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Beit Midrash

Study of the Holy Word

Posts by Wayne Coots

Ki Tetze | כי תצא | “When You Go Forth”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Ki Teitzei, Ki Tetzei, Ki Tetse, Ki Thetze, Ki Tese, Ki Tetzey, or Ki Seitzei (כִּי־תֵצֵא — Hebrew for “when you go,” the first words in the parashah) is the 49th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual cycle of Torah reading and the sixth in the Book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19. The parashah is made up of 5,856 Hebrew letters, 1,582 Hebrew words, and 110 verses, and can occupy about 213 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).

Torah: Deuteronomy 21:10 – 25:19

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 21:10-21:21

Deu 21:10  “When you go out to fight against your enemies, and יהוה your Elohim shall give them into your hand, and you shall take them captive,

Deu 21:11  and shall see among the captives a woman fair of form, and shall delight in her and take her for your wife,

Deu 21:12  then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails,

Deu 21:13  and put aside the mantle of her captivity, and shall dwell in your house, and mourn her father and her mother a month of days. And after that you shall go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife.

Deu 21:14  “And it shall be, if you are not pleased with her, then you shall let her go at her desire, but you do not sell her at all for silver. Do not treat her harshly, since you have humbled her.

Deu 21:15  “When a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and they have borne him children, both the loved and the unloved, and the first-born son is of her who is unloved,

Deu 21:16  then it shall be, on the day he makes his sons to inherit his possessions, he is not allowed to treat the son of the beloved wife as first-born in the face of the son of the unloved, who is truly the first-born.

Deu 21:17  “But he is to acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the first-born by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength – the right of the first-born is his.

Deu 21:18  “When a man has a wayward and rebellious son who is not listening to the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have disciplined him, does not listen to them,

Deu 21:19  then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city,

Deu 21:20  and shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is wayward and rebellious. He is not listening to our voice, he is a glutton and a drunkard.’

Deu 21:21  “Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst. And let all Yisra’ĕl hear, and fear.

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah) Devarim 21:22-22:7

Deu 21:22  “And when a man has committed a sin worthy of death, then he shall be put to death and you shall hang him on a tree.

Deu 21:23  “Let his body not remain overnight on the tree, for you shall certainly bury him the same day – for he who is hanged is accursed of Elohim – so that you do not defile the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance.

Deu 22:1  “When you see your brother’s ox or his sheep going straying away, you shall not hide yourself from them. Return them to your brother without fail.

Deu 22:2  “And if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it to your own house, and it shall be with you until your brother seeks it, then you shall return it to him.

Deu 22:3  “And so you do with his donkey, and so you do with his garment, and so you do with whatever your brother loses, which he has lost and you have found. You are not allowed to hide yourself.

Deu 22:4  “When you see your brother’s donkey or his ox fall down on the way, you shall not hide yourself from them. Help him raise them without fail.

Deu 22:5  “A woman does not wear that which pertains to a man, nor does a man put on a woman’s garment, for whoever does this is an abomination to יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 22:6  “When you come upon a bird’s nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, do not take the mother with the young –

Deu 22:7  let the mother go without fail, and take the young for yourself, so that it might be well with you, and that you shall prolong your days.

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 22:8-23:7

Deu 22:8  “When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you do not bring blood-guilt on your house when one falls from it.

Deu 22:9  “Do not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled.

Deu 22:10  “Do not plough with an ox and a donkey together.

Deu 22:11  “Do not put on a garment of different kinds, of wool and linen together.

Deu 22:12  “Make tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself.

Deu 22:13  “When any man takes a wife, and shall go in to her, and shall hate her,

Deu 22:14  and shall make abusive charges against her and bring an evil name on her and say, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I did not find her a maiden,’

Deu 22:15  then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the proof of the girl’s maidenhood to the elders of the city at the gate.

Deu 22:16  “And the girl’s father shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he hates her.

Deu 22:17  ‘And see, he has made abusive charges against her, saying, “I did not find your daughter a maiden,” and yet these are the proofs of my daughter’s maidenhood.’ And they shall spread the garment before the elders of the city.

