Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

140 (For the one directing. Mizmor of Dovid). Deliver me, Hashem, from adam rah; preserve me from ish chamasim (violent men);

^2 (3) Which plan ra’ot (evils) in their lev; kol yom they incite milchamot (wars).

^3 (4) They have sharpened their leshonot like a nachash; the venom of a spider is under their sfatayim (lips). Selah.

^4 (5) Be shomer over me, Hashem, and keep me from the hands of the rashah; protect me from ish chamasim, whose scheme is to cause my steps to trip.

^5 (6) The ge’im (proud, arrogant ones [of inordinate ambition]) have hid a pach for me, and chavalim (cords, ropes); they have spread a reshet (net) close by the path; they have set mokshim (traps) for me. Selah.

^6 (7) I said unto Hashem, Thou art Eli; hear the kol tachanunai (voice of my supplications), Hashem.

^7 (8) Hashem Adonoi, Oz Yeshuati (strength of my (salvation), Thou hast covered my rosh in the Yom Neshek (Day of Arms, Day of Battle).

^8 (9) Grant not, Hashem, the desires of the rashah; let not his plot succeed; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.

^9 (10) As for the rosh of those that surround me, let the amal (trouble) of their own sfatayim (lips) cover them.

^10 (11) Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the eish; into mahamorot (watery pits), that they rise not up again.

^11 (12) Let not an ish lashon (idle talker, slanderer) be established in ha’aretz; rah shall hunt down the ish chamas to overthrow him.

^12 (13) I know that Hashem will maintain the din oni (cause of the poor), and the mishpat evyonim (the right of the needy).

^13 (14) Surely the tzaddikim shall give thanks unto Thy Shem; the upright shall dwell in Thy presence.

4 When Mordechai perceived all that was done, Mordechai rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a zeakah gedolah umarah (loud and a bitter wailing);

² And came even before the Sha’ar HaMelech; for none might enter into the Sha’ar HaMelech clothed with sackcloth.

³ And in every province, whithersoever the Devar HaMelech and his dat (decree) came, there was evel gadol (great mourning) among the Yehudim, and a tzom, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ So Ester’s na’arot and her sarisim came and told it her. Then was HaMalkah exceedingly distressed; and she sent begadim (raiment) to clothe Mordechai, and to take away his sackcloth from him, but he received it not [see Am 6:6].

⁵ Then called Ester for Hatach, one of the sarisim of HaMelech, whom he had appointed to attend upon her, and gave him a commandment about Mordechai, to have da’as of mah zeh (what is this?), and al mah zeh (why is this?)

⁶ So Hatach went forth to Mordechai unto the rechov haIr (open square of the city), which was before the Sha’ar HaMelech.

⁷ And Mordechai told him of all that had happened unto him, and of the parashat hakesef (exact amount of the money) that Haman had promised to pay to the genazim of HaMelech for the Yehudim, to destroy them.

⁸ Also he gave him the copy of the edict of the dat (decree, Final Solution) that was published at Shushan to make them shmad, to show it unto Ester, and to declare it unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto HaMelech, to make supplication unto him, and to make bakash (request, pleading) before him for her Am (People, the Jewish People).

⁹ And Hatach came and told Ester the divrei Mordechai.

¹⁰ Again Ester spoke unto Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordechai:

¹¹ All the avadim of HaMelech, and the people of the provinces of HaMelech have da’as that whosoever, whether ish or isha, shall come unto HaMelech into the pnimiyus khatzer (innermost courtyard), who is not called, there is echat dat (one law) of his to put him to death, except such to whom HaMelech shall hold out the sharvit hazahav (golden sceptre), that he may live. But I have not been called to come in unto HaMelech these shloshim yom.

¹² And they told to Mordechai Ester’s words.

¹³ Then Mordechai commanded to answer Ester, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the Beis HaMelech, more than kol HaYehudim.

¹⁴ For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there revach (relief) and hatzalah (deliverance) arise to the Yehudim from another place; but thou and thy bais Avicha (house of thy father) shall be destroyed; and who knoweth whether thou art come to the Malkhut for such a time as this [1C 9:16; Ro 1:16] ?

¹⁵ Then Ester bade them return Mordechai this answer,

¹⁶ Go, gather together kol HaYehudim that are found in Shushan, and declare ye a tzom for me, and neither eat nor drink shloshet yamim, lailah vayom. I also and my na’arot will undergo a tzom likewise; and so will I go in unto HaMelech, though it is not according to the dat; and if I perish, I perish.

¹⁷ So Mordechai went his way, and did according to all that Ester had commanded him.

³ Baruch Hashem, HaElohim Avi of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Adoneinu Yehoshua! By his great rachamim (mercy) we have been born anew to a tikvah chayyah (living hope) through the Techiyas Yehoshua from HaMesim (the dead ones).

⁴ We have also been born anew to a nachalah (inheritance [3:9]) that is without shachat (corruption, decay Ps 16:10), undefiled and unfading, having been preserved in Shomayim for you,

⁵ The ones by the koach of Hashem being guarded through Emunah (Faith) for Yeshu’at Eloheinu (the Salvation of our G-d), which is ready to be revealed at the Ketz Hayamim (End of Days).

⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer in various masot (trials, temptations [4:12]),

⁷ That the genuineness of your Emunah, much more valuable than gold which though perishable is tested by Eish (Fire), may be found to the tehillah (praise) and the kavod (glory) and the tiferet (splendor) at the Hisgalus (Revelation, Apocalypse) of Moshiach Yehoshua.

⁸ He is the one for whom you have ahavah, even though you have not seen him. Though you do not now see him, you have emunah in him [as Moshiach] and rejoice with simcha inexpressible and full of kavod,

⁹ Obtaining the maskana (outcome) of your Emunah, the Yeshu’at Eloheynu of your nefashot (souls).