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Weekly Scripture Reading
Torah: DEUTERONOMY 27-29
Prophets: HABAKKUK 1-2
Historical Writings: 1 SAMUEL 28-29
New Testament: PHILIPPIANS 1-2
Wisdom Writings: JOB 40
Non-Canonical: 2 BARUK 57-62
The following translation is from The Scriptures | ISR98
DEUTERONOMY 27-29
27| 1 And Mosheh, with the elders of Yisra’ĕl, commanded the people, saying, “Guard all the commands which I am commanding you today.
2 “And it shall be, on the day when you pass over the Yardĕn to the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and plaster them with plaster,
3 and write on them all the Words of this Torah, when you have passed over, so that you go into the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ as יהוה Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you.
4 “And it shall be, when you have passed over the Yardĕn, that on Mount Ěyḇal you set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall plaster them with plaster,
5 and build an altar to יהוה your Elohim there, an altar of stones – do not use an iron tool on them.
6 “Build the altar of יהוה your Elohim with complete stones, and you shall offer burnt offerings on it to יהוה your Elohim,
7 and shall offer peace offerings, and eat there, and rejoice before יהוה your Elohim.
8 “And you shall write all the Words of this Torah on the stones – plainly and well.”
9 And Mosheh and the priests, the Lĕwites, spoke to all Yisra’ĕl, saying, “Be silent and hear, O Yisra’ĕl: This day you have become the people of יהוה your Elohim,
10 and you shall obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, and do His commands and His laws which I command you today.”
11 And Mosheh commanded the people on that day, saying,
12 “These are to stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have passed over the Yardĕn: Shim‛on, and Lĕwi, and Yehuḏah, and Yissasḵar, and Yosĕph, and Binyamin.
13 “And these are to stand on Mount Ěyḇal to curse: Re’uḇĕn, Gaḏ, and Ashĕr, and Zeḇulun, Dan, and Naphtali.
14 “And the Lĕwites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Yisra’ĕl:
15 ‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved or moulded image, an abomination to יהוה, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amĕn!’
16 ‘Cursed is he who makes light of his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
17 ‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbour’s boundary.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
18 ‘Cursed is he who misleads the blind in the way.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
19 ‘Cursed is he who twists the right-ruling of the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
20 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s bed.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
21 ‘Cursed is he who lies with any beast.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
22 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
23 ‘Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
24 ‘Cursed is he who smites his neighbour secretly.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
25 ‘Cursed is he who takes a bribe to slay an innocent being.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
26 ‘Cursed is he who does not establish the Words of this Torah.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amĕn!’
28 | 1 “And it shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard to do all His commands which I command you today, that יהוה your Elohim shall set you high above all nations of the earth.
2 “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim:
3 “Blessed are you in the city, and blessed are you in the field.
4 “Blessed is the fruit of your body, and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your livestock – the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5 “Blessed is your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed are you when you come in, and blessed are you when you go out.
7 “יהוה causes your enemies who rise against you to be smitten before your face – they come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 “יהוה commands the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and shall bless you in the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.
9 “יהוה does establish you as a set-apart people to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim and walk in His ways.
10 “And all peoples of the earth shall see that the Name of יהוה is called upon you, and they shall be afraid of you.
11 “And יהוה shall make you to have plenty of what is good, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground, in the land of which יהוה swore to your fathers to give you.
12 “יהוה opens to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. And you shall lend to many nations, but you do not borrow.
13 “And יהוה shall make you the head and not the tail. And you shall be only on top, and not be beneath, if you obey the commands of יהוה your Elohim, which I command you today, to guard and do.
14 “And do not turn aside from any of the Words which I am commanding you today, right or left, to go after other mighty ones to serve them.
15 “And it shall be, if you do not obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard to do all His commands and His laws which I command you today, that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you:
16 “Cursed are you in the city, and cursed are you in the field.
17 “Cursed is your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “Cursed is the fruit of your body and the fruit of your land, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
19 “Cursed are you when you come in, and cursed are you when you go out.