Deu 22:18  “And the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him,

Deu 22:19  and fine him one hundred pieces of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought an evil name on a maiden of Yisra’ĕl. And she is to be his wife, he is not allowed to put her away all his days.

Deu 22:20  “But if the matter is true, that the girl was not found a maiden,

Deu 22:21  then they shall bring out the girl to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done wickedness in Yisra’ĕl, to whore in her father’s house. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Deu 22:22  “When a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman. Thus you shall purge the evil from Yisra’ĕl.

Deu 22:23  “When a girl who is a maiden is engaged to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her,

Deu 22:24  then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and shall stone them to death with stones, the girl because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he has humbled his neighbour’s wife. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Deu 22:25  “But if a man finds the girl who is engaged in the field, and the man seizes her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die.

Deu 22:26  “But you shall do no matter to the girl. The girl has no sin worthy of death – for the matter is like a man who rises against his neighbour and kills him –

Deu 22:27  for he found her in the field, and she cried out, the engaged girl, but without anyone to save her.

Deu 22:28  “When a man finds a girl who is a maiden, who is not engaged, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out,

Deu 22:29  then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty pieces of silver, and she is to be his wife because he has humbled her. He is not allowed to put her away all his days.

Deu 22:30  “A man does not take his father’s wife, nor uncover his father’s skirt.

Deu 23:1  “No one wounded, crushed or whose member is cut off does enter the assembly of יהוה.

Deu 23:2  “No one of illegitimate birth does enter the assembly of יהוה, even a tenth generation of his does not enter the assembly of יהוה.

Deu 23:3  “An Ammonite or Mo’aḇite does not enter the assembly of יהוה, even a tenth generation of them does not ever enter the assembly of יהוה,

Deu 23:4  because they did not meet you with bread and water on the way when you came out of Mitsrayim, and because they hired against you Bilʽam son of Beʽor from Pethor of Aram Naharayim, to curse you.

Deu 23:5  “But יהוה your Elohim refused to listen to Bilʽam, and יהוה your Elohim turned the curse into a blessing for you, because יהוה your Elohim loves you.

Deu 23:6  “Do not seek their peace nor their good, all your days, forever.

Deu 23:7  “Do not loathe an Eḏomite, for he is your brother. Do not loathe a Mitsrite, because you were a stranger in his land.

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 23:8-23:24

Deu 23:8  “The children of the third generation born to them do enter the assembly of יהוה.

Deu 23:9  “When the army goes out against your enemies, then you shall guard yourself from every evil matter.

Deu 23:10  “When there is any man among you who is not clean because of an emission in the night, then he shall go outside the camp. Let him not come into the midst of the camp.

Deu 23:11  “And it shall be, when evening comes, that he bathes with water. And when the sun sets let him come into the midst of the camp.

Deu 23:12  “And you shall have a place outside the camp, where you shall go out,

Deu 23:13  and you shall have a sharp implement among your equipment, and when you sit down outside, you shall dig with it and turn and cover your excrement.

Deu 23:14  “For יהוה your Elohim walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you and give your enemies over to you. Therefore your camp shall be set-apart, so that He does not see unclean matter among you, and shall turn away from you.

Deu 23:15  “You do not hand over to his master the slave who has escaped from his master to you.

Deu 23:16  “Let him dwell with you in your midst, in the place which he chooses within one of your gates, where it is pleasing to him. Do not oppress him.

Deu 23:17  “None of the daughters of Yisra’ĕl is to be a cult prostitute, nor any of the sons of Yisra’ĕl be a cult prostitute.

Deu 23:18  “Do not bring the gift of a whore or the pay of a dog to the House of יהוה your Elohim for any vowed offering, for both of these are an abomination to יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 23:19  “Do not lend at interest to your brother, interest of silver, interest of food, or interest of whatever is lent at interest.

Deu 23:20  “To a foreigner you lend at interest, but to your brother you do not lend at interest, so that יהוה your Elohim might bless you in all that you put your hand to in the land which you are entering to possess.

Deu 23:21  “When you make a vow to יהוה your Elohim, do not delay to pay it, for יהוה your Elohim is certainly requiring it of you, and it shall be sin in you.

Deu 23:22  “But when you abstain from vowing, it is not sin in you.

