Book of Common Prayer
120 (Shir HaMa’a- lot [Song of Ascents]) In my tzoros I cried unto Hashem, and He heard me.
2 Save my nefesh, Hashem, from sefat sheker (lying lips), and from lashon remiyyah (a tongue of deceit).
3 What shall be given unto thee? Or what shall be done unto thee, thou lashon remiyyah?
4 Sharp khitzim (arrows) of the gibbor, with burning (charcoal) coals of the broom plant.
5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the ohalim of Kedar!
6 My nefesh hath long dwelt with him that hateth shalom.
7 I am for shalom; but when I speak, they are for milchamah (war).
121 (Shir HaMa’alot) I will lift up mine eyes unto the harim (hills), from whence cometh ezri (my help).
2 Ezri (my help) cometh from Hashem, Oseh Shomayim v’Aretz.
3 He will not allow thy regel to slip; He that is shomer over thee will not slumber.
4 Hinei, He that is shomer over Yisroel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 Hashem is the One shomer over thee; Hashem is thy shade upon thy right hand.
6 The shemesh shall not strike thee by day, nor the yarei’ach by night.
7 Hashem shall preserve thee from kol rah; He shall preserve thy nefesh.
8 Hashem shall be shomer over thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even v’ad olam.
122 (Shir HaMa’alot, [Song of Ascents] of Dovid). I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the Bais Hashem.
2 Our feet shall stand within thy she’arim, O Yerushalayim.
3 Yerushalayim is built as an Ir bound firmly together;
4 That is where the Shevatim (tribes) go up, the Shivtei Hashem, according to the edut l’Yisroel (the statute to Yisroel), to give thanks unto the Shem of Hashem.
5 For there are set kise’ot l’mishpat (thrones of judgment), the kise’ot of the Bais Dovid.
6 Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim (pray for the peace of Jerusalem); they shall prosper that love thee.
7 Shalom be within thy wall, and security within thy citadels.
8 L’ma’an (for the sake of) my achim and companions, I will now say, Shalom be within thee.
9 L’ma’an the Bais Hashem Eloheinu I will seek thy tov.
123 (Shir HaMa’alot, [Song of Ascents]) Unto Thee lift I up mine eyes, O Thou that dwellest in Shomayim.
2 Hinei, as the eyes of avadim look unto the yad adoneihem, and as the eyes of a shifchah (maiden) unto the yad of her gevirah; so our eyes wait upon Hashem Eloheinu, until He have channun (favor, grace) upon us.
3 Channenu Hashem, channenu; for we are more than sated with buz (contempt).
4 Nafsheinu (our nefesh) is more than sated with the scorn of those that are at ease, and with the buz (contempt) of the g’eiyonim (proud ones, arrogant ones).
124 (Shir HaMa’alot, [Song of Ascents] of Dovid). If it had not been Hashem Who was lanu (for us, on our side), now may Yisroel say;
2 If it had not been Hashem Who was lanu, when adam (man) rose up against us;
3 Then they had swallowed us up chayyim (alive); when their wrath was kindled against us;
4 Then the mayim would have overwhelmed us, the torrent would have swept over nafsheinu (our nefesh); (Shir HaMa’alot, [Song of
5 Then the mayim hazedonim (treacherous waters) would have swept over nafsheinu (our nefesh).
6 Baruch Hashem, Who hath not given us up as a prey to their shinayim (teeth).
7 Nafsheinu (our nefesh) is escaped as a tzippor (bird) out of the pach (snare of the fowlers); the pach is broken, and we are escaped.
8 Ezreinu (our help) B’Shem Hashem Oseh Shomayim vaAretz.
125 Ascents]). They that trust in Hashem shall be as Mt Tziyon, which is immoveable, and abideth l’olam.
2 As harim (the mountains) surround Yerushalayim, so Hashem surrounds His people from henceforth v’ad olam (and to forever).