20 “יהוה sends on you the curse, the confusion, and the rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the evil of your doings by which you have forsaken Me.
21 “יהוה makes the plague cling to you until He has consumed you from the land which you are going to possess.
22 “יהוה smites you with wasting disease, and with inflammation, and with burning, and with extreme heat, and with the sword, and with blight, and with mildew. And they shall pursue you until you perish.
23 “And your heavens which are over your head shall be bronze, and the earth which is under you iron.
24 “יהוה makes the rain of your land powder and dust; from the heavens it comes down on you until you are destroyed.
25 “יהוה causes you to be defeated before your enemies – you go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall become a horror to all the reigns of the earth.
26 “And your carcasses shall be food for all the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth, with no one to frighten them away.
27 “יהוה shall smite you with the boils of Mitsrayim, with tumours, with the scab, and with the itch, from which you are unable to be healed.
28 “יהוה shall smite you with madness and blindness and bewilderment of heart.
29 “And you shall be groping at noon, as a blind man gropes in darkness, and not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and plundered all the days, with no one to save you.
30 “You become engaged to a wife, but another man does lie with her. You build a house, but do not dwell in it. You plant a vineyard, but do not use its fruit.
31 “Your ox is slaughtered before your eyes, but you do not eat of it. Your donkey is violently taken from before you, and it is not given back to you. Your sheep are given to your enemies, with no one to save them.
32 “Your sons and your daughters are given to another people, and your eyes look and fail for them all day long, and your hand powerless.
33 “A people whom you have not known eat the fruit of your land and all your labours. And you shall be only oppressed and crushed all the days.
34 “And you shall be maddened because of the sight which your eyes see.
35 “יהוה smites you in the knees and on the legs with evil boils of which you are unable to be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head.
36 “יהוה brings you and the sovereign whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other mighty ones, wood and stone.
37 “Thus you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a mockery among all the peoples to which יהוה drives you.
38 “You take much seed out into the field but gather little in, for the locust consumes it.
39 “You plant vineyards, and shall labour, but you neither drink of the wine nor gather, for the worm eats it.
40 “You have olive trees in all your border, but do not anoint with oil, for your olives drop off.
41 “You bring forth sons and daughters, but they are not with you, for they go into captivity.
42 “Locusts possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground.
43 “The sojourner who is among you rises higher and higher above you, but you come down lower and lower.
44 “He lends to you, but you do not lend to him. He is the head, and you are the tail.
45 “And all these curses shall come upon you, and they shall pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard His commands and His laws which He commanded you.
46 “And they shall be upon you for a sign and for a wonder, and on your seed, forever.
47 “Because you did not serve יהוה your Elohim with joy and gladness of heart for all the plenty,
48 you shall serve your enemies whom יהוה sends against you, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in need of all. And he shall put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.
49 “יהוה brings a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you shall not understand,
50 a fierce-looking nation, which shows no regard for the elderly nor show favour to the young,
51 and they shall eat the fruit of your livestock and the fruit of your land, until you are destroyed. They leave you no grain, nor new wine, nor oil, nor the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you.
52 “And they shall besiege you at all your gates till your high and fenced walls, in which you are trusting, come down in all your land. And they shall besiege you at all your gates in all your land which יהוה your Elohim has given you.
53 “And you shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom יהוה your Elohim has given you, in the siege and distress in which your enemies distress you.
54 “The man among you who is tender, and who is very delicate, his eye is evil against his brother, against the wife of his bosom, and against the rest of his children whom he leaves behind,
55 against giving any of them the flesh of his children that he eats, because it is all that has been left to him in the siege and distress with which your enemy distresses you in all your gates.
56 “The tender and the delicate woman among you, who have not tried to set the sole of her foot on the ground because of her delicateness and tenderness, her eye is evil against the husband of her bosom, and against her son, and against her daughter,
57 and against her seed which comes out from between her feet, and her children whom she bears, for she eats them in secret for lack of all, in the siege and distress with which your enemy distresses you in all your gates.