Deu 23:23  “That which has gone from your lips you shall guard and do, for you voluntarily vowed to יהוה your Elohim what you have promised with your mouth.

Deu 23:24  “When you come into your neighbour’s vineyard, you shall eat to the satisfaction of your desire, but do not put any in a receptacle of yours.

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 23:25-24:4

Deu 23:25  “When you come into your neighbour’s standing grain, you shall pluck the heads with your hand, but do not use a sickle on your neighbour’s standing grain.

Deu 24:1  “When a man takes a wife and shall marry her, then it shall be, if she finds no favour in his eyes because he has found a matter of uncoveredness in her, and he shall write her a certificate of divorce, and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house,

Deu 24:2  and if she left his house and went and became another man’s wife,

Deu 24:3  and the latter husband shall hate her and write her a certificate of divorce, and put it in her hand, and send her out of his house, or when the latter husband dies who took her to be his wife,

Deu 24:4  then her former husband who sent her away is not allowed to take her back to be his wife after she has been defiled, for that would be an abomination before יהוה. And do not bring sin on the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance.

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 24:5-24:13

Deu 24:5  “When a man has taken a new wife, let him not go out into the army nor let any matter be imposed upon him. He shall be exempt one year for the sake of his home, to rejoice with his wife whom he has taken.

Deu 24:6  “No one takes in pledge the lower or the upper millstone, for he would be taking a life in pledge.

Deu 24:7  “When a man is found kidnapping any of his brothers of the children of Yisra’ĕl, and treats him harshly or sells him, then that kidnapper shall die. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Deu 24:8  “Take heed, in an outbreak of leprosy, to diligently guard and do according to all that the priests, the Lĕwites, teach you. As I have commanded them, so you shall guard to do.

Deu 24:9  “Remember what יהוה your Elohim did to Miryam on the way when you came out of Mitsrayim.

Deu 24:10  “When you lend your brother a loan, do not go into his house to get his pledge.

Deu 24:11  “Stand outside, and let the man to whom you lend bring the pledge out to you.

Deu 24:12  “And if the man is poor, do not sleep with his pledge.

Deu 24:13  “By all means return the pledge to him at sundown, and he shall sleep in his own garment, and shall bless you. And it shall be righteousness to you before יהוה your Elohim.

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 24:14-25:19

Deu 24:14  “Do not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, of your brothers or of the strangers who is in your land within your gates.

Deu 24:15  “Give him his wages on the same day, and do not let the sun go down on it, for he is poor and lifts up his being to it, so that he does not cry out against you to יהוה, and it shall be sin in you.

Deu 24:16  “Fathers are not put to death for their children, and children are not put to death for their fathers, each is to die for his own sin.

Deu 24:17  “Do not twist the right-ruling of a stranger or the fatherless, nor take the garment of a widow.

Deu 24:18  “But you shall remember that you were a slave in Mitsrayim, and that יהוה your Elohim redeemed you from there. Therefore I am commanding you to do this word.

Deu 24:19  “When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, do not go back to get it. Let it be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow, so that יהוה your Elohim might bless you in all the work of your hands.

Deu 24:20  “When you beat your olive trees, do not examine the branch behind you. Let it be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

Deu 24:21  “When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean behind you. Let it be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow.

Deu 24:22  “And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Mitsrayim. Therefore I am commanding you to do this word.

Deu 25:1  “When there is a dispute between men, then they shall come unto judgment, and they shall be judged, and the righteous declared righteous and the wrongdoer declared wrong.

Deu 25:2  “And it shall be, if the wrongdoer is to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of blows according to his wrong.

Deu 25:3  “Forty blows he gives him but no more, lest he beat him with many more blows than these, and your brother be degraded before your eyes.

Deu 25:4  “Do not muzzle an ox while it is threshing.

Deu 25:5  “When brothers dwell together, and one of them has died, and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not become a stranger’s outside. Her husband’s brother does go in to her, and shall take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.

Deu 25:6  “And it shall be that the first-born son which she bears does rise up for the name of his dead brother, so that his name is not blotted out of Yisra’ĕl.

