ if nevertheless ye heard him, and be taught in him, as is truth in Jesus.

²² Do ye away by the old living the old man, that is corrupt by the desires of error; [Do ye away after the first living the old man, that is corrupt after the desires of error;]

²³ and be ye renewed in the spirit of your soul;^[a]

²⁴ and clothe ye the new man, which is made after God in rightwiseness and holiness of truth. [and clothe ye the new man, which after God is made of nought in rightwiseness and holiness of truth.]

²⁵ For which thing put ye away lying, and speak ye truth each man with his neighbour, for we be members each to other. [For which thing putting away lying, speak truth each man with his neighbour, for we be members together.]

²⁶ Be ye wroth, and do not do sin; the sun fall not down on your wrath [the sun fall not down upon your wrath].

²⁷ Do not ye give stead to the devil.

²⁸ He that stole, now steal he not; but more rather travail he in working with his hands that that is good, that he have whereof he shall give to the needy. [He that stole, now steal not; but more travail he in working with his hands that that is good thing, that he have whereof he shall give to a man suffering need.]

²⁹ Each evil word go not out of your mouth; but if any is good to the edification of faith, that it give grace to men that hear [that it give grace to men hearing].

³⁰ And do not ye make the Holy Ghost of God sorry [And do not ye make the Holy Ghost of God sorry, or heavy], in which ye be marked in the day of redemption.

³¹ All bitterness, and wrath, and indignation, and cry, and blasphemy be taken away from you, with all malice;

³² and be ye together benign [forsooth be ye together benign, or of good will], merciful, forgiving together, as also God forgave to you in Christ.

5 Therefore be ye followers of God, as most dear-worthy sons;

² and walk ye in love, as [and] Christ loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, into the odour of sweetness.