58 “If you do not guard to do all the Words of this Torah that are written in this book, to fear this esteemed and awesome Name, יהוה your Elohim,
59 then יהוה shall bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues, great and lasting plagues, and grievous and lasting sicknesses.
60 “And He shall bring back on you all the diseases of Mitsrayim, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you,
61 also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in the book of this Torah, יהוה does bring upon you until you are destroyed.
62 “And you shall be left with few men, although you had become as numerous as the stars of the heavens, because you did not obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim.
63 “And it shall be, that as יהוה rejoiced over you to do you good and increase you, so יהוה does rejoice over you to destroy you and lay you waste. And you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess.
64 “And יהוה shall scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other mighty ones, which neither you nor your fathers have known, wood and stone.
65 “And among those nations you are to find no rest, nor have a resting place for the sole of your foot. But there יהוה shall give you a trembling heart, and failing eyes, and sorrow of being.
66 “And your life shall be hanging in suspense before you, and you shall fear day and night, and not be certain of your life.
67 “In the morning you say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ because of the fear of your heart, with which you fear, and because of the sight which your eyes see.
68 “And יהוה shall bring you back to Mitsrayim in ships, by a way of which I said to you, ‘You are never to see it again.’ And there you shall be sold to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one to buy.”
29 | 1 These are the words of the covenant which יהוה commanded Mosheh to make with the children of Yisra’ĕl in the land of Mo’aḇ, besides the covenant which He made with them in Ḥorĕḇ.
2 And Mosheh called all Yisra’ĕl and said to them, “You yourselves saw all that יהוה did before your eyes in the land of Mitsrayim, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land.
3 “Your eyes saw the great trials, the signs, and those great wonders.
4 “But יהוה has not given you a heart to know and eyes to see and ears to hear, till this day.
5 “And I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your garments have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet.
6 “You ate no bread and drank no wine nor strong drink, so that you might know that I am יהוה your Elohim.
7 “And when you came to this place, Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon and Og̅ sovereign of Bashan came out against us to battle, and we smote them,
8 and took their land and gave it as an inheritance to the Re’uḇĕnites, and to the Gaḏites, and to half the tribe of Menashsheh.
9 “Therefore you shall guard the words of this covenant, and do them, so that you prosper in all that you do.
10 “All of you are standing today before יהוה your Elohim: your leaders, your tribes, your elders and your officers, all the men of Yisra’ĕl,
11 your little ones, your wives, and your sojourner who is in the midst of your camp, from the one who cuts your wood to the one who draws your water,
12 so that you should enter into covenant with יהוה your Elohim, and into His oath, which יהוה your Elohim makes with you today,
13 in order to establish you today as a people for Himself, and He Himself be your Elohim, as He has spoken to you, and as He has sworn to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Ya‛aqoḇ.
14 “And not with you alone I am making this covenant and this oath,
15 but with him who stands here with us today before יהוה our Elohim, as well as with him who is not here with us today.
16 “For you know how we dwelt in the land of Mitsrayim and how we passed through the nations which you passed through,
17 and you saw their abominations and their idols, wood and stone, silver and gold, which were with them,
18 lest there should be among you a man or woman or clan or tribe, whose heart turns away today from יהוה our Elohim, to go and serve the mighty ones of these nations, lest there should be among you a root bearing bitterness or wormwood.
19 “And it shall be, when he hears the words of this curse, that he should bless himself in his heart, saying, ‘I have peace though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart,’ in order to add drunkenness to thirst.
20 “יהוה would not forgive him, but rather, the displeasure of יהוה and His jealousy shall burn against that man, and every curse that is written in this book shall settle on him, and יהוה shall blot out his name from under the heavens.
21 “And יהוה shall separate him for evil, out of all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl, according to all the curses of the covenant that are written in this Book of the Torah.
