Book of Common Prayer
55 (For the one directing. With Neginos. Maskil of Dovid) Give ear to my tefillah, O Elohim; and veil not Thyself from my techinnah (supplication).
2 (3) Attend unto me, and hear me; I wander restlessly in my si’ach (anxiety), and aloud I groan;
3 (4) Because of the voice of the oyev (enemy), because of the oppression of the rasha (evildoer); for they cast aven (iniquity) upon me, and in af (wrath, anger) cherish their malice against me.
4 (5) My lev writhes within me; and the terrors of mavet are fallen upon me.
5 (6) Yirah va’ra’ad (fear and trembling) are come upon me, and pallatzut (horror, shuddering) overwhelmed me.
6 (7) And I said, Oh that I had wings like a yonah! For then would I fly away and be at rest.
7 (8) Hinei, then would I flee far off and lodge in the midbar. Selah.
8 (9) I would hasten to my place of shelter from the ruach so’ah (wind of the tempest) and storm.
9 (10) Destroy, Adonoi, and confuse their leshon; for I see chamas (violence) and riv (strife) in the Ir (city, i.e., Jerusalem).
10 (11) Yomam and lailah they go about her [Yerushalayim] upon the chomot thereof; aven also and amal are in the midst of her [Yerushalayim].
11 (12) Ruin is in the midst thereof; oppression and mirmah (guile, fraud, deceit) depart not from her rechov.
12 (13) For it was not an oyev (enemy) that reproached me; then I could bear it; neither was it he that had sinah (hatred) for me that did exalt himself against me; then I could have hid myself from him;
13 (14) But it was thou, an enosh (a man) equally [valued with myself], my aluf (intimate, friend), and me’yuda’i (deep acquaintance, familiar friend, see Psalm 41:9)
14 (15) Together we took sweet sod (intimate conversation, fellowship, counsel), and walked unto the Beis Elohim with the throng.
15 (16) Let mavet seize upon them, and let them go down chayyim into Sheol; for ra’ot (evils) are in their dwellings, and among them.
16 (17) As for me, I will call upon Elohim; and Hashem shall save me.
17 (18) Erev, and boker, and at tzohorayim (noon), will I pray, and cry aloud; and He shall hear my kol (voice).
18 (19) He hath redeemed my nefesh in shalom from the battle that was against me; for there were rabbim against me.
19 (20) El (G-d) shall hear, and afflict them, even He that abideth kedem (of old, forever). Selah. Because they do not change, therefore they fear not Elohim.
20 (21) He [the faithless friend of verse 13-14] hath laid his hands on such as are at shalom with him; he hath broken his Brit.
21 (22) The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his lev; his devarim were softer than shemen, yet they were drawn swords.
22 (23) Cast thy burden upon Hashem, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the tzaddik to be moved.
23 (24) But Thou, O Elohim, shalt bring them down into the pit of shachat; anshei damim umirmah (bloody and deceitful men) shall not live out half their yamim; but I will trust in Thee.
138 (Of Dovid) I will thank Thee with my whole lev; before the elohim will I sing praise unto Thee.
2 I will worship toward Thy Heikhal Kodesh, and praise Shmecha (Thy Name) for Thy chesed and for Thy emes; for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above Kol Shimcha (all Thy Name; Yn 1:1, 14 OJBC).
3 In the day when I called out, Thou answeredst me, and madest me bold with oz (strength) in my nefesh.
4 Kol Malchei Aretz shall praise Thee, Hashem, when they hear the words of Thy mouth.
5 Yes, they shall sing of the Darkhei Hashem; for gadol is the Kavod Hashem.
6 Though Hashem be on high, yet He looks upon the lowly; but the proud He knoweth from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of tzoros, Thou wilt preserve me alive; Thou shalt stretch forth Thine yad against the wrath of mine enemies, and Thy Yamin (Right Hand) shall save me.
8 Hashem will fulfill that which concerneth me; Thy chesed, O Hashem, endureth l’olam; forsake not the works of Thine own yadayim.
