Old/New Testament
23 Forsooth these be the last words, which David, the son of Jesse, said. (The words that) The man said, to whom it is ordained of Christ, of the God of Jacob, the noble psalm-maker of Israel; (These be the last words which David, the son of Jesse, said. The words that the man to whom it was ordained to be the anointed of the God of Jacob, the noble psalm-maker of Israel, yea, the last words that he said;)
2 The spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word by my tongue.
3 David said, God of Israel spake to me, the strong help of Israel, the just Lord of men, is Lord in the dread of God. (The God of Israel spoke, the Strong One of Israel said to me, The lord, or the leader, of men should be just, ruling in the fear of God.)
4 As the light of the morrowtide, when the sun riseth early, (and) is bright without clouds; and as an herb cometh forth of the earth by rains. (He is like the morning light, when the sun riseth early, and it is bright without clouds; and like a herb that cometh forth out of the ground after the rain.)
5 And mine house is not so great with God, that he should make with me everlasting covenant, steadfast and made strong in all things; for all mine health is of him, and all my will, that is, all my desire, goeth into him, and nothing is thereof, that maketh not fruit[a]. (And though my house is not so great before God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, steadfast and strong in all things; for all my salvation is from him, and all my desire is for him, and there is nothing of it, that maketh not fruit.)
6 Forsooth all trespassers shall be drawn out as thorns, that be not taken with hands. (And all trespassers shall be drawn out like thorns, which cannot be picked, or touched, by hand.)
7 And if any man will touch those, he shall be armed with iron, and with a (piece of) wood formed into a spear; and (then) the thorns shall be kindled, and shall be burnt till to nought.
8 These be the names of the strong men of David. David sitteth in the chair, the wisest prince among (the) three; he is as a most tender worm of a tree, that killed eight hundred with one fierceness. (These be the names of David’s strong men. The Hachmonite sitteth in the chair, he is the wise leader of The Three/The first, Jashobeam, the son of Hachmoni, was the leader of The Three; he raised up his spear against eight hundred men, and killed all of them at one time.)
9 After him was Eleazar, the son of his father’s brother, (the) Ahohite; (he was) among [the] three strong men, that were with David, when they said shame to the Philistines, and were gathered thither into battle. And when the men of Israel had gone up, (After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite; he was one of The Three, who were with David, when they said shame to, or taunted, the Philistines, and were gathered there in battle. And when the men of Israel had gone away,)
10 he/Eleazar stood in battle, when his fellows went aback, and smote the Philistines, till that his hand failed, and was stark with the sword. And the Lord made great health in that day; and the people that fled turned again, to draw away the spoils of [the] slain men. (Eleazar stood his ground in the battle, while his fellows fled, and he struck down the Philistines, until his hand failed, and was fixed, or frozen, to the sword. And the Lord gave great victory that day; and the people who had fled returned to take away the spoils from the dead.)
11 And after him was Shammah, the son of Agee, of Hararites. And Philistines were gathered in the station; and there was a field full of lentils, or vetches; and when the people of Israel [had] fled from the face of Philistines, (And the third member of The Three was Shammah, the son of Agee, of the Hararites. And when the Philistines were gathered at Lehi; and there was a field full of lentils; and the people of Israel had fled from before the Philistines,)
12 he stood in the midst of the field, and beheld it, for he defended the field; and he smote the Philistines, and the Lord made there [a] great health. (he stood there in the midst of the field, and held it, and he defended that field; and he struck down the Philistines, and the Lord gave a great victory there.)
13 Also and three men went down before, that were princes among (the) thirty, and came to David in the time of reap(ing) into the den of Adullam. And the tents of Philistines were set in the valley of giants. (And three of The Thirty came down at the beginning of the harvest to join David at the cave of Adullam. And the Philistines’ tents were pitched in the Rephaim Valley.)
14 And David was in a stronghold; and the station of Philistines was then in Bethlehem. (And David was in a stronghold; and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.)
15 Then David desired water of the well (Then David desired water out of the cistern), and said, (O!) If any man would give to me (a) drink of the water (out) of the cistern, which is in Bethlehem, beside the gate.
16 Therefore (the) three strong men brake into the tents of Philistines, and drew water of the cistern of Bethlehem, that was beside the gate, and they brought it to David; and he would not drink, but offered it to the Lord, (And so The Three broke into the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the cistern of Bethlehem, that was beside the gate, and they brought it to David; but he would not drink it, but offered it to the Lord,)
17 and said, The Lord be merciful to me, that I do not this; whether I shall drink the blood of these men, that went forth, and the peril of their lives? Therefore he would not drink. (The) Three full strong men did these things. (and said, May the Lord be merciful to me, so that I do not do this; for should I drink the blood of these men, who went down there, risking their own lives? And so he would not drink it. The Three did these things.)