Deu 25:7  “But if the man does not desire to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate to the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Yisra’ĕl, he does not agree to perform the duty of my husband’s brother.’

Deu 25:8  “The elders of his city shall then call him and speak to him, and he shall stand and say, ‘I have no desire to take her,’

Deu 25:9  then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and remove his sandal from his foot, and shall spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘Thus it is done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.’

Deu 25:10  “And in Yisra’ĕl his name shall be called, ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’

Deu 25:11  “When men fight with one another, and the wife of one shall draw near to rescue her husband from the hand of the one attacking him, and shall put out her hand and seize him by the genitals,

Deu 25:12  then you shall cut off her hand – your eye does not pardon.

Deu 25:13  “You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light.

Deu 25:14  “You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small.

Deu 25:15  “You shall have a perfect and right weight, a perfect and right measure, so that they prolong your days on the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.

Deu 25:16  “For all who do these, and all who do unrighteously, are an abomination to יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 25:17  “Remember what Amalĕq did to you on the way as you were coming out of Mitsrayim,

Deu 25:18  how he met you on the way and attacked your back, all the feeble ones in your rear, when you were tired and weary. And he did not fear Elohim.

Deu 25:19  “Therefore it shall be, when יהוה your Elohim has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you blot out the remembrance of Amalĕq from under the heavens. Do not forget!

Prophets: Isaiah 52:13 – 54:10

Isa 52:13  See, My Servant shall work wisely, He shall be exalted and lifted up and very high.

Isa 52:14  As many were astonished at You – so the disfigurement beyond any man’s and His form beyond the sons of men –

Isa 52:15  He shall likewise startle many nations. Sovereigns shut their mouths at Him, for what had not been recounted to them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall understand.

Isa 53:1  Who has believed our report? And to whom was the arm of יהוה revealed?

Isa 53:2  For He grew up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or splendour that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should desire Him –

Isa 53:3  despised and rejected by men, a man of pains and knowing sickness. And as one from whom the face is hidden, being despised, and we did not consider Him.

Isa 53:4  Truly, He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains. Yet we reckoned Him stricken, smitten by Elohim, and afflicted.

Isa 53:5  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our crookednesses. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.

Isa 53:6  We all, like sheep, went astray, each one of us has turned to his own way. And יהוה has laid on Him the crookedness of us all.

Isa 53:7  He was oppressed and He was afflicted, but He did not open His mouth. He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, but He did not open His mouth.

Isa 53:8  He was taken from prison and from judgment. And as for His generation, who considered that He shall be cut off from the land of the living? For the transgression of My people He was stricken.

Isa 53:9  And He was appointed a grave with the wrong, and with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was deceit in His mouth1. Footnote: 1See 1 Peter 2:22.

Isa 53:10  But יהוה was pleased to crush Him, He laid sickness on Him, that when He made Himself an offering for guilt, He would see a seed, He would prolong His days and the pleasure of יהוה prosper in His hand.

Isa 53:11  He would see the result of the suffering of His life and be satisfied. Through His knowledge My righteous Servant makes many righteous, and He bears their crookednesses.

Isa 53:12  Therefore I give Him a portion among the great, and He divides the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His being unto death, and He was counted with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Isa 54:1  “Sing, O barren one, you who did not bear! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not been in labour! For the children of the deserted one are more than the children of the married woman,” said יהוה.

Isa 54:2  “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not. Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.

Isa 54:3  “For you shall break forth to the right and to the left, and your seed inherit the nations, and make the deserted cities inhabited.

Isa 54:4  “Do not fear, for you shall not be put to shame, nor hurt, you shall not be humiliated. For the shame of your youth you shall forget, and not remember the reproach of your widowhood any more.

Isa 54:5  “For your Maker is your husband, יהוה of hosts is His Name, and the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl is your Redeemer. He is called the Elohim of all the earth.

Isa 54:6  “For יהוה has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when you were refused,” declares your Elohim.

Isa 54:7  “For a little while I have forsaken you, but with great compassion I shall gather you.

Isa 54:8  “In an overflow of wrath I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I shall have compassion on you,” said יהוה, your Redeemer.

