Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
113 Praise ye Hashem. Praise O ye avadim of Hashem, praise the Shem of Hashem.
2 Blessed be the Shem of Hashem from this time forth and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the shemesh unto the going down of the same the Shem of Hashem is to be praised.
4 Hashem is high above kol Goyim, and His kavod above HaShomayim.
5 Who is like unto Hashem Eloheinu, Who dwelleth on high,
6 Who stoopeth down to behold the things that are in Shomayim, and in ha’aretz!
7 He raiseth up the poor out of the aphar (dust), and lifteth the needy out of the ash heap;
8 That he may seat him with princes, even with the princes of amo (His people).
9 He settleth the akeret (barren woman) in her bais to be a happy em of banim. Praise ye Hashem.
14 I have me’olam held My peace; I have been quiet, and refrained Myself; now will I cry out like a travailing woman; I will lay waste and devour at once.
15 I will lay waste harim and geva’ot (hills), and dry up all their esev (vegetation); and I will make the neharot into iyim, and I will dry up agamim (pools, lakes).
16 And I will bring the ivrim (blind) by a derech that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known; I will make choshech into ohr before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in pesel, that say to the masekhah (molten images), You (plural) are eloheinu (our g-ds).
18 Hear, ye chereshim (deaf people); and look, ye ivrim (blind people) that ye may see.
19 Who is ivver (blind), but Avdi (Yisroel]? Or cheresh (deaf), like malachi that I sent? Who is ivver (blind) like meshullam (the one committed) [to Me] and ivver like the Eved Hashem [i.e., Yisroel].
20 Seeing rabbot, but thou observest not; opening the oznayim, but he heareth not.
21 Hashem is well pleased lema’an (for the sake of) His tzedek; He will magnify the torah, and make it glorious.
5 At the time of Herod king of Yehudah, there was a certain kohen by the name Zecharyah, who belonged to the Aviyah division. His isha was of the banot Aharon, name of Elisheva. [DIVREY HAYAMIM ALEF 24:10]
6 And they were both tzaddikim before Hashem, walking a derech tamim in all the mitzvot and chukkim of the Torah of Adoneinu. [BERESHIS 6:9; DEVARIM 5:33; MELACHIM ALEF 9:4]
7 But they had no ben, because Elisheva was barren, and they were both advanced in their yamim.
8 And it came to pass in the performance of his avodas kodesh sherut as a kohen before Hashem in the appointed order of his division, [DIVREY HAYAMIM ALEF 24:19; DIVREY HAYAMIM BAIS 8:14]
9 According to the minhag (custom) of the kehunah, Zecharyah was chosen by lot to enter the Beis Hamikdash and to offer ketoret (incense). [SHEMOT 30:7,8; DIVREY HAYAMIM ALEF 23:13; DIVREY HAYAMIM BAIS 29:11; TEHILLIM 141:2]
10 And when the hour of the offering of the ketoret came, all the multitude were davening outside. [VAYIKRA 16:17]
11 And there appeared to Zecharyah a malach Hashem, standing on the right side of the Mizbeach of ketoret. [SHEMOT 30:1-10]
12 And, seeing the malach, Zecharyah was terrified, and pachad (fear) fell on him. [SHOFETIM 6:22,23; 13:22]
13 But the malach said to him, Do not have pachad (fear), Zecharyah. Your tefillah (prayer) was heard and your isha, Elisheva, will bear a ben to you and you will call his shem Yochanan.
14 And he will be a simcha to you and sasson (joy), and there will be sasson rav (great joy) at his huledet (birth).
15 And he will be gadol before Hashem, and he will not drink yayin or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Ruach Hakodesh from the womb of his Em (mother), [BAMIDBAR 6:3; VAYIKRA 10:9; SHOFETIM 13:4; YIRMEYAH 1:5]
16 And many of the Bnei Yisroel he will turn back in teshuva to Hashem Eloheihem.
17 And he will go forth before Adonoi in the ruach (spirit) and koach (power) of Eliyahu HaNavi, VEHESHIV LEV AVOT AL BANIM (And he will turn the heart of the fathers to the children MALACHI 3:24 [4:6]) and those without mishmaat (obedience) he will turn to the chochmah of the tzaddikim to prepare for Adonoi an Am (People) having been made ready. [MALACHI 4:5,6]
18 And Zecharyah said to the malach, Just how will I have daas that this is so? For I am old and my isha is advanced in her yamim (days). [BERESHIS 15:8; 17:17]
19 And in reply, the malach said to Zecharyah, I am Gavriel, I stand before Hashem. And I was sent to speak to you and to announce these things to you. [DANIEL 8:16; 9:21]
20 And hinei! You will be illem (mute) and not be able to speak, until the yom (day) when these things come to pass, because you did not have emunah in my dvarim (words), which will be fulfilled in their time. [SHEMOT 4:11; YECHEZKEL 3:26]
21 And the people were expecting Zecharyah and they were bewildered at his delay in the Beis HaMikdash.
22 And when he came out, he was illem (mute) and not able to speak to them, and they had daas that he had seen a chazon in the Heikhal. He kept motioning to them and he remained illem.
23 And it came about as the yamim of his sherut (service in the Beis HaMikdash) as a kohen were fulfilled, he went to his bais (house).
24 And after these yamim, Elisheva, his isha, became with child, and she kept herself in hitbodedut for chamesh chodashim, saying,
25 Hashem has done this for me. In these yamim he looked with Chen vChesed (favor and mercy, loving kindness) on me to take away my reproach among Bnei Adam. [BERESHIS 30:23; YESHAYAH 4:1]
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