Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
34 (Of Dovid, when he feigned insanity before Avimelech, who drove him away, and he went out) 1 (2) I will make a bracha of praise unto Hashem at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 (3) My nefesh shall make its boast in Hashem; the anavim (humble) shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3 (4) O magnify Hashem with me, and let us exalt Shmo together.
4 (5) I sought Hashem, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 (6) They looked unto Him, and were radiant; and their panim were not ashamed.
6 (7) The oni (poor man) cried, and Hashem heard him, and saved him out of all his tzoros.
7 (8) The Malach Hashem encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.
8 (9) O taste and see that Hashem is tov; ashrei is the man that taketh refuge in Him.
19 (20) Many are the afflictions of the tzaddik; but Hashem delivereth him out of them all.
20 (21) He keepeth shomer over all his bones; not one of them is broken [Yn 19:36].
21 (22) Evil shall slay the resha’im; and they that hate the tzaddik shall be desolate.
22 (23) Hashem redeemeth the nefesh of His avadim; and none of them that take refuge in Him shall be condemned [see Ro 5:1; 8:1 OJBC].
12 At that time Berodach Baladan Ben Baladan Melech Bavel sent sefarim and a minchah unto Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah); for he had heard that Chizkiyahu had been ill.
13 And Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah) paid heed unto them, and showed them kol Bais Nekhotoh (Treasure House), the kesef, and the zahav, and the spices, and the shemen hatov, and all the Bais Keli of his, and all that was found in his otzerot; there was nothing in his Bais (palace), nor in all his memshalet, that Chizkiyahu showed them not.
14 Then came Yeshayah HaNavi unto HaMelech Chizkiyahu, and said unto him, What said these anashim? And from whence came they unto thee? And Chizkiyah said, They are come from an eretz rekhokah (a far country), even from Babylon.
15 And he said, What have they seen in thine Bais (palace)? And Chizkiyahu answered, All the things that are in mine Bais (palace) have they seen; there is nothing among my otzerot (treasures) that I have not showed them.
16 And Yeshayah said unto Chizkiyahu, Hear the Devar Hashem.
17 Hinei, the days come, that all that is in thine Bais, and that which Avotecha have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon; nothing shall be left, saith Hashem.
18 And of thy Banim that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt father, shall they take away; and they shall be sarisim in the Heikhal Melech Bavel.
19 Then said Chizkiyahu unto Yeshayah, Tov is the Devar Hashem which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if shalom and emes be in my days?
7 For this MALKITZEDEK MELECH SHALEM KOHEN L’EL ELYON, the one "having met Avraham Avinu ACHAREI SHUVO ("after returning") from the slaughter of "the kings and having blessed him", BERESHIS 14:17-20)
2 With whom also "AVRAHAM avinu apportioned MA’ASER MIKOL (a tithe of everything." As for his Name, it is rendered "King of Tzedek (Righteousness)" and then also "Melech of SHALOM."
3 Without Av, without Em, without Yichus, having neither a techillah (beginning) leyamim (to days) of him nor a Ketz HaChayyim, but resembling HaBen HaElohim, he remains a “kohen perpetually,” (Ps 110:4).
4 Now consider how great among the Gedolim this one was to whom also Avraham Avinu gave from his booty a ma’aser (tithe).
5 And the ones of the Bnei Levi have received the Kehunah (Priesthood) and they have a mitzvah to collect the ma’aser (tithe) from the Am Brit, and they have this mitzvah according to the Torah, that is, to collect from their achim, though these also are descended from the loins of Avraham Avinu.
6 But, this man, though not tracing his descent from them, has received ma’aser (tithe) from Avraham Avinu and has given a bracha to the one having the havtachot (promises).
7 Now it is beyond all argument that the greater gives a bracha to the lesser.
8 Notice, in one case, ma’aser are received by mortal men; in the other case, ma’aser are received by one of whom we have solemn eidus (testimony) that hu Chai ("he lives!").
9 One could even go so far as to say that even Levi, who receives ma’aser, has paid ma’aser through Avraham Avinu,
10 For Levi was still in the loins of his ancestor Avraham when Malki-Tzedek met Avraham Avinu.
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