Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
17 (Tefillah of Dovid) Hear the tzedek (righteous plea of a just cause), Hashem, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my tefillah, that goeth not out of lips of mirmah (deceit).
2 Let my mishpat (right) come forth from Thy presence; let Thine eyes behold the things that are right.
3 Thou hast probed mine lev; Thou hast visited me in the lailah; Thou hast tested me and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
4 Concerning the works of men, by the Devar of Thy lips I have kept myself from the paths of the cruel.
5 Uphold my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps stumble not.
6 I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O El; incline Thine ear unto me, and hear my prayer.
7 Show Thy marvellous chesed, O Thou Moshi’a Who saves by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee from those that rise up against them.
8 Be shomer over me as the apple of Thy eye; hide me in the shadow of Thy wings,
9 From the resha’im that oppress me, from my deadly enemies threatening my nefesh, who surround me.
10 They have closed up callously and mercilessly against me; with their mouth they speak with ge’ut (pride).
11 At every step they have surrounded me; their purpose is to strike down to ha’aretz;
12 Like aryeh eager to tear his prey, and like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Arise, Hashem, confront him, cast him down; deliver my nefesh from the resha with Thy cherev;
14 From men with Thy yad, Hashem, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life, and with Thy treasures Thou fillest their belly; they are satisfied with children, and leave their abundance to their babes.
15 As for me, in tzedek I will behold Thy face; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy temunah (form; see Num 12:8).
2 And it came to pass at haerev, that Dovid arose from off his mishkav (bed), and walked upon the gag of the Bais HaMelech; and from the gag (roof) he saw an isha bathing; and the isha was very good to look upon.
3 And Dovid sent and inquired after the isha. And one said, Is not this Bat-Sheva Bat Eli’am, eshet Uriyah the Chitti?
4 And Dovid sent malachim, and he got her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she had been purifying herself from her [menstruous] tumah (uncleanness); and she returned unto her bais.
5 And the isha conceived, and sent and told Dovid, and said, Harah anochi (I am with child, I am pregnant).
6 And Dovid sent to Yoav, saying, Send me Uriyah the Chitti. And Yoav sent Uriyah to Dovid.
7 And when Uriyah was come unto him, Dovid asked of him regarding the shalom Yo’av, and the shalom HaAm, and the shalom hamilchamah.
8 And Dovid said to Uriyah, Go down to thy bais, and wash thy feet. And Uriyah departed out of the Bais HaMelech and there followed after him a masat HaMelech (a present, gift, of the king, i.e. a royal feast).
9 But Uriyah slept at the petach Beis HaMelech (entrance of the King’s Palace) with all the avadim of his adon, and went not down to his bais.
10 And when they had told Dovid, saying, Uriyah went not down unto his bais, Dovid said unto Uriyah, Camest thou not from thy derech (journey)? Why then didst thou not go down unto thine bais?
11 And Uriyah said unto Dovid, The Aron, and Yisroel, and Yehudah, abide in sukkot; and adoni Yoav, and the avadim of adoni are encamped in the open field; shall I then go into mine bais, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my isha? As thou livest, and as thy nefesh liveth, I will not do this thing [i.e., I will not break the soldier’s discipline of purity, Ex.19:14-15; Deut.23:9-14; I Sam 21:5].
12 And Dovid said to Uriyah, Tarry here today also, and makhar (tomorrow) I will send thee back. So Uriyah abode in Yerushalayim that day, and the next.
13 And when Dovid had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him shikker; and at erev he went out to lie on his mishkav with the avadim of his adon, but went not down to his bais.
14 And it came to pass in the boker, that Dovid wrote a sefer to Yoav, and sent it by the yad of Uriyah.
15 And he wrote in the sefer, saying, Set ye Uriyah on the frontlines of the milchamah hachazakah (strongest battle), and withdraw from in back of him, that he may be struck down, and die.
16 And it came to pass, when Yoav was shomer with a siege on the Ir [Rabbah], he assigned Uriyah unto the makom where he knew that anshei chayil (valiant men [of Rabbah]) were.
17 And the Anshei HaIr came out, and fought with Yoav; and there fell some of HaAm of the Avdei Dovid; and Uriyah the Chitti died also.
18 Then Yoav sent and told Dovid all the things concerning the milchamah;
19 And charged the malach, saying, When thou hast made an end of reporting all the matters of the milchamah unto HaMelech,
20 And if so be that the chamat HaMelech (wrath of the King) flare up, and he say unto thee, why approached ye so near unto the Ir when ye did fight? Knew ye not that they would shoot from the chomah (wall)?
21 Who struck Avimelech Ben Yerubeshet? Did not an isha throw down on him a millstone from the chomah, that he died in Tevetz? Why went ye near the chomah? Then say thou, Thy eved Uriyah the Chitti is dead also.
22 So the malach went, and came and told Dovid all that Yoav had sent him for.
23 And the malach said unto Dovid, Surely the anashim prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the sadeh, and we were upon them even unto the petach hasha’ar.
24 And the archers shot from off the chomah upon thy avadim; and some of the avadim of HaMelech are dead, and thy eved Uriyah the Chitti is dead also.
25 Then Dovid said unto the malach, Thus shalt thou say unto Yoav, Let not this thing be evil in thy sight, for the cherev devoureth one as well as another; make thy milchamah more chazak (strong) against the Ir, and overthrow it; and give him [Yoav] a chazak encouragement.
26 And when the eshet Uriyah heard that Uriyah her ish was dead, she mourned for her ba’al (husband).
3 And to the malach (angel) of the Kehillah in Sardis, write: These things says the One having the sheva ruchot of Hashem and the shevat hakokhavim (seven stars): I have da’as of your ma’asim, that nominally you are Chai (Alive) but you are [spiritually] niftar (deceased).
2 Be shomer and regarding the things remaining and the things on the point of mavet, be chazakim (strong ones). For, I have not found your ma’asim mitzvot having been shleimim (complete) before Elohai.
3 Therefore, let there be zikaron (remembrance) of what has been handed over to you and what you heard, and be shomer and make teshuva. Therefore, if you are not shomer, I will come as a ganav, and never would you have da’as at what sha’ah (hour, time) I will come upon you.
4 But you have a few shemot (names) in Sardis which did not soil their kaftans. It is they that will have their halakhah with me in lavan (white), wearing a kittel, because they are walking worthily.
5 The one who wins the nitzachon (victory), in similar manner, will be clothed in lavan (white), and never will I erase him, the [baal] shem [tov], from the Sefer Chayyim. And I will make hoda’ah (acknowledgement) of the shem of him before Elohim Avi and before the malachim (angels) of Him.
6 The one having an ear let him hear what the Ruach Hakodesh says to the Kehillot.
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