Book of Common Prayer
140 (For the one directing. Mizmor of Dovid). Deliver me, Hashem, from adam rah; preserve me from ish chamasim (violent men);
2 (3) Which plan ra’ot (evils) in their lev; kol yom they incite milchamot (wars).
3 (4) They have sharpened their leshonot like a nachash; the venom of a spider is under their sfatayim (lips). Selah.
4 (5) Be shomer over me, Hashem, and keep me from the hands of the rashah; protect me from ish chamasim, whose scheme is to cause my steps to trip.
5 (6) The ge’im (proud, arrogant ones [of inordinate ambition]) have hid a pach for me, and chavalim (cords, ropes); they have spread a reshet (net) close by the path; they have set mokshim (traps) for me. Selah.
6 (7) I said unto Hashem, Thou art Eli; hear the kol tachanunai (voice of my supplications), Hashem.
7 (8) Hashem Adonoi, Oz Yeshuati (strength of my (salvation), Thou hast covered my rosh in the Yom Neshek (Day of Arms, Day of Battle).
8 (9) Grant not, Hashem, the desires of the rashah; let not his plot succeed; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.
9 (10) As for the rosh of those that surround me, let the amal (trouble) of their own sfatayim (lips) cover them.
10 (11) Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the eish; into mahamorot (watery pits), that they rise not up again.
11 (12) Let not an ish lashon (idle talker, slanderer) be established in ha’aretz; rah shall hunt down the ish chamas to overthrow him.
12 (13) I know that Hashem will maintain the din oni (cause of the poor), and the mishpat evyonim (the right of the needy).
13 (14) Surely the tzaddikim shall give thanks unto Thy Shem; the upright shall dwell in Thy presence.
142 (Mashkil of Dovid; A tefillah when he was in the me’arah) I cried out unto Hashem with my voice; with my voice unto Hashem did I make my techinnah (supplication).
2 (3) I poured out my complaint before Him; I showed before Him my tzoros.
3 (4) When my ruach became faint within me, then Thou had da’as of my path. In the way wherein I walked have they laid a pach (snare, hidden trap) for me.
4 (5) I looked on my right, and behold, there was no man that would know me; refuge failed me; no man cared for my nefesh.
5 (6) I cried unto Thee, Hashem; I said, Thou art my refuge and my chelek (portion) in the Eretz HaChayyim.
6 (7) Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low; save me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.
7 (8) Release my nefesh from prison, to praise Shemecha (Thy Name); the tzaddikim shall gather about me; for Thou shalt deal bountifully with me.
141 (Mizmor of Dovid) Hashem, I cry unto Thee; make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto Thee.
2 Let my tefillah be set forth before Thee like ketoret; and the lifting up of my hands as the minchat erev.
3 Be shomer, Hashem, over my mouth; guard the door of my lips.
4 Let not my lev incline to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity; and let me not eat of their dainties.
5 Let the tzaddik strike me; it shall be chesed; and let him reprove me; it shall be shemen, which my rosh shall not refuse; for still shall my tefillah be against their evil deeds.
6 Their shofetim are overthrown in stony places; they hear my words; for they are pleasant.
7 Atzameinu (our bones) are scattered at the mouth of Sheol, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon ha’aretz.
8 But mine eyes are unto Thee, Hashem Adonoi; in Thee do I take refuge; leave not my nefesh defenseless.
9 Keep me from the pach (snare, trap) which they have laid for me, and the traps of the workers of iniquity.
10 Let the resha’im fall into their own nets, while I escape safely.
143 (Mizmor of Dovid) Hear my tefillah, Hashem, give ear to my techinot (supplications); in Thy emunah answer me, and in Thy tzedakah.
2 And enter not into mishpat with Thy eved; for in Thy sight shall no man living be yitzadak (justified).
3 For the oyev (enemy) hath persecuted my nefesh; he hath struck down my life to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in places of choshech (darkness), like metei olam (those long dead).
4 Therefore is my ruach become faint within me; my lev within me is desolate.
5 I remember yamim mikedem (days of old), I meditate on all Thy works; I muse on the ma’aseh (work) of Thy hands.
6 I stretch forth my hands unto Thee; my nefesh thirsteth after Thee, like an eretz ayefah (a parched, thirsty land). Selah.
7 Hear me speedily, Hashem; my ruach faileth; hide not Thy face from me, lest I be like those that go down into the bor (pit).
