Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
55 (For the one directing. With Neginos. Maskil of Dovid) Give ear to my tefillah, O Elohim; and veil not Thyself from my techinnah (supplication).
2 (3) Attend unto me, and hear me; I wander restlessly in my si’ach (anxiety), and aloud I groan;
3 (4) Because of the voice of the oyev (enemy), because of the oppression of the rasha (evildoer); for they cast aven (iniquity) upon me, and in af (wrath, anger) cherish their malice against me.
4 (5) My lev writhes within me; and the terrors of mavet are fallen upon me.
5 (6) Yirah va’ra’ad (fear and trembling) are come upon me, and pallatzut (horror, shuddering) overwhelmed me.
6 (7) And I said, Oh that I had wings like a yonah! For then would I fly away and be at rest.
7 (8) Hinei, then would I flee far off and lodge in the midbar. Selah.
8 (9) I would hasten to my place of shelter from the ruach so’ah (wind of the tempest) and storm.
9 (10) Destroy, Adonoi, and confuse their leshon; for I see chamas (violence) and riv (strife) in the Ir (city, i.e., Jerusalem).
10 (11) Yomam and lailah they go about her [Yerushalayim] upon the chomot thereof; aven also and amal are in the midst of her [Yerushalayim].
11 (12) Ruin is in the midst thereof; oppression and mirmah (guile, fraud, deceit) depart not from her rechov.
12 (13) For it was not an oyev (enemy) that reproached me; then I could bear it; neither was it he that had sinah (hatred) for me that did exalt himself against me; then I could have hid myself from him;
13 (14) But it was thou, an enosh (a man) equally [valued with myself], my aluf (intimate, friend), and me’yuda’i (deep acquaintance, familiar friend, see Psalm 41:9)
14 (15) Together we took sweet sod (intimate conversation, fellowship, counsel), and walked unto the Beis Elohim with the throng.
15 (16) Let mavet seize upon them, and let them go down chayyim into Sheol; for ra’ot (evils) are in their dwellings, and among them.
8 Then answered Bildad the Shuchi, and said,
2 How long wilt thou speak these things? And how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a raging ruach (wind)?
3 Doth El pervert mishpat (justice)? Or doth Shaddai pervert tzedek?
4 If thy banim have sinned against Him, and He have cast them away for their peysha (transgression);
5 If thou wouldest seek El (G-d) earnestly, and make thy techinnah (supplication) to Shaddai;
6 If thou wert pure and yashar; surely now He would rouse Himself for thee, and restore the habitation of thy tzedek.
7 Though thy reshit (beginning) was small, yet thy acharit (end) shall be exceedingly great.
8 For inquire, now, of the dor rishon (former age), and consider the research of their avot;
9 —For we are but of temol (yesterday, etmol) and know nothing, because yameinu (our days) upon earth are a tzel (shadow)—
10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and bring forth words out of their lev?
11 Can the papyrus grow up without marsh? Can the reed grow without mayim?
12 Whilst it is yet in its greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before kol khatzir (all grass).
13 So are the paths of all that forget El (G-d), and the tikvat chanef (hope of the hypocrite, the irreligious, the secretly wicked profane person) shall perish,
14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose reliance shall be a bais akavish (spider’s web).
15 He shall lean upon his bais, but it shall not stand, he shall cling to it, but it shall not hold.
16 He is like a green plant before the shemesh, and its branch shooteth forth in its gan (garden).
17 Its shorashim (roots) are wrapped about the rock heap, and it looks on the bais avanim (place of stones).
18 But when cast away from its makom, then its place shall deny it, saying, Loh re’iticha (I never saw thee).
19 Behold, thus was the joy of its derech, and others spring forth from the aphar (dust).
20 Surely El (G-d) will not cast away a blameless man, neither will He help the resha’im (evil-doers);
21 Till He fill thy mouth with sechok (laughter), and thy lips with teruah (shouts of joy).
22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with bushah (shame), and the ohel resha’im shall be no more.
7 Now, concerning the things in your iggeret, let’s take up the next inyan (topic): “it is beneficial for a man not to touch an isha” [i.e., postpone the chasunoh (wedding)].
2 But, because of the acts of zenut, let each Ben Adam have his own Isha, and let each Isha have her own Ba’al (Husband).
3 Let the ba’al render the conjugal choiv (debt) to his isha, and likewise also the isha to her ba’al (husband).
4 It is not the isha who has samchut (authority) over her own body, but the ba’al (husband); likewise, also it is not the ba’al (husband) who has samchut over his own body, but the isha.
5 Do not deprive each other, unless by agreement for a set time, that you may renew zerizut (diligence) to tefillah (prayer) and again you may be together, lest Hasatan lead you into nissayon (temptation) because of your lack of shlitah atzmi (self-control). [SHEMOT 19:15; SHMUEL ALEF 21:4,5]
6 But I say this according to concession (T.N. in view of 5:1-5; 6:12-20), not according to [Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach’s] mitzvoh.
7 But, I wish kol Bnei Adam even to be as I am; however, [this is impossible since] each has his own matanah (gift) from Hashem: one this; and another that.
8 But, I say to the bochrim and the almanot (widows), it is beneficial for them if they remain as I am;
9 But if they do not have shlitah atzmi, let them marry. For better it is to marry than with Eish to be set ablaze.
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