139 (For the one directing, Mizmor of Dovid). Hashem, Thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou hast binah of my thought from afar off.
3 Thou comprehendeth my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my drakhim.
4 For there is not a milah (word) in my leshon, but, lo, Hashem, Thou knowest it altogether.
5 Thou hast enclosed me achor (behind) and kedem (before), and laid Thine hand upon me.
6 Such da’as is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
7 To where can I go from Thy Ruach [Hakodesh]? Or to where shall I flee from Thy presence?
8 If I ascend up into Shomayim, Thou art there; if I make my bed in Sheol, hinei, Thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the shachar (dawn), and dwell in the uttermost acharit yam (the extreme end of the sea);
10 Even there shall Thy yad lead me, and Thy yamin shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the choshech shall cover me, even the lailah shall be ohr about me.
12 Even the choshech is not dark to Thee; but the lailah shineth as the yom; the choshech and the ohr are both alike to Thee.
13 For Thou hast created my inmost being; Thou didst interweave me in the beten immi.
14 I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Thy ma’asim; and that my nefesh knoweth very well.
15 My atzamim (bones, frame) were not hid from Thee, when I was made beseter (in secret), and skillfully wrought in the depths of the Eretz.
16 Thine eyes did see my golem (embryo), yet being unformed; and in Thy Sefer (Book) all the yamim (days) ordained for me were written down, when as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O El! How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the chol (sand); when I awake, I am still with Thee.
19 Surely Thou wilt slay the rasha, O Eloah; depart from me therefore, ye anshei damim (bloodthirsty men).
20 For they speak of Thee craftily, and it is taken lashav [Ex 20:7] by Thy enemies.
21 Should not I hate them, Hashem, that hate Thee? And am not I to be at odds with those that rise up against Thee?
22 I abhor them with complete sinah; I count them mine enemies.
23 Search me, O El, and know my levav; test me, and know my thoughts;
18 And Moshe erected the Mishkan, and fastened its sockets, and set up the kerashim thereof, and put in the crossbars thereof, and set up its ammudim.
19 And he spread the Ohel over the Mishkan, and put the Mikhseh of the Ohel on it from above; as Hashem commanded Moshe.
20 And he took and placed HaEdut (The Testimony, i.e., the Stone Tablets of the Ten Commandments) into HaAron, and set the carrying poles on the Aron, and put the Kapporet upon the Aron from above;
21 And he brought the Aron into the Mishkan, and set up the Parochet HaMasach, and shielded with a covering over the Aron HaEdut; as Hashem commanded Moshe.
22 And he put the Shulchan in the Ohel Mo’ed, upon the north side of the Mishkan, outside the Parochet.
23 And he set the Lechem in order upon it before Hashem; as Hashem had commanded Moshe.
24 And he put the Menorah in the Ohel Mo’ed, opposite the Shulchan, on the south side of the Mishkan.
25 And he set up the nerot (lamps) before Hashem; as Hashem commanded Moshe.
26 And he put the Mizbe’ach Hazahav in the Ohel Mo’ed before the Parochet;
27 And he burned ketoret spices thereon; as Hashem commanded Moshe.
28 And he set up the Masach HaPetach LaMishkan (Curtain of the Entrance of the Tabernacle).
29 And he put the Mizbe’ach HaOlah at the Petach Mishkan Ohel Mo’ed, and offered upon it the olah (burnt offering) and the minchah; as Hashem commanded Moshe.
30 And he set the Kiyor between the Ohel Mo’ed and the Mizbe’ach, and put mayim there, to wash withal.
31 And Moshe and Aharon and his banim washed their hands and their feet thereat;
32 When they went into the Ohel Mo’ed, and when they came near unto the Mizbe’ach, they washed; as Hashem commanded Moshe.
33 And he erected the khatzer (courtyard) all around the Mishkan and the Mizbe’ach, and set up the Masach Sha’ar HaKhatzer. So Moshe finished the work.
