Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

120 (Shir HaMa’a- lot [Song of Ascents]) In my tzoros I cried unto Hashem, and He heard me.

² Save my nefesh, Hashem, from sefat sheker (lying lips), and from lashon remiyyah (a tongue of deceit).

³ What shall be given unto thee? Or what shall be done unto thee, thou lashon remiyyah?

⁴ Sharp khitzim (arrows) of the gibbor, with burning (charcoal) coals of the broom plant.

⁵ Woe is me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell in the ohalim of Kedar!

⁶ My nefesh hath long dwelt with him that hateth shalom.

⁷ I am for shalom; but when I speak, they are for milchamah (war).

¹⁸ Tzidkiyau (Zedekiah) was twenty and one shanah when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven shanah in Yerushalayim. And shem immo was Chamutal Bat Yirmeyahu of Livnah.

¹⁹ And he did that which was rah in the eyes of Hashem, according to all that Y’hoyakim had done.

²⁰ For through the anger of Hashem this came about in Yerushalayim and Yehudah, until He cast them out from His presence. And Tzidkiyahu (Zedekiah) rebelled against Melech Bavel.

25 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month [see Zech 8:19], that Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel came, he, and all his army, against Yerushalayim, and encamped against it; and built siege works against it round about.

² And HaIr remained under siege unto the eleventh year of Melech Tzidkiyah.

³ And on the ninth day of the fourth month the ra’av (famine) was severe in the Ir, and there was no lechem for the Am HaAretz.

⁴ And the Ir was broken through, and all the anshei hamilchamah fled by lailah by the way of the gate between two walls, which was near the Gan HaMelech; (now the Kasdim [Chaldeans] were surrounding the Ir); and HaMelech fled by the derech HaArabah.

⁵ And the army of the Kasdim pursued after HaMelech, and overtook him in the plains of Yericho; and all his army was separated from him and scattered.

⁶ So they captured HaMelech, and carried him up to Melech Bavel to Rivlah; and they pronounced mishpat upon him.

⁷ And they slaughtered the Bnei Tzidkiyah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Tzidkiyah, and bound him with shackles of nechoshet, and carried him to Babylon.

⁸ And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of Melech Nevuchadretzar Melech Bavel, came Nevuzaradan, captain of the guard, an eved of Melech Bavel, unto Yerushalayim;

⁹ And he set fire to the Beis Hashem, and the Bais HaMelech (the palace), and all the batim (houses) of Yerushalayim, and every bais hagadol he burned with eish [Tish B’Av, see Jer 52:12].

¹⁰ And all the army of the Kasdim (Chaldeans), that were with the captain of the guard, broke down the chomot (walls) around Yerushalayim.

¹¹ Now the remainder of the people that were left in the Ir, and the deserters that fell away to Melech Bavel, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nevuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.

¹² But the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land to be koremim and farmers.

¹³ And the pillars of bronze that were in the Beis Hashem, and the moveable stands, and the Yam Hanechoshet that was in the Beis Hashem, the Kasdim (Chaldeans) broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon.

¹⁴ And the caldrons, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the basins and all the klei hanechoshet wherewith they ministered, they took away.

¹⁵ And the firepans [for incense], and the bowls, and such things as were made of zahav, and of kesef, the captain of the guard carried away.

¹⁶ The two Ammudim, one Yam, and the Stands which Sh’lomo had made for the Beis Hashem; the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight.

¹⁷ The height of the one ammud was eighteen cubits, and the capital upon it was nechoshet; and the height of the capital three cubits; and the netting, and pomegranates upon the capital round about, all of nechoshet; and similar unto these had the second pillar with netting.

¹⁸ And the captain of the guard took Serayah the Kohen HaRosh, and Tzephanyah the second kohen, and the three keepers of the door;

¹⁹ And out of the Ir he took an officer that was set over the anshei hamilchamah, and five men of them that were royal advisers, which were found in the Ir, and the Sofer who was the chief officer in charge of conscripting the Am HaAretz, and threescore men of the Am HaAretz, that were found in the Ir;

²⁰ And Nevuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these, and brought them to Melech Bavel to Rivlah;

²¹ And Melech Bavel struck them, and slaughtered them at Rivlah in Eretz Chamat. So Yehudah was carried away captive out of their land.

²⁰ But in fact Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach has had His Techiyah! Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach is the Bikkurim ("Firstfruits" Gn 1:11-13; Ex 23:16; Lev 23:10-11), the Firstfruits of the ones having fallen asleep [in Moshiach].

²¹ For als (since) through an Adam (Man) came mavet (Gn 2:17), also through an Adam (Man, Moshiach) came the Techiyas HaMesim.

²² For as in Adam all die (Gn 3:19), so also in Moshiach all will be made alive.

²³ But each one in his own order: the Bikkurim, Moshiach; afterward, the ones of Moshiach at the Bias HaMoshiach;

²⁴ Then HaKetz when Moshiach gives over the Malchut Hashem to G-d, even Elohim Avinu (Dan 2:44; 7:13 14,27), after He has abolished all Mishrah and Shilton and Gevurah.

²⁵ For it is necessary for Moshiach to reign until Hashem puts all His OYVIM ("enemies") under His RAGLAYIM ("feet," TEHILLIM 110:1). [YESHAYAH 9:7; 52:7]

²⁶ The last Oyev (Enemy) to be abolished is Mavet.

²⁷ For KOL HASHEM put TACHAT RAGLAV ("All things He subjected under His feet" TEHILLIM 8:7[6]) but when He says that KOL (“all things”) have been subjected, it is peshat (plain, literal) that this does not include the One [Hashem] who put all things in subjection under Moshiach.

²⁸ But, when all things are subjected to Hashem, then also the Ben HaElohim [Moshiach] himself will be subjected to the One (Hashem) having subjected all things under him (Moshiach), that in all things G-d may be all [i.e., preeminent].

²⁹ Otherwise, what will they do, the ones being given tevilah on behalf of the dead? If the Mesim really are not raised, why indeed are they given tevilah on behalf of the Mesim?

³⁰ Why also are we putting ourselves at risk and in danger every hour?

³¹ Daily I die and that is as true a fact, Achim b’Moshiach, as it is that I glory over you in Moshiach Yehoshua Adoneinu.

³² If it were a mere humanistic matter, my fighting, so to speak, with wild beasts in Ephesus (Ac 19; 2C 1:3 10), what do I gain? If there is no Techiyas HaMesim, "Let us eat and drink, KI MACHAR NAMUT "For tomorrow we die" YESHAYAH 22:13; 56:12).

³³ Do not fall under a delusion. "Bad chavrusashaft (association, influence or hashpa’ah) corrupts good midos."

³⁴ Wake up and come to your senses. Start walking in the derech tzaddikim (TEHILLIM 1:6). Stop committing averos. Some among you have no saving da’as of Hashem. I say this to your bushah (shame).