Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
90 (Tefillah of Moshe, ish HaElohim) Adonoi, Thou hast been our ma’on (dwelling place) b’dor vador.
2 Before the harim were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed eretz and the tevel (inhabited world), even from olam ad olam, Thou art El (G-d).
3 Thou turnest enosh to dakka (dust); and sayest, Shuvu, ye Bnei Adam.
4 For an elef shanim in Thy sight are but as yom etmol (yesterday) when it is past, and as an ashmurah (watch, division of time) in the lailah.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are as a sheinah (sleep); in the boker they are like khatzir (grass) which withereth.
6 In the boker it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the erev it is cut down, and drieth up.
7 For we are consumed by Thine anger, and by Thy chemah are we troubled.
8 Thou hast set avonoteinu before Thee, our secret sins in the ohr of Thy countenance.
9 For kol yameinu are passed away in Thy evrah (fury); we spend shaneinu (our years) like a sigh.
10 The yamim of shnoteinu (our years, life) are threescore shanah and ten; and if by reason of gevurot they are fourscore shanah, yet is their boast amal (trouble, toil) and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
11 Who has da’as of the oz (power) of Thine anger? Thy evrah is as great as Thy yirah (fear of, reverence owed G-d).
12 So teach us to number yameinu, that we may apply levav unto chochmah.
13 Shuvah, Hashem. Ad mosai? Have compassion on Thy avadim.
14 O satisfy us baboker with Thy chesed; that we may sing for joy and be glad kol yameinu (all our days).
15 Make us glad according to the days wherein Thou hast afflicted us, and the years wherein we have seen ra’ah.
16 Let Thy work appear unto Thy avadim, and Thy glory unto their banim.
17 And let the no’am (favor, delightfulness) of Adonoi Eloheinu be upon us; and establish Thou the ma’aseh yadeinu upon us; yes, the ma’aseh yadeinu establish Thou it.
17 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,
2 (17:17) Speak unto the Bnei Yisroel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the Bais Av, of all their Nasiim according to the Bais of their Avot twelve rods; write thou every man’s shem upon his matteh (rod, staff).
3 (17:18) And thou shalt write shem Aharon upon the rod of Levi; for one rod shall be for the Rosh of the Bais of their Avot.
4 (17:19) And thou shalt lay them up in the Ohel Mo’ed before HaEdut, where I will meet with you there.
5 (17:20) And it shall come to pass, that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall sprout; and I will rid Myself of the murmurings of the Bnei Yisroel, whereby they murmur against you.
6 (17:21) And Moshe spoke unto the Bnei Yisroel, and every one of their Nasiim gave him a rod apiece, for each nasi one, according to their Bais Avot, even twelve rods; and the rod of Aharon was among their rods.
7 (17:22) And Moshe laid up the rods before Hashem in the Ohel HaEdut.
8 (17:23) And it came to pass, that the next day Moshe entered into the Ohel HaEdut; and, hinei, the rod of Aharon for the Bais Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds.
9 (17:24) And Moshe brought out all the rods from before Hashem unto Kol Bnei Yisroel; and they looked, and took every man his rod.
10 (17:25) And Hashem said unto Moshe, Bring Aharon’s rod again before HaEdut, to be kept for an ot (sign) against the rebels; and thou shalt quite put an end to their murmurings against Me, that they die not.
11 (17:26) And Moshe did so; as Hashem commanded him, so did he.
3 Chaverim, this now is the second iggeret I am writing to you; in these iggrot my tachlis is to arouse your sincere levavot by way of tizkoret (reminder):
2 Remember the divrei torah having been previously spoken by the Nevi’im HaKedoshim and the mitzvot of [Rebbe Melech HaMoshiach] Adoneinu and Moshieinu spoken by your Shluchim.
3 Knowing this first, that during the acharit hayamim there will come letzim (mockers, scorners) mocking, going after their own ta’avot (lusts),
4 And saying, "Where is the havtachah (promise) of the Bias HaMoshiach? From the time Avoteinu fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of HaBri’ah (Creation)."
5 For this is hidden from them (but they want it that way): that the Shomayim existed from long ago and ha’Aretz out of mayim and through mayim BIDVAR Hashem NA’ASU ("By the word of the L-rd were made" TEHILLIM 33:6).
6 Through this very mayim, the tevel (world) of that time perished in the mabbul (flood).
7 But the present Shomayim v’ha’Aretz are being reserved by the same Dvar Hashem, being kept for Eish (Fire) for Yom HaDin and for the destruction of anshei resha (men of wickedness).
8 Chaverim, let not this one thing escape your notice, that "A thousand years in the eyes of Hashem is like one day" TEHILLIM 90:4) and one day like a thousand years.
9 But Hashem is not slow concerning his havtachah (promise), as some consider slowness, but is demonstrating zitzfleisch (patience 3:15) toward you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to teshuva (repentance).
10 But the Yom Hashem will come as a ganav (thief), in which the Shomayim with great suddenness will pass away and the elements, burning up, will be destroyed, and the Olam Hazeh and its ma’asim will be found out [BAMIDBAR 32:23].
11 Als (Since) all these things will thus be destroyed, what kinds of persons ought you to be in hitnahagut (conduct) that is characterized by kedushah and chasidus,
12 Awaiting and hastening the Bias HaMoshiach of the Yom Hashem, because of which the Shomayim will be turned into Eish (Fire) and destroyed, and the elements set ablaze and melted.
13 But SHOMAYIM CHADASHIM VA’ARETZ CHADASHA [YESHAYAH 65:17 cf. 66:22] according to the havtachah (promise) of Hashem we await, in which Tzidkanut (Righteousness) dwells.
14 Chaverim, als you await these things, be eager to be found in shalom by him TAMIM U’MUM ("unblemished and unspotted" SHEMOT 12:5; VAYIKRA 22:20; YESHAYAH 53:7,9).
15 And regard the zitzfleisch (patience) of Adoneinu as Yeshu’at Eloheynu. So also our Chaver and Ach b’Moshiach Sha’ul, according to the chochmah (wisdom) having been given to him, wrote to you.
16 As also in all his iggrot speaking in them concerning these things, in which are some things lomdish (intricate and complicated to understand), which those unstable and without da’as, twist, as also the other Kitvei Hakodesh, to their own churban (destuction).
17 Chaverim, you therefore, knowing beforehand, be shomer over yourselves lest with the toyus (error) of the mufkarim (lawless ones) having been led away, you fall from your own stability.
18 But grow in the Chen v’Chesed and Da’as of Adoneinu and Moshieinu, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua. Lo HaKavod Gam HaYom V’Gam L’Yom HaOlam. Omein. (To him be glory both now and to the day of eternity. Omein.)
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International