Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

17 (Tefillah of Dovid) Hear the tzedek (righteous plea of a just cause), Hashem, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my tefillah, that goeth not out of lips of mirmah (deceit).

² Let my mishpat (right) come forth from Thy presence; let Thine eyes behold the things that are right.

³ Thou hast probed mine lev; Thou hast visited me in the lailah; Thou hast tested me and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

⁴ Concerning the works of men, by the Devar of Thy lips I have kept myself from the paths of the cruel.

⁵ Uphold my goings in Thy paths, that my footsteps stumble not.

⁶ I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O El; incline Thine ear unto me, and hear my prayer.

⁷ Show Thy marvellous chesed, O Thou Moshi’a Who saves by Thy right hand them which put their trust in Thee from those that rise up against them.

¹⁵ As for me, in tzedek I will behold Thy face; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy temunah (form; see Num 12:8).

⁸ But thou, Yisroel, art Avdi, Ya’akov whom I have chosen, the zera Avraham Ohavi (My friend).

⁹ Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ketzot ha’aretz, and called thee from the farthest borders thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art Avdi; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

¹⁰ Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am Eloheicha; I will strengthen thee; indeed, I will help thee; indeed, I will uphold thee with My yamin tzedek.

⁶ But it is not as though the Dvar Hashem has failed. For not all those descended from Yisroel are truly redeemed Yisroel (of the eschatological Geulah Redemption).

⁷ Nor is it as though all the banim of K’lal Yisroel are the ZERA of Avraham Avinu, but (as it is written) BEYITZCHAK YIKARE L’CHA ZERA ("In Yitzchak shall your seed be called, named, summoned" BERESHIS 21:12).

⁸ That is, it is not the b’nei habasar (old humanity without hitkhadshut) who are the b’nei HaElohim (children of G-d) but the b’nei HaHavtachah (children of the promise) who are reckoned as ZERA (seed, children, including the right of the heir in relation to the father).

⁹ For this word is one of havtachah (promise): KA’ET SHOV ASHUV UL’SARAH BEN ("About this time I will come and Sarah shall have a son" BERESHIS 18:10,14).

¹⁰ Not only so, but also in the case of Rivkah (Isaac’s wife) who conceived by the one act of sexual intercourse with Yitzchak Avinu.

¹¹ For when they were not yet born nor had they done anything tov or rah, in order that the etzah (wisdom) of the tochnit Hashem (purposeful and willed plan of G-d Ro 8:28) should stand in terms of bechirah (divine election, selection, choosing),

¹² Not from Ma’asim (Works) but from the One who makes the kri’ah (divine summons, call), it was said to her, RAV YA’AVOD TZA’IR ("the elder will serve the younger" BERESHIS 25:23),

¹³ As it is written, VA’OHAV ES YA’AKOV V’ES ESAV SANEITI ("Ya’akov have I loved, but Esau have I hated" MALACHI 1:2-3).