18 Also Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was prince of [the] three; he it is that raised his spear against three hundred men, which he killed; he was named among [the] three, (And Abishai, Joab’s brother, the son of Zeruiah, was the leader of The Thirty; it was he who raised up his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed; he had the famous name among The Thirty,)
19 and was the nobler among (the) three, and he was the prince of them; but he came not to the three first men. (yea, he was the most famous of The Thirty, and he was their leader; but he did not come up to, or rival, The Three.)
20 And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the strongest man of great works, of Kabzeel, he smote [the] two lions of Moab, that is, two knights hardy as lions/two strong hardy knights; and he went down, and smote a lion in the middle (of a) cistern in the days of snow.
21 Also he killed a man of Egypt, a man worthy of beholding, having a spear in his hand; and so when he had gone down with a rod to that man, by might he wrung out the spear from the hand of the man of Egypt, and killed him with his own spear. (And he killed an Egyptian man, a man worthy of beholding, who had a spear in his hand; for he had gone down to that man with a staff, and by might he wrung the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and then killed him with his own spear.)
22 Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, did these things; and he was named among [the] three strong men (and he had a famous name among The Thirty),
23 that were among the thirty nobler men; nevertheless he came not (up) to the first three. And David made him a counsellor of private to himself. (indeed some said he was the most famous of The Thirty; nevertheless he came not up to, or rivaled, The Three. And David made him his personal counsellor/the head of his bodyguard.)
24 Asahel, the brother of Joah, was among the thirty men; Elhanan, the son of his father’s brother, of Bethlehem; (And other members of The Thirty; Asahel, Joah’s brother; and Elhanan, the son of Dodo, of Bethlehem;)
25 Shammah, of Harodites; Elika, of Harodites;
26 Helez, of Paltites; Ira, the son of Ikkesh, of Tekoa; (Helez, of Pelet; Ira, the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;)
27 Abiezer, of Anathoth (Abiezer the Anethothite); Mebunnai, of Hushathites;
28 Zalmon, of Ahohites; Maharai, of Netophah;
29 Heleb, the son of Baanah, and he was of Netophah; Ittai, the son of Ribai, of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin;
30 Benaiah, of Pirathon; Hiddai, of the strand of Gaash;
31 Abialbon, of Arabah; Azmaveth, of Barhumites;
32 Eliahba, of Shaalbonites; the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, and Jashen; (Eliahba, of Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen; Jonathan;/Eliahba, of Shaalbon; Hashem the Gizonite;)
33 Shammah, of Hararites; Ahiam, the son of Sharar, of Hararites; (Jonathan, the son of Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam, the son of Sharar the Hararite;)
34 Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai, the son of (the) Maachathite; Eliam, the son of Ahithophel, of Giloh;
35 Hezrai, of Carmel; Paarai, of Arbites;
36 Igal, the son of Nathan, of Zobah; Bani, of Gadites;
37 Zelek, of Ammonites; Nahari, of Beeroth, the squire of Joab, the son of Zeruiah;
38 Ira, of Ithrites; Gareb, and he was of Ithrites;
39 Uriah of Hittites; all these were seven and thirty men (in all, there were thirty-seven famous fighting men).
24 And the strong vengeance of the Lord added to be wroth against Israel, and he stirred against them David, saying to Joab, Go thou, and number thou Israel and Judah. (And again the Lord was angry with Israel, and in his strong vengeance he stirred David against them, so that he said to Joab, Go thou, and count the people of Israel and Judah.)
2 And the king said to Joab, the prince of his host, Go thou by all the lineages of Israel, from Dan till to Beersheba, and number thou the people, that I know the number thereof. (And the king said to Joab, the leader of his army, Go thou through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan unto Beersheba, and count the people, so that I can know their number.)
3 And Joab said to the king, Thy Lord God increase to this people, how great it is now, and again multiply he it an hundredfold in the sight of my lord the king; but what will my lord the king to himself in such a thing? (And Joab said to the king, May the Lord thy God increase this people to be more numerous than they be now, and may he multiply them a hundredfold before my lord the king; but why would my lord the king desire to do such a thing as to count the people?)
4 But the word of the king overcame the words of Joab, and of the princes of the host; and Joab went out, and the princes of the knights, from the face of the king, that they should number the people of Israel. (But the king’s word overruled what Joab and the other leaders of the army said; and so Joab, and the leaders of the horsemen, went out from before the king, to count the people of Israel.)
