Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
23 The steps of a gever (man) konanu (are ordered, made firm) by Hashem and He delighteth in his derech.
24 Though he stumble, he shall not utterly fall; for Hashem upholdeth him with His yad (hand, power).
25 I have been na’ar (young), and now am old; yet I have not seen the tzaddik forsaken, nor his zera begging lechem.
26 He is ever chonen (generous, merciful; see verse 21), and lendeth; and his zera is blessed.
27 Depart from rah, and do tov; and dwell l’olahm (for evermore).
28 For Hashem loveth mishpat, and forsaketh not His chasidim; they are preserved l’olahm; but the zera resha’im shall be cut off.
29 The tzaddikim shall inherit Eretz, and dwell therein forever.
30 The mouth of the tzaddik speaketh chochmah, and his leshon uttereth mishpat.
31 The torat Elohav is in his lev; no steps of his shall slip.
32 The rashah lieth in wait to ambush the tzaddik, and seeketh to slay him.
33 Hashem will not leave him in his yad (hand, power), nor condemn him b’hishshafto (when he is judged, brought to trial).
34 Wait on Hashem, and be shomer over His Derech, and He shall exalt thee to inherit Eretz; when the resha’im are cut off, thou shalt see it.
35 I have seen the violently powerful rashah, spreading himself like an indigenous green tree.
36 Yet he passed away, and, hinei, he was no more; yes, I sought him, but he could not be found.
37 Mark the blameless man, and observe the yashar (upright); for the end of that ish is shalom.
38 But the poshe’im (rebels, transgressors) shall be made shmad together; the latter end [i.e., future] of the resha’im shall be cut off.
39 But the Teshu’at Tzaddikim is of Hashem; He is their ma’oz (stronghold, refuge) in the time of tzoros.
40 And Hashem helps them, and delivers them; He shall deliver them from the resha’im, and save them, because they take refuge in Him.
8 And it came to pass, when Shmuel was old, that he made his banim shofetim over Yisroel.
2 Now the shem of his ben habechor was Yoel; and the shem of his mishneh (second), Aviyah; they were shofetim at Be’er Sheva.
3 And his banim walked not in his drakhim, but turned aside after betza (dishonest gain), and took shochad (bribe[s]), and perverted mishpat (justice).
4 Then kol Ziknei Yisroel gathered themselves together, and came to Shmuel unto Ramah,
5 And said unto him, Hinei, thou art old, and thy banim walk not in thy drakhim; now appoint for us a Melech to judge us like kol HaGoyim.
6 But the thing was displeasing in the eyes of Shmuel, when they said, Give us a Melech to judge us. And Shmuel davened unto Hashem.
7 And Hashem said unto Shmuel, Shema unto the voice of HaAm in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign as Melech over them.
8 According to all the ma’asim which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Mitzrayim even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken Me, and served elohim acherim, so do they also unto thee.
9 Now therefore pay heed unto their voice; howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the mishpat hamelech (customary ways of the king, kingly perogative) that shall reign over them.
10 And Shmuel told all the Divrei Hashem unto the people that asked of him a Melech.
11 And he said, This will be the mishpat hamelech that shall reign over you: he will take your banim, and appoint them for himself for his merkavah and his parashim; and some shall run before his merkavah.
12 And he will appoint for him sarei elafim, and sarei chamishim and will set them to plow his ground, and to reap his katzir (harvest), and to make his instruments of war, and his chariot equipment.
13 And he will take your banot to be perfumers, and to be tabakhot (cooks) and ofe’ot (bakers).
14 And he will take your fields, and your kramim (vineyards), and your olive groves, even the best of them, and give them to his avadim.
15 And he will take the tenth of your zera, and of your kramim (vines), and give to his officers, and to his avadim.
16 And he will take your avadim, and your shifchot, and your finest bochurim, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your tzon; and ye shall be his avadim.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your melech which ye shall have chosen for you; and Hashem will not hear you in that day.
6 Therefore, let us leave behind the stam (elementary) ikarim (essentials) of the dvarim hahora’ah (words of teaching) about Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, and let us move ahead to hitbagrut (maturity), not laying again a foundation of teshuva from ma’asim metim (dead works) and Emunah toward Hashem,
2 Of divrei torah on tevilot and tohorah and s’michat yadayim and of the Techiyas HaMesim and of the Mishpat Olam.
3 And this we shall do, im yirtzeh Hashem (if the L-rd wills).
4 For it is impossible for those who once received the Ohr Hashem, having tasted of the matanah of Shomayim and having become chavrusa partners of the Ruach Hakodesh,
5 And having tasted the goodness of the Dvar Hashem and the nifla’ot of the Olam Habah,
6 and then, having fallen away, and become shmad‖it is impossible to renew them again to teshuva, because they have pierced to themselves the Ben HaElohim on HaEtz HaKelalat Hashem and have again held him up to contempt and open bushah (shame).
7 For the Adamah (Mud), which drinks the geshem (rain) that often falls upon it, and brings forth ESEV (plants, BERESHIS 1:11) suitable for those for whom it is cultivated, receives a bracha from Hashem;
8 But if Adamah (Mud) is producing KOTZ V’DARDAR (thorns and thistles, BERESHIS 3:18), it is worthless and near to being arurah (cursed, BERESHIS 3:17), whose Ketz (End) is for burning in Eish [T.N. the allusion is to Eish Gehinnom].
9 However, Chaverim, even though we speak in this way, we have been convinced of better things concerning you and of things belonging to Yeshua’at Eloheinu.
10 For Hashem is not unjust so as to forget your po’al (work) and the ahavah which you have shown toward ha-Shem of him, having rendered avodas kodesh ministry service to the Kadoshim, ken, and you are still serving them.
11 And we desire that each one of you show the same zerizut (diligence) so as to realize the full bitachon of the tikvah (hope) until HaKetz,
12 That you not become atzlanit (sluggards) but imitators of the ones who through Emunah and zitzfleisch (patience) inherit the havtachot (promises).
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