Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

40 My people, be ye comforted, be ye comforted, saith your Lord God. (My people, be ye comforted, yea, be ye comforted, saith the Lord your God.)

² Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, and call ye [to] it, for the malice thereof is [ful]filled, the wickedness thereof is forgiven; it hath received of the hand of the Lord double things for all his sins (it hath received from the hand of the Lord double for all of its sins).

³ The voice of a crier in desert [The voice of the (one) crying in (the) desert], Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye rightful the paths of our God in wilderness. (The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make ye right the paths in the desert for our God.)

⁴ Each valley shall be enhanced, and each mountain and little hill shall be made low; and shrewd things shall be into straight things, and sharp things shall be into plane ways. (Each valley shall be lifted up, and each mountain and little hill shall be made low; and depraved, or crooked, ways shall be made into straight ways, and sharp places shall be made into smooth places.)

⁵ And the glory of the Lord shall be showed, and each man shall see together, that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken. (And the glory of the Lord shall be shown, and all the people shall see it together, that the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.)

⁶ The voice of God, saying, Cry thou. And I said, What shall I cry? Each flesh is hay, and all the glory thereof is as the flower of the field. (The voice of God, saying, Cry thou. And I said, What shall I cry? And he saith, Each person is but a blade of grass, and all their life lasteth no longer than a flower in the field.)

⁷ The hay is dried up, and the flower fell down, for the spirit of the Lord blew therein. Verily the people is hay; (And the grass drieth up, and the flower falleth down, because the wind of the Lord bloweth there. Truly the people be but grass;)

⁸ the hay is dried up, and the flower fell down; but the word of the Lord dwelleth, either shall stand, without end. (and the grass drieth up, and the flower falleth down; but the word of the Lord shall stand forever.)

⁹ Thou that preachest to Zion, go upon an high hill; thou that preachest to Jerusalem, enhance thy voice in strength; enhance thou, do not thou dread; say thou to the cities of Judah, Lo! your God. (Thou who preachest to Zion, go up on a high mountain; thou who preachest to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; yea, lift thou it up, do not thou fear; say thou to the cities of Judah, Lo! your God.)

¹⁰ Lo! the Lord God shall come in strength, and his arm shall hold lordship; lo! his meed is with him, and his work is before him (lo! his reward is with him, and his work is in front of him).

¹¹ As a shepherd he shall feed his flock, he shall gather [the] lambs in(to) his arm(s), and he shall raise (them up) in(to) his bosom; he shall bear [the] sheep with lamb. (Like a shepherd he shall feed his flock, he shall gather the lambs into his arms, and he shall raise them up into his bosom; he shall gently lead the sheep that be with their young.)

85 To the overcomer, the song of the sons of Korah. Lord, thou hast blessed thy land; thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob. (To the overcomer, the song for the sons of Korah. Lord, thou hast blessed thy land; thou hast brought back the captives of Jacob/thou hast returned prosperity to Jacob.)

² Thou hast forgiven the wickedness of thy people; thou hast covered all the sins of them.

⁸ I shall hear what the Lord God shall speak in me; for he shall speak peace to his people. And on his holy men; and on them that be turned to heart. (I shall listen to what the Lord God shall say; for he shall speak words of peace to his people. Yea, to us, and to his holy men; and to all who turn towards him with their hearts.)

⁹ Nevertheless his health is nigh (to) men dreading him; that glory dwell in our land. (For his salvation, or his deliverance, is near to those who fear him/is near to those who revere him; so that glory can be in our land.)

¹⁰ Mercy and truth met themselves; rightfulness and peace were kissed. (Love and faithfulness came together; righteousness and peace kissed each other.)

¹¹ Truth came forth (out) of the earth; and rightfulness beheld from heaven. (Faithfulness sprang forth from the earth; and righteousness looked down from heaven.)

¹² For the Lord shall give benignity; and our earth shall give his fruit. (For the Lord shall give prosperity; and our earth shall give its fruit.)

¹³ Rightfulness shall go before him; and shall set his steps in the way. (Righteousness shall go before him; and shall prepare the way for his steps.)

⁸ But, ye most dear, this one thing be not hid to you [be not unknown], that one day with God is as a thousand years, and a thousand years be as one day [and a thousand years as one day].

⁹ The Lord tarrieth not his promise, as some [men] guess, but he doeth patiently for you, and will not that any man perish [not willing any to perish], but that all turn again to penance.

¹⁰ For the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in which heavens with great rush shall pass [in which heavens with great rush, or fierceness, shall pass], and elements shall be dissolved by heat, and the earth, and all the works that be in it, shall be burnt.

¹¹ Therefore when all these things shall be dissolved, what manner men behooveth it you to be in holy livings and piety [in holy livings and pieties],

¹² abiding and hieing into the coming of the day of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom heavens burning shall be dissolved, and elements shall fail by burning of fire^[a].

¹³ Also we abide by his promises [Soothly we abide after his promise] new heavens and new earth, in which rightwiseness dwelleth.

¹⁴ For which thing, ye most dear, abiding these things, be ye busy to be found to him in peace unspotted and undefouled [in peace unspotted and unfouled].

¹⁵ And deem ye long abiding of our Lord Jesus Christ your health, as also our most dear brother Paul wrote to you, by wisdom given to him. [And deem ye the long abiding of our Lord your health, as and our most dear brother Paul wrote to you, after wisdom given to him.]

1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

² As it is written in Esaias, the prophet, Lo! I send mine angel before thy face, that shall make thy way ready before thee.

³ The voice of a crier in desert, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths right. [The voice of one crying in desert, Make ye ready the way of the Lord, make ye his paths rightful.]

⁴ John was in desert baptizing, and preaching the baptism of penance, into remission of sins.

⁵ And all the country of Judaea went out to him, and all men of Jerusalem; and they were baptized of him in the flume Jordan [and were baptized of him in the flood of Jordan], acknowledging their sins.

⁶ And John was clothed with hairs of camels, and a girdle of skin was about his loins; and he ate honeysuckles, and wild honey,^[a]

⁷ and preached, and said [saying], A stronger than I shall come after me, and I am not worthy to kneel down, and unloose [the thong of] his shoes.

⁸ I have baptized you in water; but he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost.