Mass readings in Scots: Feast of the Holy Family (Year A)

First reading
Ecclesiasticus 3: 2-6, 12-14

For God haes made the faither honourable tae the bairns:
an seekan the judgment o the mithers, haes confirmit it upon the bairns.
He at luves God, sal be forgien his sins bi prayer,
an sal refrain hissel frae thaim, an sal be haird i the prayer o days.
An he at honours his mither is as ane at gaithers a treisur.
He at honours his faither sal hae joy i his ain bairns,
an i the day o his prayer he sal be haird.
He at honours his faither sal enjoy a lang life:
an he at obeys the faither, sal be a comfort tae his mither.
Son, uphaud the auld age o thy faither,
an dinna fash him i his life;
an gin his wuts fails, hae patience wi him,
an dinna despise him whan thou is i thy strenth:
for the relievin o the faither salna be forgotten.
For guid sal be repaid tae thee for the sin o thy mither.

[Own translation, level 2 (20/12/18) methodology here]


Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 127: 1-5

Blissit ar thay that sit in Goddis dreid,
And leif in his commandement alway:
Of thy hand laubour thow sail eit, be not feird,
And fair weill thow sal euerie day.

Thy wyfe salbe as ane frutefulle wyne,
And sail weill ay incres thy hous;
Thy bairnis all sail to vertew inclyne,
As fair Oliue treis that be plenteous.

Quhen euer thow sittis at thy tabill,
Thy bairnis sall stand round about thé;
Sa will the Lord make thé abill,
And fill thy hous with honestie:

Sa sall God him euer blis,
That dreidis him ay in his leifing,
Always sall he be sicker of this,
That is neidful to want na thing.

Fra Syone sall the Lord blis thé ,
That thow may sé to thy greit weill,
How prosperous Jerusalem sall be,
And thow ressauit to eternall heill.

Ane profitabill lyfe sail be geuin thé
And God alway sall be thy freind:
Thy Childeris Childring thou sall se,
And peace in Israell sall thow find.

[Complete Psalm 127, from The Gude and Godlie Ballatis [1567] John Wedderburn et al., Alexander Ferrier (ed.) (1897), p.130 here]

Second reading
Colossians 3: 12-21

Pit ye on, than, as chosen anes o’ God, holie and weel-lo’ed, the tender-affections o’ compassion, graciousness, humbleness o’ mind, canniness, patience: tholin ane-anither, in tenderness forgiean ane-anither, gin aiblins ony ane has a compleent again ony; e’en as the Lord oot o’ love forgae you, sae do ye. But ower and aboon a’ thir things, hae ye love, whilk wull bind thegither a’ things in perfeteness. And lat the peace o’ Christ be Regent in yere hearts; till whilk ye war bidden, as ae body; and be ye thankfu’.

Be the word o’ Christ dwallin in ye richly; in a’ wyss teachin and admonishin o’ yersels, in psalms, in hymns, and godly sangs: liltin i’ yere hearts to God in yere gratitude. And in a’ things, whatsae’er ye be doin, in word or in wark, do a’ in the name o’ the Lord Jesus, giean thanks to yere God and Faither throwe him. Wives, submit yersels to yere husbands, as is fittin in the Lord. Husbands, lo’e yere wives, and be-na set again them. Bairns, be ye biddable to yere parents in a’ things, for this is weel-pleasin i’ the Lord. Faithers, wauken-na up ang’er in yere bairns, least they be disheartened.

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


Gospel reading
Matthew 2: 13-15, 19-23

An’ whan [the wise men] were gane awa, behald, the angel o’ the Lord kytheth til Joseph in a dream, sayin’, "Rise up, an’ tak’ the young bairn an’ his mither, an’ flee intil Egypt, an’ be thou there till I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young bairn to tak’ his life." Syne he rase up, an’ teuk the young bairn an’ his mither by nicht, an’ gaed awa intil Egypt. An’ was there till the death o’ Herod, that it micht be fulfillet whilk was spoken o’ the Lord by the prophet, sayin’,

Out o’ Egypt hae I ca’d my son.

But whan Herod was dead, behald, an angel o’ the Lord kytheth in a dream til Joseph in Egypt, sayin’, "Rise up, an’ tak’ the young bairn an’ his mither, an’ gang intil the lan’ o’ Israel: for they are dead wha soucht the young bairn’s life." An’ he rase up, an’ teuk the young bairn an’ his mither, an’ cam’ intil the lan’ o’ Israel. But whan he hear’t that Archelaus rang in Judea in the room o’ his father Herod, he was afear’t to gang thither, but, bein’ warnet o’ God in a dream, he turnet aside intil the parts o’ Galilee. An’ he cam’ an’ dwalt in a city ca’d Nazareth; that it micht be fulfillet whilk was spoken by the prophets,

He sall be ca’d a Nazarene.

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

Merry Christmas!

                                                        Ann Macbeth, The Nativity here


Complete Mass readings in Scots for the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord here



Followis ane sang of the birth of Christ, with the tune of Baw Lula Low:


I come from heuin to tell
The best nowellis that euer befell,
To zow thir tythingis trew I bring,
And I will of them say and sing.

This day, to zow, is borne ane childe 
Of Marie meik, and Virgin milde.
That blissit bairne bening and kynde,
Sall zow reioyis, baith hart and mynde.

It is the Lord, Christ, God and Man,
He will do for zow quhat he can :
Him self zour Sauiour will be,
Fra sin and hell, to mak zow fre.

He is zour rycht Saluatioun,
From euerlasting Dampnatioun :
That ze may Ring in gloir and blis,
For euer mair in heuin with his.

Ze sail him find, but mark or wying,
Full sempill in ane Cribe lying:
Sa lyis he quhilk zow hes wrocht.
And all this warld maid of nocht.

Lat vs reioyis and be blyith
And with the Hyrdis go full swyith,
And se quhat God of his grace hes done,
Throw Christ to bring vs to his throne.

My Saull and lyfe stand up and se
Quha lyis in ane Cribbe of tre:
Quhat Babe is that, sa gude and fair ?
It is Christ, Goddis Sone and air.

Welcome now, gracious God of mycht,
To sinnaris vyle, pure and vnrycht.
Thow come to saif vs from distres.
How can we thank thy gentilnes!

O God that maid all Creature,
How art thow now becumit sa pure,
That on the hay and stray will ly,
Amang the Assis, Oxin and Ky?

And war the warld ten tymes sa wyde,
Cled ouer with gold, and stanis of pryde,
Unworthie it war, zit to thé,
Under thy feit ane stule to be.

The Sylk and Sandell thé to eis,
Ar hay, and sempill sweilling clais,
Quharin thow gloris greitest King,
As thow in heuin war in thy Ring.

Thow tuke sic panis temporall,
To mak me ryche perpetuall.
For all this warldis welth and gude,
Can na thing ryche thy celsitude.

O my deir hart, zung Jesus sweit,
Prepair thy creddill in my Spreit,
And I sall rock thé  in my hart,
And neuer mair fra thé depart.

Bot I sall pryse thé euer moir,
With sangis sweit vnto thy gloir:
The kneis of my hart sall I bow,
And sing that rycht Balulalow.

Gloir be to God Eternallie,
Quhilk gaif his onlie Sone for me:
The angellis Joyis for to heir,
The gracious gift of this new Zeir.

[From The Gude and Godlie Ballatis [1567] John Wedderburn et al., Alexander Ferrier (ed.) (1897), pp.49-51 here]





                                                    MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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]