22 “And the generation to come of your children who rise up after you, and the foreigner who comes from a far land, shall say when they see the plagues of that land and the sicknesses which יהוה has sent into it:
23 ‘All its land is sulphur, salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor does it bear, nor does any grass grow there, like the overthrow of Seḏom and Amorah, Aḏmah and Tseḇoyim, which יהוה overthrew in His displeasure and His wrath.’
24 “And all nations shall say, ‘Why has יהוה done so to this land? What does the heat of this great displeasure mean?’
25 “And it shall be said, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of יהוה Elohim of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Mitsrayim.
26 ‘And they went and served other mighty ones and bowed themselves to them, mighty ones that they did not know and that He had not given to them,
27 therefore the displeasure of יהוה burned against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book.
28 ‘And יהוה uprooted them from their land in displeasure, and in wrath, and in great rage, and cast them into another land, as it is today.’
29 “The secret matters belong to יהוה our Elohim, but what is revealed belongs to us and to our children forever, to do all the Words of this Torah.
HABAKKUK 1-2
1 | 1 The message which the prophet Ḥaḇaqquq saw.
2 O יהוה, till when shall I cry, and You not hear? I cry to You, “Violence!” and You do not save.
3 Why do You show me wickedness, and cause me to see perversity? For ruin and violence are before me. And there is strife, and contention arises.
4 Therefore the Torah ceases, and right-ruling never goes forth. For the wrong hem in the righteous, so that right-ruling comes out twisted.
5 “Look among the nations and see, and be amazed, be amazed! For a work is being wrought in your days which you would not believe if it were told.
6 “See, I am raising up the Chaldeans, a bitter and hasty nation, who is going through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
7 “They are frightening and fearsome, their right-ruling and their exaltation proceed from themselves.
8 “Their horses shall be swifter than leopards, and more fierce than evening wolves. And their horsemen shall charge ahead, and their horsemen come from afar. They fly as the eagle, rushing to eat.
9 “All of them come for violence, the direction of their faces is like the east wind, and they gather captives like sand.
10 “And they scoff at sovereigns, and princes are a laughing matter to them. They laugh at every stronghold, for they pile up earth and seize it.
11 “Then shall he pass on as a wind, and transgress and be guilty, and ascribe this power to his mighty one.”
12 Are You not from everlasting, O יהוה my Elohim, my Set-apart One? You do not die! O יהוה, You have appointed them for right-ruling, O Rock, You have established them for reproof.
13 You, whose eyes are too clean to see evil, You are not able to look on wrong. Why do You look on those who act treacherously – keep silent when the wrong devours one more righteous than he?
14 And would You make men like fish of the sea, like creeping creatures that have no ruler over them?
15 The wicked foe has pulled all of them up with a hook, caught them in his net, and gathers them in his dragnet. Therefore he rejoices and exults.
16 Therefore he offers to his net, and burns incense to his dragnet, for by them is his portion fat and his food is rich.
17 Is he therefore to keep on emptying his net, and slaying nations without sparing?
2 | 1 I stand at my watch, and station myself on the watch-tower, and wait to see what He says to me, and what to answer when I am reproved.
2 And יהוה answered me and said, “Write the vision and inscribe it on tablets, so that he who reads it runs.
3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, and it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it lingers, wait for it, for it shall certainly come, it shall not delay.
4 “See, he whose being is not upright in him is puffed up. But the righteous one lives by his steadfastness.
5 “And also, because wine betrays him, a man is proud, and he does not stay at home. Because he enlarges his appetite as the grave, and he is like death, and is not satisfied, and gathers to himself all nations and heaps up for himself all peoples.
6 “Shall not all these lift up a proverb against him, and a mocking riddle against him, and say, ‘Woe to him who increases what is not his! Till when is he to load on himself many pledges’?
7 “Do not your creditors rise up suddenly? And those who make you tremble wake up and you be plunder for them?
8 “Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the people shall plunder you, because of men’s blood, and doing violence to the land, to the city, and to all who dwell in it.
