Book of Common Prayer
40 (40:2)(For the one directing, Of Dovid. Mizmor) I waited patiently for Hashem; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
2 (3) Hashem brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
3 (4) And He hath put a shir chadash in my mouth, even tehillah (hymn of praise) unto Eloheinu; many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in Hashem.
4 (5) Ashrei is that man that maketh Hashem his trust, and looketh not to the proud ones, nor such as turn aside to lies (false g-ds).
5 (6) Many, O Hashem Elohai, are Thy wonderful works which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts which are to us-ward; they cannot be recounted unto Thee; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
6 (7) Zevach and minchah Thou didst not desire; mine ears hast Thou pierced [cf Psa 22:17]; olah (burnt offering) and chata’ah (sin offering) hast Thou not required.
7 (8) Then said I, Hinei, I come; in the megillat sefer it is written of me [cf MJ 10:5-7],
8 (9) I delight to do Thy will, O Elohai; yea, Thy torah is within my heart.
9 (10) I have preached tzedek in the kahal rav (great congregation); hinei, I have not restrained my lips, O Hashem, Thou knowest.
10 (11) I have not hid thy tzedek within my lev; I have declared Thy emunah (faithfulness) and Thy teshuah (salvation); I have not concealed Thy chesed and Thy emes from the kahal rav.
11 (12) Withhold not Thou thy rachamim from me, O Hashem; let Thy chesed and Thy emes continually preserve me.
12 (13) For innumerable evils have compassed me about; mine avonot (iniquities) have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head; therefore my lev faileth me.
13 (14) Be pleased, O Hashem, to deliver me; O Hashem, make haste to help me.
14 (15) Let them be ashamed and mutually confounded that seek after my nefesh to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil.
15 (16) Let them be appalled because of their boshet (shame) that say unto me, Aha, aha.
16 (17) Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee; let such as love Thy teshuah say continually, Hashem be magnified.
17 (18) But I am poor and needy; yet Adonoi thinketh upon me; Thou art my ezer and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O Elohai.
54 (For the director. With stringed instruments. A maskil. For Dovid, when the Ziphim came and said to Sha’ul, Dovid is in hiding among us.) Hoshieini (save me), O Elohim, by Shimecha, and vindicate me by Thy gevurah (might, power).
2 (4) Hear my tefillah, O Elohim; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 (5) For zarim (strangers) are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my nefesh; they have not set Elohim before them. Selah.
4 (6) Hinei, Elohim is mine Ozer (helper); Adonoi is with them that uphold my nefesh.
5 (7) He shall recompense the rah (evil) unto mine enemies; in Thy emes cut them off.
6 (8) I will sacrifice a nedavah (freewill offering) unto Thee; I will praise Shimecha, Hashem; for it is tov (good).
7 (9) For He hath delivered me out of all my tzoros; and mine eye hath looked in triumph upon mine oyevim (enemies.)
51 (For the one directing. Mizmor Dovid. When Natan HaNavi confronted him after he went into Bat- Sheva—2Sm. 11:2) Have mercy upon me, O Elohim, according to Thy chesed; according unto the multitude of Thy rachamim blot out my peysha’im (transgressions, rebellions).
2 (4) Wash me thoroughly from mine avon (iniquity), and cleanse me from my chattat (sin).
3 (5) For I acknowledge my peysha’im (transgressions, rebellions); and my chattat (sin) is ever before me.
4 (6) Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done the rah in Thy sight; that Thou mightest be found just when Thou speakest, and be blameless when Thou judgest.
5 (7) Surely, I was brought forth in avon; and in chet did immi conceive me [i.e., I was a sinner from conception].
6 (8) Surely Thou desirest emes in the inward parts; and in the inmost place Thou shalt make me to know chochmah.
7 (9) Purge me with ezov (hyssop), and I shall be tahor; wash me, and I shall be whiter than sheleg (snow).
8 (10) Make me to hear sasson and simchah; that the atzmot which Thou hast broken may rejoice.
9 (11) Hide Thy face from my chatta’im, and blot out all mine avonot.
10 (12) Create in me a lev tahor, O Elohim; and renew a ruach nekhon (steadfast spirit [i.e., regeneration Ezek 36:26; Yn 3:3,6]) within me.
11 (13) Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Ruach Hakodesh from me.
12 (14) Restore unto me the sasson of Thy salvation; and uphold me with a ruach nedivah (a willing spirit; see Jer 31:31-34).
13 (15) Then will I teach poshe’im (transgressors) Thy drakhim; and chatta’im (sinners) shall be converted [have a spiritual turnaround; see Isa 6:10] unto Thee.
14 (16) Save me from damim (bloodguiltiness), O Elohim, Thou Elohei Teshuati; and my leshon shall sing aloud of Thy tzedakah.
15 (17) Adonoi, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth Thy tehillah (praise).
16 (18) For Thou desirest not zevach (sacrifice); else would I give it; Thou delightest not in olah (burnt offering).
