Wycliffe's Bible 1To David. [The psalm of David.] Lord, deem thou them, that annoy me; overcome thou them, that fight against me. (The song of David. Lord, judge thou them, who harm me; overcome thou them, who fight against me.) 2Take thou armours and shield; and rise up into help to me. (Take thou up arms, or weapons, and shield; and rise up to help me.) 3Shed out the sword/Hold out the sword, and close (al)together (the way) against them that pursue me; say thou to my soul, I am thine health. (Draw out the sword, and close up the way against those who persecute me; say thou to me, I am thy salvation, or thy deliverance.) 4They that seek my life; be shamed, and ashamed. They that think evils to me; be turned away backward, and be they shamed. (Let those who seek my life; be shamed, and ashamed. Let those who plot evil against me; be turned back, and be shamed.) 5Be they made as dust before the face of the wind; and the angel of the Lord make them strait. (Let them be made like the dust in the wind; and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.) 6Their way be made darkness, and sliderness; and the angel of the Lord pursue them. (Let their way be made dark, and slippery; and may the angel of the Lord strike them down.) 7For without cause they hid to me the death of their snare; in vain they despised my soul. (For no reason, they hid their deadly snare for me/they hid their snare for me in a pit; for no reason, they despised me.) 8The snare which he knoweth not come to him, and the taking which he hid take him; and fall he into the snare in that thing. (But let the snare catch him unawares, or by surprise, yea, let the trap which he himself hid, catch him; and let him fall to his own destruction in that thing.) 9But my soul shall fully have joy in the Lord; and shall delight on his health. (But my soul shall have full out joy, or shall rejoice, in the Lord; and it shall delight in his salvation, or in his deliverance.) 10All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like thee? Thou deliverest a poor man from the hand of his stronger; a needy man and poor from them that diversely ravish him. (All my bones said, Lord, who is like thee? Thou rescuest the poor from the hands of those who be stronger; yea, the poor and the needy from those who oppress them.) 11Wicked witnesses rising (up) asked me things, which I knew not. 12They yielded to me evils for goods; barrenness to my soul. (They gave me evil for good; making my soul barren.) 13But when they were dis-easeful to me; I was clothed in an hair-shirt. I meeked my soul in fasting; and my prayer shall be turned (again) into my bosom. (But yet when they were sick; I was clothed in a hair-shirt. I humbled myself with fasting; and I prayed to the Lord for them.) 14I pleased so as our neighbour, as our brother; I was made meek, so as mourning and sorrowful. (I went around, like he was my neighbour, or my brother; I was humbled, like one mourning and sorrowful for his own mother.) 15And they were glad, and came together against me; torments were gathered on me, and I knew it not. They were scattered, and not compunct; (But when I was in torment, they were glad, and came together against me; yea, they were gathered together against me, and I knew not why. They tore me apart, and would not stop;) 16they tempted me, they scorned me with mocking, they gnashed on me with their teeth. 17Lord, when thou shalt behold, restore thou my soul from the wickedness of them; mine one alone from lions. (Lord, how long shalt thou but look at me? rescue thou me from their wicked assailings, yea, save my life from these lions.) 18I shall acknowledge to thee in a great church; I shall praise thee in a firm people. (I shall give thanks to thee in the great congregation; I shall praise thee before many people.) 19They that be adversaries wickedly to me, have not joy on me; that hate me without cause, and beckon with eyes. (Let not those who be my adversaries wickedly have joy over me; let not those who hate me for no reason, leer at me with delight.) 20For soothly they spake (not) peaceably to me; and they speaking in wrathfulness of [the] earth, thought guiles. (For they do not speak peacefully; but they tell forth all kinds of lies, against those, who live quietly upon the earth.) 21And they made large their mouth on me; they said, Well, well! our eyes have seen. (And they opened their mouths wide against me; and they said, Well, well! now our eyes have seen it all!) 22Lord, thou hast seen, be thou not still; Lord, depart thou not from me. (Lord, thou hast seen all of this, so keep thou not silent; Lord, go thou not away from me.) 23Rise up, and give attention to my doom; my God and my Lord, behold into my cause. (Rise up, and give me justice; my God and my Lord, please plead my case!) 24My Lord God, deem thou me by thy rightfulness; and have they not joy on me. (My Lord God, judge thou me by thy righteousness; and do not let them have joy over me.) 25Say they not in their hearts, Well, well, to our soul; neither say they, We shall devour him. (Let them not say in their hearts, Well, well; nor let them say, We have devoured him!) 26Shame they, and dread they together; that joy for mine evils. Be they clothed with shame and dread; that speak evil things on me. (Let them all be ashamed, and fearful; who take joy over my suffering. Let them be clothed with shame and fear; who speak evil against me.) 27Have they full joy, and be they glad, that will my rightfulness; and say they ever[more], The Lord be magnified, which desire the peace of his servant. (Have they full out joy, or rejoice, and be they glad, who desire my vindication; and let them say forevermore, The Lord be magnified, who delighteth in his servant’s prosperity.) 28And my tongue shall bethink thy rightfulness; all day thy praising. (And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness, or thy justice, and thy praises; all day long.) WYCLIFFE’S BIBLE Comprising of Wycliffe’s Old Testament and Wycliffe’s New Testament (Revised Edition) Translated by JOHN WYCLIFFE and JOHN PURVEY A modern-spelling edition of their 14TH century Middle English translation, the first complete English vernacular version, with an Introduction by TERENCE P. NOBLE Used by Permission Bible Hub |