Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

42 To victory, to the sons of Korah. As an hart desireth to the wells of waters; so thou, God, my soul desireth to thee. (To victory, for the sons of Korah, for their teaching. Like a hart desireth a well of water; so, O God, my soul desireth thee.)

² My soul thirsted to God, the quick well/(the) well of life (My soul thirsted for God, the living well/the well of life); when shall I come, and appear before the face of God?

³ My tears were loaves to me day and night; while it is said to me each day, Where is thy God? (My tears were my only food day and night; while my enemies said to me every day/over and over, Where is thy God?)

⁴ I bethought of these things, and I poured out in me my soul; for I shall pass into the place of the wonderful tabernacle, till to the house of God. In the voice of full out joying, and acknowledging; is the sound of the eater. (I remembered these things, as I poured out my soul; for I had gone with the people, yea, I had gone with them to the House of God. With words of rejoicing, and praising; yea, the sound of the people going in pilgrimage.)

⁵ My soul, why art thou sorry; and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall acknowledge to him; he is the health of my cheer, and my God. (My soul, why art thou feeling so sad? and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall praise him; he is my true help, and my God.)

⁶ My soul is troubled with(in) myself; therefore, God, I shall be mindful of thee from the land of Jordan, and from the little hill of Hermonites. (My soul is troubled within me; and so, O God, I shall remember thee from the land of the Jordan River, and from Mount Hermon, and Mount Mizar.)

⁷ Depth calleth depth; in the voice of thy windows. All thine high things, and thy waves; passed over me. (One depth calleth unto another depth; in the rush of thy channels. All thy billows, yea, all thy waves, passed over me.)

⁸ The Lord sent his mercy in the day; and his song in the night (The Lord sent forth his love in the day; and his song in the night). With me is the prayer to (the) God of my life;

⁹ I shall say to God, Thou art mine up-taker. Why forgettest thou me; and why go I sorrowful, while the enemy tormenteth me? (I shall say to God, Thou art my defender. So why hast thou forgotten me? and why must I go about in sorrow, while the enemy tormenteth me?)

¹⁰ While my bones be broken altogether; mine enemies, that trouble me, despised me. While they say to me, by all days; Where is thy God? (I feel as if my bones be altogether broken, or crushed; when my enemies, who trouble me, despise and scorn me. And they say to me, every day/over and over, Where is thy God?)

¹¹ My soul, why art thou sorry; and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall acknowledge to him; he is the health of my cheer, and my God. (My soul, why art thou feeling so sad? and why troublest thou me? Hope thou in God, for yet I shall praise him; he is my true help, and my God.)

¹³ Forsooth in the tother day, Moses sat that he should deem the people, which stood nigh to Moses, from the morrowtide till to the eventide. (And the next day, Moses sat down to judge the people, who stood about him, from the morning until the evening.)

¹⁴ And when his ally had seen this, that is, all things which he did in the people, he said, What is this that thou doest in the people? why sittest thou alone, and all the people abideth thee from the morrowtide till to eventide? (And when his father-in-law had seen this, that is, all the things which he did for the people, Jethro said, What is this that thou doest for the people? why sittest thou alone, and all the people waiteth for thee from the morning until the evening?)

¹⁵ To whom Moses answered, The people cometh to me, and asketh the sentence of God;

¹⁶ and when any strife befalleth to them, they come to me, that I deem betwixt them (so that I can judge between them), and show (them) the commandments of God, and his laws.

¹⁷ And Jethro said, Thou doest a thing that is not good,

¹⁸ thou art wasted with a fond travail, both thou, and this people that is with thee; the work is above thy strengths, thou alone mayest not suffer it (thou cannot do it all alone).

¹⁹ But hear thou my words, and my counsels, and the Lord shall be with thee; be thou to the people in these things that pertain to God, that thou tell (them) the things that be said to the people; (But hear thou my words, and my counsel, and the Lord shall be with thee; it is right to represent the people before God, and to bring their causes to him;)

²⁰ and show to the people the ceremonies, and [the] custom(s) of worshipping, and the way by which they ought to go, and the work which they ought to do.

²¹ Forsooth purvey thou of all the people wise men, and dreading God, in which is truth, and which hate avarice; and ordain thou of them tribunes, and centurions, and quinquagenaries, and deans [and ordain of them rulers upon thousands, and rulers upon hundreds, and rulers upon fifty, and rulers upon ten], (But find thou out of the people some men who be wise, and who fear God, in whom is truth, and who hate greed; and make thou them leaders of a thousand, and of a hundred, and of fifty, and of ten,)

²² which shall deem the people in all time; soothly whatever thing is greater, tell they to thee, and deem they only [the] less(er) things, and be it easier to thee, when the burden is parted into other men. (and they shall judge their people at all times; but whatever case is hard, or too difficult, let them tell that to thee, and judge they only the simple cases, and so it shall be easier for thee, when the burden is shared with these other men.)

²³ If thou shalt do this, thou shalt fulfill the commandment of God, and thou shalt be able to bear his commandments; and all this people shall turn again with peace to their places (and all these people shall return to their places in peace).

²⁴ And when these things were heard, Moses did all things which Jethro counselled.

²⁵ And when noble men of all Israel were chosen, Moses ordained them princes of the people (And when some noble men were chosen out of all Israel, Moses ordained them the people’s leaders), tribunes, and centurions, and quinquagenaries, and deans [rulers upon thousands, and rulers upon hundreds, and rulers upon fifties, and rulers upon ten],

²⁶ which deemed the people in all time; forsooth, whatever thing was harder, they told to Moses, and they deemed [the] easier things only. (who judged the people at all times; but whatever case was hard, or too difficult, they told it to Moses, and they judged only the easy, or the simple, cases.)

²⁷ And Moses let go his ally, which turned again, and went into his land. (And then Moses let his father-in-law go, and he returned to his own land.)

¹⁵ But some for envy and strife, some for good will, preach Christ;

¹⁶ and some of charity, witting that I am put in the defence of the gospel.

¹⁷ But some of strife [Forsooth some of contention, or strife,] show Christ not cleanly, guessing them(selves) to raise tribulation to my bonds.

¹⁸ But what? while on all manner, either by occasion, either by truth, Christ is showed [What soothly? the while on all manner, either by contention, either by truth, Christ is showed]; and in this thing I have joy, but also I shall have joy.

¹⁹ And I know, that this thing shall come to me into health by your prayer, and the under-ministering of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

²⁰ by mine abiding and hope [after mine abiding and hope]. For in nothing I shall be ashamed, but in all trust as evermore and now, Christ shall be magnified in my body, either by life, either by death.

²¹ For [to] me to live is Christ, and to die is winning.