Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

124 (Shir HaMa’alot, [Song of Ascents] of Dovid). If it had not been Hashem Who was lanu (for us, on our side), now may Yisroel say;

² If it had not been Hashem Who was lanu, when adam (man) rose up against us;

³ Then they had swallowed us up chayyim (alive); when their wrath was kindled against us;

⁴ Then the mayim would have overwhelmed us, the torrent would have swept over nafsheinu (our nefesh); (Shir HaMa’alot, [Song of

⁵ Then the mayim hazedonim (treacherous waters) would have swept over nafsheinu (our nefesh).

⁶ Baruch Hashem, Who hath not given us up as a prey to their shinayim (teeth).

⁷ Nafsheinu (our nefesh) is escaped as a tzippor (bird) out of the pach (snare of the fowlers); the pach is broken, and we are escaped.

⁸ Ezreinu (our help) B’Shem Hashem Oseh Shomayim vaAretz.

1 Now it came to pass in the yamim of Achashverosh, (this is Achashverosh which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces;)

² That in those yamim, when HaMelech Achashverosh sat on his kisse malkhut (royal throne), which was in the [Persian] capital, Shushan,

³ In the shnat shalosh (third year) of his reign, he gave a mishteh (feast, banquet) unto all his sarim (princes) and his avadim (officials); the might of Persia and Media, the nobles and sarim (princes) of the provinces, being before him;

⁴ When he displayed the osher kavod malkhut (riches of the glorious kingdom) of his and the yekar (honor [see 1:20]) of his tiferet gedulah (glorious majesty) yamim rabbim, even a hundred and eighty days.

⁵ And when these yamim were expired, HaMelech gave a mishteh (feast) unto all the people that were present in the capital of Shushan, both gadol (great) and katan (small), shivat yamim (seven days), in the khatzer (courtyard) of the garden of the palace of HaMelech,

⁶ Where were white and blue linen curtains, fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to rings of silver and pillars of marble; the mittot (couches) were of zahav and kesef, upon an inlaid floor of purplish-red exquisite stone and mother-of-pearl and marble.

⁷ And they gave them drink in vessels of zahav, the vessels being different one from another, and yayin malkhut (royal wine) in abundance, according to the [bountiful] yad HaMelech.

⁸ And the drinking was according to the dat ein ones (rule [which was] not compulsory, restricting); for so HaMelech had ordered all the wine stewards in his bais, that they should serve kirtzon ish va’ish (according to the good pleasure of each man).

⁹ Also Vashti HaMalkah gave a mishteh (feast, banquet) for the nashim (women, wives) in the Beit HaMalkhut (the royal palace) which belonged to HaMelech Achashverosh.

¹⁰ On the yom hashevi’i, when the lev of HaMelech was tov with yayin, he commanded Mehuman, Bizta, Charvona, Bigta, and Avagta, Zetar, and Carkas, the shivat hasarisim (the seven eunuchs) that served in the presence of HaMelech Achashverosh,

¹¹ To bring Vashti HaMalkah before HaMelech with the keter malkhut (royal crown), to show the people and the sarim (princes) her beauty, for she was lovely to behold.

¹² But HaMalkah Vashti refused to come at the devar HaMelech at the agency of his sarisim (eunuchs); therefore HaMelech became furious, and his wrath burned in him.

¹³ Then HaMelech said to the chachamim, which had da’as of the times; for so was the custom of HaMelech toward all the meyvinim (experts) in dat (law) and din (judgment),

¹⁴ And the next unto him was Carshena, Shetar, Admata, Tarshish, Meres, Marsna, and Memuchan, the shivat sarim (princes) of Persia and Media, which had access to HaMelech and which ranked rishonah (highest) in the Malkhut (kingdom);

¹⁵ What shall we do unto the Malkah Vashti according to dat (law), because she hath not performed the commandment of HaMelech Achashverosh at the agency of the sarisim (eunuchs)?

¹⁶ And Memuchan answered before HaMelech and the sarim (princes), Vashti HaMalkah hath not done wrong to HaMelech only, but also to all the sarim (nobles), and to kol haAmim that are in all the provinces of HaMelech Achashverosh.

¹⁷ For this deed of HaMalkah shall spread abroad unto all the nashim (women, wives), so that they shall despise their be’alim (husbands) in their eyes, when it shall be reported that HaMelech Achashverosh commanded Vashti HaMalkah to be brought in before him, but she came not.

