Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

⁵ Ashrei is he that hath El Ya’akov for his ezer, whose hope is in Hashem Elohav:

⁶ Oseh Shomayim vaAretz, the yam, and all that therein is: HaShomer Emes l’olam (Who keepeth Truth forever):

⁷ Oseh mishpat for the oppressed; Who giveth lechem to the hungry. Hashem mattir asurim (sets free the prisoners):

⁸ Hashem openeth the eyes of the ivrim: Hashem raiseth them that are bowed down: Hashem loveth the tzaddikim:

⁹ Hashem shomer over the gerim; He relieveth the yatom (fatherless, orphan) and almanah; but the Derech Resha’im He frustrates.

¹⁰ Hashem shall reign l’olam, even thy G-d, O Tziyon, l’dor vador. Praise Hashem.

2 And Channah davened, and said, My lev rejoiceth in Hashem, mine keren is exalted in Hashem; my mouth is opened wide over mine oyevim; because I rejoice with simchah in Thy Yeshuah (Salvation).

² There is none kadosh like Hashem; for there is none besides Thee; neither is there any Tzur like Eloheinu.

³ Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not atak (insolence) come out of your mouth; for Hashem is El De’ot (a G-d -who intensively knows), and by Him alilot (actions) are weighed.

⁴ Keshet gibborim are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with chayil (strength).

⁵ They that were full have hired out themselves for lechem; and they that were hungry are such no more; so that the barren hath born shivah; and she that hath rabbat banim withers in grief.

⁶ Hashem bringeth mot, and maketh chayyim; He bringeth down to Sheol, and raiseth up.

⁷ Hashem maketh poor, and bringeth oisher; He bringeth low, and lifteth up.

⁸ He raiseth up the dal (poor) out of the aphar (dust), and lifteth up the evyon (needy) from the dunghill, to seat them among nedivim (nobles), and to make them inherit the kisse kavod; for the pillars of the earth belong to Hashem, and He hath set the tevel (world) upon them.

3 In the shenat chamesh esreh (15th year) of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governing Yehudah, when Herod [Antipas] was tetrarch of the Galil, and when Philip the brother of Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, and at the same time Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,

² And when, during the same historical period, Anan and Caiapha were Kohanim Gedolim, then it was that the dvar Hashem came to [the kohen-navi] Yochanan Ben Zecharyah bamidbar (in the wilderness).

³ And Yochanan went into all the surrounding region of the Yarden preaching a tevilah of teshuva for the selichat avon,

⁴ As it has been written in the sefer divrei Yeshayah Hanavi, KOL KOREY BAMIDBAR (A voice of one shouting in the wilderness, YESHAYAH 40:3): Prepare the Derech Hashem (the Way of the L-rd). Make his paths straight!

⁵ KOL GEY YINNASE VKHOL HAR VGIVAH YISHPALU (Every valley will be filled in and every mountain and hill will be leveled off), VHAYAH HEAKOV LEMISHOR VHARKHASIM LVIKAH (The crooked will be made straight, the rough paths made into smooth roads);

⁶ VRAU CHOL BASAR ES YESHUAT ELOHEINU (and all basar will see the salvation of our G-d). [YESHAYAH 40:3-5; TEHILLIM 98:2; YESHAYAH 42:16; 52:10]

⁷ Therefore, Yochanan was saying to the multitudes coming out to have the mikveh mayim’s tevilah supervised by him, You banim of nachashim, who warned you to flee from the charon af [Hashem] habah (the coming burning wrath of Hashem)?

⁸ Therefore, produce p’ri tov l’teshuva (fruit worthy of repentance), and do not begin to presume within yourselves, saying, We have the zechut Avot (merit of the Fathers) of Avraham Avinu, for, I say to you, that Hashem is able from these avanim (stones) to raise up banim to Avraham Avinu.

⁹ And already the ax is laid at the shoresh haetzim (the root of the trees). Therefore, every etz not producing pri tov is cut down and is thrown into the Eish.

¹⁰ And the multitudes were questioning him, saying, What then should we do?

¹¹ And in reply, Yochanan was saying to them, Let the one having two kaftans share with the one having none, and let the one having okhel (food) do likewise.

¹² Now came also mochesim (tax collectors) to receive the tevilah of teshuva, and they said to him, Rabbi, what should we do?

¹³ And Yochanan said to them, Collect nothing more than the amount having been commanded you.

¹⁴ And chaiyalim (soldiers) as well were asking him, What should we do also? And Yochanan said to them, Extort kesef from no one, and let there be no lashon hora, and be satisfied with your loin (wages).

¹⁵ As the Am [Berit] were filled with expectation, and all were wondering in their levavot (hearts) concerning Yochanan, whether perhaps he might be the Moshiach,

¹⁶ Yochanan answered everyone, saying, I give you a tevilah with a mikveh mayim, but Hu HaBah (He Who Comes, i.e., Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach) has more chozek (strength) than me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will give you a tevilah with the Ruach Hakodesh and with Eish.

¹⁷ The winnowing fork is in his hand to clean out his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the MOTZ (chaff) he will burn up with an EISH LO TIKHBEH (fire not [ever] extinguished.

¹⁸ Therefore, with many other dvarim Yochanan was exhorting them, preaching the Besuras HaGeulah to the Am [Berit].