17 (19) The zivkhei Elohim are a ruach nishbarah (broken spirit); a broken and contrite lev, O Elohim, Thou wilt not despise.
18 (20) Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Tziyon; build Thou the chomot Yerushalayim.
19 (21) Then shalt Thou be pleased with zivkhei tzedek (true sacrifices, sacrifices of righteousness), with olah (burnt offering) and whole burnt offering; then shall they offer parim (bulls) upon Thine Mizbe’ach. [T.N. This Psalm, Ps 51, teaches the doctrine of Chet Kadmon from which comes the seminal corrupting human condition necessitating hitkhadshut for all fallen Bnei Adam]
20 So Ach’av sent unto kol Bnei Yisroel, and gathered the Nevi’im together unto Har HaCarmel.
21 And Eliyahu came unto kol haAm, and said, Ad Mosai (how long) ye be polekhim (limping ones, dancing ones) between two se’ipim (opinions)? If Hashem be HaElohim, follow after him; but if HaBa’al, then follow after him. And HaAm answered him not a word.
22 Then said Eliyahu unto HaAm, I, even I only, am left a navi of Hashem; but Ba’al’s nevi’im are four hundred and fifty ish.
23 Let them therefore give us two parim (bulls); and let them choose one bull for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no eish under it; and I will dress the other bull, and lay it on wood, and put no eish under it;
24 And call ye on the shem eloheichem, and I will call on the Shem of Hashem; and haelohim that answereth by eish, let him be HaElohim. And kol haAm answered and said, Tov hadavar!
25 And Eliyahu said unto the nevi’im of Ba’al, Choose you one bull for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are rabbim (many); and call on the shem eloheichem, but put no eish under it.
26 And they took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the shem of Ba’al from boker even until tzohorayim (noon), saying, O Ba’al, answer us. But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they danced [same word used in verse 21] around the mizbe’ach which had been made.
27 And it came to pass at tzohorayim, that Eliyahu mocked them, taunting, saying, Shout with a kol gadol (loud voice); for he is a g-d; either he is meditating, or he is pursuing [something], or ki derech lo (perhaps he had to travel, he’s relieving himself), or perhaps he sleepeth and must be awakened.
28 And they shouted with a kol gadol, and cut themselves after their mishpat (custom) with charavot (swords) and lances, till the dahm gushed out upon them.
29 And it came to pass, when tzohorayim was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the minchah (evening sacrifice), that there was neither kol (voice), nor any oneh (responder) nor any attender.
30 And Eliyahu said unto kol HaAm, Come near unto me. And kol HaAm came near unto him. And he repaired the Mizbe’ach Hashem that was in ruins.
31 And Eliyahu took twelve avanim (stones), according to the mispar (number) of the Shivtei Bnei Ya’akov, unto whom the Devar Hashem came, saying, Yisroel shall be Shemecha;
32 And with the avanim (stones) he built a Mizbe’ach in the Shem of Hashem; and he made a te’alah (trench) around the Mizbe’ach, as the space of two seahs of zera (seed).
33 And he laid the wood in order, and cut up the bull, and laid it on the wood, and said, Fill four jugs with mayim, and pour it on the olah and on the wood.
34 And Eliyahu said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.
35 And the mayim ran around about the Mizbe’ach; and even filled the te’alah (trench) also with mayim.
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the minchah (evening sacrifice), that Eliyahu HaNavi came near, and said, Hashem Elohei Avraham, Yitzchak and of Yisroel, let it be known this day that Thou art Elohim in Yisroel, and that I am Thy Eved, and that I have done all these things at Thy Davar.
37 Answer me, Hashem, answer me, that HaAm Hazeh may know that Thou art Hashem HaElohim, and that Thou hast turned back their lev.
38 Then the Eish of Hashem fell, and consumed the olah and the wood, and the avanim, and the aphar, and licked up the mayim that was in the te’alah (trench).
39 And when kol HaAm saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, Hashem hu HaElohim; Hashem hu HaElohim.
40 And Eliyahu said unto them, Seize the nevi’im of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them; and Eliyahu brought them down to the Brook Kishon, and slaughtered them there.
3 As to the rest, Achim b’Moshiach of mine, have simcha in Adoneinu [1:25; 2:18,28,29; 4:4]. To keep writing the zelba thing [l:4,18; 1:25; 2:2,17,18, 28,29] to you is not an irksome bother to me, but for you it is a te’udat bitachon (safeguard).
2 Be shomer and on your guard and watch out for those [unclean, prowling] kelevim (dogs Ps 22:17(16),20; Rv 22:15), watch out for the evil po’alim (workers), watch out for the “circummutilators” (Ga 6:12).
