Old/New Testament
120 The song of degrees. When I was set in tribulation, I cried to the Lord; and he heard me. (When I was beset with troubles, I cried to the Lord; and he answered me.)
2 Lord, deliver thou my soul from wicked lips; and from a guileful tongue. (Lord, save thou me from wicked lips; and from a deceitful tongue.)
3 What shall be given to thee, either what shall be laid to thee; to a guileful tongue? (What shall be given to thee; that is, how shall he punish thee, O deceitful tongue?)
4 Sharp arrows of the mighty; with coals that make desolate. (With sharp arrows from the mighty; and with coals that shall make thee desolate.)
5 Alas to me! for my dwelling in an alien land is made long, I dwelled with men dwelling in Kedar; (Alas for me! for my stay here in Mesech is prolonged, and I must live among the people, or in the tents, of Kedar!)
6 my soul was much (time) a comeling. I was peaceable with them that hated peace; (I am here too long as a newcomer, or a stranger; yea, too long living with those who hate peace.)
7 when I spake to them, they impugned, either against-said, me without cause. (I am for peace; but whenever I speak of it to them, they be for war.)
121 The song of degrees. I raised mine eyes to the hills; from whence help shall come to me. (I raised up my eyes to the hills, or the mountains; O where shall I find help?/from where help shall come to me.)
2 Mine help is of the Lord; that made heaven and earth. (My help is from the Lord; who made heaven and earth.)
3 The Lord give not thy foot into moving; neither he nap, that keepeth thee. (The Lord shall not let thy foot slip, or stumble; nor shall he nap, who keepeth thee safe.)
4 Lo! he shall not nap, neither sleep; that keepeth Israel. (Lo! he, who keepeth Israel safe; shall not nap, or sleep.)
5 The Lord keepeth thee; the Lord is thy protection above thy right hand. (The Lord keepeth thee safe; the Lord is thy protection at thy right hand.)
6 The sun shall not burn thee by day; neither the moon by night.
7 The Lord keep thee from all evil; the Lord keep thy soul. (The Lord shall keep thee safe from all evil; yea, the Lord shall keep thee safe.)
8 The Lord keep thy going in and thy going out; from this time now and into the world. (The Lord shall guard thy coming in, and thy going out; from this time now, and forever.)
122 The song of degrees of David. I am glad in these things, that be said to me; We shall go into the house of the Lord. (The song of degrees for David. I was glad, when they said to me, We shall go to the House of the Lord.)
2 Our feet were standing; in thy halls/in thy foreyards, thou Jerusalem. (And now our feet stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.)
3 Jerusalem, which is builded as a city; whose partaking thereof is into the same thing. (Jerusalem is built to be a city, where people be together, yea, with one heart and mind.)
4 For the lineages, the lineages of the Lord, ascended thither, the witnessing of Israel; to acknowledge to the name of the Lord. (For the tribes, the Lord’s tribes, come there to give thanks to the Lord; that is Israel’s duty.)
5 For they sat there on seats in doom; seats on the house of David. (For the thrones of judgement, or of justice, be put there; yea, the thrones of the house of David.)
6 Pray ye those things, that be to the peace of Jerusalem; and abundance be to them that love thee. (Pray ye for the peace of Jerusalem; and say, May those who love thee prosper, or have great abundance.)
7 Peace be made in thy strength; and abundance in thy towers. (May there be peace within thy strongholds, or thy fortresses; and prosperity within thy palaces.)
8 For my brethren and my neighbours; I spake peace of thee. (For the sake of my brothers, or my kinsmen, and my neighbours; I say, Peace be with thee.)
9 For the house of our Lord God; I sought goods to thee. (For the sake of the House of the Lord our God; I shall seek thy good, or thy prosperity/I shall pray for good things for thee.)
9 Whether I am not free? Am I not apostle? Whether I saw not Jesus Christ, our Lord? Whether ye be not my work in the Lord?
2 And though to others I am not apostle, but nevertheless to you I am; for ye be the little sign of mine apostlehood [for why ye be the signal, or little sign, of mine apostlehood] in the Lord.
3 My defence to them that ask me, that is. [My defence to them that ask me, is this].
4 Whether we have not power to eat and drink?
5 Whether we have not power to lead about a woman, a sister, as also other apostles, and brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
6 Or I alone and Barnabas have not power to work these things?
7 Who travaileth any time with his own wages? Who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of his fruit? Who keepeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock?[a]
8 Whether after man I say these things? whether also the law saith not these things?
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not bind [up] the mouth of the ox that thresheth. Whether of oxen is charge to God?
10 Whether for us he saith these things? For why those be written for us [For why for us they be written]; for he that ploweth, oweth to plow in hope, and he that thresheth, in hope to take fruits.
11 If we sow spiritual things to you, is it great, if we reap your fleshly things?
12 If others be partners of your power, why not rather we? But we use not this power, but we suffer all things, that we give no hindering [that we give no letting] to the evangel of Christ.
13 Know ye not, that they that work in the temple, eat those things that be of the temple [Know ye not, that they that work in the sanctuary, eat those things that be of the sanctuary], and they that serve to the altar, be partners of the altar?
14 So [and] the Lord ordained to them that tell the gospel, to live of the gospel.
15 But I used none of these things; and I wrote not these things, that they be done so in me; for it is good rather for me to die, than that any man should make my rejoicing void [than that any man void my glory].
16 For if I preach the gospel, glory is not to me, for need-like I must do it[b]; for woe to me, if I preach not the gospel.
17 But if I do this thing willfully, I have meed; but if against my will, dispensing is betaken to me. [Forsooth if I willing do this thing, I have meed; soothly if against my will, dispensation is betaken to me.]
18 What then is my meed? That I preaching the gospel, put the gospel without others' cost, that I use not my power in the gospel.[c]
19 For why when I was free of all men, I made me servant of all men, to win the more men [that I should win more men].
20 And to Jews I am made as a Jew, to win the Jews [that I should win Jews]; to them that be under the law, as I were under the law, when I was not under the law, to win them that were under the law [that I should win them that were under the law];
21 to them that were without law, as I were without law, when I was not without [the] law of God, but I was in the law of Christ, to win them that were without law [that I should win them that were without law].
22 I am made frail to frail men, to win frail men; to all men I am made all things, to make all men safe. [I am made sick to sick men, that I should win sick men; to all men I am made all things, that I should make all men safe.]
23 But I do all things for the gospel, that I [should] be made partner of it.
24 Know ye not, that they that run in a furlong, all run, but one taketh the prize? So run ye, that ye catch.
25 Each man that striveth in fight, abstaineth him from all things; and they [forsooth], that they take a corruptible crown, but we an uncorrupt.
26 Therefore I run so, not as to an uncertain thing; thus I fight, not as beating the air;
27 but I chastise my body, and bring it into servage; lest peradventure when I preach to others [lest peradventure when I have preached to others], I myself be made reprovable.
2001 by Terence P. Noble