Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁹ I will sing a shir chadash unto Thee, O Elohim; upon a nevel of ten strings will I make music unto Thee.

¹⁰ It is He that giveth Teshu’ah (deliverance, salvation) unto melachim; Who delivereth Dovid His eved from the cherev ra’ah.

¹¹ Rescue me, and save me from the yad Bnei Nekhar, whose mouth speaketh shav (lies) and their right hand is a right yad of sheker;

¹² In their youth, may baneinu (our sons) be like plants full grown; may benoteinu (our daughters) be like cornerstones, columns wrought for the Heikhal;

¹³ That our barns may be full, affording all manner of provision; that our tzon may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our meadows;

¹⁴ That our oxen may be strong to labor; that there be no peretz (breach) nor golus; that there be no cry of anquish in our streets.

¹⁵ Ashrei are such people; Ashrei is the people that Hashem is Elohav.

² I sleep, but my lev waketh: it is the voice of dodi (my beloved) that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my yonah (dove) tammati (my undefiled, my perfect one); for my head is filled with tal (dew), and my hair with the drops of the lailah.

³ I have put off my kuttonet (kesones, chiton, robe); how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet; how shall I defile them?

⁴ Dodi (my beloved) thrust his hand through the latchopening, my heart began pounding for him.

⁵ I arose to open to dodi (my beloved); and my hands dripped with myrrh, and my fingers with sweet smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the man’ul (lock, door bolt).

⁶ I opened to dodi (my beloved); but dodi had withdrawn and gone; my nefesh departed when he spoke; I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.

⁷ The shomrim (watchmen) that went about the city found me, they beat me, they wounded me; the shomrei hachomat (i.e., the shomrim, the guardians [of the city on the wall]) took away my cloak from me.

⁸ I charge you, O banot Yerushalayim, if ye find dodi (my beloved), what will ye tell him? Tell him shecholat ahavah ani (I am faint with ahavah, lovesick [see 2:5]).

⁹ How is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among nashim? How is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us?

¹⁰ Dodi (my beloved) is radiant and ruddy, unrivaled by ten thousand.

¹¹ His head is like the purest gold, his hair is wavy and shachor (black) as the raven.

¹² His eyes are like yonim (doves) by the streams of mayim, washed with cholov, jewels fitly set.

¹³ His cheeks are like beds of spices, like sweet flowers; his lips like shoshanim (lilies), dripping sweet scented myrrh.

¹⁴ His hands are like rods of zahav set with chrysolites; his body is like a polished work of ivory decorated with sapphires.

¹⁵ His legs are like pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine zahav; his countenance is like the Levanon, bachor (one being choice) like the cedars.

¹⁶ His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is machamaddim (altogether desirable [see Shir HaShirim 2:3; Chaggai 2:7 says Moshiach is the Desired of all Nations]). This is dodi (my beloved), and this is my friend, O banot Yerushalayim. [T.N. The next chapter is commented on extensively beginning at page vii. This section is one of the most important Scriptures in the Bible because it buttresses Isa 7:14 and its foundational meaning.]

6 Where is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among nashim? Where is thy beloved turned aside, that we may seek him with thee?

² Dodi (my beloved) is gone down into his gan (garden), to the beds of spices, to feed in the ganim (gardens), and to gather shoshanim (lilies).

³ I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine; he feedeth among the shoshanim.

¹⁹ For this is worthy of shevach (praise, commendation) if, because of a consciousness of Hashem, anyone bears up under tzoros (troubles) while suffering unjustly.

²⁰ For what shevach (praise) is it if, after committing chatta’im (sins) and being beaten, you endure? But if being osei tzedek (doers of what is right) and suffering, then you endure, this is worthy of shevach before Hashem.

²¹ It was for this tachlis (purpose) [of your being osei tzedek and suffering] that you were given your kri’ah (calling), because also Moshiach suffered on behalf of you [Isa 53:5-6], leaving you a mofet (example), that you should follow be’ikvot Moshiach (in the steps of Moshiach),

²² Who was beli chet (without sin) V’LO MIRMAH BEFIV ("and no deceit was in his mouth" Isa 53:9);

²³ Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, who, being reviled, did not retaliate; suffering, he did not utter iyumim (threats), but handed himself over, entrusting himself to the Shofet Tzedek (Righteous Judge [4:5]);

²⁴ Moshiach, who himself NASAH (bore, carried away, Isa 53:4, 12) ES PEYSHA’EINU (our transgressions, our sins YESHAYAH 53:5,8,12) in geviyyato [BERESHIS 47:18; YESHAYAH 53:5] on HAETZ [DEVARIM 21:23] that, having become niftarim (deceased ones) to chattoteinu, we might become Kol Chai (all living) to Tzidkanut (Righteousness); UVACHAVURATO NIRPA LANU ("by whose wounds you were healed” YESHAYAH 53:5).

²⁵ For you were KULLANU KA’TZON TA’INU ("all of us like sheep we went astray" YESHAYAH 53:6), for you were as sheep being led astray, but you made teshuva now to the Ro’eh [YECHEZKEL 34:1-16] and Mashgiach (Overseer IYOV 10:12) of your nefashot (souls).