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;
12 Therefore, as Bechirim (Chosen ones) of Hashem, Kadoshim and ahuvim, enrobe yourselves in tender feelings of rachmei Shomayim (heavenly compassion, mercy), chesed (lovingkindness), anavah (humility), shiflut (lowliness), and savlanut (longsuffering),
13 Being soivel (bearing with) one another and extending selicha (forgiveness) to each other, if it should be that one is murmuring his complaint against another; just as Adoneinu extended selicha to you, so also you should extend selicha.
14 And to all these things add ahavah, which is the agudah of tamimim.
15 And let the shalom of Moshiach arbitrate in your levavot. You were called to this shalom in one NEVELAH [DEVARIM 21:23; cf geviyah, BERESHIS 47:18; cf basar, TEHILLIM 16:9-10; IYOV 19:25-27; YESHAYAH 53:11, guf (body)]. Let there be todah in your levavot.
16 Let the dvar of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach make its mishkan in you richly, in all chochmah and in all Moshiach’s pnimiyus haTorah (innermost Torah teaching) and words of chizzuk, ministering to one another with Tehillim, shirim, and neshamah niggunim miRuach Hakodesh (soul melodies from the Ruach Hakodesh) with gratitude, singing in your levavot to Hashem. [TEHILLIM 47:7]
17 And whatever thing you do, whether in dvar or in ma’aseh, do all things b’Shem Adoneinu Yehoshua, giving todot to Elohim HaAv through him [Moshiach].
18 And Yochanan’s talmidim reported to him about all these things. And when he had summoned a certain two of his talmidim, Yochanan
19 Sent them to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu, saying, Are you Hu HaBah [Moshiach] or should we be looking for another?
20 And when the men had come to him, they said, Yochanan of the tevilah of teshuva sent us to you, saying, Are you Hu HaBah [Moshiach] or should we be looking for another?
21 Genoi at that time Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach gave refuah to many with machlot and afflictions and ruchot raot and to many ivverim he granted sight.
22 And in reply he said to them, Go and tell Yochanan what you have seen [as edei reiyah, eyewitnesses]. IVRIM TIRENAH, pisechim (lame persons) walk, the metzorim are cleansed, and chereshim hear, the mesim are restored to life, ANIYIM have the Besuras HaGeulah preached to them. [YESHAYAH 29:18,19; 35:5,6; 61:1,2]
23 And ashrey is whoever does not find a michshol (stumbling block, obstacle, YESHAYAH 57:14) in me [as Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach].
24 And when the messengers of Yochanan had departed, he began to say to the multitudes about Yochanan, What did you go out bamidbar to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
25 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in a dandy’s soft clothing? The ones with glorious apparel are living in luxury as courtiers in the palaces.
26 But what did you go out to see? A navi? Ken, I say to you, and one more than a navi.
27 This one is he about whom it has been written, HINENI SHOLEIACH MALAKHI (Behold, I send my messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your derech in front of You [Mal 3:1]).
28 I say to you, among those born of isha there is no one greater than Yochanan, yet he who is least in the Malchut Hashem is greater than he.
29 (And when kol haAm [all the People] and the mochesim heard this, they acknowledged the Tzidkat Hashem [Righteousness of G-d], having been submitted to the tevilah of teshuva of Yochanan.
30 But the Perushim and the Baalei HaTorah rejected the tachlis [purpose] of Hashem for their lives, refusing the tevilah of teshuva of Yochanan.)
31 Therefore, to what will I compare the people of hador hazeh (this generation) and what are they like?
32 They are like yeladim sitting in the marketplace and calling out to one another; and they say, We played the chalil (flute) for you and you did not dance; we sang a kina (lament, funeral dirge) and you did not weep.
33 For Yochanan of the tevilah of teshuva has come not eating lechem nor drinking yayin, and you say, He has a shed (demon)!
34 The Ben HaAdam [Moshiach, DANIEL 7:13-14] has come eating and drinking, and you say, Hinei, a man who is a zolel (glutton) and a shikkor (drunkard), a re’a (friend) of mochesim and chote’im.
35 Yet chochmah is justified by all of her yeladim.
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