9 “Woe to him who is getting evil gain for his house, in order to set his nest on high, to escape the clutches of evil!
10 “You have counselled shame for your house, to cut off many peoples, and your being is sinning.
11 “For a stone from the wall cries out, and a beam from the timbers answers it.
12 “Woe to him who builds a town by blood, and establishes a city by unrighteousness!
13 “See, it is not from יהוה of hosts that peoples labour only for fire, and nations weary themselves for naught,
14 for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the esteem of יהוה, as the waters cover the seas!
15 “Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbour, pouring out your wineskin, and also making him drunk – in order to look on their nakedness!
16 “You shall be filled with shame instead of esteem. Drink, you too, and be exposed as uncircumcised! The cup of the right hand of יהוה shall come around to you, and great shame upon your esteem.
17 “For the violence done to Leḇanon is to overwhelm you – and the ravaging of beasts by which you made them afraid – because of men’s blood and the violence to the land, to the city and of all who dwell in it.
18 “Of what use shall a carved image be? For its maker has carved it: a moulded image and teacher of falsehood! For the maker trusts what he has made: to make dumb idols!
19 “Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Awake!’ to silent stone, ‘Arise!’ Is it a teacher? See, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no spirit at all inside it.
20 “But יהוה is in His set-apart Hĕḵal. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
1 SAMUEL 28-29
28 | 1 And it came to be in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies for battle, to fight with Yisra’ĕl. And Aḵish said to Dawiḏ, “You know, of course, that you are to go out with me in the army, you and your men.”
2 And Dawiḏ said to Aḵish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant should do.” And Aḵish said to Dawiḏ, “Very well, I make you one of my chief guardians forever.”
3 And Shemu’ĕl had died, and all Yisra’ĕl had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Sha’ul had put away the mediums and the spiritists from the land.
4 And the Philistines were gathered, and came and encamped at Shunĕm. And Sha’ul gathered all Yisra’ĕl, and they encamped at Gilboa.
5 And when Sha’ul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
6 And Sha’ul inquired of יהוה, but יהוה did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.
7 Sha’ul then said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, to go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Look, there is a woman who is a medium at Ěn Dor.”
8 And Sha’ul disguised himself and put on other garments, and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Please divine for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name.”
9 But the woman said to him, “Look, you know what Sha’ul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to put me to death?”
10 And Sha’ul swore to her by יהוה, saying, “As יהוה lives, no punishment comes upon you for this matter.”
11 And the woman said, “Whom do I bring up for you?” So he said, “Bring up Shemu’ĕl for me.”
12 And when the woman saw Shemu’ĕl, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Sha’ul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? You yourself are Sha’ul!”
13 And the sovereign said to her, “Do not be afraid. What did you see?” And the woman said to Sha’ul, “I saw a spirit coming up out of the earth.”
14 And he said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.” And Sha’ul knew that it was Shemu’ĕl, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did obeisance.
15 And Shemu’ĕl said to Sha’ul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Sha’ul answered, “I am deeply distressed, for the Philistines are fighting against me, and Elohim has turned aside from me and does not answer me any more, neither by prophets nor by dreams. So I have called you, to reveal to me what I should do.”
16 Then Shemu’ĕl said, “And why do you ask me, seeing יהוה has turned aside from you and has become your enemy?
17 “And יהוה has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For יהוה has torn the reign out of your hand and given it to your neighbour, to Dawiḏ.
18 “Because you did not obey the voice of יהוה nor execute His burning wrath upon Amalĕq, therefore יהוה has done this matter to you today.
19 “Further, יהוה also gives Yisra’ĕl with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons are with me. יהוה also gives the army of Yisra’ĕl into the hand of the Philistines.”
20 And immediately Sha’ul fell on the ground, his complete length, and greatly feared because of the words of Shemu’ĕl. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night.
21 And the woman came to Sha’ul and saw that he had been greatly disturbed, and said to him, “See, your female servant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and has listened to the words which you spoke to me.