5 And when they had passed [over] Jordan (And when they had crossed over the Jordan River), they came into Aroer, to the right side of the city that is in the valley of Gad; and they passed forth by Jazer
6 into Gilead, and into the lower land of Hodshi, and they came into the woody places of Dan; and they went about beside Sidon, (to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi, and they came to Danjaan; and they went about beside Sidon,)
7 and passed nigh the walls of Tyre, and nigh all the land of Hivites, and of Canaanites; and they came to the south of Judah, in[to] Beersheba.
8 And when all the land was compassed, they came after nine months and twenty days into Jerusalem. (And when they had gone throughout all the land, they came back to Jerusalem after nine months and twenty days.)
9 And so Joab gave the number of [the] describing of the people to the king. And of Israel were found nine hundred thousand of strong men, that drew out sword; and of Judah five hundred thousand of fighters. (And so Joab gave the census count to the king. And there were found in Israel eight hundred thousand strong men who drew out the sword; and in Judah five hundred thousand fighting men.)
10 And the heart of David smote him, that is, his conscience reproved him, after that the people was numbered; and David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in this deed; but, Lord, I pray, that thou turn away the wickedness of thy servant, for I have done full follily. (And then David’s heart struck him, that is, his conscience rebuked him, after that the people were counted; and David said to the Lord, I have greatly sinned by doing this deed; but, Lord, I pray thee, that thou turn away thy servant’s wickedness, yea, what I have done so foolishly.)
11 Therefore David rose (up) early; and the word of the Lord was made to Gad, the prophet and seer, and said,
12 Go thou, and speak to David (Go thou, and say to David), The Lord saith these things, The choice of three things is given to thee; choose thou one, which thou wilt of these, that I do to thee.
13 And when Gad had come to David, he told to him, and said, Either hunger shall come to thee in thy land seven years; either three months thou shalt flee thine adversaries, and they shall pursue thee; either certainly three days pestilence shall be in thy land; now therefore deliver thou, either advise thou/examine thou, and see, what word I shall answer to him that sent me. (And so when Gad had come to David, he told him, and said, Either seven years of hunger, or of famine, shall come upon thee in thy land; or for three months thou shalt flee thy adversaries, and yet they shall pursue thee; or for three days a pestilence shall be in thy land; and so now thou deliberate, and examine thou it, and see, what I shall answer to him who sent me.)
14 And David said to Gad, I am constrained on each side greatly (I am greatly constrained on every side); but it is better that I fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies be many, than into the hands of men.
15 And (so) the Lord sent (a) pestilence into Israel from the morrowtide till to the time ordained; and seventy thousand of men were dead of the people from Dan till to Beersheba.
16 And when the angel of the Lord had held forth his hand over Jerusalem, that he should destroy it, the Lord had mercy on the tormenting; and said to the angel smiting the people, It sufficeth now; withhold thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was beside the cornfloor of Araunah (the) Jebusite. (And when the angel of the Lord had put forth his hand over Jerusalem, to destroy it, the Lord had mercy on the tormenting; and he said to the angel striking the people, That is enough; withdraw thy hand. And the angel of the Lord was beside the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.)
17 And David said to the Lord, when he had seen the angel slaying the people, I am he that have sinned, and I have done wickedly; what have these done, that be sheep? I beseech, thine hand be turned against me, and against the house of my father. (And David said to the Lord, when he had seen the angel killing the people, I am the one who hath sinned, and I have done wickedly; what have these people done, yea, they who be but sheep? I beseech thee, let thy hand be turned against me, and against the house of my father.)
18 Forsooth Gad, the prophet, came to David in that day, and said to him, Go thou up, and ordain an altar to the Lord in the cornfloor of Araunah (the) Jebusite. (And that same day, the prophet Gad came to David, and said to him, Go thou up, and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.)
19 And David went up, after the word of Gad, which the Lord had commanded to him.
20 And Araunah beheld, and perceived, that the king and his servants passed over to him; and he went out, and worshipped the king with low cheer to the earth; (And Araunah looked up, and saw the king and his servants coming over to him; and he went over, and bowed before the king, with his face low to the ground;)
21 and said, What is the cause, that my lord the king cometh to his servant? To whom David said, That I buy of thee the cornfloor, and build an altar to the Lord, and the slaying cease, that is cruel in the people. (and he said, What is the reason that my lord the king cometh to his servant? To whom David said, To buy the threshing floor from thee, and to build on it an altar to the Lord, so that the slaughter that is so cruel upon the people will cease.)