Isa 54:9  “For this is the waters of Noaḥ to Me, in that I have sworn that the waters of Noaḥ would never again cover the earth, so have I sworn not to be wroth with you, nor to rebuke you.

Isa 54:10  “For though the mountains be removed and the hills be shaken, My kindness is not removed from you, nor is My covenant of peace shaken,” said יהוה, who has compassion on you.

Brit Hadasha: Matthew 5:31-32

Mat 5:31  “And it has been said, ‘Whoever puts away his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ Deu_24:1. 

Mat 5:32  “But I say to you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the matter of whoring,h makes her commit adultery. And whoever marries a woman who has been put away commits adultery. Footnote: hSee also Mat_19:9 and Deu_24:1. 

Matthew 19:3-12

Mat 19:3  And the Pharisees came to Him, trying Him, and saying to Him, “Is it right for a man to put away his wife for every reason?” 

Mat 19:4  And He answering, said to them, “Did you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, Gen_1:27; Gen_5:2. 

Mat 19:5  and said, ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? Gen_2:24. 

Mat 19:6  “So that they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what Elohim has joined together, let man not separate.” 

Mat 19:7  They said to Him, “Why then did Mosheh command to give a certificate of divorce, Deu_24:1, Deu_24:3 and to put her away?” 

Mat 19:8  He said to them, “Because of the hardness of your hearts, Mosheh allowed you to put away your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 

Mat 19:9  “And I say to you, whoever puts away his wife, except on the ground of whoring, and marries another, commits adultery. And whoever marries her who has been put away commits adultery.”a Footnote: aSee footnote Mat_5:32. 

Mat 19:10  His taught ones said to Him, “If such is the case of the man with his wife, it is good not to marry.” 

Mat 19:11  And He said to them, “Not all receive this word, but only those to whom it has been given, 

Mat 19:12  for there are eunuchs who were so born from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the reign of the heavens. He who is able to receive it, let him receive it.” 

Matthew 22:23-32

Mat 22:23  On that day Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, 

Mat 22:24  saying, “Teacher, Mosheh said that if anyone should die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise offspring for his brother. Deu_25:5. 

Mat 22:25  “And there were with us seven brothers, and the first died after he had married, and having no children, left his wife to his brother. 

Mat 22:26  “In the same way the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. 

Mat 22:27  “And last of all the woman died too. 

Mat 22:28  “At the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven shall she be – for all had her?” 

Mat 22:29  And יהושע answering, said to them, “You go astray, not knowing the Scripturesc nor the power of Elohim. Footnote: c Mar_12:24. 

Mat 22:30  “For in the resurrection they do not marry, nor are they given in marriage, but are as messengers of Elohim in heaven. 

Mat 22:31  “And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by Elohim, saying, 

Mat 22:32  ‘I am the Elohim of Aḇraham, and the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Ya‛aqoḇ’? Exo_3:6. Elohim is not the Elohim of the dead, but of the living.” 

Luke 23:1-25

Luk 23:1  And the entire assembly of them, having risen up, led Him to Pilate, 

Luk 23:2  and began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this one perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Messiah, a Sovereign.” 

Luk 23:3  And Pilate asked Him, saying, “Are You the Sovereign of the Yehuḏim?” And answering him He said, “You say it.” 

Luk 23:4  And Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowd, “I find no guilt in this Man.” 

Luk 23:5  But they were insisting, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching through all Yehuḏah, beginning from Galil unto this place.” 

Luk 23:6  And when Pilate heard of Galil, he asked if the Man were a Galilean. 

Luk 23:7  And when he learned that He was under the authority of Herodes, he sent Him to Herodes, who was also in Yerushalayim in those days. 

Luk 23:8  And seeing יהושע, Herodes rejoiced greatly, for a long time he had wished to see Him, because he had heard much about Him, and was anticipating to see some miracle done by Him, 

Luk 23:9  and was questioning Him with many words, but He gave him no answer. 

Luk 23:10  And the chief priests and the scribes stood, accusing Him intensely. 

Luk 23:11  And Herodes, with his soldiers, made light of Him and mocked Him, dressing Him in a splendid robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. 

Luk 23:12  And on that day Pilate and Herodes became friends with each other, for before that they had been at enmity with each other. 

