Wednesday 29 May 2019

Mass readings in Scots: The Ascension of Our Lord (Year C)


First readingActs 1:1-11

The first historie I made, O Theophilus, anent a' that Jesus begude baith to do and to teach, till whatna day he was taen up, eftir that he had by the Holie Spirit gien commauns to the Apostles he had waled oot; and to wham he schawed his sel leevin eftir his sufferans, by mony sure and certain tokens, appearin to them throwe forty days, and speakin o’ the things anent the kingdom o’ God. And companyin wi’ them, chairged them no to gang awa frae Jerusalem, but to bide for the promise o’ the Faither, “ Whilk,” quo’ he, “ye hae heard o’ me. For in sooth John bapteez’t wi' watir, but ye sal be bapteez’t in Holie Spirit no mony days frae noo !”

And sae they, whan they cam thegither, speir’t at him, “Lord, do thou at this time bring back the kingdom to Isra’l?” And he said to them, “It isna for you to ken times and seasons, whilk the Faither has keepit in his ain haun. But ye sal hae strenth, eftir the Holie Spirit is come to ye; and ye sal be witnesses for me baith in Jerusalem, and in a’ Judea and Samaria, and to the far-awa’ ends o’ the yirth.”

 And whan he had said thir things, while they war lookin on, he was liftit up; and a clud happit
him oot o’ their sicht. And while they lookit, peerin intil the heavens, as he gaed up, twa men stude by them in white cleedin; wha said, “Ye men frae Galilee ! why staun ye peerin intil the lift? The same Jesus, wha has been ta’en frae you intil Heeven, sal come in like mainner as ye hae seen him gang intil Heeven.”

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

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 46 (47): 2-3, 6-9

Ding wi the loof, O a' ye folk!

Lilt ye till God wi' the sugh o' a sang !

For the Lord owre a' is himlane till be fear'd;

atowre the hail yirth, a king fu' gran'.

God has gane up wi' a sugh ;
the Lord wi' the tout o' a swesch.

Sing ye till God, sing a sang :
sing a sang till our King, sing ye.


For God himlane, o' the hail yirth is King;

fu' wyssly till him sing ye.

God owre the hethen is king;
God sits on his thron, sae weel shiftit.


(From Psalm 47, The Psalms: frae Hebrew intil Scottis P. Hately Waddell (1891) here)



Second reading
Ephesians 1:17-23


That the God o’ oor Lord Jesus Christ, the Faither o’ glorie, may gie ye a spirit o’ wisdom and revealin in his knowledge: yere inward een bein fu’ o’ licht, that ye may come to ken what the hope o’ his blythe-bidden is, what his rich inheritance o’ glorie i’ the saunts, and what the unmeasured vastness o’ his pooer toward us wha hae faith, e’en as by the up haudin o’ his micht, whilk he wrocht in Christ, raisin him frae ’mang the deid, and settin him doon amang a’ the heevenlies, at his ain richt-haun, far up aboon a’ rule, and authorise, and pooer, and dominion, and ilka name that is named, no alane i’ this warld, but eke in that that is to come: and "pat a’ things under his feet"; and gied him as heid ower a' things to the Kirk; whilk in sooth is his body, the completion o’ him wha completes a’ in a’ for himsel.

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


Gospel reading
Luke 24: 46-53

And [Jesus] said to [his discipilis], "For thus it is writtin, and thus it behuvit Crist to suffir, and ryse agane fra deid in the thrid day: And pennance and remissioun of synnis to be prechit in his name into al folkis, begynnand at Jerusalem. And ye ar witnessis of thir thingis. And I sal send the promitt of my fader into you: bot sit ye in the citee, till that ye be clethit with virtue fra on hie. And he ledde thame furth into Bethany: and quhen his handis war liftit vp, he blessit thame. And it was done, the quhile he blessit thame, he departit fra thame, and was born into heuen. And thai wirschipand went agane into Jerusalem with gret joy: And war euirmaire in the tempile, lovand and blessand God."

[From The New Testament in Scots Murdoch Nisbet [c.1520] (1901) vol 1 here]


Saturday 25 May 2019

Mass readings in Scots: Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year C)


First reading
Acts 15: 1-2, 22-29

Ande sum com doun fra Judee, and taucht brethire, that bot ye be circumcidit eftir the law of Moyses, ye may nocht be made saaf.Tharfore quhen thar was made nocht litil discentioun to Paule and Barnabas aganis thame, thai ordanit that Paule and Barnabas, and sum vthir of thame, suld ga up to the apostilis and preestis in Jerusalem, on this questioun.

