Book of Common Prayer
131 (Shir HaMa’alot, of Dovid). Hashem, my lev is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do I exercise myself in gedolot, or in things too high for me.
2 Surely I have stilled and quieted my nefesh, as a child that is weaned of immo; my nefesh is even as a weaned child.
3 Let Yisroel hope in Hashem from henceforth and ad olam.
132 (Shir HaMa’alot) Hashem, remember Dovid, and all his afflictions;
2 How he swore unto Hashem, and vowed unto Avir Ya’akov (the Mighty One of Ya’akov);
3 Surely I will not come into the ohel of my bais, nor go up into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, nor tenumah (slumber) to mine eyelids,
5 Until I find a makom (place) for Hashem, even mishkanot for the Avir Ya’akov.
6 Hinei, we heard of it at Ephratah; we found it in the sedei Ya’ar (fields of Ya’ar).
7 We will go into His mishkanot; we will worship at the hadom (footstool) of His raglayim.
8 Arise, Hashem, into Thy menuchah (resting place); Thou, and the Aron of Thy oz (might).
9 Let Thy Kohanim be clothed with tzedek; and let Thy chasidim sing for joy.
10 For the sake of Dovid Thy Eved, do not turn away the face of Thine Moshiach [see Isa 52:13; 53:11].
11 Hashem hath sworn in emes unto Dovid; He will not turn from His oath: Of the p’ri (fruit) of thy beten (body) will I set upon thy kisse (throne).
12 If thy Banim are shomer over My Brit and My Edot that I shall teach them, their Banim shall also sit upon thy kisse adei-ad (forevermore).
13 For Hashem hath chosen Tziyon; He hath desired her for His moshav.
14 This is My menuchah (resting place) adei-ad (forever); here will I dwell; for I have desired her.
15 I will place a bountiful brocha on her provision; I will satisfy her poor with lechem.
16 I will also clothe her Kohanim with Yesha (salvation); and her chasidim shall sing aloud for joy.
17 There atzmi’ach (I will make sprout i.e., Tzemach) the Keren of Dovid; I have ordained a ner (lamp) for My Moshiach.
18 His oyevim will I clothe with boshet (shame); but upon him [Moshiach] shall his nezer (crown) be resplendent.
133 (Shir HaMa’alot, of Dovid). Hinei, mah tov umah na’im shevet achim gahm yachad (how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity)!
2 It is like the precious shemen upon the rosh, that ran down upon the beard, even Aharon’s beard; that went down to the collar of his robes;
3 As the tal of Chermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Tziyon; for there Hashem commanded the brocha, even Chayyim Ad Olam.
134 (Shir HaMa’alot) Hinei, barakhu Hashem, kol avedei Hashem, which balailah stand [ministering] in the Bais Hashem.
2 Lift up your hands in the Kodesh [Beis Hamikdash], and barakhu Hashem.
3 Yevarekhecha Adonoi from Tziyon, Oseh Shomayim v’Aretz (the Maker of Heaven and Earth).
135 Praise Hashem. Halelu Shem Hashem; Halelu, O ye avadim of Hashem.
2 Ye that stand ministering in the Beis Hashem, in the khatzerot Beis Eloheinu.
3 Praise Hashem; for Hashem is tov; sing praise unto Shmo; for it is na’im (lovely, pleasing).
4 For Hashem hath chosen Ya’akov unto Himself, and Yisroel for His segullah (peculiar treasure).
5 For I know that Hashem is gadol, and that Adoneinu is above kol elohim.
6 Whatsoever Hashem pleases, that He does in Shomayim, and in HaAretz, in HaYam, and kol tehomot.
7 He causeth the clouds to ascend at the end of HaAretz; He maketh lightning for the matar (rain); He bringeth the ruach out of His otzarot.
8 Who struck down the Bechorei Mitzrayim, both of adam and behemah.
9 Who sent otot and mofetim into the midst of thee, O Mitzrayim, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his avadim.
