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;
20 And it shall come to pass in Yom Hahu, that the remnant of Yisroel, and such as are escaped of Bais Ya’akov, shall no longer lean upon him that smote them; but shall lean upon Hashem Kadosh Yisroel be’emes.
21 The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Ya’akov, unto El Gibbor [See Isaiah 9:5(6)].
22 For though thy people Yisroel be like the chol hayam, only a remnant of them shall return; destruction is decreed, overwhelming tzedakah.
23 For Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os shall carry out kalah (destruction) decreed, even upon the kol ha’aretz.
24 Therefore thus saith Adonoi Hashem Tzva’os, O My people that dwellest in Tziyon, be not afraid of Ashur; if he strike thee with the shevet, and lift his matteh against thee, in the manner of Mitzrayim.
25 For yet a very little while, and the za’am (anger, indignation) shall pass, and Mine wrath turn for their destruction.
26 And Hashem Tzva’os shall stir up a shot (whip) for him as when He struck down Midyan at the Tzur Orev; and as His matteh was over the yam, so shall He raise it after the manner of Mitzrayim.
27 And it shall come to pass in Yom Hahu, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his ol from off thy neck, and the ol shall be broken from fatness.
17 But you, Chaverim, keep in mind the predictions (2K 3:3) of the Shlichim of Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua,
18 Because they were telling you that at Acharit HaYamim (the End of Days), there will be leitzim (scoffers, TEHILLIM 1:1) walking according to their ta’avot (lusts) without yireshakoved.
19 These [men] are the ones causing division, worldly men, not having the Ruach Hakodesh.
20 But you, Chaverim, build yourselves up on what is kodesh kodeshim (most holy) of yours, your [correct, Orthodox Jewish] Emunah (Faith, v.3, the Emunah of the true Dat HaYehudit], davening in the Ruach Hakodesh.
21 Keep yourselves in the Ahavas Hashem, awaiting the rachamim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua unto Chayei Olam.
22 To those who are wavering, show rachamim; others, deliver, snatching them out of the Eish [Olam, YESHAYAH 66:24].
23 On others, have rachamim mixed with yireshakoved, hating even the undergarment defiled by corrupt human nature.
24 Now to the One who is able to stand shomer over you, to make you moineia (prevented) from falling, and to set you unblemished in the presence of his Shechinah, with sasson rav (much rejoicing),
25 To HaElohim HaYachid Moshieinu (to the only G-d our Savior), through Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua, be HaKavod (Glory) and HaGedulah (Greatness) and HaMemshalah (Rule) and HaGevurah (Might) Mei-Olam V’ad Atah V’ad Olemei Olamim (before all time, now, and forever.) Omein.
3 In the shenat chamesh esreh (15th year) of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governing Yehudah, when Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of the Galil, and when Philip the brother of Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, and at the same time Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
2 And when, during the same historical period, Anan and Caiapha were Kohanim Gedolim, then it was that the dvar Hashem came to [the kohen-navi] Yochanan Ben Zecharyah bamidbar (in the wilderness).
3 And Yochanan went into all the surrounding region of the Yarden preaching a tevilah of teshuva for the selichat avon,
4 As it has been written in the sefer divrei Yeshayah Hanavi, KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR (A voice of one shouting in the wilderness, YESHAYAH 40:3): Prepare the Derech Hashem (the Way of the L-rd). Make his paths straight!
5 KOL GEY YINNASE VKHOL HAR VGIVAH YISHPALU (Every valley will be filled in and every mountain and hill will be leveled off), VHAYAH HEAKOV LEMISHOR VHARKHASIM LVIKAH (The crooked will be made straight, the rough paths made into smooth roads);
6 VRAU CHOL BASAR ES YESHUAT ELOHEINU (and all basar will see the salvation of our G-d). [YESHAYAH 40:3-5; TEHILLIM 98:2; YESHAYAH 42:16; 52:10]
7 Therefore, Yochanan was saying to the multitudes coming out to have the mikveh mayim’s tevilah supervised by him, You banim of nachashim, who warned you to flee from the charon af [Hashem] habah (the coming burning wrath of Hashem)?
8 Therefore, produce p’ri tov l’teshuva (fruit worthy of repentance), and do not begin to presume within yourselves, saying, We have the zechut Avot (merit of the Fathers) of Avraham Avinu, for, I say to you, that Hashem is able from these avanim (stones) to raise up banim to Avraham Avinu.
9 And already the ax is laid at the shoresh haetzim (the root of the trees). Therefore, every etz not producing pri tov is cut down and is thrown into the Eish.
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