Luk 23:13  And Pilate, having called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 

Luk 23:14  said to them, “You brought this Man to me, as one who turns away the people. And look, I have examined Him in your presence and have found no guilt in this Man regarding the charges which you make against Him, 

Luk 23:15  and neither did Herodes, for I sent you back to him. And look, He has done none at all deserving death. 

Luk 23:16  “Having disciplined Him, then, I shall release Him” – 

Luk 23:17  for he had to release one to them at the festival. 

Luk 23:18  And they cried out, all together, saying, “Away with this One, and release to us Barabba” 

Luk 23:19  (who had been thrown into prison for a certain uprising made in the city, and for murder). 

Luk 23:20  Wishing to release יהושע, then, Pilate appealed to them again. 

Luk 23:21  But they were calling out, saying, “Impale! Impale Him!” 

Luk 23:22  And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has He done? I have found no reason for death in Him. Having disciplined Him then, I shall release Him.” 

Luk 23:23  But with loud voices they insisted, asking for Him to be impaled. And the voices of these men and of the chief priests were prevailing. 

Luk 23:24  And Pilate pronounced sentence that what they asked should be done. 

Luk 23:25  And he released the one they asked for, who for uprising and murder had been thrown into prison, but he handed יהושע over to their wishes. 

1 Corinthians 5:1-13

1Co 5:1  It is commonly reported that there is whoring among you, and such whoring as is not even named among the nations, so as one to have his father’s wife! 

1Co 5:2  And you have been puffed up, and did not rather mourn, so that he who has done this deed, be removed from among you! 

1Co 5:3  For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged the one who did this, as though I were present. 

1Co 5:4  In the Name of our Master יהושע Messiah, when you are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Master יהושע Messiah, 

1Co 5:5  deliver such a one to Satan for destruction of the flesh, in order that his spirit be saved in the day of the Master יהושע. 

1Co 5:6  Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the entire lump? 

1Co 5:7  Therefore cleanse out the old leaven, so that you are a new lump, as you are unleavened. For also Messiah our Pěsaḥ was slaughtered for us. 

1Co 5:8  So then let us celebrate the festival, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of evil and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 

1Co 5:9  I wrote to you in my letter not to keep company with those who whore. 

1Co 5:10  And I certainly did not mean with those of this world who whore, or with the greedy of gain, or swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 

1Co 5:11  But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone called ’a brother,’ if he is one who whores, or greedy of gain, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one. 

1Co 5:12  For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are inside? 

1Co 5:13  But Elohim judges those who are outside. And put away the wicked one from among you!a Deu_13:5. Footnote: aSee Deu_17:7, Deu_17:12, Deu_19:19, Deu_21:21, Deu_22:21. 

1 Corinthians 9:3-18

1Co 9:3  My defence to those who examine me is this: 

1Co 9:4  Do we not have a right to eat and drink? 

1Co 9:5  Do we not have a right to take along a sister – a wife – as do also the other emissaries, and the brothers of the Master, and Kěpha? 

1Co 9:6  Or do only Barnaḇa and I have no right to refrain from working? 

1Co 9:7  Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Or who shepherds a flock and does not feed on the milk of the flock? 

1Co 9:8  Do I say this as a man? Or does not the Torah say the same too? 

1Co 9:9  For it has been written in the Torah of Mosheh, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.” Deu_25:4 Is it about oxen Elohim is concerned? 

1Co 9:10  Or does He say it because of us all? For this was written because of us, that he who ploughs should plough in expectation, and the thresher in expectation of sharing. 

1Co 9:11  If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap material goods from you? 

1Co 9:12  If others share authority over you, should not rather we? But we have not used this authority, but we put up with all, lest we hinder the Good News of Messiah. 

1Co 9:13  Do you not know that those serving the Set-apart Place eat from the Set-apart Place, and those attending at the slaughter-place have their share of the offerings of the slaughter-place? 

1Co 9:14  So also the Master instituted that those announcing the Good News should live from the Good News. 

1Co 9:15  But I have used none of these, nor have I written this that it should be done so to me. For it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting empty. 

1Co 9:16  For if I bring the Good News, it is no boasting for me, for necessity is laid on me, and it is woe to me if I do not bring the Good News! 

