Book of Common Prayer
137 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yes, we wept, when we remembered Tziyon.
2 We hung up our kinnorot (lyres) upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a shir (song); and they that tormented us required of us simchah, saying, Sing us one of the Shir Tziyon.
4 How shall we sing Shir Hashem in an admat nekhar (foreign land).
5 If I forget thee, O Yerushalayim, let my yamin (right hand) forget [i.e., have paralysis].
6 If I do not remember thee, let my leshon cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Yerushalayim above my rosh simchah (chief joy).
7 Remember, Hashem, the Bnei Edom in the Yom Yerushalayim; who said, Raze it, raze it, even to the yesod (foundation) thereof.
8 O Bat Bavel, who art to be destroyed, ashrei shall he be, that repayeth thee the gemul thou hast done to us.
9 Ashrei shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy olalim against the sela.
144 (Mizmor of Dovid). Baruch Hashem my Tzur (rock) which teacheth my hands for war, and my fingers for milchamah (battle);
2 My Chesed, and my Metzudah (Fortress); my Stronghold, and my Deliverer; my Mogen, and He in Whom I take refuge; Who subdueth my people under me.
3 Hashem, what is adam, that Thou takest knowledge of him! Or the ben enosh, that Thou takest account of him!
4 Adam is like hevel; his days are as a tzel that passeth away.
5 Part Thy heavens, Hashem, and come down; touch the harim, and they shall smoke.
6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them; shoot Thine khitzim (arrows), and destroy them.
7 Send Thine Yad from above; rescue me, and deliver me out of mayim rabbim, from the yad Bnei Nekhar;
8 Whose mouth speaketh shav (lies), and their right hand is a right hand of sheker.
9 I will sing a shir chadash unto Thee, O Elohim; upon a nevel of ten strings will I make music unto Thee.
10 It is He that giveth Teshu’ah (deliverance, salvation) unto melachim; Who delivereth Dovid His eved from the cherev ra’ah.
11 Rescue me, and save me from the yad Bnei Nekhar, whose mouth speaketh shav (lies) and their right hand is a right yad of sheker;
12 In their youth, may baneinu (our sons) be like plants full grown; may benoteinu (our daughters) be like cornerstones, columns wrought for the Heikhal;
13 That our barns may be full, affording all manner of provision; that our tzon may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our meadows;
14 That our oxen may be strong to labor; that there be no peretz (breach) nor golus; that there be no cry of anquish in our streets.
15 Ashrei are such people; Ashrei is the people that Hashem is Elohav.
104 Barachi (bless) Hashem, O my nefesh. Hashem Elohai, Thou art gadol me’od; Thou art clothed with hod (honor) and hadar (majesty).
2 Who coverest Thyself with ohr (light) as with a garment; Who stretchest out Shomayim like a tent (curtain);
3 Who layeth the beams of His aliyyot (upper rooms) on the mayim; Who maketh the clouds His merkavah; Who walketh upon the wings of the ruach (wind);
4 Who maketh ruchot (spirits, winds) His malachim; His mesharetim (ministers), flaming eish;
5 Who laid the mekhonim (foundations) of ha’aretz, that it should not move out of place olam va’ed.
6 Thou coveredst it with the tehom (deep) as with a garment; the mayim stood above the harim (mountains).
7 At Thy ga’arah (rebuke) they fled; at the voice of Thy thunder they hasted away.
8 They go up by the harim (mountains); they go down by the beka’ot (valleys) unto the makom (place) which Thou hast assigned for them.
9 Thou hast set a boundary that they [the waters] may not pass over; that they return not to cover ha’aretz.
10 He sendeth the ma’ayanim (springs) into the ravines, which run among the harim.
11 They give drink to every beast of the sadeh; the pera’im (donkeys) quench their thirst.
12 By them shall the oph HaShomayim have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13 He watereth the harim from His aliyyot (upper rooms); ha’aretz is satisfied with the p’ri (fruit) of Thy ma’asim.
14 He causeth the khatzir (grass) to grow for the behemah, and esev for the avodas ha’adam; that he may bring forth lechem out of ha’aretz;
15 And yayin that maketh glad levav enosh, and shemen to make panim (faces) to shine, and lechem which strengtheneth levav enosh.