22 And Araunah said to David, My lord the king take, and offer, as it pleaseth to him; thou hast oxen into burnt sacrifice, and a wain and yokes of oxen into uses of wood. (And Araunah said to David, My lord the king take it, and offer, as it pleaseth thee; lo! thou hast here oxen for a burnt sacrifice, and a wagon, and the yokes of the oxen for wood.)
23 Araunah gave, that is, would give, all (these) things to the king. And Araunah said to the king, Thy Lord God receive thy vow. (And so Araunah would gladly have given all these things to the king. And Araunah said to the king, May the Lord thy God receive thy vow.)
24 To whom the king answered, and said, Not as thou wilt, but I shall buy it of thee for (a) price, and I shall not offer to the Lord my God burnt sacrifices given freely. Therefore David bought the cornfloor for six hundred shekels of gold[b], and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. (To whom the king answered, No, not as thou wilt, but I shall buy it from thee for a price; for I shall not offer to the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost nothing. And then David bought the threshing floor for six hundred shekels of gold, and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.)
25 And David builded there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt sacrifices and peaceable sacrifices; and the Lord did mercy to the land, and the vengeance was refrained from Israel. (And David built an altar there to the Lord, and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings; and then the Lord gave mercy to the land, and the plague in Israel was stopped.)
19 And Jesus going in, walked through Jericho.
2 And lo! a man, Zacchaeus by name, and this was [and he was] a prince of publicans, and he was rich.
3 And he sought to see Jesus, who he was, and he might not, for the people [for the company of people], for he was little in stature.
4 And he ran before, and ascended [up] into a sycamore tree, to see him; for he was to pass from thence [for he was to pass thence].
5 And Jesus beheld up, when he came to the place, and saw him, and said to him, Zacchaeus, haste thee, and come down, for to day I must dwell in thine house.
6 And he hieing came down [And he hasting came down], and joying received him.
7 And when all men saw, they grumbled [they grutched], saying, For he had turned to a sinful man.
8 But Zacchaeus stood, and said to the Lord, Lo! Lord, I give the half of my goods to poor men; and if I have any thing defrauded any man, I yield four so much [I yield fourfold].
9 Jesus saith to him, For to day health is made to this house, for that he is Abraham's son; [Jesus said to him, For in this day health is made to this house, for and he is the son of Abraham;]
10 for man's Son came to seek, and make safe that thing that perished.
11 When they heard these things, he added, and said a parable, for that he was nigh to Jerusalem, and for they guessed, that at once the kingdom of God should be showed [and for they guessed, that the kingdom of God should be showed anon].
12 Therefore he said, A worthy man went into a far country [Some nobleman went into a far country], to take to him a kingdom, and to turn again.
13 And when his ten servants were called, he gave to them ten bezants; and said to them, Chaffer ye [Merchandize ye], till I come.
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a messenger after him, and said, We will not, that he reign on us.[a]
15 And it was done, that he turned again, when he had taken the kingdom; and he commanded his servants to be called, to which he had given money, to know [to whom he gave money, that he should know], how much each had won by chaffering.
16 And the first came, and said [saying], Lord, thy bezant hath won ten bezants.
17 He said to him, Well be, thou good servant; for in little thing thou hast been true, thou shalt be having power on ten cities [thou shalt have power upon ten cities].
18 And the tother came, and said [And the tother came, saying], Lord, thy bezant hath made five bezants.
19 And to this he said, And be thou on five cities. [And he said to this, And be thou upon five cities.]
20 And the third came, and said, Lord, lo! thy bezant, that I had, put up in a sudarium.[b]
21 For I dreaded thee, for thou art an austere man; thou takest away that that thou settedest not, and thou reapest that that thou hast not sown.
22 He saith to him, Wicked servant, of thy mouth I deem thee. Knewest thou, that I am an austere man, taking away that thing that I setted not, and reaping that thing that I sowed not[c]?
23 and why hast thou not given my money to the board, and I coming should have asked it with usuries? [and why hast thou not given my money to the board, that and I coming should have received it soothly with usuries?]
24 And he said to men standing nigh, Take away from him the bezant, and give ye to him that hath ten bezants.[d]
25 And they said to him, Lord, he hath ten bezants.
26 And I say to you, to each man that hath, it shall be given, and he shall increase [and he shall abound]; but from him that hath not, also that thing that he hath, shall be taken of him [shall be taken from him].
27 Nevertheless bring ye hither those mine enemies, that would not that I reigned on them [that would not me to reign upon them], and slay ye before me.
2001 by Terence P. Noble