10 Who struck down Goyim rabbim, and slaughtered melachim atzumim (powerful kings);
11 Sichon Melech HaEmori, and Og Melech HaBashan, and all the mamlechot Kena’an;
12 And gave their land for a nachalah, an inheritance unto Yisroel Amo (His people).
13 Thy Shem, Hashem, endureth l’olam; and Thy remembrance, Hashem, l’dor vador.
14 For Hashem will vindicate His people; He will have compassion on His avadim.
15 The idols of the Goyim are kesef and zahav, the ma’aseh yedei adam.
16 They have mouths, but they speak not; einayim have they, but they see not;
17 They have oznayim, but they hear not; neither is there any ruach in their mouths.
18 They that oseihem (make them) will be like them; so is every one that trusteth in them.
19 Barakhu Hashem, O Bais Yisroel; barakhu Hashem, O Bais Aharon;
20 Barakhu Hashem, O Bais HaLevi; ye that fear Hashem, barakhu Hashem.
21 Baruch Hashem out of Tziyon, which dwelleth at Yerushalayim. Praise Hashem.
3 Hoy (woe) to her that is filthy and polluted, to the oppressing city [i.e.,Jerusalem]!
2 She obeyed not the voice; she received not musar (correction); her bitachon (trust) was not in Hashem; she drew not near to her G-d.
3 Her sarim (princes) within her are roaring arayot; her shofetim are evening wolves; they leave nothing for the boker (morning).
4 Her nevi’im are arrogant, anshei bogedot (treacherous persons); her kohanim have profaned the kodesh, they have done violence to the torah [T.N. which they were ordained to faithfully observe and teach].
5 Hashem Tzaddik is in the midst thereof; He will do no injustice; boker by boker doth Hashem dispense mishpat; He faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no boshet (shame).
6 I have cut off the Goyim; their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by; their cities are destroyed, so that there is no ish (man), that there is no inhabitant.
7 I said, Surely thou wilt fear Me, thou wilt accept musar (correction, instruction); so that her dwelling place should not be cut off, despite everything for which I punished her; but they rose early [i.e., eagerly], and corrupted all their doings.
8 Therefore wait ye upon Me, saith Hashem, until the Yom that I rise up for a witness; for My determination is to gather the Goyim, that I may assemble the mamlachot, to pour upon them Mine indignation, even all My charon af; for kol ha’aretz (all the earth) shall be devoured with the eish of My kina (jealousy).
9 For then will I restore to the people a safah berurah (pure language, purified lip), that they may all call upon the Shem Hashem, to serve Him with shekhem echad (one shoulder, one accord).
10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My suppliants, even the daughter of My dispersed, shall bring Mine minchah.
11 In that Yom shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings, wherein thou hast transgressed against Me; for then I will take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoice in thy ga’avah (pride), and thou shalt no more be haughty because of My Har Hakodesh.
12 I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people, and they shall take refuge in the Shem Hashem.
13 The she’erit Yisroel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a leshon tarmit (tongue of deceitfulness) be found in their mouth; for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
11 Chaverim, I say “Chazak (Be Strong)!” to you as aliens and exiles (1:1,17), exhorting you to abstain from fleshly ta’avot (lusts) which make milchamah (war) against the neshamah.
12 Let your hitnahagut (conduct) among the Goyim show feste (excellent) midas chasidus (trait of piety) that, wherein they speak against you as anshei resha (men of wickedness), by observing your ma’asim tovim they may glorify Hashem in the YOM PEKUDDAH ("Day of Visitation, Reckoning" [Isa 10:3]).
13 Submit [2:18; 3:1] to every created human memshalah (governing authority) because of Hashem, whether to a Melech (King) as being HaRosh,
14 Or to moshelim (governors) as being sent by Hashem for the purpose of nakam (vengeance) on anshei resha (men of wickedness) but for the purpose of shevach (praise, commendation) on anshei tzedek.
15 For it is the ratzon Hashem (the will of G-d) that you, by acting as anshei tzedek, may silence the lack of da’as (knowledge) of the kesilim (the foolish people).
16 As Avadim (Servants) of Hashem, live as Bnei Chorin (Sons of Freedom, Freedmen); yet do not use your cherut (freedom) as a cloak for concealing ra’ah (evil).