Than it plesit to the apostilis, and to the eldirmen, with al the kirk to chese men of thame and send to Antioche with Paule and Barnabas, Judas, that was namet Barsabas, and Sylas, the first men amang brethir; And wrate be the handis of thame,

"Apostilis and eldirmen, brethir, to thame that ar at Antioche, and Syrie, and Cilicie, brethir of hethin-men, greting. For we haue herd that sum went out fra vs, and trubilit you with wordis, and subuertit your saulis, to quhilk men we comandit nocht, It plesit to vs gaderit into aan, to chese men, and send to you with our maast dereworthe Barnabas and Paule, Men that gaue thar lyes for the name of oure Lord Jesu Crist. Tharfor we send Judas and Sylas, and thai sal tell the sammin thingis to you be wordis. For it is sene to the Haligaast and to vs, to put to you nathing mare of charge, than thir nedeful thingis, That ye abstene you fra the offiit thingis of malmentis, and blude, and strangilit, and fornicatioun. Fra quhilkis ye kepand you, sal do wele. Faire ye wele."

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

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 66: 2-3, 5-6, 8

O God be mercyfull to vs
and send to vs thy blissing,
Thy face schaw vs sa glorious.
And be euer to vs luiffing: 
That men on eird may knaw thy way,
Thy sauing heill and rychteousnes.
That thay be nocht led nicht nor day,
Fra thy preceptis, and trew Justice,
To seik Saluatioun quhair nane is.

Lat all the pepill reioyis glaidlie,
Because thow dois rycht without blame.
The peple dois thow Juge trewlie,
And ordouris euerie Natioun.
Thow hes declarit the eird justlie,
Euer sen the first Creatioun,
Throw thy godlie prouisioun.

The peple moste spred thy name sa hie.
All peple,  O God, mon geue the honour :
The eird alswa rycht plenteouslie,
Mot incres euer moir and moir.
And God, quhilk is our God, ouer all,
Mot do vs gude and plesour.
God mot blis vs, greit and small.
And all the warld him honour,
Alway for his mycht and power.

[Complete version of Psalm 67 (given without lectionary deletions), Wedderburn et al., The Gude and Godlie Ballatis [1567] (1897) pp.136-7] here]


Second reading
Apocalypse 21: 10-14, 22-23

And [the angel] take me up in spirit into a gret hill and hie; and he schewit me the hali citee Jerusalem, cummand doun fra heuen of God, having the cleertee of God; and the licht of it like a precious staan, as the staan iaspis, as cristall. And it had a wall gret and hie, having xij yettis, and in the yettis of it xij angelis, and names writtin in, that ar the names of xij lynages of the sonnis of
Israel; Fra the east iij yettis, and fra the north iij yettis, fra the west thre yettis, and fra the south thre yettis. And the wall of the citee had xij fonndmentis, and in thame the xij names of xij apostilis, and of the lamb.

And I saw na tempile in it, for the Lord God almychtj and the lamb, is the tempile of it. And the citee has na nede of sonn, nor mone, that thai schyne in it; for the cleertee of God sal lichtin it; and the lamb is the lanterne of it.

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


Gospel reading
John 14: 23-29

[Jesus sais to his discipilis:]

"Gif ony man luvis me, he sal kepe my word;
and my fader sal lufe him,
and we sal cum to him,
and we sal duelle with him.
He that luvis me nocht, kepis nocht my wordis;
and the word quhilk ye haue herde is nocht myn,
bot the fadris that send me.
Thir thingis I haue spokin to you,
duelling amang you;
that ilk Haligaast, the confortour,
quham the fadere sal send in my name,
he sal teche yow al thingis,
and sal schaw yow al thingis,
quhat euir thingis I sal say to you.
Pece I leif to yow,
my pece I geue to yow;
nocht as the warld gevis, I geue to yow;
be nocht your hart affrait, nor drede it.
Ye haue herde that I said to you,
I ga, and cum to you.
Gif ye luvit me, forsuthe ye suld haue ioy, for I ga to the fader,
for the fader is gretare than I.
And now I haue said to yow before that it be done,
that quhen it is done, ye beleue."

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

Saturday 18 May 2019

Mass readings in Scots: Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year C)


Gospel reading
John 13: 31-35

Sae, noo [Judas] was gane oot, Jesus says,
“Noo the Son o’ Man is glorify’t,
and God glorify’t in him.
Gin God be glorify’t in him,
God sal e’en glorify him in himsel,
and sal noo glorify him.
Bairns,
I am wi’ you but for a wee.
[...]
I gie ye a new commaun,
Ye sal lo’e ane-anither;
e’en as I hae loe’d you,
that ye soud lo’e ane-anither!
Sae sal a' folk ken ye are followers o’ me,
gin ye hae love to ane-anither.”
[From The New Testament in Braid Scots William Wye Smith (1904) here]

Saturday 11 May 2019

Mass readings in Scots: Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year C)


First reading
Acts 13:14,43-52


[Paul and Barnabas], lea’in Perga, cam till Antioch in Pisidia; and gaun intil the kirk on the Sabbath-day, sat doon. 