34 Then the Anan covered the Ohel Mo’ed, and the Kavod Hashem filled the Mishkan.
35 And Moshe was not able to enter into the Ohel Mo’ed, because the [Shekinah] cloud abode thereon, and the Kavod Hashem filled the Mishkan.
36 And when the Anan was taken up from over the Mishkan, the Bnei Yisroel went onward in all their journeys;
37 But if the Anan were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.
38 For the Anan Hashem was upon the Mishkan by day, and Eish was on it by night, in the sight of all the Bais Yisroel, throughout all their journeys. T.N. The Theme of gracious, unmerited Deliverance and Salvation for an Am Kesheh Oref (Obstinate Stiffnecked People) has been presented in the Second Book of Moses.
4 Lemaskana (finally), Achim b’Moshiach, we ask and exhort you in Adoneinu Yehoshua, in order that, just as from us (Moshiach’s Shlichim) you received (as authoritative halachic tradition, as the Messianic teaching to be followed) how it is necessary for you to be fier zich (comport oneself) in your derech (way of life) and to please Hashem (just as you in fact are doing), so you should abound more and more.
2 For you have da’as what mitzvot (commandments) we gave you through [Moshiach] Adoneinu Yehoshua.
3 For this is the ratzon Hashem (the will of G-d), your kedushah (holiness), your consecration, that you abstain from zenut (fornication),
4 That each one of you [as Kadoshim] have da’as of how to control your own k’li (vessel) in kedushah and kavod,
5 Not in the passion of ta’avah (evil desire, lust) like Goyim who do not have da’as of Hashem;
6 That no man commit peysha and take advantage of one of his Achim b’Moshiach in this [sexual] matter, because Hashem is the Nokem (Avenger) concerning all these things, just as also we told you before and warned you.
7 For [as far as our bechirah (election) is concerned], Hashem did not summon us for tu’ma (uncleanness) but in kedushah (holiness).
8 Therefore, the one rejecting this mitzvah (commandment) does not reject Bnei Adam but Hashem who gives to you His Ruach Hakodesh.
9 Concerning the matter of ahavah shel achvah (brotherly love), you have no need that we write you, for you yourselves are limudei Elohim (taught of G-d) to have ahavah (agape) one for another.
10 For indeed this you do toward all the Achim b’Moshiach in all of Macedonia. But in this we exhort you, Chaverim, to abound more and more.
11 And have as your ambition to lead a quiet life of shalom bayis, and to mind your own business, and to have a parnasah, working with your own hands, according to the mitzvot (commandments) we gave you.
12 The tachlis (purpose) is that the way you fier zich (comport oneself) in your derech (way of life) be conducted properly toward outsiders and that you might not be nitzrach (needy).
38 You have heard that it was said, AYIN TACHAT AYIN, SHEN TACHAT SHEN (An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth SHEMOT 21:24).
39 But I say to you, Do not set yourself against the rasha (evil person), but whoever hits you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other cheek.
40 And the one wishing to sue you and take your tunic, give to him also your kaftan.
41 And whoever will force you to go one mile, go with him two.
42 And the one asking you to give and the one wishing to borrow from you, from these do not turn away.
43 You have heard that it was said, VAHAVTAH LREIACHAH (You shall love your neighbor, VAYIKRA 19:18) and you shall hate your oyev (enemy).
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies, and offer tefillos (prayers) for the ones bringing redifah (persecution) upon you.
45 Do this so that you may become banim of your Av shbaShomayim, for His shemesh (sun) He makes to rise on the ra’im (evil ones) and the tovim (good ones), and He sends His geshem (rain) upon the tzaddikim (righteous ones) and the resha’im (unrighteous ones).
46 For if you have ahavah (love) for the ones who have ahavah for you, what sachar (reward) do you have? Even the mochesim (tax collectors) do that, don’t they?
47 And if you give Drishat Shalom (greetings) only to your Achim [b’Moshiach], what extraordinary thing are you doing? Don’t even the Goyim do the same?
48 Therefore, be shlemim (complete), even as is your Av shbaShomayim.
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