Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
16 (17) As for me, I will call upon Elohim; and Hashem shall save me.
17 (18) Erev, and boker, and at tzohorayim (noon), will I pray, and cry aloud; and He shall hear my kol (voice).
18 (19) He hath redeemed my nefesh in shalom from the battle that was against me; for there were rabbim against me.
19 (20) El (G-d) shall hear, and afflict them, even He that abideth kedem (of old, forever). Selah. Because they do not change, therefore they fear not Elohim.
20 (21) He [the faithless friend of verse 13-14] hath laid his hands on such as are at shalom with him; he hath broken his Brit.
21 (22) The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his lev; his devarim were softer than shemen, yet they were drawn swords.
22 (23) Cast thy burden upon Hashem, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the tzaddik to be moved.
23 (24) But Thou, O Elohim, shalt bring them down into the pit of shachat; anshei damim umirmah (bloody and deceitful men) shall not live out half their yamim; but I will trust in Thee.
5 Now it came to pass on the yom hashelishi, that Ester put on her royal apparel, and stood in the pnimiyus [khatzer] of the Beis HaMelech in front of the Beis HaMelech; and HaMelech sat upon his kisse malkhut (royal throne) in the Beis Hamalkhut, facing the Petach HaBeis (Entrance of HaBeis).
2 And it was so, when HaMelech saw Ester HaMalkah standing in the Khatzer (Court), that she took up chen (favor, grace) in his sight, and HaMelech held out to Ester the sharvit hazahav (golden sceptre) that was in his hand. So Ester drew near, and touched the top of the sharvit (sceptre).
3 Then said HaMelech unto her, What wilt thou, Ester HaMalkah? And what is thy bakash (request)? It shall be given thee even to the chatzi HaMalchut (half of the kingdom).
4 And Ester answered, If it seem tov unto HaMelech, let HaMelech and Haman come today unto the mishteh that I have prepared for him.
5 Then HaMelech said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Ester hath said. So HaMelech and Haman came to the mishteh that Ester had prepared.
6 And HaMelech said unto Ester at the mishteh hayayin (feast), What is thy she’elah (petition)? And it shall be granted thee. And what is thy bakash (request)? Even to chatzi HaMalchut it shall be granted.
7 Then answered Ester, and said, My she’elah and my bakash is:
8 If I have found chen (favor, grace) in the sight of HaMelech, and if it is tov to HaMelech to grant my she’elah, and to perform my bakash, let HaMelech and Haman come to the mishteh that I shall prepare for them, and I will do makhar (tomorrow) as HaMelech hath said.
9 Then went Haman forth that day sameiach (joyful, happy) and with a tov lev; but when Haman saw Mordechai in the Sha’ar HaMelech, that he stood not up, nor trembled because of him, he was full of chemah (indignation, rage) against Mordechai.
10 Nevertheless Haman restrained himself, and when he came home, he sent and called for his ohavim (friends), and Zeresh his isha.
11 And Haman told them of the kavod of his osher, and the multitude of his children, and all the things wherein HaMelech had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the sarim (princes) and avadim of HaMelech.
12 Haman said moreover, Yea, Ester HaMalkah did let no man come in with HaMelech unto the mishteh that she had prepared but myself; and makhar (tomorrow) am I invited unto her also with HaMelech.
13 Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordechai HaYehudi sitting at the Sha’ar HaMelech.
14 Then said Zeresh his isha and all his ohavim (friends) unto him, Let an etz (hanging tree) be made of fifty cubits high, and baboker (in the morning) speak thou unto HaMelech that Mordechai may be hanged thereon [see Lk 23:21 OJBC]; then go thou samei’ach (joyfully) with HaMelech unto the mishteh. And the thing was tov to Haman; and he caused HaEtz to be built.
16 Therefore, let no one judge you [Goyim] in eating and in drinking or in respect to a yom tov (yontev) or a rosh chodesh or Shabbos;
17 Which are a shadow of the things to come in the Olam HaBah; but the reality, the substance, is Moshiach.
18 Let no one deprive you of the prize by delighting in his mystical asceticism and his veneration of malachim and delving into his chazonot (visions) and being vainly puffed up by the machshavot (thoughts) of his basar (old nature unrenewed and unregenerated by the Ruach Hakodesh),
19 And not holding on to the Rosh, out of whom all the Moshiach’s Guf, being fully supplied and being be’ichud (united) together through the joints and ligaments, grows with the growth of Hashem.
20 Als (Since) you died with Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach to the ikkarim (basic principles) of the Olam Hazeh, why, as though you still belonged to the keyam (existence) of the Olam Hazeh, do you (Goyim) chain yourself to chumra legalisms?
21 "Do not touch; do not taste; do not handle."
22 The things referred to are all destined to deterioration with use, according to the humanly contrived mitzvot and the humanly contrived chukim (laws) of mere Bnei Adam [i.e., non-Biblical teachings and humanly contrived religious tradition]YESHAYAH 29:13],
23 Which things have a superficial appearance of chochmah in self-imposed religion and mystical asceticism and severe physical mortification, but are of no value against the indulgence of the basar (the old nature unrenewed and unregenerated by the Ruach Hakodesh).
3 If therefore you were made to stand up alive in hitkhadshut with Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, seek the things above, where Moshiach is, LI’MINI ("at my right hand" TEHILLIM 110:1), sitting at the right hand of Hashem.
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