Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁸ Kol dodi (the voice of my beloved)! Hinei, he cometh leaping upon the harim, bounding over the hills.

⁹ Dodi (my beloved) is like a gazelle or a young deer; hinei, he standeth behind our Kotel (Wall); he looketh forth at the chalonot (windows), peering through the lattices [Rev 3:20].

¹⁰ Dodi (my beloved) spoke, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

¹¹ For, hinei, the winter is past, the geshem (rain) is over and gone;

¹² The flowers appear on ha’aretz; the time of zemer (song, singing of birds) has come; and the voice of the turtledove is heard in Artzeinu (our Land);

¹³ The te’enah (fig tree) putteth forth her early figs, and the vines with the tender grape give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.

29 Then Ya’akov went on his journey, and came into the eretz of the bnei kedem.

² And he looked, and hinei a be’er in the sadeh, and, hinei, there were shloshah edrei tzon lying by it; for out of that be’er they watered the edarim: and a great even (stone) was upon the mouth of the be’er.

³ And to there were all the edarim gathered: and they rolled the even (stone) from the mouth of the be’er, and watered the tzon, and put the even (stone) again upon the mouth of the be’er in its place.

⁴ And Ya’akov said unto them, My brethren, where are you from? And they said, Of Charan are we.

⁵ And he said unto them, Know ye Lavan ben Nachor? And they said, We know him.

⁶ And he said unto them, Is the shalom with him? And they said, Shalom; and, hinei, Rachel his bat cometh with the tzon.

⁷ And he said, Look, the sun is still high, neither is it time that the flock should be gathered together; water ye the tzon, and go and feed them.

⁸ And they said, We cannot, until all the edarim be gathered together, and till they roll the even (stone) from the mouth of the be’er; then we water the tzon.

⁹ And while he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with the tzon of her av; for she was a ro’ah (shepherdess).

¹⁰ And it came to pass, when Ya’akov saw Rachel bat Lavan achi immo, and the tzon of Lavan achi immo, that Ya’akov went near, and rolled the even (stone) from the mouth of the be’er, and watered the tzon of Lavan achi immo.

¹¹ And Ya’akov kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.

¹² And Ya’akov told Rachel that he was the relative of her av, and that he was ben Rivkah; and she ran and told her av.

¹³ And it came to pass, when Lavan heard the news of Ya’akov ben achoto, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his bais. And he told Lavan all these things.

¹⁴ And Lavan said to him, Surely thou art my etzem (bone) and my basar. And he abode with him the space of a chodesh (month).

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.