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| [1]The title of the nyne and fourtithe salm. The salm of Asaph. God, the Lord of goddis, spak; and clepide the erthe, |
[1]HEAR this, all people; give ear, all inhabitants of the world, |
| [2]fro the risynge of the sunne til to the goyng doun. The schap of his fairnesse fro Syon, |
[2]Children of earth and sons of men, rich and poor together. |
| [3]God schal come opynli; oure God, and he schal not be stille. Fier schal brenne an hiye in his siyt; and a strong tempest in his cumpas. |
[3]My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. |
| [4]He clepide heuene aboue; and the erthe, to deme his puple. |
[4]I will incline my ear to parables; I will chant my proverbs upon the harp. |
| [5]Gadere ye to hym hise seyntis; that ordeynen his testament aboue sacrifices. |
[5]I will fear not in days of evil, when the iniquity of my enemies shall surround me, |
| [6]`And heuenes schulen schewe his riytfulnesse; for God is the iuge. |
[6]They who trust in their own strength and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches. |
| [7]Mi puple, here thou, and Y schal speke to Israel; and Y schal witnesse to thee, Y am God, thi God. |
[7]A brother cannot save a brother, nor can a man give to God a ransom for himself; |
| [8]I schal not repreue thee in thi sacrifices; and thi brent sacrifices ben euere bifor me. |
[8]For the redemption of their souls is precious: |
| [9]I schal not take calues of thin hows; nethir geet buckis of thi flockis. |
[9]Do good for ever and you shall live for ever, and not see corruption. |
| [10]For alle the wyelde beestis of wodis ben myne; werk beestis, and oxis in hillis. |
[10]But you will see wise men die; likewise the fool and the weak minded shall perish and leave their wealth to others. |
| [11]I haue knowe alle the volatils of heuene; and the fairnesse of the feeld is with me. |
[11]Their graves shall be their only habitations for ever, and their dwelling places throughout generations; their marked graves will be their only remembrance on earth. |
| [12]If Y schal be hungry, Y schal not seie to thee; for the world and the fulnesse therof is myn. |
[12]Nevertheless, such a man is not sustained by his honour; his end will be as the beasts, and he will perish. |
| [13]Whether Y schal eete the fleischis of boolis? ethir schal Y drynke the blood of geet buckis? |
[13]This their way is their folly; in the end, demented, they will graze like cattle. |
| [14]Offre thou to God the sacrifice of heriyng; and yelde thin avowis to the hiyeste God. |
[14]Like sheep they are consigned to the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; the grave shall consume their beauty, and they shall be cast out from their glory. |
| [15]And inwardli clepe thou me in the dai of tribulacioun; and Y schal delyuere thee, and thou schalt onoure me. |
[15]But God will redeem my soul; from the power of the grave he will raise me up. |
| [16]But God seide to the synnere, Whi tellist thou out my riytfulnessis; and takist my testament bi thi mouth? |
[16]Be not afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; |
| [17]Sotheli thou hatidist lore; and hast cast awey my wordis bihynde. |
[17]For when he dies he shall carry nothing away; neither shall his glory descend after him. |
| [18]If thou siyest a theef, thou `hast runne with hym; and thou settidist thi part with avowtreris. |
[18]For while he lived, he lived comfortably; he praised you when you favored him. |
| [19]Thi mouth was plenteuouse of malice; and thi tunge medlide togidere giles. |
[19]His end shall be as his father's was before him; they shall never see light. |
| [20]Thou sittynge spakist ayens thi brother, and thou settidist sclaundir ayens the sone of thi modir; |
[20]Man cannot depend upon his honor for consolation, for if he does, he resembles the wild beasts. |