Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

54 (For the director. With stringed instruments. A maskil. For Dovid, when the Ziphim came and said to Sha’ul, Dovid is in hiding among us.) Hoshieini (save me), O Elohim, by Shimecha, and vindicate me by Thy gevurah (might, power).

^2 (4) Hear my tefillah, O Elohim; give ear to the words of my mouth.

^3 (5) For zarim (strangers) are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my nefesh; they have not set Elohim before them. Selah.

^4 (6) Hinei, Elohim is mine Ozer (helper); Adonoi is with them that uphold my nefesh.

^5 (7) He shall recompense the rah (evil) unto mine enemies; in Thy emes cut them off.

^6 (8) I will sacrifice a nedavah (freewill offering) unto Thee; I will praise Shimecha, Hashem; for it is tov (good).

^7 (9) For He hath delivered me out of all my tzoros; and mine eye hath looked in triumph upon mine oyevim (enemies.)

6 And the Bnei Yisroel did evil in the sight of Hashem; Hashem delivered them into the yad Midyan [See Gn.25:2] sheva shanim.

² And the yad Midyan prevailed against Yisroel; and because of Midyan the Bnei Yisroel made them dens in the mountains, and caves, and strongholds.

³ And so it was, when Yisroel had sown, that Midyan came up, and Amalek, and the Bnei Kedem, even they came up against them;

⁴ And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of ha’aretz, till thou come unto Azah (Gaza), and left no sustenance for Yisroel, neither seh, nor ox, nor donkey.

⁵ For they came up with their cattle and their ohalim, and they came as a swarm of arbeh for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number; and they entered into ha’aretz to destroy it.

⁶ And Yisroel was greatly impoverished because of Midyan; and the Bnei Yisroel cried unto Hashem.

⁷ And it came to pass, when the Bnei Yisroel cried unto Hashem because of Midyan,

⁸ That Hashem sent an ish navi unto the Bnei Yisroel, which said unto them, Thus saith Hashem Elohei Yisroel, I brought you up from Mitzrayim, and brought you forth out of the bais avadim (house of bondage);

⁹ And I delivered you out of the yad Mitzrayim, and out of the yad of all that oppressed you, and drove them out from before you, and gave you their land;

¹⁰ And I said unto you, I am Hashem Eloheichem; fear not the elohei HaEmori (g-ds of the Amorites), in whose land ye dwell; but ye have not obeyed My voice.

2 When I came to you, Achim b’Moshiach, I did not come preaching and announcing to you the sod Hashem (mystery of G-d) as a ba’al melitzot (rhetorician, fine talker) or in the excellence of chochmah.

² For I made the decision not to have da’as of anything among you except Moshiach and nivlato al haEtz (his body –gufa, kerper—on the Tree Boim (Yiddish for tree), DEVARIM 21:23).

³ And I came to you (Ac 18:1) in weakness (1:25,27) and in yir’at Shomayim and in fear and in much trembling I was with you,

⁴ And my speech and my hachrazah (proclamation, kyrygma, preaching) to you of the Besuras HaGeulah of Hashem was not in persuasive words but in the demonstration of the Ruach Hakodesh and the gevurat Hashem (power of G-d—1:17),

⁵ That the [orthodox Jewish] emunah (faith) of you may not be in the [Olam Hazeh] "chochmah" of Bnei Adam, but in the gevurat Hashem [1:17].