Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

40 Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith Eloheichem.

² Speak ye to the lev Yerushalayim, and preach unto her, that her tzeva’a (time of hard service, warfare) is ended, that her avon (iniquity) is nirtzah (punitively paid for, pardoned); for she hath received of the Yad Hashem kiflayim (double) in payment for all her chattot.

³ The voice of him that preacheth in the midbar, Prepare ye the Derech Hashem, make straight in the Aravah a highway for Eloheinu.

⁴ Every gey (valley) shall be raised up, and every har and givah (hill) shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places bikah (plain, valley);

⁵ And the kavod Hashem shall be revealed, and all basar shall see it together; for the mouth of Hashem hath spoken.

⁶ The voice said, Preach. And he said, What shall I preach? All basar is khatzir (grass), and all the chesed (constancy) thereof is as the tzitz (flower, blossom) of the sadeh;

⁷ The khatzir (grass) withereth, the tzitz (flower, blossom) falleth; because the Ruach of Hashem bloweth upon it; surely the people is khatzir (grass).

⁸ The khatzir withereth, the tzitz falleth; but the Devar Eloheinu shall stand forever.

⁹ O Mevaseret Tziyon (O Herald, Preacher of Besorah [Good News, Gospel] Tziyon, O Lady Evangelist Tziyon), get thee up into the har gavo’ah (high mountain); O Mevaseret Yerushalayim (O Herald, Preacher of Besorah [Good News, Gospel] Yerushalayim, O Lady Evangelist Yerushalayim), lift up thy voice with ko’ach; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the towns of Yehudah, Hinei Eloheichem!

¹⁰ Hinei, Adonoi Hashem will come with chazak, and His zero’a [Moshiach, see Isaiah 53:1] shall rule for Him; hinei, His sachar (reward) is with Him, and His pe’ullah (work, recompense, retribution, penal reward [for His enemies]) before Him.

¹¹ He shall feed His Eder like a Ro’eh; He shall gather the tela’im (lambs) with His zero’a, and carry them in His kheyk, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

85 (For the one directing. Of the Bnei Korach. Mizmor.) Hashem, Thou hast been favorable unto Thy land; Thou hast brought back the captivity of Ya’akov.

^2 (3) Thou hast forgiven the avon (iniquity) of Amecha (Thy people); Thou hast covered all their chattat (sin). Selah.

^8 (9) I will hear what HaEl Hashem will say; for He will speak shalom unto His people, and to His Chasidim; but let them not turn again to folly.

^9 (10) Surely His salvation is karov (near) them that fear Him; that kavod may dwell in Artzeinu (our land).

^10 (11) Chesed and emes will meet together; tzedek and shalom will kiss each other.

^11 (12) Emes shall titzmach (sprout forth [T.N. Tzemach—Branch, Sprout—is the code name for Moshiach and the coming Tzemach’s Namesake in Zecharyah 6:11-12 is Yehoshua, Yeshua—see Ezra 3:8; Zech 3:8; 6:11-12. Go to Jer 23:5 and look at all the references. These are among the most important Scriptures in the Bible because it is here that the saving Name of Moshiach Tzidkeinu is prophetically communicated for salvation; the word Tzemach means “Moshiach” and it is the code word par excellence for Moshiach in the post-Exilic references in the minor prophets; this veiled reference to Moshiach was necessary in the situation of the Return under Persian rule when talk of a coming king was a delicate matter.]) out of ha’aretz; and tzedek shall look down from Shomayim.

^12 (13) Yes, Hashem shall give that which is tov; and Artzeinu (our land) shall yield her yevul (increase, produce).

^13 (14) Tzedek shall go before Him; and shall set us in the Derech of His steps.

⁸ Chaverim, let not this one thing escape your notice, that "A thousand years in the eyes of Hashem is like one day" TEHILLIM 90:4) and one day like a thousand years.

⁹ But Hashem is not slow concerning his havtachah (promise), as some consider slowness, but is demonstrating zitzfleisch (patience 3:15) toward you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to teshuva (repentance).

¹⁰ But the Yom Hashem will come as a ganav (thief), in which the Shomayim with great suddenness will pass away and the elements, burning up, will be destroyed, and the Olam Hazeh and its ma’asim will be found out [BAMIDBAR 32:23].

¹¹ Als (Since) all these things will thus be destroyed, what kinds of persons ought you to be in hitnahagut (conduct) that is characterized by kedushah and chasidus,

¹² Awaiting and hastening the Bias HaMoshiach of the Yom Hashem, because of which the Shomayim will be turned into Eish (Fire) and destroyed, and the elements set ablaze and melted.

¹³ But SHOMAYIM CHADASHIM VA’ARETZ CHADASHA [YESHAYAH 65:17 cf. 66:22] according to the havtachah (promise) of Hashem we await, in which Tzidkanut (Righteousness) dwells.

¹⁴ Chaverim, als you await these things, be eager to be found in shalom by him TAMIM U’MUM ("unblemished and unspotted" SHEMOT 12:5; VAYIKRA 22:20; YESHAYAH 53:7,9).

¹⁵ And regard the zitzfleisch (patience) of Adoneinu as Yeshu’at Eloheynu. So also our Chaver and Ach b’Moshiach Sha’ul, according to the chochmah (wisdom) having been given to him, wrote to you.

1 The Beginning of the Besuras HaGeulah (the Good News of Redemption) of Yehoshua, Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach [the] Ben HaElohim.

² Just as it has been written in Yeshayah HaNavi, HINNENI SHOLEIACH MALACHI (Behold, I send my messenger) before your face, UPINNAH DERECH LEFANAI (and he will prepare the way before me, [SHEMOT 23:20; MALACHI 3:1]), he will prepare your way.

³ KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR (A voice of one shouting in the wilderness, TARGUM HASHIVIM YESHAYAH 40:3): Prepare the Derech Hashem (the way of the L-rd). Make his paths yashar (straight)!

⁴ Yochanan came with a mikveh mayim in the midbar, preaching a tevilah of teshuva for the selichat avon.

⁵ And all Yehudah and all Yerushalayim were going out to him, and they were submitted to a tevilah using the Yarden River as a mikveh mayim, making vidduy [to Hashem] of their averos (sins).

⁶ And Yochanan had camel hair clothing and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was arbe and devash. [MELACHIM BAIS 1:8; VAYIKRA 11:22]

⁷ And he was preaching, crying out as a maggid [for the Moshiach], saying, Hu Habah (He who Comes, i.e. Moshiach) after me has more chozek (strength) than me. I am not worthy to stoop down and remove his sandals.

⁸ I give you a tevilah in a mikveh mayim, but he [Moshiach] will give you a tevilah in the Ruach Hakodesh.