22 “And now, please listen to the voice of your female servant too, and let me set a piece of bread before you. And eat, so that you have strength when you go on your way.”
23 But he refused and said, “I am not going to eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him. And he listened to their voice. So he rose from the ground and sat on the bed.
24 And the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it.
25 And she brought it before Sha’ul and his servants. And they ate, and rose up and went away that night.
29 | 1 And the Philistines gathered all their armies at Aphĕq, while Yisra’ĕl encamped by a fountain which is in Yizre‛ĕl.
2 And the princes of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and Dawiḏ and his men were passing on in the rear with Aḵish.
3 And the princes of the Philistines said, “Who are these Heḇrews?” And Aḵish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not Dawiḏ, the servant of Sha’ul sovereign of Yisra’ĕl, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no evil in him since he came over.”
4 But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him, and the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, let him return to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he appease his master, if not with the heads of these men?
5 “Is this not Dawiḏ, of whom they sang to each other in dances, saying, ‘Sha’ul smote his thousands, and Dawiḏ his ten thousands’?”
6 And Aḵish called Dawiḏ and said to him, “As יהוה lives, you have been straight, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my eyes. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. But in the eyes of the princes you are not good.
7 “And now, return, and go in peace, and do no evil in the eyes of the princes of the Philistines.”
8 And Dawiḏ said to Aḵish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my master the sovereign?”
9 But Aḵish answered and said to Dawiḏ, “I know that you are as good in my eyes as a messenger of Elohim, but the princes of the Philistines have said, ‘Let him not go up with us to the battle.’
10 “And now, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, then go.”
11 And Dawiḏ and his men rose up early to go in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Yizre‛ĕl.
PHILIPPIANS 1-2
1 | 1 Sha’ul and Timothy, servants of יהושע Messiah, to all the set-apart ones in Messiah יהושע who are in Philippi, with the overseers and attendants:
2 Favour to you and peace from Elohim our Father and the Master יהושע Messiah.
3 I thank my Elohim in all my remembrance of you.
4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy,
5 for your fellowship in the Good News from the first day until now,
6 being persuaded of this, that He who has begun a good work in you shall perfecta it until the day of יהושע Messiah.
7 It is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, all of you being sharers of the favour with me, both in my chains and in the defence and confirmation of the Good News.
8 For Elohim is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of יהושע Messiah.
9 And this I pray, that your love might extend more and more in knowledge and all discernment,
10 for you to examine the matters that differ, in order to be sincere, and not stumbling, until the day of Messiah,
11 being filled with the fruit of righteousness,a through יהושע Messiah, to the esteem and praise of Elohim.
12 And I wish you to know, brothers, that what has befallen me has turned out for the advancement of the Good News,
13 so that it has become known to all the palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Messiah;
14 and most of the brothers, trusting in the Master because of my chains, are much more bold to fearlessly speak the word.
15 Some indeed proclaim Messiah even from envy and strife, but some also out of pleasure –
16 the former announce Messiah from selfish ambition, not sincerely, thinking to add distress to my chains,
17 but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defence of the Good News.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Messiah is announced. And in this I rejoice, in fact, I shall rejoice.
19 For I know that this shall turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of יהושע Messiah,
20 according to my intense longing and anticipation that I shall not be ashamed at all, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Messiah shall be made great in my body, whether by life or by death.
21 For to me, to live is Messiah, and to die is gain.
22 And if to live in the flesh is to me a fruit of work, then what shall I choose? I do not know.
23 For I am pressed down by the two, having a desire to depart and be with Messiah, which is much better,
24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
25 And being persuaded of this, I know that I shall stay and continue with you all, for your progress and joy of belief,
26 so that your boasting might overflow in יהושע Messiah on account of me, through my coming to you again.
27 Only, behave yourselves worthily of the Good News of Messiah, in order that whether I come and see you or am absent, I hear about you, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one being, striving together for the belief of the Good News,
28 without being frightened in any way by those who oppose, which to them truly is a proof of destruction, but to you of deliverance, and that from Elohim.
