Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
24 Hashem, how manifold are Thy ma’asim! In chochmah (wisdom; cf Psa 33:6; Yn 1:1) hast Thou made them all; ha’aretz is full of Thy creatures.
25 So is this gadol (great) and rekhav (wide, spacious) yam (sea), wherein are remes (creeping things), innumerable swarming chayyot (creatures), ketanot and gedolot.
26 There go the oniyyot (ships); there is that Leviathan, whom Thou hast made lesakhek (to play, to sport, to frolic) therein.
27 These wait all upon Thee; that Thou mayest give them their ochel (food) in due season.
28 That Thou givest them they gather; Thou openest Thine yad, they are satisfied with tov.
29 Thou hidest Thy face, they are troubled; Thou takest away their ruach, they expire, and return to their aphar.
30 Thou sendest forth Thy Ruach [Hakodesh], they are created; and Thou renewest the face of adamah (earth).
31 The Kavod Hashem shall endure l’olam; Hashem shall rejoice in His ma’asim (works).
32 He looketh on ha’aretz, and it trembleth; He toucheth the harim, and they smoke.
33 I will sing unto Hashem as long as I live; I will sing praise to Elohai while I have my being.
34 May my si’akh (musing, meditation) be acceptable to Him; I will have simchah in Hashem.
35 Let the chatta’im (sinners) be consumed from ha’aretz, and let the resha’im (wicked) be no more. Baruch Hashem, O my nefesh. Praise Hashem!
2 And it came to pass, when Hashem would take up Eliyahu into Shomayim in a se’arah (storm wind, whirlwind), that Eliyahu went with Elishah from Gilgal.
2 And Eliyahu said unto Elishah, Tarry here, now; for Hashem hath sent me to Beit-El. And Elishah said unto him, As Hashem liveth, and as thy nefesh liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beit-El.
3 And the Bnei HaNevi’im that were at Beit-El came forth to Elishah, and said unto him, Doest thou have da’as that Hashem will take away thy adon from over thy rosh hayom? And he said, Yes, I have da’as; be silent.
4 And Eliyahu said unto him, Elishah, tarry here, now; for Hashem hath sent me to Yericho. And he said, As Hashem liveth, and as thy nefesh liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Yericho.
5 And the Bnei HaNevi’im that were at Yericho came to Elishah, and said unto him, Doest thou have da’as that hayom (today) Hashem will take away thy adon from over thy rosh? And he answered, Yes, I have da’as; be silent.
6 And Eliyahu said unto him, Tarry, now, here; for Hashem hath sent me to the Yarden. And he said, As Hashem liveth, and as thy nefesh liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two walked on.
7 And chamishim ish (fifty men) of the Bnei HaNevi’im went, standing opposite them at a distance; and they two stood by the Yarden.
8 And Eliyahu took his aderet (mantle, cloak), and rolled it up, and struck the mayim, and they were split from here and from there, so that they two crossed over on charavah (dry ground [See Yehoshua 3:17]).
9 And it came to pass, when they were crossed over, that Eliyahu said unto Elishah, Request what I shall do for thee, before I am taken away from thee. And Elishah said, Let, now, a double portion of thy ruach be upon me.
10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing; nevertheless, if thou see me when lukach (I am taken away) from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
11 And it came to pass, as they still walked on, and talked, that, hinei, there appeared a merkavah of eish, and susim of eish, and separated the two of them between them; and Eliyahu went up in a se’arah (storm wind, whirlwind) into Shomayim.
12 And Elishah saw, and he cried, Avi, Avi, the merkavah (war chariot) of Yisroel, and the parash (horsemen, charioteers) thereof. And he saw him no more; and he took hold of his own robe, and tore his apparel in two pieces.
13 He took up also the aderet Eliyahu that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of the Yarden;
14 And he took the aderet Eliyahu that fell from him, and struck the mayim, and said, Where is Hashem Elohei Eliyahu? And when he also had struck the mayim, they split from here and from there; and Elishah crossed over.
15 And when the Bnei HaNevi’im which were watching at Yericho saw him from a distance, they said, The ruach Eliyahu doth rest on Elishah. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
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]
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