Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
7 So HaMelech and Haman came to banquet with Ester HaMalkah.
2 And HaMelech said again unto Ester on the yom hasheni (second day) at the mishteh hayayin (feast), What is thy she’elah (petition), Ester HaMalkah? And it shall be granted thee; and what is thy bakash (request)? And it shall be performed, even to chatzi HaMalchut.
3 Then Ester HaMalkah answered and said, If I have found chen (favor) in thy sight, O HaMelech, and if it is tov to HaMelech, let nafshi (my life) be given me at my she’elah (petition), and my Am at my bakash (request);
4 For we are sold, Ani (I) and Ami (my People), to be made shmad, to be slain, and to be annihilated. But if we had been sold for avadim and shfakhot, I would have held my tongue, since then the tzoros would not have been such as to injure the interests of HaMelech.
5 Then HaMelech Achashverosh answered and said unto Ester HaMalkah, Who is he, and where is he, who dares to presume in his lev to do such?
6 And Ester said, HaTzar (the foe) and the oyev (enemy) is this Haman HaRah (Vile Haman). Then Haman was terrified before HaMelech and HaMalkah.
9 And Charvonah, one of the sarisim, said before HaMelech, Hinei, also, HaEtz fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordechai, who has spoken tov for HaMelech, standeth in the Bais Haman. Then HaMelech said, Hang him thereon.
10 So they hanged Haman on HaEtz that he had prepared for Mordechai. Then was the wrath of HaMelech pacified [Ps 24:10; Isa 53:11].
20 And Mordechai wrote these things, and sent seferim unto all the Yehudim that were in all the provinces of HaMelech Achashverosh, both near and far,
21 To establish this among them, that they should keep the 14th day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, shanah v’shanah,
22 As the yamim wherein the Yehudim got relief from their oyvim, and the month which was turned unto them from yagon (sorrow) to simcha (joy), and from evel (mourning) into yontef; that they should make them yemei mishteh v’simcha, and of sending presents one to another, and mattanot (gifts) to the evyon (needy, poor).
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.
13 If anyone is suffering among you, let him daven. If anyone has simcha, let him sing niggunim. [Ps 50:15]
14 Are there any cholim (sick ones) among you? Let the choleh (sick person) summon [for Bikkur Cholim (Visiting the Sick)] the Ziknei HaKehillah (Elders of the Congregation) and let them daven tefillos over him, having applied the shemen mishchah (anointing oil), b’Shem Adoneinu. [Ps 23:5; Isa 1:6]
15 And the tefillah of emunah will deliver the choleh (sick person), and Hashem will raise him up. And if he may have been committing peysha’im, he will be given selicha (forgiveness).
16 Therefore, make vidduy (confession of sin) to one another, and daven tefillos on behalf of one another, so that you may have refuah sheleimah (complete healing). The tefillah of a tzaddik is powerful and effective.
17 Eliyahu [HaNavi] was a man of like nature to us, and with tefillah he davened for it not to rain, and it did not rain upon ha’aretz for shalosh shanim and shishah chodashim (three years and six months). [MELACHIM ALEF 17:1]
18 And again Eliyahu [HaNavi] davened, and Shomayim gave GESHEM (rain) and ha’aretz caused its p’ri to sprout. [MELACHIM ALEF 18:45]
19 My Achim b’Moshiach, if anyone among you wanders vait (astray) from HaEmes and someone turns a choteh (sinner) to become a ba’al teshuva
20 You should have da’as that the one having helped a choteh (sinner) to become a ba’al teshuva and to turn from the toyus (error) of his derech, and from setiyah HaDerech Hashem (turning aside or deviating from the Way of Hashem) will save the neshamah of him from mavet and will cover a multitude of chatta’im. [T.N. This may be the earliest writing in the Brit Chadasha. Of royal blood, Ya’akov Bar Yosef Ben Dovid, like Rav Sha’ul, was an unbeliever until he came to faith by the appearance of the Risen Moshiach (see I Cor 15:7). He died al kiddush ha-Shem 62 C.E. according to Josephus. His brother Yehuda wrote the letter on p.1118. See p848.]
38 Yochanan said to him, Rebbe, we saw someone performing a gerush shedim in your Name, and we were trying to stop him, because he was not one of your chasidim. [BAMIDBAR 11:27-29]
39 But Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, Do not stop him, for no one who will accomplish niflaot (wonders) biShmi (in my Name) will be able soon afterward to speak lashon hora about me.
40 For the one who is not our mitnagged is for us.
41 For whoever gives you to drink a kos of mayim (cup of water) biShmi (in my Name) because you are talmidim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, omein, I say to you, he shall not lose his sachar (reward).
42 And whoever causes a michshol (stumbling block) for one of these little ones, the maaminim b’Moshiach who have emunah in me, it would be better for him if a heavy millstone, one turned by a donkey, were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea.
43 And if your yad causes you a michshol, cut off your yad; for it is better for you if you enter Chayyei Olam as an amputee, than, having both yadayim, you go away into Gehinnom, into the EISH LO TIKHBEH (fire not [ever] extinguished, YESHAYAH 66:24),
44 Where their TOLAAT LO TAMUT (worm does not die YESHAYAH 66:24) and EISH LO TIKHBEH (the fire not [ever] extinguished YESHAYAH 66:24).]
45 And if your regel (foot) causes you a michshol, cut off your regel; it is better for you to enter Chayyei Olam lame, than, having both raglayim, to be cast into Gehinnom,
46 Where their TOLAAT LO TAMUT (worm does not die YESHAYAH 66:24) and EISH LO TIKHBEH (the fire not [ever] extinguished YESHAYAH 66:24).]
47 And if your ayin (eye) causes you a michshol, take it out; for it is better for you to enter the Malchut Hashem one-eyed, than, having both eynayim, to be cast into Gehinnom,
48 Where their TOLAAT LO TAMUT (worm does not die YESHAYAH 66:24) and EISH LO TIKHBEH (the fire not [ever] extinguished YESHAYAH 66:24).
49 For everyone will have eish as his melach (salt). [VAYIKRA 2:13]
50 Melach is tov, but if the melach becomes unsalty, by what [means] will you make it salty again? Have melach in yourselves. And among yourselves let there be shalom.
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