¹⁸ Likewise, when they will have heard of the conduct of HaMalkah, the sarot (ladies of the nobility) of Persia and Media shall similarly respond this day unto all the sarim (nobles) of HaMelech. Thus shall there arise too much bizzayon (contempt) and ketzef (wrath).

¹⁹ If it please HaMelech, let there go forth a royal decree from him, and let it be written in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, laws that shall not pass away, that Vashti come no more before HaMelech Achashverosh; and let HaMelech give her royalty unto another that is better than she.

²⁰ And when the edict of HaMelech which he shall make shall be published throughout all his Malkhut (realm)—for it is great—-all the nashim (women, wives) shall give to their be’alim (husbands) yekar (honor, respect), both to gadol and katan.

²¹ And the proposal was good in the eyes of HaMelech and the sarim (nobles); and HaMelech did according to the devar Memuchan;

¹³ Now observing the boldness of Kefa and Yochanan, and having perceived that they are not yeshiva-trained Torah teachers, they were marveling and began to recognize them, that they had been with Yehoshua.

¹⁴ And seeing the man who had received refuah shleimah standing with them, they had nothing to say keneged to it.

¹⁵ And having ordered the Shlichim to step outside the Sanhedrin chambers, they began conferring with one another,

¹⁶ Saying, "What should we do with these anashim? For that a remarkable ot has occurred through them is evident to all the ones inhabiting Yerushalayim, and we are not able to make hakhchashah of the fact.

¹⁷ "But lest it may be spread further among the Am Yisroel, let us warn them no longer to speak to any man b’shem hazeh (in this name)."

¹⁸ And, having summoned them, they commanded them not to say drashot or shiurim b’shem Yehoshua at all. [AMOS 7:13]

¹⁹ But Kefa and Yochanan in reply said to them, "If it is tov before Hashem to listen to you rather than to Hashem, you be the Beit Din Dayan;

²⁰ "For we are not able to cease speaking about what we saw and heard [as edei re’iyah (eyewitnesses)]." [IYOV 32:18; YIRMEYAH 20:9; AMOS 3:8]

²¹ And when they had threatened them further, they released them, finding no basis on which they might punish them, because of the people, vi-bahlt all were crying "Baruch Hashem!" on account of what had happened.

²² For the man was more than ben arba’im shanah, upon whom this ot of refu’ah had been brought about.

²³ And, after having been released, the Moshiach’s Shlichim came to their own, and reported all the things the Rashei Hakohanim and the Zekenim had said to them.

²⁴ And having heard this, the people lifted their voices to Hashem with one mind, and said, "Rabbono Shel Olam, you are the one BARAH ES HASHOMAYIM V’ES HA’ARETZ and the yam and all that is in them, [BERESHIS 1:1; NECHEMYAH 9:6; IYOV 41:11; YESHAYAH 37:16; TEHILLIM 146:6; SHEMOT 20:11]

²⁵ "And You are the One Who by the Ruach Hakodesh through the mouth of Avinu Dovid Your eved, said, LAMMAH RAGESHU GOYIM UL’UMMIM YEHIGU RIK ("Why did the Goyim rage and the peoples plot vain and futile things?")

²⁶ YITYATZVU MALKHEI ERETZ V’ROZNIM NOSEDU YACHAD AL HASHEM V’AL MOSHIACHO (‘The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers assembled together against Hashem and against His Moshiach.') [TEHILLIM 2:1,2; DANIEL 9:25]

²⁷ "For be’emes (in truth) in this Ir (City), keneged (in opposition, against) Your Eved HaKadosh Yehoshua whom You did anoint, there were assembled both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Goyim and HaAm Yisroel, [TEHILLIM 61:1, 2:1f; YESHAYAH 53; ZECHARYAH 12:10]

²⁸ "To do whatever that was by Your hand and by Your ratzon (will) it was nigzar merosh (predestined) to occur.

²⁹ "And now, Adonoi, look upon their threats and grant that Your avadim may speak Your dvar with all ometz lev (courage, boldness), [TEHILLIM 138:3]

³⁰ "While You stretch out Your hand for refu’ah and otot and moftim to occur through the Shem of Your Eved HaKadosh Yehoshua."

³¹ And after they had davened, the place in which they had assembled was shaken and everyone was filled with the Ruach Hakodesh and they were speaking the dvar Hashem with ometz lev (courage, boldness).