3 For we are the Bnei HaMilah [Ro 2:29; Co 2:11-12], the ones whose avodas kodesh is by the Ruach Hakodesh [Yn 4:23; Ro 8:4] and whose kavod is in Moshiach Yehoshua and who take no bitachon in the basar,
4 Even though I could be having bitachon also in the basar. If any other person thinks he has grounds to have bitachon in the basar, I have more (2C 11:18-12:10):
5 Bris milah on the eighth day [Lk 1:59; 2:21]; from Bnei Yisroel by birth; of the tribe of Benjamin; a speaker of Lashon HaKodesh, Ivrit of Ivrit-speaking horim, a Hebrew of Hebrews (2C 11:22); with regard to the Torah, from the kat haPerushim (Ac 23:6; 26:5);
6 With regard to kin’a (zealousness), persecuting the Adat HaMoshiach (Ac 8:3; 22:4; 26:9 11); with regard to tzidkat HaTorah, [3:9; Ro 2:27-29, as opposed to the tzidkat Hashem], I was medakdekim bmitzvot unreproachable [i.e., hairsplittingly and rigorously observant, glatt kosher, frumkait, and shomer mitzvot].
7 But what things were revach (gain, profit) to me, these things I considered loss, on account of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach (Mt 13:44-46; Lk 14:33).
8 But even more so, I consider all to be loss on account of the excellency of the da’as of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua Adoneinu [3:10; YIRMEYAH 9:23-24], on account of whom I suffered the loss of all things and I consider them as nothing, in comparison, that I may gain Moshiach [TEHILLIM 73:25],
9 And be found in him, not having my own Tzedek (selfachieved righteousness, by definition a self-righteousness) based on chumra (legalism [legalism itself a "merit" misinterpretation of the Torah]), but the Tzedek [YIRMEYAH 33:16] through emunah [Ro 3:21-22] in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, the Tzidkat Hashem based upon emunah [BERESHIS 15:6; Ro 9:30].
10 I want to have da’as of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, and of the gevurah (power) of the Techiyas HaMoshiach and the deveykus (attachment to G-d) of Moshiach’s yissurim (sufferings 1:29; Ro 8:17; Ga 6:17), being formed into the mode of being of Moshiach’s death [death to the sinful Olam Hazeh and the unregenerate basar Ro 6:3-5],
11 If somehow I may attain to the Techiyas HaMesim.
12 Not that already I obtained or already have been made shleimut, but I pursue this tachlis (final end, aim) that I may lay hold of [1Ti 6:12,19 cf. Pp 2:6] that for which I was laid hold of by Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua [Ac 9:5-6].
13 Achim b’Moshiach, I do not consider myself to have laid hold (3:12); but one zach (thing) I do, forgetting the things behind, and stretching forward to the things ahead,
14 According to the tachlis I pursue the prize of the Shomayim Aliyah ascent of Hashem, the upward k’riah (call) of HaShem b’Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua (2K 1:10; 2:12).
15 Therefore, as many as would be shleimut, let us think like this (2:5-8): and if in anything your machshavot (thoughts) are different [Mt 5:48; 2C 2:6], even this Hashem will reveal to you.
16 Fort (nevertheless), let us march in line with what we have attained, let us hold to the same [Ga 6:16].
3 Now in those days Yochanan of the tevilah of teshuva appears, preaching, crying out as a maggid (preacher) [for the Moshiach] in the midbar (wilderness) of Yehudah,
2 saying, Make teshuva, for the Malchut HaShomayim has come near.
3 For this [Yochanan] is the one spoken of through Yeshayah the Navi, saying, KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR (A voice of one shouting in the wilderness, Isa 40:3): Prepare the Derech Hashem (the way of the L-rd). Make his paths straight!
4 Now Yochanan himself had camel-hair clothing and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was arbe (locusts) and devash (wild honey).
5 Then all Yerushalayim and all Yehudah and the whole region of the Yarden were going out to him.
6 Making vidduy (confession of sin) [to Hashem] of their averos (sins), they were submitted to a tevilah (immersion) by him, using the Yarden River as a mikveh mayim (gathering of water).
7 But when he saw many of the Perushim and Tzedukim coming to where he was using the Yarden as a mikveh mayim, Yochanan said to them, You banim (sons) of nachashim (snakes)! Who warned you to flee from the charon af [Hashem] habah (the coming burning wrath of Hashem)?
8 Produce pri tov l’teshuva (fruit worthy of repentance)!
9 Do not presume to say to yourselves, We have the yichus (proud lineage), we have the zechut Avot (merit of the Fathers) of Avraham Avinu (our father Abraham). For I say to you that Hashem is able to raise up from these avanim (stones) banim (sons) of Avraham.
10 And already the ax is laid at the shoresh haetzim (the root of the trees); therefore, every etz not producing pri tov (good fruit) is cut down and thrown into the eish (fire).
11 I give you a tevilah (immersion) in a mikveh mayim for teshuva, but Hu Habah (He who Comes; T.N. i.e., the Moshiach) after me has more chozek (strength) than me. I am not worthy to remove his sandals. He will give you a tevilah (immersion) with the Ruach Hakodesh and eish (fire).
12 The winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear out his threshing floor, and he will gather his wheat into the storehouse; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable eish (fire).
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