29 Because to you it has been given as a favour, on behalf of Messiah, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 having the same struggle which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.
2 | 1 If, then, there is any encouragement in Messiah, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, one in being and of purpose,
3 doing none at all through selfishness or self-conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
4 Each one should look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 For, let this mind be in you which was also in Messiah יהושע,
6 who, being in the form of Elohim, did not regard equality with Elohim a matter to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and came to be in the likeness of men.
8 And having been found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, death even of a stake.
9 Elohim, therefore, has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name,
10 that at the Name of יהושע every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and every tongue should confess that יהושע Messiah is Master, to the esteem of Elohim the Father.
12 So that, my beloved, as you always obeyed – not only in my presence, but now much rather in my absence – work out your own deliverance with fear and trembling,
13 for it is Elohim who is working in youa both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.
14 Do all matters without grumblings and disputings,
15 in order that you be blameless and faultless, children of Elohim without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding on to the Word of life, for a boast to me in the day of Messiah, that I have not run in vain or laboured in vain.
17 In fact, even if I am being poured out as a drink offering on the offering and service of your belief, I am glad and rejoice with you all.
18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
19 But I trust in the Master יהושע to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I too am encouraged by news from you.
20 For I have no one else of the same mind, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.
21 For all seek their own interests, not those of Messiah יהושע.
22 But you know he has proven himself, that as a son with his father he served with me for the Good News.
23 So I expect to send him as soon as I see how it goes with me,
24 and I trust in the Master that I myself shall also come shortly.
25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditos, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, and your emissary and servant to my need,
26 since he was longing for you all, and being troubled because you had heard that he was sick.
27 For indeed he was sick, near to death, but Elohim had compassion on him, and not only on him but on me as well, lest I should have sadness upon sadness.
28 Therefore I sent him more eagerly, so that on seeing him again you might rejoice, and I be less sad.
29 Receive him therefore in the Master with all joy, and hold such as he in esteem,
30 because for the work of Messiah he was near death, risking his life, to fill up what was lacking in your service toward me.
Job 40
40 | 1 And יהוה answered Iyoḇ, and said,
2 “Should a reprover contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves Eloah answer it.”
3 And Iyoḇ answered יהוה and said,
4 “See, I am insignificant, what would I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.
5 Once I have spoken, but I have no answer – and twice, but I say no more.”
6 Then יהוה answered Iyoḇ out of the whirlwind, and said,
7 “Now gird up your loins like a man; I ask you, and you answer Me.
8 Would you also set aside My judgment? Would you pronounce Me wrong, and you be declared righteous?
9 Or do you have an arm like Ěl? Or do you thunder with a voice like His?
10 Deck yourself, please, with excellency and grandeur, and put on esteem and splendour.
11 Scatter abroad the rage of your wrath, and look on everyone who is proud and bring him low.
12 Look on everyone who is proud, humble him. And tread down the wrong-doers in their place.
13 Hide them in the dust together, bind their faces in obscurity.
14 Then even I would confess to you that your own right hand does save you.
15 See now, Behĕmoth, which I made along with you – he eats grass like an ox.
16 See now, his strength is in his loins, and his power is in his stomach muscles.
17 He bends his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are like tubes of bronze, his ribs like bars of iron.
19 He is the beginning of the ways of Ěl. His Maker brings near His sword.
20 For the mountains yield food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there.
21 He lies under the slender trees, under cover of reed and swamp.
22 The slender trees cover him with their shade; the willows by the stream surround him.
23 See, if a river rages, he is not alarmed; he feels safe, even if the Yardĕn gushes into his mouth,
24 Before his eyes, shall he be caught, with snares? Or his nose pierced?
2 Baruk 57-62
(CEPHER TRANSLATION)
57 | 1 And after these waters you did see bright waters: this is the fount of Avraham, also his generations and advent of his son, and of his son’s son, and of those like them
2 Because at that time the unwritten Torah was named amongst them; and the works of the commandments were then fulfilled; and belief in the coming judgement was then generated and hope of the world that was to be renewed was then built up; and the promise of the life that should come hereafter was implanted.
