Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

18 The Devar Hashem came unto me again, saying,

² What mean ye, that ye use this mashal concerning Admat Yisroel, saying, Avot have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the banim are set on edge?

³ As I live, saith Adonoi Hashem, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this mashal in Yisroel.

⁴ Behold, all nefashot are Mine; as the nefesh of the av, so also the nefesh of the ben is Mine; the nefesh that sinneth, it shall die.

²⁵ Yet ye say, The Derech Adonoi is not proper. Hear now, O Bais Yisroel: Is My Derech not proper? Is it not the drakhim of you that are not proper?

²⁶ When a tzaddik turneth away from his tzedek, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them, for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die.

²⁷ Again, when a rashah turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is mishpat and tzedakah, he shall save his nefesh alive.

²⁸ Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his peysha’im that he hath committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

²⁹ Yet saith Bais Yisroel, The Derech Adonoi is not proper. O Bais Yisroel, is My Derech not proper? Is it not the drakhim of you that are not proper?

³⁰ Therefore I will judge you, O Bais Yisroel, every one according to the drakhim of him, saith Adonoi Hashem. Make teshuvah, and turn yourselves from all your peysha’im, so avon shall not be your michshol (stumbling block, downfall).

³¹ Cast away from you all your peysha’im, whereby ye have committed peysha; and get you a lev chadash and a ruach chadashah [i.e., regeneration, new birth see Yn 3:3]; for why will ye die, O Bais Yisroel?

³² For I have no pleasure in the mot of him that dieth, saith Adonoi Hashem; therefore, make teshuva and live!

25 (Of Dovid) [Aleph] Unto Thee, Hashem, do I lift up my nefesh.

² [Bais] O Elohai, I trust in Thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine oyevim triumph over me.

³ [Gimel] Yea, let none that wait [hoping in] Thee be ashamed; let them be ashamed which transgress without cause.

⁴ [Dalet] Show me Thy ways, Hashem; teach me Thy paths.

⁵ [Heh Vav] Lead me in Thy emes, and teach me; for Thou art the Elohei of my Salvation; on Thee do I wait kol hayom.

⁶ [Zayin] Remember, Hashem, Thy rachamim and Thy lovingkindnesses; for they have ever been of old.

⁷ [Chet] Remember not the chattot of my youth, nor my peysha’im; according to Thy chesed remember Thou me for the sake of Thy goodness, Hashem.

⁸ [Tet] Tov and yashar is Hashem; therefore will He teach chatta’im in the Derech.

⁹ [Yod] The meek will He guide in mishpat; and the aniyim will He teach His way.

2 If, therefore, there is any idud (encouragement) in Moshiach, if any nechamah (comfort) of ahavah (love), if any deveykus (attachment to G-d) in the Messianic chavrusashaft (association) of the Ruach Hakodesh, if any warmth of affection and rachamanut (compassion, mercy),

² Then make my simcha (joy) shleimah (complete) by having the same lev, the same ahavah, being an agudah association with one neshamah, thinking the same machshavot (thoughts),

³ Doing nothing according to anochiyut (selfishness 1:17) nor according to empty ga’avah (conceit, haughtiness, arrogance), but in anavah (humility), fergin (graciously grant) each other esteem above yourselves [Ro 12:10].

⁴ Let each of you talmidim look after not only your own interests, but also the best interests of others [2:21; 1C 10:24,33].

⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua,

⁶ Who, though existing in the demut of the mode of being of Elohim [His etzem or essential nature, Yn 1:1-2; 17:5], nevertheless Moshiach did not regard being equal with G-d as a thing to be seized [BERESHIS 3:5],

⁷ But poured out and emptied himself [2C 8:9], taking the demut of the mode of being of an eved [YESHAYAH 52:13- 53:12 [T.N. see the AVDI TZADDIK TZEMACH DOVID MOSHIACH YIRMEYAH 23:5; ZECHARIAH 3:8], and was born in the likeness of Bnei Adam [Yn 1:14; Ro 8:3; MJ 2:14-17], and having been found in appearance as an Adam,

⁸ Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach humbled himself and took the path of shiflut (lowliness), unto mishma’at (obedience 2:12) [cf. BERESHIS 3:17] even unto death [Yn 10:17; MJ 5:8; 12:2], and that, a death on HaEtz [the Tree, DEVARIM 21:23; 27:26; Ga 3:13; Pp 3:18].

⁹ Therefore, also Hashem exalted [YESHAYAH 52:13; 53:12; DANIEL 9:26; 7:14; Ac 2:33; MJ 1:3] Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, and gave to him haShem [Ep 1:21; MJ 1:4] above every name,

¹⁰ That at haShem of Yehoshua, KOL BERECH (every knee YESHAYAH 45:23) will bow, of beings b’Shomayim and ba’Aretz and mitachat laAretz (in the world below),

¹¹ And KOL LASHON (every tongue YESHAYAH 45:23) shall make hoda’ah (confession) with an Ani Ma’amin that is an open and public admission that Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua (Yeshua) is Adoneinu, to the kavod of Elohim Avinu.

¹² Therefore, Chaverim, just as you have always had mishma’at (obedience 2:8) concerning me, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own Yeshu’ah (Salvation) [1:19,28] B’YIR’AH ("with fear") and BIRA’DAH "with trembling" [TEHILLIM 2:11].

¹³ For Hashem is the one working in you, both to will and to work according to His chafetz (good pleasure of His will). [EZRA 1:5]

²³ And after Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach had gone into the Beis Hamikdash, while he was bringing forth his torah, the Rashei Hakohanim and the Zekenim of the people approached him, saying, By what samchut (authority) do you do these things? And who granted you this samchut?

²⁴ And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said in reply to them, I also will ask you a question, which, if you will tell me, I also will tell you by what samchut I do these things...

²⁵ The tevilah in the mikveh mayim of Yochanan...it was from where, from Shomayim or from Bnei Adam? And they were discussing it among themselves, saying, If we say, From Shomayim, he will say to us, Why then do you not believe him?

²⁶ But if we say, From Bnei Adam, we fear the multitude, for everyone considers Yochanan a Navi.

²⁷ And in reply to him, they said, We do not have daas. And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, Neither will I tell you by what samchut I do these things.

²⁸ What do you think? A man had two banim (sons). And having approached the rishon (first), the man said, Beni (my son), go today and work in the kerem (vineyard).

²⁹ But the first son said in reply, I will not. But later, having changed his mind, he went.

³⁰ And having approached the other son, the man spoke similarly. But the second son, in reply, said, I will go, Adoni. Yet he did not go.

³¹ Which of the two did the ratzon haAv (the will of the Father)? They say, The rishon (the first). Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach says to them, Omein, I say to you, that the mochesim (tax-collectors) and the zonot (prostitutes) are going in ahead of you into the Malchut Hashem.

³² For Yochanan of the tevilah of teshuva came to you in the Derech Tzidkat Hashem (Way of Righteousness), and you did not believe him. But the mochesim and the zonot believed him. But you, even after you saw, did not change your mind [i.e., make teshuva] and believe him.