3 For the shevet (scepter) of the resha shall not rest upon the goral (allotment, property) of the tzaddikim; lest the tzaddikim put forth their hands unto iniquity.
4 Do good, Hashem, unto the tovim, and to them that are upright in their hearts.
5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, Hashem shall turn them away with the workers of iniquity; but shalom shall be upon Yisroel.
126 Ascents]) When Hashem brought the return of the captivity of Tziyon, we were like the cholemim (them that dream).
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and leshoneinu (our tongue) with rinnah (Shir HaMa’alot, [Song of (joyful song); then said they among the Goyim, Hashem hath done great things for them.
3 Hashem hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
4 Return our captivity and restore our fortunes, Hashem, like torrents in the Negev.
5 They that sow in dimah (tears) shall reap in rinnah (joyful song).
6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing meshek hazara (seed to be sown) shall doubtless come again with rinnah, bearing his alummot (sheaves [of harvest]).
127 (Shir HaMa’alot, of Shlomo). Except Hashem build the bais, they that build it labor in vain; except Hashem is shomer over the city, the shomair (watchman) stands guard in vain.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the lechem ha’atzavim (bread of toils); for so He giveth his beloved sleep.
3 Hinei, banim are nachalat Hashem; and the p’ri habeten is a zachar (reward).
4 As khitzim (arrows) are in the yad of a gibbor; so are bnei haneurim (children born in one’s youth).
5 Ashrei hagever that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the oyevim basha’ar (enemy at the gate).
4 Hear, ye banim, the musar (instruction, discipline) of an av, and attend to know binah (understanding).
2 For I give you lekach tov (good doctrine, good instruction), forsake ye not my torah.
3 For I was ben to avi, tender and yachid (an only child) before immi.
4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine lev retain my words; be shomer over my mitzvot, and live.
5 Acquire chochmah, acquire binah (understanding); forget it not; neither turn from the words of my peh (mouth).
6 Forsake her not, and she shall be shomer over thee; love her, and she shall protect thee.
7 Chochmah is the principal thing; therefore get chochmah, and with all thy getting get binah (understanding).
8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee; she shall honor thee with kavod, when thou dost embrace her.
9 She shall give to thine head a garland of chen; an ateret (crown) of tiferet (glory) shall she present to thee.
10 Hear, O beni (my son), and receive my sayings; and thy shnot chayyim shall be many.
11 I have taught thee in the derech chochmah; I have led thee in ma’aglei yosher (right paths).
12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be hindered; and when thou runnest, lo tikashel (thou shalt not stumble).
13 Take firm hold of musar; let her not go; guard her; for she is thy chayyim.
14 Enter not into the orach resha’im, and go not on the derech ra’im (road of the wicked).
15 Avoid it, travel al (not) on it, turn from it, and pass on.
16 For they sleep not, unless they have done evil; and their sheynah (sleep) is robbed, unless they cause some to fall.
17 For they eat the lechem of resha, and drink the yayin of chamasim (violences).
18 But the orach tzaddikim (path of the righteous) is as the bright light, that shineth brighter and brighter unto the full day.
19 The derech resha’im is as deep darkness; they know not at what they stumble.
20 Beni (my son), attend to my words; incline thine ozen unto my sayings.
21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; be shomer over them within thine lev.
22 For they are chayyim unto those that find them, and health to all their basar.
23 Set watch over and guard thy lev with all diligence; for out of it are the totze’ot chayyim (issues, wellsprings of life cf Mk 7:20-23).
24 Put away from thee a deceitful peh (mouth), and perverse sfatayim (lips) put far from thee.
25 Let thine eynayim look straight forward, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the ma’agal (path) of thy raglayim, and let all thy drakhim be firm.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy regel from rah [T.N. Everyone in life has two paths to choose from just as Moshiach Tzidkeinu spoke of two gates, a wide one crowded with traffic and leading to destruction, and another one found by few but leading to life and redemption‖Mt 7:13-14].
