Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

72 (Of Sh’lomo). Give HaMelech Thy mishpatim, O Elohim, and Thy tzedakah unto the Ben Melech.

² He shall judge Thy people with tzedek, and Thy poor with mishpat.

³ The harim (mountains) shall bear shalom to the people, and geva’ot (hills) in tzedakah.

⁴ He shall judge the poor of the people; yoshia (He shall save) the bnei evyon (children of the needy), and shall break in pieces the oppressor.

⁵ They shall fear Thee as long as the shemesh and yarei’ach endure, dor dorim (throughout all generations).

⁶ He shall come down like matar (rain) upon the mown field, as showers watering eretz.

⁷ In his yamim shall the tzaddik flourish; and abundance of shalom so long as the yarei’ach endureth.

¹⁸ Baruch Hashem Elohim, Elohei Yisroel, who only doeth nifla’ot (wondrous things).

¹⁹ And baruch Shem kevodo l’olam (and blessed be His Glorious Name forever); and let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Omein, and Omein.

40 Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith Eloheichem.

² Speak ye to the lev Yerushalayim, and preach unto her, that her tzeva’a (time of hard service, warfare) is ended, that her avon (iniquity) is nirtzah (punitively paid for, pardoned); for she hath received of the Yad Hashem kiflayim (double) in payment for all her chattot.

³ The voice of him that preacheth in the midbar, Prepare ye the Derech Hashem, make straight in the Aravah a highway for Eloheinu.

⁴ Every gey (valley) shall be raised up, and every har and givah (hill) shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places bikah (plain, valley);

⁵ And the kavod Hashem shall be revealed, and all basar shall see it together; for the mouth of Hashem hath spoken.

⁶ The voice said, Preach. And he said, What shall I preach? All basar is khatzir (grass), and all the chesed (constancy) thereof is as the tzitz (flower, blossom) of the sadeh;

⁷ The khatzir (grass) withereth, the tzitz (flower, blossom) falleth; because the Ruach of Hashem bloweth upon it; surely the people is khatzir (grass).

⁸ The khatzir withereth, the tzitz falleth; but the Devar Eloheinu shall stand forever.

⁹ O Mevaseret Tziyon (O Herald, Preacher of Besorah [Good News, Gospel] Tziyon, O Lady Evangelist Tziyon), get thee up into the har gavo’ah (high mountain); O Mevaseret Yerushalayim (O Herald, Preacher of Besorah [Good News, Gospel] Yerushalayim, O Lady Evangelist Yerushalayim), lift up thy voice with ko’ach; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the towns of Yehudah, Hinei Eloheichem!

¹⁰ Hinei, Adonoi Hashem will come with chazak, and His zero’a [Moshiach, see Isaiah 53:1] shall rule for Him; hinei, His sachar (reward) is with Him, and His pe’ullah (work, recompense, retribution, penal reward [for His enemies]) before Him.

¹¹ He shall feed His Eder like a Ro’eh; He shall gather the tela’im (lambs) with His zero’a, and carry them in His kheyk, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

¹⁹ And this is the solemn edut (testimony) of Yochanan, when those of Yehudah sent kohanim and L’viim from Yerushalayim to him that they might ask him, Mi atah? (Who are you?).

²⁰ Yochanan made hoda’a (confession, admission)‖he did not fail to make hoda’a‖and said clearly, I am not the [Rebbe,] Melech HaMoshiach.

²¹ And they asked Yochanan, What, then? Are you Eliyahu HaNavi? And Yochanan says, I am not. Are you the Navi? (DEVARIM 18:15,18) And he answered, Lo (No).

²² They said then to him, Mi atah? That we may give a teshuvah (answer) to the ones who sent us. What do you say about yourself?

²³ Yochanan said, I am a KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR, make straight the DERECH HASHEM! (YESHAYAH 40:3, TARGUM HASHIVIM), as Yeshayah HaNavi said.

²⁴ And the ones that had been sent were of the Perushim.

²⁵ And the Perushim asked Yochanan, If you are not the [Rebbe,] Melech HaMoshiach nor Eliyahu nor the Navi, then why do you administer the mikveh mayim’s tevilah?

²⁶ Yochanan answered the Perushim, I give a tevilah in a mikveh mayim; among you is standing one of whom you do not have da’as.

²⁷ Hu HaBah (he who comes, i.e., the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach who is coming into the Olam Hazeh), that is, He who comes after me, is one that I am not worthy even to untie the thong of his sandal.

²⁸ These events took place in Beit-Anyah (Bethany), beyond the Yarden River, which Yochanan was using as a mikveh mayim in which to administer the tevilah.