Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

133 The song of degrees. Lo! how good and how merry it is; that brethren dwell together. (Lo! how good and how pleasant it is; for brothers, or God’s people, to live together in unity, or in harmony.)

² As ointment in the head; that goeth down into the beard, into the beard of Aaron. That goeth down into the collar of his cloth; (Like ointment on the head, that goeth down onto the beard, onto Aaron’s beard; yea, that goeth down onto the collar of his cloak.)

³ as the dew of Hermon, that goeth down into the hill of Zion. For there the Lord sent blessing; and life till into the world, that is, without end. (Like the dew of Mount Hermon, that goeth down onto the hills of Zion. For there the Lord sent blessing; and life forevermore.)

2 In the second year of the realm of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar saw a dream; and his spirit was afeared, and his dream fled away from him. (In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream; and his spirit was afraid, and then his dream fled away from him.)

² Therefore the king commanded, that the (false) diviners, and astronomers, and witches, and Chaldees should be called together, that they should tell to the king his dreams; and when they were come, they stood before the king. (And so the king commanded, that the fortunetellers, and the astrologers, and the witches, and the Chaldeans should be called together, so that they could tell the king about his dream; and when they had come, they stood before the king.)

³ And the king said to them, I saw a dream, and I am shamed in mind, and I know not what I saw. (And the king said to them, I had a dream, and I am confused, and I do not know what I saw/and I do not know what it meant.)

⁴ And Chaldees answered the king by Syriack language, King, live thou without end; say thy dream to thy servants, and we shall show to thee the expounding thereof. (And the Chaldeans answered the king in the Syrian, or in the Aramaic, language and said, O King, may thou live forever; first tell thy dream to thy servants, and then we shall tell thee its interpretation.)

⁵ And the king answered, and said to [the] Chaldees, The word is gone away from me; if ye show not to me the dream, and the expounding thereof, ye shall perish, and your houses shall be forfeited. (And the king answered, and said to the Chaldeans, The dream hath gone away from me/This is what I have decided; if ye do not tell me the dream, and its interpretation, then ye shall die, and your houses shall be laid waste.)

⁶ Forsooth if ye tell the dream, and the expounding thereof, ye shall take of me meeds and gifts, and much honour; therefore show ye to me the dream, and the interpreting thereof. (But if ye tell me the dream, and its interpretation, then ye shall receive from me rewards and gifts, and much honour; and so tell me the dream, and its interpretation.)

⁷ They answered the second time, and said, The king say the dream to his servants, and we shall show the interpreting thereof. (They answered a second time, and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and then we shall tell its interpretation.)

⁸ The king answered, and said, Certainly I know, that ye again-buy the time, and know that the word is gone away from me. (And the king answered, Certainly I see, that ye be trying to gain time, for ye know that the dream hath gone away from me/because ye know that this is what I have decided.)

⁹ Therefore if ye show not to me the dream, one sentence is of you, for ye make an interpreting both false and full of deceit, that ye speak to me till the time pass; therefore say ye the dream to me, that I know that ye speak also the very interpreting thereof. (And so if ye do not tell me the dream, one punishment shall be for all of you, for ye make an interpretation both false and full of deceit, and ye shall just speak to me until the time pass; and so tell me the dream, so that I know that ye also say its true interpretation.)

¹⁰ Therefore [the] Chaldees answered before the king, and said, King, no man is on earth that may [ful]fill thy word; but neither any great man and mighty of kings asketh such a word of any (false) diviner, and astronomer, and of a man of Chaldea. (And so the Chaldeans answered the king, and said, O king, there is no one on earth who can fulfill thy request; nor would any great king, or mighty man, ask such a request of any fortuneteller, or astrologer, or a man of Chaldea.)

¹¹ For the word which thou, (O) king, askest, is grievous, neither any shall be found that shall show it in the sight of the king (nor shall anyone be found who can tell it to the king), except (the) gods, whose living is not with men.

¹² And when this word was heard, the king commanded, in strong vengeance and in great ire, that all [the] wise men of Babylon should perish. (And when this word was heard, the king commanded, with strong vengeance and with great anger, that all the wise men of Babylon should be put to death.)

