Mass readings in Scots: Twenty-first Sunday of the Year (Year B)

First reading

Joshua

Then Joshua got aw the clans o Israel thegither at Shechem; an he sent for the responsible men o Israel an their chiefs an their judges an their overseers; an they taen their place. An Joshua says tae aw the fowk, "An gin it seems ill tae ye tae be the servans o the Lord, mak the decision this day whas servans ye wul be: o the gods whas servans yer faithers wes across the river, or o the gods o the Amorites i whas land ye ir leevin: but A an ma houss wul be the servans o the Lord."

Then the fowk i answer says, "Niver wul we gie up the Lord tae be the servans o ither gods; for it is the Lord oor God that has taen us an oor faithers oot o the land o Egypt, oot o the prison-houss, an that did aw thae great signs afore oor een, an kept us safe on aw oor journeys, an amang aw the nations that we gaed throu: an the Lord sent oot frae afore us aw the nations, the Amorites leevin i the land: sae we wul be the servans o the Lord, for he is oor God."

[Own translation level 1/2 21/8/21, methodology here] 

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33 (34): 2-3, 16-23 (resp. v. 9)

Pree ye, an' ken gin the Lord be-na gude. 

Ilk tide o' my life I'se a blythe-bid the Lord; 

his praise i' my mouthe sal be plene: 

I' the Lord sal my saul be liltin-blythe, 

the feckless sal hear, an' be fain. 

Pree ye, an' ken gin the Lord be-na gude. 

For the een o' the Lord are on rightous folk;

an' his lugs till their bidden are loutit. 

Bot the leuk o' the Lord's again doers o' wrang;

min' o' them frae the yirth till rute it. 

Pree ye, an' ken gin the Lord be-na gude. 

The feckless sigh an' the Lord can hear

an' frae all their fash redds them haillie. 

The Lord 's fu' nar till heart-broken folk; 

an' the wa'-gaen in spreit he sets gailie. 

Pree ye, an' ken gin the Lord be-na gude. 

The wrangs o' the rightous fu' mony be; 

bot the Lord frae them a' has him synder'd: 

Ilka bane o' his bouk tak tent o' sal he;

no ane o' them a' sal be flinder'd. 

Pree ye, an' ken gin the Lord be-na gude. 

The ill-deedie man mischieff sal fell; 

wha ill-will the rightous, awa sal pine : 

The breath o' his servans the Lord sal hae bak; 

an' wha lippen till him, no ane o' them a' sal dwine. 

Pree ye, an' ken gin the Lord be-na gude. 

[From Psalm 34 in The Psalms: frae Hebrew intil Scottis P. Hately Waddell (1891) here] 

Second reading
Ephesians 5:21-32

[Pitt] yersels aneath ane anither, in the fear o’ Christ. Lat wives be in submission to their ain husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the wife’s heid, as Christ is the Kirk’s heid; and he is the Saviour o’ the body. And, as the Kirk submits hersel to Christ, sae the wives, in a things, to their husbands. Ye husbands, lo’e yere wives, e’en as Christ lo’ed the Kirk, and gied himsel up in her behauf, that he micht sanctify it makin it clean wi’ the weshin o’ watir by the word, that he micht present, a’ glorious, to himsel, the Kirk, no wi’ a blotch or a runkle, or ocht sic thing, but that she sould be holie and fautless. Sae soud husbands lo’e their wives as their ain bodies. He that 

lo’es his ain wife lo’es his sel. For nae ane at ony time scunners at his ain flesh, but nourices and cherishes it, e’en as Christ dis the Kirk. For, pairts are we o’ his ain body. “For sae sal a man lea’ his faither and mither, and be Ane wi’ his wife ; and the twa sal become ae flesh.” This is a great riddle ; but I speak in regaird to Christ, and in regaird to the Kirk. 

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

Gospel reading
John 6: 60-69

Tharfor mony of his discipilis herand, said, "This word is hard, quha may here it?" Bot Jesus wittand at himself, that his discipilis murmurit of this thing, said to thame, "This thing sclanndris you? Tharfor gif ye se mannis sonn ascending, quhare he was before?

"It is the spirit that quiknis,
the flesch profiitis na thing;
the wordis that I haue spokin to you, ar spirit
and lif."

"Bot thare ar sum of you that beleues nocht." For Jesus wist fra the beginnyng quhilkis ware trowand, and quha was to betray him. And he said, "Tharfore I said to you, that na man may cum to me, bot it war geuen to him of my fader." Fra this tyme mony of his discipilis went abak, and yede nocht now with him.

Tharfore Jesus said to the xij, "Quhethir ye alsa ga away?" And Symon Petir ansuerde to him, "Lord, to quham sal we ga? Thou has wordis of euirlasting lif; And we beleue, and haue knawnne, that thou art Crist, the sonn of God."

[From The New Testament in Scots Murdoch Nisbet [c.1520] (1903) vol 2 here]