Mass readings in Scots: Fourth Sunday in Advent (Year A)

First reading
Isaiah 7: 10-14

The Lord God spak to Achaz, sayand, "Ask thou to thee a signe of thi Lord God, into the depnes of hell, or into the heicht abone." And Achaz said, "I sal nocht ask, and I sal nocht tempt the Lord."

And Esaie said,

"Tharfor the hous of Dauid, here ye,
Quhethir it is litil to yow for to be diseisful to men,
for ye ar diseseful alsa to my God?
For this thing the Lord him self
sal geue a signe to yov.
Lo! a virgin sal consaue, and sal here a sonn,
and his name salbe callit Emanuel.

[From The New Testament in Scots Murdoch Nisbet [c.1520] (1905) vol 3 here]

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 23: 1-6

The yirth is the Lord's, an' the fu'niss o't:
the warld, an' thaye that dwall therin.
For he heth fuundet it apon the seis,
an' sete it siccer apon the fludes.

Wha sail gae up intil the hill o' the Lord?
an' wha sall stan' in his haly piece?
He that heth cleen han's, an' ane pure hairt;
wha hethna liftet up his saul untill vainitie, nar swurn wrangouslie.

He sail receife the blessin' frae the Lord,
an' richteousniss frae the God o' his salvatione.
This is the ganeeratian o' thame that seik him;
that seik thy fece, O God o' Jacob.

[From Psalm 24, The Psalms: frae Hebrew intil Scottis P. Hately Waddell (1891) here]

Second reading
Romans 1: 1-7

Paul, a servan o Christ Jesus, caa'd tae be an apostle, an set apairt tae preach the Gospel o Godil aa them in Roum at is luved bi God an caa'd bi him tae be saunts: Grace an peace be wi ye frae God our Faither an the Lord Jesus Christ!

That Gospel, God promised it langsyne i the wurds o his Prophets at is written doun i the Halie Scripturs, an it tells o his Son, at wis born as a man o Dauvit's stock, an for his haliness o spírit wis constitute the Son o God, whan God pat out his pouer an raised him frae the deid, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is throu him at we hae gotten grace an the office o an apostle, wi the wark laid on us tae gang aagates amang the haithen an win men til obedience an faith, for the glorie o his name; an amang the lave yoursels, at hes gotten the caa an belang til Jesus Christ.

[From The New Testament in Scots (2012), translated by W. L. Lorimer, Canongate Classics, ISBN 978 0 85786 285 3, Amazon UK here, Amazon US here.]



Gospel reading
Matthew 1: 18-25

Now the birth o’ Jesus Christ was after this gate. When his mither Mary was bund in wadlock troth til Joseph, afore they cam’ thegither, she was fund wi’ bairn o’ the Haly Ghaist. Syne Joseph her husban’, bein’ a just man, an na willin’ to mak’ her a public example, was mindet to pit her awa hiddlinsly. But while he thoucht on time things, behald, the angel o’ the Lord kythet until him in a dream, sayin’, "Joseph, thou son o’ David, binna afear’t to tak’ until thee Mary thy wife; for that whilk is conceivet in her is o’ the Haly Ghaist. An’ she sall bring furth a son, an’ thou sallt ca his name Jesus; for he sall saufe his people frae their sins." Now a’ this was dune, that it micht be fulfillet whilk was spoken o’ the Lord by the prophet, sayin’,

Behald, a maiden sall be wi’ bairn, an’ sall bring furth a son, an’ they sall ca’ his name Emmanuel, (whilk, bein’ interpretet, is, God wi’ us.)

Syne Joseph, bein’ raiset frae sleep, did as the angel o’ the Lord had bidden him, an’ teuk until him his wife.

[From The Gospel of St. Matthew, Translated Into Lowland Scotch, by George Henderson (1862) here]