Noo, whan the kirk brak up, thar follow’t mony o’ the Jews, and o’ the godlie seekers, wi’ Paul and Barnabas; wha, speakin till them, heartit them up to continue in God’s love. 

But on the comin Sabbath, nar-haun the hail citie cam thegither to hear the word o’ the Lord. But the Jews, seein the thrangs, war fu’ o’ jealousie, and spak again thae things that Paul said, mis-cain’ them. And Paul and Barnabas, wi’ great freedom o’ speech, said, "It was necessar that the word o’ God soud first be spoken to you: seein ye hae cuisten it frae ye, and adjudge yersels no wordie o’ eternal life - than, turn we to the Gentiles! For sae has the Lord bidden us: 

I hae set thee up for a licht to the Gentiles, 
that thou may be for salvation to the far-awa ends o' the yirth!"

And as the Gentiles heard this, they war pleased, and glorify’t the word o’ the Lord; and as mony as had come to be disposed to eternal life, believed. And the word o’ the Lord was spread abreid in a’ that kintra-side. 

But the Jews steered up the godlie weemen o’ gude-standin, and the heid men o’ the citie, and raised up a feud again Paul and Barnabas, and cuist them oot o’ their borders. But they, flaffing the stoor aff their shoon again them, cam to Iconium. And the disciples war filled wi’ joy and wi’ the Holie Spirit. 

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


Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 99 (100) 1-3, 5 (resp. v.3)

We ar His folk, we ar His flock.

Lat ilka clan in ilka lan
Mak tae the Lord a blithesum sang;
Sair Him wi mirth ower aa the yirth
As ye intil His presence gang.

We ar His folk, we ar His flock.

Ken ilka ane, He’s God alane,
Our Makar, He an nane beside;
We ar His folk, we ar His flock,
Wha in His pasture may abide.

We ar His folk, we ar His flock.

For God is kind, we aa maun mind,
His mercy siccar ey sal be;
Lippen His truith, for it is suith
As age on age can testifee.

We ar His folk, we ar His flock.

[From Psalm 100, Worship in Scots, 'Psalms for Singing' Church of Scotland resource accessed 11/02/22)  https://churchofscotland.org.uk/worship/worship-in-scots, by  Thomas Thomson Alexander (1881-1845)]


Second reading
Apocalypse 7: 9, 14-17

Eftir thir thingis I saw a gret peple, quham na man mycht novmir, of al folkis, and linages, and pepilis, and langages, standing befoir the throne, in the sicht of the lamb; and thai war clethit with quhite stolis, and palmes war in the handis of thame. And aan of the seniouris [...] said to me, [...], "Thir ar thai, that com fra gret tribulatioun, and weschit thar stolis, and made thame quhite in the blude of the lamb. Tharfor thai ar befoir the trone of Gode, and seruis him day and nycht, in his tempile. And he that sittis in the thron, duellis on thame. Thai sal na mare hungir, nor yit threst, nor sonn sal fall on thame, nor ony hete. For the lamb, that is in the myddis of the throne, sal goueme thame, and sal lede thame furth to the wellis of wattris of lijf; and God sal wipe away ilk tere fra the een of thame."

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


Gospel reading
John 10: 27-30

[Jesus said:]

"My schepe heres my voce,
and I knaw thame, and thai follow me.
I geue to thame euirlasting lif,
and thai sal nocht perise withoutin end,
and naan sal ravise thame fra my hand.
That thing that my fadere gave to me, is maire than al thingis;
and na man may ravise fra my fadris hande.
I and the fader ar aan."

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

Saturday 4 May 2019

Mass readings in Scots: Third Sunday of Easter (Year C)


First reading
Acts 5: 27-32, 40-1

And the Heigh-priest speir’t at [the Apostles], sayin, “Did we no chairge ye stricklie no to be teachin i’ this name. And see! ye hae fill’t a’ Jerusalem wi’ yere teachin, and ettle to bring this man’s blude on us!” Than answer’t Peter and the Apostles, “It behoves us to mind God, mair nor mind man! The God o’ oor faithers raised-again Jesus, that ye slew, hingin him on a tree! Him has God upliftit at his richt haun, to be a Prince and a Saviour, to gie repentance to Isra’I, and remission o’ sins. And we are his witnesses o’ thae things; and sae too is the Holie Spirit, that God has gien to them that obey him.” And to him they gree’d; and, bringin forrit the Apostles, they bade them be cloured, and chairged them no to be speakin’ i’ the name o’ Jesus; and loot them gang. And they gaed oot frae the face o’ the Heigh-Cooncil, blythe that they war coontit wordie o’ dreein ill for Jesus’ sake.

