Mass readings in Scots: Birthday of St John the Baptist

First reading

Isaiah 49: 1-6

Hearken till me , ye lanely lan's;

an ' folk far-awa tak tent ti't:

The Lord, frae the lisk he cry'd me but;

frae my mither's bouk , the name I suld bruik , he kenn'd it .

An ' my mouthe, he couth mak it a swurd fu' gleg;

i ' the howe o ' his han' he couth theek me: 

he wrought me syne , like a fane fu' fine; 

syne intil his belt he couth steek me;

An ' quo' he till me, "My ain Loon are ye; Isr’el, 

in yersel, it's weel kenn'd I sal be.

Syne quo' I, "It's for nought sae lang I hae wrought; 

for nought, an ' till tyne, I hae ware ' d my pyne";

bot ay wi' the Lord , my plea it sal be;

an ' the worth o ' my wark , wi ' the God that's mine.

 Syne sae quo' the Lord brought me but frae the lisk, 

his ain loon till be;

till fesh Jakob hame till himsel,

an' till weise him thegither Isr'el:

for it's sae i' Jehovah's sight I suld kythe fu' bright,

an' the feck o' my might my ain God suld be:

An' quo' He: "It's owre sma' a fee ye suld be my thral,

till straught-up the soukirs o' Jacob an' till eke out the beughs o' Isra'l:

I’se gie yo for light till the natiouns; 

aye, e'en for my ain salvatioun, 

till the ends o ' the yirth , till be."

[From Isaiah frae Hebrew intil Scottis, by P. Hately Waddell 1879 (Amazon US here; Amazon UK here)  Google books here]

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 138: 1-3, 13-15 (resp. v. 14)

I suld lilt till ye syne, 'am sae wonner fine.

Lord, ye rypit me, thrugh an' thro', till ye kent me: 

Yerlane, ye ken weel o' my down-sittin baith, and my risin; 

fu' brawly ye ken the thought that's far ben, 'ithin me. 

Gangin or lyin, ye trew me a'; 

no a gate o' my ain, but ye tent it: 

I suld lilt till ye syne, 'am sae wonner fine.

For yerlane, ye had a' my lisk ; 

in my mither's bouk, ye biel'd me. 

I suld lilt till ye syne, 'am sae wonner fine; 

wrought a' sae gran', as my thought can forestan', sae weel to'. 

I suld lilt till ye syne, 'am sae wonner fine.

My banes war-na happit frae thee, 

tho' I was wrought i' the mirk; 

wi' sae mony a fauld, 

i' the laighest halds o' the yirth. 

I suld lilt till ye syne, 'am sae wonner fine.

[From Psalm 139 in The Psalms: frae Hebrew intil Scottis P. Hately Waddell (1891) here]

Second reading

Acts 13: 22-26

[Paule said: "God] raasit to thaim Dauid king, to quham he bare witnessing, and said, 'I haue fundin Dauid, the sonn of Jesse, a man eftir my hart, quhilk sal do al my willis.' Of quhais seed be the behecht God has led out to Israel a saluatour Jesu, quhen Johnne prechit before the face of his cummyng the baptym of pennance to al the pepile of Israel. Bot quhen Johnne fillit his cours, he said, 'Quham ye deme me to be, I am nocht he; bot lo! he cummis eftire me, and I am nocht worthi to do of the schone of his feet.' 

"Brethir, and sonnis of the kynd of Abraham, and quhilk that in you dredis God, to you the word of hele is send."

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

Gospel reading

Luke 1: 5-17

Thar  was, in the days o’ Herod, King o’ Judea, a priest ca’d Zachariah, o’ Abijah’s coorse; and his wife was o’ the dochters o’ Aaron, and she was ca’d Elizabeth.  And they war baith richt-leevin afore God, walkin i’ the Commauns and appointments o’ the Lord wyte- less. And they had nae bairn, for that Elizabeth bure-na; and they war baith growin auld. 

Noo it cam aboot, that while he was doin priestly service afore God i’ the order o’ his coorse, as was the custom o’ the priesthood, it was his lot to offer incense, enterin intil the Temple o’ the Lord. And the thrang o’ folk were oot-by, prayin, at the ’oor o’ the incense-offeran. 

And thar appear’t to him an Angel o’ the Lord, staunin on the richt side o’ the incense-altar. And Zachariah was uncolie putten-aboot whan he saw him, and fear cam on him. But the Angel says to him, “ Be-na fleyt, Zachariah! for yere prayer has been heard, and yere wife Elizabeth sal bear a son t’ye, and his name ye’se ca’ John. And ye sal hae joy to ye, and rejoicin, and mony sal be blythe at his birth. For he sal be michty afore the Lord, and he’se drink nae wine nor strong drink; and he sal be fu’ o’ the Holie Spirit, e’en frae the womb. And mony o’ Isra’l’s sons wull he weise roun’ till the Lord their God. And he sal gang afore him i’ the spirit and micht o’ Elijah to weise roun’ faithers’ hearts till their bairns, and the dour to the wyss-heid o’ the gude; to mak ready for the Lord a prepared folk.”

[From The New Testament in Braid Scots William Wye Smith (1904) here]