7 Chaverim, let us have ahavah one for another, because ahavah is of Hashem, and everyone having ahavah has been born of Hashem and has da’as of Hashem.
8 The one not having ahavah did not have da’as of Hashem, because Hashem is ahavah.
9 By this was made hisgalus of the ahavah of Hashem among us, because Hashem has sent His Ben Yechid into the Olam Hazeh that we may live through Him. [Yn 3:16]
10 In this is ahavah, not that we have had ahavah for Hashem, but that Hashem had ahavah for us and gave His Ben HaElohim as a kapporah for chattoteinu.
11 Chaverim, if Hashem so had ahavah for us, also we ought to have ahavah one for another.
12 No one has ever beheld Hashem. If we have ahavah one for another, G-d makes His ma’on in us and the Ahavas Hashem in us has been made shleimah.
13 By this we have da’as that we have our ma’on in Him and He in us, because of the Ruach Hakodesh of Him He has given us.
14 And we [Shlichim] have beheld and we give solemn eidus (testimony) that HaAv has sent HaBen as Moshi’a HaOlam (Go’el el kol HaOlam, Oisleizer).
15 Whoever makes moyde (confession) that Yehoshua (Yeshua) is the Ben HaElohim, Hashem makes His ma’on in him and he in Hashem.
16 And we have had da’as and emunah in the ahavah which Hashem has for us. Hashem is ahavah. The one making his ma’on in ahavah makes his ma’on in Hashem and Hashem in him.
17 By this has the ahavah become shleimah with us, that we may have bitachon in the Yom HaDin, because as that One is, so we are also in the Olam Hazeh.
18 Pachad (fear) is not in ahavah, but the ahavah hashleimah casts out pachad, because pachad has to do with pachad of the onesh (punishment) and the one with pachad has not been perfected in ahavah.
19 We have ahavah because rishonah He had ahavah for us.
20 If anyone says I have ahavah for Hashem and the Ach b’Moshiach he hates, he is a shakran (liar). For the one not having ahavah for the Ach b’Moshiach of him whom he has seen, how can he have ahavah for the Elohim whom he has not seen?
21 And this mitzvah we have from Him that the one having ahavah for Hashem should have ahavah also for the Ach b’Moshiach of him.
30 Now he had not yet come into the shtetl, but was still in the place where Marta met him.
31 Therefore, those of Yehudah, the ones sitting shiva with her in the bais and giving her nechamah, when they saw Miryam get up quickly and rush out, followed her, assuming that she is going to the kever (tomb) that she might weep there.
32 Therefore, Miryam, when she came where Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach was, and when she saw him, fell down at his feet, saying to Rebbe, Adoni, if you were here, achi (my brother) would not have died.
33 Therefore, when he saw her weeping and those of Yehudah coming with her and also weeping, he was deeply moved in his neshamah and was troubled in himself,
34 And said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Adoni, come and see.
35 Yehoshua wept.
36 Therefore, those of Yehudah were saying, Hinei! See how much ahavah he had for him.
37 But some of them said, Could not this man, who was able to open the eyes of the ivver, have also prevented this man from passing?
38 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, therefore, again being deeply moved within himself, comes to the kever (tomb). Now it was a me’arah (cave) type of kever and a stone was lying against it.
39 Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says, Lift the stone. Marta, the achot of the niftar (deceased), says to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, Adoni, already he smells, for it is now arba’ah yamim (four days).
40 He says to her, Did I not tell you that if you have emunah (faith), you will see the kavod Hashem?
41 Therefore, they lifted the stone and he lifted up his eyes and said, Avi, I thank You that You heard me.
42 And I knew that You always hear me, but, because of the multitude standing around, I said it, that they may have emunah (faith) that You sent me.
43 And having said these things, he cried out with a kol gadol, El’azar, come forth!
44 Then the niftar, having been bound feet and hands with the linen clothes of the tachrichin, and with his face covered with a mitznefet (head wrapping), came out. He says to them, Untie him and let him go.
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