Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

103 (Of Dovid). Barachi (Bless) Hashem, O my nefesh; and all that is within me, bless His Shem kodesh.

² Barachi Hashem, O my nefesh, and forget not all His gmulim (benefits);

³ Who forgiveth all thine avonim (iniquities); Who healeth all thy diseases;

⁴ Who is the Go’el (Redeemer) of thy life from shachat (corruption, pit, grave); Who crowneth thee with chesed and rachamim;

⁵ Who satisfieth thy mouth with tov; so that thy ne’urim is made chadash like the nesher.

⁶ Hashem executeth tzedakot and mishpatim for all that are oppressed.

⁷ He made known His drakhim unto Moshe, His deeds unto the Bnei Yisroel.

⁸ Hashem is rachum and channun, slow to anger, and plenteous in chesed.

⁹ He will not strive l’netzach; neither will He keep His anger l’olam.

¹⁰ He hath not dealt with us according to chata’einu (our sins); nor repaid us according to avonoteinu (our iniquities).

¹¹ For as Shomayim is high above ha’aretz, so great is His chesed toward them that fear Him.

¹² As far as the mizrach (east) is from the ma’arav (west), so far hath He removed peysha’einu (our transgressions) from us.

¹³ As an av has compassion on banim so Hashem has compassion on them that fear Him.

²² Barachu Hashem, all His ma’asim in all places of His memshalet (dominion); Barachi Hashem, O my nefesh.

16 Again the Devar Hashem came unto me, saying,

² Ben adam, cause Yerushalayim to know her to’avot (abominations),

³ And say, Thus saith Adonoi Hashem unto Yerushalayim: Thy origin and thy birth are from Eretz HaKena’ani; avicha was HaEmori (the Amorite) and your em Chittit (a Hittite).

⁴ And as for thy moledot (birth), in the day thou wast born thy navel cord was not cut, neither wast thou washed in mayim to cleanse thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

⁵ None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out into the open sadeh, when thou thyself were loathed, in your yom huledet (day of birth).

⁶ And when I passed by thee, and saw thee flailing about in thine own dahm, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy dahm, Chayi! (live!) Indeed, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy dahm, Chayi!

⁷ I have caused thee to multiply as the tzemach of the sadeh, and thou hast increased and matured, and thou art come to excellent beauty; thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast erom (naked) and bare.

⁸ Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, hinei, thy time was the time of dodim (love); and I spread My kanaf (wing, corner of garment) over thee, and covered thy ervah (nakedness); indeed, I swore an oath unto thee, and entered into a brit with thee, saith Adonoi Hashem, and thou becamest Mine.

⁹ Then washed I thee with mayim; indeed, I thoroughly washed away thy dahm from thee, and I anointed thee with shemen.

¹⁰ I clothed thee also with embroidered cloth, and shod thee with tachash leather, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

¹¹ I decked thee also with jewelry, and I put tzemidim (bracelets) upon thy hands, and a necklace chain on thy neck.

¹² And I put a nezem (ring) in thy nose, and earrings in thine oznayim, and an ateret tiferet upon thine rosh.

¹³ Thus wast thou decked with zahav and kesef; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and embroidered cloth; thou didst eat fine flour, and devash, and shemen; and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst become fit for royalty.

¹⁴ And thy shem (name, renown) went forth among the Goyim on account of thy beauty; for it was perfect, through My hadar (splendor) which I had set upon thee, saith Adonoi Hashem.

3 What then is the advantage of the Yehudi? Or what is the value of the bris milah?

² Much in every way! For, koidem kol (in the first place), they are entrusted with the Divrei Hashem (the oracles, the words of G-d).

³ So, where does that leave us? If some have disbelieved, has their lack of emunah annulled the ne’emanut (faithfulness, trustworthiness, reliability) of Hashem?

⁴ Chas v’shalom (G-d forbid!) Let G-d be true and KOL HAADAM KOZEV ("every man a liar" TEHILLIM 116:11). Even as it is written, L’MA’AN TITZDAK B’DAVRECHA ("in order that you might be vindicated when you speak" and shall overcome when you judge TEHILLIM 51:6[4]).

⁵ But if our unrighteousness brings out and highlights the Tzedek Olamim, the Tzidkat Hashem (the righteousness of G-d), what shall we say? Rhetorically speaking, is G-d unjust in inflicting Charon Af Hashem (1:18)? (I speak from a human standpoint.)

⁶ Chas v’shalom! (G-d forbid!) For then how could Hashem be HaShofet kol ha’Aretz (BERESHIS 18:25)?

⁷ "But if the Emes Hashem (truth of G-d) has by my sheker overflowed to His kavod (glory), why am I still judged as a rashah (an evildoer)?"

⁸ Why do we not say, as some speakers of lashon hora slanderously report us to say, "Let us do rah that tov might come of it"? The gezar din (verdict) of ashem (guilty) on them is well deserved.