8 Cause me to hear Thy chesed in the boker; for in Thee do I trust; cause me to know the Derech wherein I should walk; for I lift up my nefesh unto Thee.
9 Save me, Hashem, from mine oyevim (enemies); I flee unto Thee to hide me.
10 Teach me to do Retzonecha (Thy will); for Thou art Elohai; may Thy Ruach Tov lead me on level ground.
11 Revive me, Hashem, l’ma’an (for the sake of) Thy Shem (Name); in Thy tzedakah bring my nefesh out of tzoros.
12 And in Thy chesed silence mine enemies, and destroy all them that oppress my nefesh; for I am Thy eved.
24 And when Balaam saw that it was tov in the eyes of Hashem to bless Yisroel, he went not, as at other times, to use nechashim (sorceries, divination, looking for omens) but he set his face toward hamidbar.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Yisroel encamped according to their Shevatim; and the Ruach Elohim came upon him.
3 And he took up his mashal, and said, Balaam ben Beor hath said, the man whose eyes are open hath said,
4 He hath said which heard the words of El, which saw the machazeh Shaddai (vision of Shaddai), which falling prostrate, but having his eyes open:
5 Mah tovu ohalecha (How goodly, beautiful, are thy tents), O Ya’akov, and mishkenotecha (thy dwellings, tabernacles), O Yisroel!
6 As the valleys are they [the tents of Yisroel] spread forth, as ganot (gardens) by the riverside, like aloes which Hashem hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the mayim.
7 He shall pour the [rainfall] mayim out of his buckets, and his zera shall have mayim rabbim, and his Melech shall be more exalted than Agag, and Malchuso (His Kingdom) shall be upraised.
8 El brought him forth out of Mitzrayim. He hath the strength of a wild bull. He shall devour the Goyim his enemies and break their atzmot, and pierce them through with his khitzim.
9 He crouched, he lay down as an ari, and as the lioness; who shall stir him up? Mevarakhecha is he that makes a barucha on thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
10 And af Balak (anger of Balak) was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said unto Balaam, I summoned thee to curse mine enemies, and, hinei, thou hast altogether blessed them these shalosh p’amim.
11 Therefore now flee thou to thy mekom; I thought to kibed (honor, reward) thee honorably; but, hinei, Hashem hath kept thee back from kavod (honor, reward).
12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spoke I not also to thy malachim which thou didst send unto me, saying,
13 If Balak would give me his bais full of kesef and zahav, I cannot go beyond the commandment of Hashem, to do either tovah or ra’ah of mine own lev; but what Hashem saith, that will I say!
12 So then, Achim b’Moshiach, we are under no obligation to the basar to live in accordance with the basar.
13 For if you live in accordance with the basar (old fallen humanity under slave master Chet Kadmon) you will certainly die; but if by the Ruach Hakodesh you put to death the [shameful] acts of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Ruach HaElohim, they are bnei HaElohim.
15 For you did not receive a spirit of avdut, falling back into pachad (fear); but you received the Ruach of Mishpat HaBanim (Adoption), having Ma’amad HaBanim (the standing as Sons [9:4]), by which we cry, "Abba, Avinu"!
16 The Ruach Hakodesh himself bears eidus (witness) with our [regenerate, Yn 3:6] ruach that we are bnei HaElohim.
17 And if bnei HaElohim, then also yoreshim (heirs) of G-d and co-heirs (Ro 4:13) together with Moshiach, provided that we suffer with him in order that we might also be set in kavod (glory, eschatological glorification) with him.
15 Then, having departed, the Perushim took counsel together so that they might entrap Yehoshua in his own words.
16 And they are sending to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach their talmidim with the Herodians, saying, Rabbi, we know that you are an ehrliche Yid (a good Jew) and of the Derech Hashem you give Divrei Torah in Emes, and you show no deference to flesh, for you are impartial toward Bnei Adam.
17 Therefore, tell us what to you seems right: is it mutar (permissible) to pay poll tax to Caesar or not?
18 But he, having known their rah (evil), said to them, Why do you test me, tzevuim?
19 Show me the coin of the poll tax. And they brought to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach a denarius.
20 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to them, Whose image is this and whose title?
21 They say to him, Caesar’s. Then Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to them, Give, therefore, unto Caesar the things of Caesar, and the things of Hashem, give unto Hashem.
22 And having heard this, they were amazed and, having left Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, they went away.
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