3 These are the bright waters which you have seen.
58 | 1 And the black third waters which you have seen, these are the mingling of all sins, which the nations afterwards wrought after the death of those righteous men, and the wickedness of the land of Mitsrayim, wherein they did wickedly in the service wherewith they made their sons to serve.
2 Nevertheless, these also perished at last.
59 | 1 And the bright fourth waters which you have seen are the advent of Mosheh and Aharon and Miryam and Yahusha the son of Nun and Kalev and of all those like them.
2 For at that time the lamp of the eternal Torah shone on all those who sat in darkness, which announced to them that believe the promise of their reward, and to them that deny, the torment of fire which is reserved for them.
3 But also the heavens at that time were shaken from their place, and those who were under the throne of EL ELOHIYM were perturbed, when he was taking Mosheh unto himself.
4 For he showed him many admonitions together with the principles of the Torah and the consummation of the times, as also to you, and likewise the pattern of Tslyon and its measures, in the pattern of which the sanctuary of the present time was to be made.
5 But then also he showed to him the measures of the fire, also the depths of the abyss, and the weight of the winds, and the number of the drops of rain:
6 And the suppression of anger, and the multitude of long-suffering, and the truth of judgment:
7 And the root of wisdom, and the riches of understanding, and the fount of knowledge:
8 And the height of the air, and the greatness of Paradise, and the consummation of the ages, and the beginning of the day of judgment:
9 And the number of the offerings, and the earths which have not yet come:
10 And the mouth of She’ol, and the station of vengeance, and the place of belief, and the region of hope:
11 And the likeness of future torment, and the multitude of innumerable angels, and the flaming hosts, and the splendour of the lightning and the voice of the thunders, and the orders of t eh chiefs of the angels, and the treasuries of light, and the changes of times, and the investigations of the Torah.
12 Theses are the bright fourth waters which you have seen.
60 | 1 And the black fifth waters which you have seen raining are the works which Emoriym wrought, and the spells of their incantations which they wrought, and the wickedness of their mysteries, and the mingling of their pollution.
2 But even Yashar’el was then polluted by sins in the days of the judges, through they saw many signs which were from him who made them.
61 | 1 And the bright sixth waters which you did see, this is the time in which David and Shalomah were born.
2 And there was at that time the building of Tsiyon, and the dedication of the sanctuary, and the shedding of much blood of the nations that sinned then, and many offerings which were offered them in the dedication of the sanctuary.
3 And peace and tranquility existed at that time, and wisdom was heard in the assembly:
4 And the riches of understanding were magnified in the assemblies,
5 And the holy feasts were fulfilled in blessedness and in much joy.
6 And the judgment of the rulers was then seen to be without guile, and the righteousness of the precepts of EL ELOHIYM was accomplished with truth.
7 And the land which was then beloved by YAHUAH, and because its inhabitants sinned not, it was glorified beyond all lands, and the city Tsiyon ruled then over all lands and regions.
8 These are the bright waters which you have seen.
62 | 1 And the black seventh waters which you have seen, this is the perversion brought about y the counsel of Yarov’am, who took counsel to make two calves of gold:
2 And all the iniquities which kings who were after him iniquitously wrought.
3 And the curse of Iyzebl and the worship of idols which Yashar’el practiced at that time.
4 And the withholding of rain, and the famines which occurred until women eat the fruit of their wombs.
5 And the time of their captivity which came upon the nine tribes and a half, because they were in many sins.
6 And Shalman’ecer king of Ashshur came and led them away captive.
7 But regarding the other nations it were tedious to tell how they always wrought impiety and wickedness, and never wrought righteousness.
8 These are the black seventh waters which you have seen.
Thank you for joining us as we read through the entire WORD of GOD! As for me and My House, we will serve the LORD.
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