Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

52 (For the one directing. A maskil of Dovid. When Doeg HaAdomi [the Edomite] went to Sha’ul and said to him, Dovid has gone to Bais Achimelech). Why boastest thou thyself in ra’ah, O gibbor? The chesed El is kol hayom.

^2 (4) The leshon (tongue) deviseth treachery; like a sharp ta’ar (razor), working remiyyah (deceit).

^3 (5) Thou lovest rah more than tov; and sheker rather than to speak tzedek. Selah.

^4 (6) Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou leshon mirmah (deceitful tongue).

^5 (7) El shall likewise demolish thee for netzach (eternity), He shall break thee, and pluck thee out of thy ohel, and uproot thee out of the Eretz Chayyim. Selah.

^6 (8) The tzaddikim also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:

^7 (9) Hinei, this is the gever (man) that made not Elohim his ma’oz; but trusted in the abundance of his osher (riches), and strengthened himself in his treachery.

^8 (10) But I am like a green zayit (olive tree) in the Beis Elohim; I trust in the chesed Elohim olam va’ed.

^9 (11) I will give Thee thanks l’olam, because Thou hast done it; and I will wait on Shimecha; for it is tov before Thy chasidim.

¹⁰ They hate the mochiach (reprover [of injustice]) in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh tamim (uprightly).

¹¹ Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat; ye have built batim (houses) of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant kramim (vineyards), but ye shall not drink yayin of them.

¹² For I have da’as of your manifold peysha’im and your mighty chattaim (sins); they afflict the tzaddik, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the sha’ar (gate, court) from their right.

¹³ Therefore the maskil (prudent) shall keep silence in such times; for it is an evil time.

¹⁴ Seek tov, and not rah, that ye may live; and so Hashem Elohei Tzva’os shall be with you, just as ye say He is.

¹⁵ Hate the rah, and love the tov, and establish mishpat in the sha’ar; it may be that Hashem Elohei Tzava’os will be gracious unto the she’erit Yosef.

¹⁶ Therefore Hashem Adonoi Elohei Tzva’os saith thus: Wailing shall be in all rechovot; and they shall cry in all the public squares, Alas! Alas! And they shall call the ikkar (farmer) to mourning, and such as are skillful of lamentation to wailing.

¹⁷ And in all kramim (vineyards) shall be wailing; for I will pass through thee, saith Hashem.

5 For every Kohen Gadol taken from among Bnei Adam is ordained for men for the avodas kodesh of Hashem, that he may offer both minchot (gifts) and zevakhim (sacrifices) for chatta’im (sins).

² The Kohen Gadol is able to deal gently with the Am Ha’Aretz and Wayward, als (since) he himself is subject to helpless human frailty;

³ and therefore he is obligated to offer zevakhim not only for the averos of the Am Berit but also for his own averos.

⁴ And one does not presume to take the kavod of the office of Kohen Gadol upon oneself, but one must have the bechirah (choice, election) of Hashem, just as Aharon did.

⁵ So also Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach did not seize kavod for himself to become a Kohen Gadol, but the One having said to him, "BENI ATAH, ANI HAYOM YELIDTICHA," ("My Son you are; Today I have become your Father." TEHILLIM 2:7)

⁶ Says also in another passage, "ATAH KOHEN L’OLAM AL DIVRATI MALKITZEDEK ("You are a kohen forever according to the order of Malki Tzedek"‖Ps 110:4).