16 The trees of Hashem are full of sap, the arazim (cedars) of Levanon, which He hath planted;
17 Where the tzipporim (birds) make their nests; as for the khasidah (stork), the beroshim (cypresses) are her bais.
18 The high hills are a makhseh (refuge, shelter) for the wild goats; and the rocks for the gophers.
19 He appointed the yarei’ach for mo’adim; the shemesh knoweth the place of its going down.
20 Thou makest choshech, and it is lailah; wherein all the beasts of the ya’ar (forest) do creep forth.
21 The young lions roar after their teref (prey), and seek their okhel from G-d.
22 The shemesh ariseth, they retreat, and lay themselves down in their me’onot (dwelling places, dens, homes [Yn 14:2 OJBC]).
23 Adam goeth forth unto his work and to his avodah (labor, service) until erev.
24 Hashem, how manifold are Thy ma’asim! In chochmah (wisdom; cf Psa 33:6; Yn 1:1) hast Thou made them all; ha’aretz is full of Thy creatures.
25 So is this gadol (great) and rekhav (wide, spacious) yam (sea), wherein are remes (creeping things), innumerable swarming chayyot (creatures), ketanot and gedolot.
26 There go the oniyyot (ships); there is that Leviathan, whom Thou hast made lesakhek (to play, to sport, to frolic) therein.
27 These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their ochel (food) in due season.
28 That Thou givest them they gather; Thou openest Thine yad, they are satisfied with tov.
29 Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their ruach, they expire, and return to their aphar.
30 Thou sendest forth Thy Ruach [Hakodesh], they are created; and Thou renewest the face of adamah (earth).
31 The Kavod Hashem shall endure l’olam; Hashem shall rejoice in His ma’asim (works).
32 He looketh on ha’aretz, and it trembleth; He toucheth the harim, and they smoke.
33 I will sing unto Hashem as long as I live; I will sing praise to Elohai while I have my being.
34 May my si’akh (musing, meditation) be acceptable to Him; I will have simchah in Hashem.
35 Let the chatta’im (sinners) be consumed from ha’aretz, and let the resha’im (wicked) be no more. Baruch Hashem, O my nefesh. Praise Hashem!
35 The Davar which came unto Yirmeyah from Hashem in the days of Y’hoyakim Ben Yoshiyah Melech Yehudah, saying,
2 Go unto the Bais of the Rechavim, and speak unto them, and bring them into the Beis Hashem, into one of the leshakhot (side rooms), and give them yayin to drink.
3 Then I took Ya’azanyah Ben Yirmeyah Ben Chavatzinyah, and his brethren, and all his banim, and kol Bais Rechavim;
4 And I brought them into the Beis Hashem, into the lishkah (room) of the Bnei Chanan Ben Yigdalyahu, an Ish HaElohim, which was by the lishkah of the sarim, which was above the lishkah of Ma’aseiyah Ben Shallum, the Shomer HaSaf (Gatekeeper);
5 And I set before the Bnei Bais Rechavim bowls full of yayin, and kosot (cups), and I said unto them, Drink ye yayin.
6 But they said, We will drink no yayin; for Yonadav Ben Rechav avinu commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no yayin, neither ye, nor your banim ad olam;
7 Neither shall ye build bais, nor sow zera, nor plant kerem (vineyard), nor have any; but all your days ye shall dwell in ohalim; that ye may live yamim rabbim in the adamah where ye are sojourners.
8 Thus have we obeyed the voice of Yonadav Ben Rechav avinu in all that he hath charged us, to drink no yayin kol yameinu (all our days), we, our nashim, our banim, nor our banot;
9 Nor to build batim for us to dwell in; neither have we kerem, nor sadeh, nor zera;
10 But we have dwelt in ohalim, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Yonadav avinu commanded us.
11 But it came to pass, when Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel invaded ha’aretz, that we said, Come, and let us go to Yerushalayim because of the army of the Kasdim (Chaldeans), and because of the army of Aram (the Syrians); so we dwell in Yerushalayim.
12 Then came the Devar Hashem unto Yirmeyah, saying,
13 Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: Go and tell the Ish Yehudah and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, Will ye not learn musar to pay heed to My devarim? saith Hashem.
14 The devarim of Yonadav Ben Rechav, that he commanded his banim not to drink yayin, has been carried out; for unto this day they drink none, but obey the mitzvat avihem; notwithstanding, I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye paid heed not unto Me.