¹³ And by the sentence gone out, the wise men were (to be) slain; and Daniel and his fellows were sought, that they should perish. (And by the order gone out, the wise men were to be killed; and Daniel and his fellows were sought, so that they could be put to death.)

¹⁴ Then Daniel asked of the law and sentence of Arioch, prince of [the] chivalry of the king, that was gone out to slay the wise men of Babylon. (And Daniel asked about the law and the sentence, or the order, to Arioch, the leader of the king’s cavalry, or of his bodyguard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.)

¹⁵ And he asked him, that had taken power of the king, for what cause so cruel a sentence went out from the face of the king. Therefore when Arioch had showed the thing to Daniel, (And he asked him, who had received the power of life and death from the king, for what cause such a cruel order had gone out from the king. And so when Arioch had told the reason to Daniel,)

¹⁶ Daniel entered, and prayed the king, that he should give time to him to show the solving to the king. (Daniel entered in, and beseeched the king, that he would give him some time, so that he could tell the interpretation to the king. And the king agreed.)

¹⁷ And he entered into his house, and showed the need to Hananiah, and Mishael, and Azariah, his fellows,

¹⁸ that they should ask mercy of the face of God of heaven on this sacrament, (or hid truth); and that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with other wise men of Babylon. (that they should ask for mercy from the God of heaven, and that he explain this secret, or this hidden truth, so that Daniel and his fellows would not die along with the other wise men of Babylon.)

¹⁹ Then the private^[a] was showed to Daniel by a vision in night. And Daniel blessed (the) God of heaven, (Then the mystery, or the secret, was revealed to Daniel by a vision in the night. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven,)

²⁰ and said, The name of the Lord be blessed from the world, and till into the world, for wisdom and strength be his; (and said, The Lord’s name be blessed forever and ever, for wisdom and strength be his;)

²¹ and he changeth times and ages, he translateth realms and ordaineth; he giveth wisdom to wise men, and knowing to them that understand teaching, either chastising; (and he changeth times and ages, he transfereth kingdoms and ordaineth them; he giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to those who understand teaching, or the disciplines;)

²² he showeth deep things and hid (he revealeth secrets, or mysteries, and hidden things), and he knoweth things set in darknesses, and light is with him.

²³ God of our fathers, I acknowledge to thee, and I praise thee, for thou hast given wisdom and strength to me; and now thou hast showed to me those things which we prayed thee, for thou hast opened to us the word of the king. (God of our forefathers, I acknowledge to thee, and I praise thee, for thou hast given wisdom and strength to me; and now thou hast shown me those things for which we prayed to thee, for thou hast opened to us the matter concerning the king.)

²³ And when they were delivered, they came to their fellows, and told to them, how great things the princes of priests and the elder men had said to them.^[a]

²⁴ And when they heard, with one heart they raised voice to the Lord, and said, Lord, thou that madest heaven and earth, sea, and all things that be in them,

²⁵ which saidest by the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our father David, thy child, Why heathen men gnashed with teeth together, and the peoples thought vain things? [which by the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our father David, thy child, saidest, Why heathen men wrathed, or beat with teeth together, and peoples thought vain things?]

²⁶ Kings of the earth stood nigh, and princes came together into one, against the Lord, and against his Christ.

²⁷ For verily Herod and Pontius Pilate, with heathen men, and peoples of Israel, came together in this city against thine holy child Jesus, whom thou anointedest, [For they came together verily in this city against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou anointedest, Herod and Pontius Pilate, with heathen men, and peoples of Israel,]

²⁸ to do the things, that thine hand and thy counsel deemed to be done.

²⁹ And now, Lord, behold into the threatenings of them, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all trust [and give to thy servants with all trust to speak thy word],

³⁰ in that thing that thou hold forth thine hand, that healings and signs and wonders be made by the name of thine holy Son Jesus. [in that thing that thou hold forth thine hand, healths and signs and wonders to be made by the name of thine holy Son Jesus.]

³¹ And when they had prayed, the place was moved, in which they were gathered; and all were filled with the Holy Ghost, and spake the word of God with trust.