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

Second reading
Apocalypse 5: 11-14

And I saw, and I heard as a voice o’ mony Angels, roond aboot the Thron, and o’ the leevin-anes, and o’ the Elders; and their number was myriads of myriads, and thoosands o’ thoosands. Sayin wi’ a soondin voice, “Wordie is the Lamb that was slain, to receive pooer, and riches, and wisdom, and micht, and honor, and glorie, and blessin!” And ilka creatit thing that is in Heeven, and on the yirth, and aneath the yirth, and on the sea, heard I sayin, “To him that sits on the Thron, and to the Lamb, be the blessin, and the honor, and the glorie and the pooer, for evir and aye!” And the fowr leevin anes war sayin, "Amen!" And the Elders loutit doon and worshipped.

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

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 29, 2, 4-6, 11-13

I maun lift ye, Lord, abune a' the lave, for ye hae uphaddin me:
an' ill-wiilers o' mine ye ne'er hae thol'd till geck at mysel wi' glee.
O Lord, ye brought up my saul frae the sheugh;
ye steer'd me till life, on my gate to the heugh.

Lilt loud to the Lord, ye sants o' his;
an' gie laud, at the thought o' his haliness.
For intil his wuth 's but a gliff; lee-lang life's in his likans:
sabbin may thole for a night; but a sang wi' the mornin waukens!

Hearken, Lord ; an' be gude till me, Lord:
ye maun e'en be a stoop till me.
My dule ye hae swappit for lightness o' fit;
O Lord, my God, I maun laud ye for ay!

[From Psalm 30, The Psalms: frae Hebrew intil Scottis P. Hately Waddell (1891) here]


Gospel reading
John 21: 1-19


Eftir thir things, Jesus schawed his sel again to the disciples at the Loch o’ Tiberias; and he schawed his sel thus. Thar war thegither Simon Peter, and Tammas, ca’d "The Twin" and Nathaniel o’ Galilee-Cana, and they o’ Zebedee, and twa ither o’ the disciples. Simon Peter says to them, “I gang to the fishin!” Quo’ they to him, "We, too, gang wy’e !" They gaed oot, and enter’t intil the boat; and that night they tuik naething.

But whan the morn was dawin, Jesus stood on the strand; but his disciples kent-na that it was Jesus. Than said Jesus to them, “Bairns, hae ye aiblins ocht to eat?” They answer’t him “Na!” He said to them, “ Cast ye the net on the richt side o’ the boat, and ye sal fin’!” Sae they cuist, and noo they coudna draw’t for the rowth o’ fish. Noo that disciple wham Jesus lo’ed says to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As sune as Peter heard it was the Lord, he bund his coat aboot him -for he was strippit- and cuist his sel intil the sea. And the ither disciples cam wi’ the wee boat (for they warna far frae lan’, but some fifty faddoms aff), trailin the net o’ fish.

As sune as they cam to the lan’ they see an ingle o’ coals thar, and fish ower it, and breid. Jesus says to them, “Bring some o’ the fish ye hae noo ta’en!” Simon Peter gaed up, and fesh’t the net to lan’, fu’ o’ muckle fish, a hunner and fifty-thrie; and yet for a’ they war sae mony, the net wasna riven. Jesus says to them, “Come awa and eat!” And no ane o’ them ventur’t to speir at him, “Wha are ye?” kennin it was the Lord. Jesus comes, and taks the breid, and gies them; and the fish as weel. This is e'en the third time Jesus shawed his sel to his disciples, eftir be was risen frae the deid.

Sae whan they had eaten, Jesus says to Simon Peter, “Simon, son o’ John! Love ye mair than thir do?” He says to him, “Aye, Lord! thou kens I treasur thee!” He says to him, “Feed my wee lambs!” He says to him again, a second time, “Simon, son o’ John! Love ye me?” He says to him, “Aye, Lord! thou kens I treasur thee!” He says to him, “Herd my sheep!” He says to him the third
time, “Simon, son o' John ! treasur ye me?” Peter was wae that he said to him the third time, “Treasur ye me? ” And he said to him, “ Lord ! thou kens a’ things; thou weel kens I treasur thee?” Jesus says to him, “Feed my puir sheep!

“Truly, truly say I t’ye,
Whan ye war young,
ye girt yersel,
and stappit oot whaur ye wad;
but whan ye sal be auld,
ye sal rax oot yere auns,
and anither sal gird ye,
and cairry ye whaur ye wad-na.”

Thus spak he, to signify by whatna death he soud glorify God. And whan he had said this, he says to him, “ Follow ye me!”

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