15 I have sent also unto you all My avadim the Nevi’im, rising up early and sending them, saying, Turn ye now every ish from his derech hara’ah, and amend your doings, and go not after elohim acherim to serve them, and ye shall dwell in ha’adamah which I have given to you and to avoteichem; but ye have not inclined your ozen (ear), nor paid heed unto Me.
16 Indeed the Bnei Yonadav Ben Rechav have carried out the mitzvat avihem, which he commanded them; but this people hath not paid heed unto Me:
17 Therefore, thus saith Hashem Elohei Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: Hineni, I will bring upon Yehudah and upon all the inhabitants of Yerushalayim all the ra’ah that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken unto them, but they have not paid heed; and I have called unto them, but they have not answered.
18 And Yirmeyah said unto the Bais Rechavim, Thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel; Because ye have obeyed the mitzvat Yonadav avichem, and have been shomer over all his mitzvot, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you,
19 Therefore thus saith Hashem Tzva’os Elohei Yisroel: Yonadav Ben Rechav shall not lack an ish to stand before Me kol hayamim.
27 Now you are Moshiach’s body (BERESHIS 47:18-19) and individually evarim of it.
28 Now Hashem placed some in the Adat HaMoshiach (community of Moshiach), in the Kehillah, rishon (first): shlichim, second, nevi’im, third, morim (teachers), then those of cholel nifla’aot (“accomplishing miracles—Ex 4:21), then matanot harippuy (gifts of healing), then matanot of helps, then manhigut ruchanit (spiritual leadership, administration), kinds of leshonot.
29 Surely not all are shlichim? Surely not all are nevi’im? Surely not all are rabbinical morim? Surely not all are those cholel nifa’ot (accomplishing miracles”)?
30 Surely not all have matanot harippuy (gifts of healing)? Surely not all speak in leshonot (cf 1C 14:23, 26)? Surely not all have the pitron (interpretation) of leshonot?
31 But earnestly desire the greater matanot (gifts) [of the Ruach Hakodesh]….And yet now I show you a more feste derech. T.N. Rav Sha’ul now turns to the need for balance. Not that he is trying to terminate the miraculous in Moshiach’s Kehillah [a futile endeavor!], but that he is showing the need for the fruit of the Ruach Hakodesh to balance His gifts, especially in an environment where pride and carnality have quenched ahavah, which is the Yn 3:16 center of Moshiach’s saving histalkus (passing, the death of Moshiach in midst of his Redemptive mission on the analogy of Moses dying before he crosses into the Promised Land.)
13 If in the leshonot of Bnei Adam and malachim I speak, but I do not have ahavah, I have become only a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
2 And if I have nevu’ah and have da’as of all sodot and all da’as, and if I have all emunah so as to remove mountains, but ahavah I do not have, I am nothing.
3 And if I’m a marbitz tzedaka and give all I possess in gemilut chasadim and if I give my body al kiddush ha-Shem for sereifah (death by burning), but ahavah I do not have, I have gained nothing. [DANIEL 3:28]
35 And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach went about all the shtetlach and villages exercising the ministry of moreh (teacher) in their shuls and of darshan (preacher) of the Besuras HaGeulah of the Malchut Hashem and bringing refuah to all the cholim, every machla (disease) and every illness.
36 And looking out on the multitudes, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach felt rachmei Shomayim (heavenly compassion and mercy) for his people, for they were distressed and weary KATZON ASHER EIN LAHEM ROEH (like sheep without a shepherd BAMIDBAR 27:17).
37 Then Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to his talmidim, The katzir (harvest) is indeed great but the kotzerim (harvesters) are few.
38 Therefore, offer tefillos to the Adon HaKatzir (the L-rd of the Harvest) that He may send out Kotzerim into His Katzir.
10 And summoning his Shneym Asar (Twelve) Talmidim, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach gave to them samchut (authority) over shedim (unclean spirits), so as to cast them out, and samchut (authority) to call forth refuah for every machla and every illness.
2 Now of the Shneym Asar Shlichim, the names are these: first, Shimon, the one being called Kefa, and Andrew his brother, Yaakov Ben Zavdai and Yochanan his brother,
3 Philippos and Bar-Talmai, Toma and Mattityahu the moches, Yaakov Bar-Chalfai and Taddai,
4 Shimon the Zealot and Yehudah from Kriot, who betrayed Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International