17 Have kavod (respect, honor) toward kol Bnei Adam; have ahavah (agape) toward HaAchim (The Brotherhood of the Messianic Chavurah); have yirat Shomayim toward Hashem [1:17; 2:17; 3:2,6,14, 16], have kavod to HaMelech.
18 Avadim, be submitting in kol yir’ah (all fear) to your adonim (masters), not only to the good and eidele (gentle) adonim, but also to the hard sarei misim (task-masters, Shemot 1:11).
19 For this is worthy of shevach (praise, commendation) if, because of a consciousness of Hashem, anyone bears up under tzoros (troubles) while suffering unjustly.
20 For what shevach (praise) is it if, after committing chatta’im (sins) and being beaten, you endure? But if being osei tzedek (doers of what is right) and suffering, then you endure, this is worthy of shevach before Hashem.
21 It was for this tachlis (purpose) [of your being osei tzedek and suffering] that you were given your kri’ah (calling), because also Moshiach suffered on behalf of you [Isa 53:5-6], leaving you a mofet (example), that you should follow be’ikvot Moshiach (in the steps of Moshiach),
22 Who was beli chet (without sin) V’LO MIRMAH BEFIV ("and no deceit was in his mouth" Isa 53:9);
23 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, who, being reviled, did not retaliate; suffering, he did not utter iyumim (threats), but handed himself over, entrusting himself to the Shofet Tzedek (Righteous Judge [4:5]);
24 Moshiach, who himself NASAH (bore, carried away, Isa 53:4, 12) ES PEYSHA’EINU (our transgressions, our sins YESHAYAH 53:5,8,12) in geviyyato [BERESHIS 47:18; YESHAYAH 53:5] on HAETZ [DEVARIM 21:23] that, having become niftarim (deceased ones) to chattoteinu, we might become Kol Chai (all living) to Tzidkanut (Righteousness); UVACHAVURATO NIRPA LANU ("by whose wounds you were healed” YESHAYAH 53:5).
25 For you were KULLANU KA’TZON TA’INU ("all of us like sheep we went astray" YESHAYAH 53:6), for you were as sheep being led astray, but you made teshuva now to the Ro’eh [YECHEZKEL 34:1-16] and Mashgiach (Overseer IYOV 10:12) of your nefashot (souls).
20 The Malchut HaShomayim is like a man, the Baal Bayit, who went out early in the boker, to hire poalim (workers) for his kerem.
2 And having agreed with the poalim to salary them a denarius for their day’s pay, the Baal Bayit sent them into his kerem.
3 And having gone out around the third hour, the Baal Bayit saw others loitering in the marketplace,
4 and he said to those, You go also into the kerem. And whatever is right, this is what your pay will be.
5 And they left. And again, having gone out around the sixth and the ninth hour, the Baal Bayit did the same thing.
6 And around the eleventh hour, having gone out, the Baal Bayit found others standing around, and he says to them, Why have you been standing here all the day not working?
7 The idle workers say to the Baal Bayit, Because no one hired us. The Baal Bayit says to them, You go also into the kerem.
8 And when erev had come, another man, the owner of the kerem, says to his foreman, Call the poalim and give to them the wage, beginning with the acharonim and going to the rishonim.
9 And the ones that came around the eleventh hour each received a denarius.
10 And when the rishonim came, they were under the impression that they would receive a larger sum; instead, they themselves each received a denarius.
11 And when they received the denarius, they were complaining against the Baal Bayit,
12 saying, These acharonim worked one hour, and you made them equal to us, the ones having endured the burden and the heat of the whole day.
13 But the Baal Bayit said in reply to one of them, Chaver, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree that I would pay you the usual day’s wage, a denarius?
14 Take what belongs to you, your denarius, and go. But it is my ratzon, my good pleasure, to give to this one who is last also what I gave to you.
15 Or is it not allowable for me to do what I wish with the things that are mine? Or do you look with a jealous ayin horo upon my goodness?
16 Thus the Rishonim will be Acharonim, and the Acharonim will be Rishonim. For the invited ones are many, but the nivcharim (chosen ones) are few.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International