1Co 9:17  For if I do this voluntarily I have a reward, but if not voluntarily, I am entrusted with a management. 

1Co 9:18  What then is my reward? That in bringing the Good News, I should offer the Good News of Messiah without cost, so as not to abuse my authority in the Good News. 

Galatians 3:9-14

Gal 3:9  so that those who are of belief are blessed with Aḇraham, the believer. 

Gal 3:10  For as many as are of works of Torah are under the curse, for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all that has been written in the Book of the Torah, to do them.” Deu_27:26. 

Gal 3:11  And that no one is declared right by Torah before Elohim is clear, for “The righteous shall live by belief.” Hab_2:4. 

Gal 3:12  And the Torah is not of belief, but “The man who does them shall live by them.” Lev_18:5. 

Gal 3:13  Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree.” – Deu_21:23. 

Gal 3:14  in order that the blessing of Aḇraham might come upon the nations in Messiah יהושע, to receive the promise of the Spirit through belief. 


Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Shoftim | שופטים | “Judges”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Shofetim or Shoftim (שֹׁפְטִים — Hebrew for “judges,” the first word in the parashah) is the 48th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fifth in the Book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9. This parashah has 5590 letters, 1523 words, and 97 verses and can occupy about 192 lines in a sefer Torah.


Torah: Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 16:18-17:13

Deu 16:18  “Appoint judges and officers within all your gates, which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, according to your tribes. And they shall judge the people with righteous right-ruling.

Deu 16:19  “Do not distort right-ruling. Do not show partiality, nor take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

Deu 16:20  “Follow righteousness, righteousness alone, so that you live and inherit the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.

Deu 16:21  “Do not plant for yourself any tree as an Ashĕrah near the altar of יהוה your Elohim that you make for yourself.

Deu 16:22  “And do not set up a pillar, which יהוה your Elohim hates.

Deu 17:1  “Do not slaughter to יהוה your Elohim a bull or sheep which has any blemish, any evil matter, for that is an abomination to יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 17:2  “When there is found in your midst, in any of your cities which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, a man or a woman who does what is evil in the eyes of יהוה your Elohim, in transgressing His covenant,

Deu 17:3  and has gone and served other mighty ones and bowed down to them, or to the sun or to the moon or to any of the host of the heavens, which I have not commanded,

Deu 17:4  and it has been made known to you and you have heard, and has searched diligently. Then see, if true: the matter is confirmed that such an abomination has been done in Yisra’ĕl,

Deu 17:5  then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil matter, and you shall stone to death that man or woman with stones.

Deu 17:6  “At the mouth of two or three witnesses shall he that is to die be put to death. He is not put to death by the mouth of one witness.

Deu 17:7  “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Deu 17:8  “When any matter arises which is too hard for you to judge, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, or between stroke and stroke – matters of strife within your gates – then you shall rise and go up to the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses,

Deu 17:9  and shall come to the priests, the Lĕwites, and to the judge who is in those days, and shall inquire. And they shall declare to you the word of right-ruling,

Deu 17:10  and you shall do according to the word which they declare to you from that place which יהוה chooses. And you shall guard to do according to all that they instruct you.

Deu 17:11  “Do according to the Torah in which they teach you, according to the right-ruling which they say to you. You do not turn to the right or to the left from the word which they declare to you.

Deu 17:12  “And the man who acts arrogantly, so as not to listen to the priest who stands to serve there before יהוה your Elohim, or to the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Yisra’ĕl.

Deu 17:13  “And let all the people hear and fear, and no longer do arrogantly.

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah) Devarim 17:14-20

Deu 17:14  “When you come to the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, and shall possess it and shall dwell in it, and you shall say, ‘Let me set a sovereign over me like all the gentiles that are around me,’

Deu 17:15  you shall certainly set a sovereign over you whom יהוה your Elohim shall choose. Set a sovereign over you from among your brothers, you are not allowed to set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.

Deu 17:16  “Only, he is not to increase horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Mitsrayim to increase horses, for יהוה has said to you, ‘Do not return that way again.’

Deu 17:17  “And he is not to increase wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor is he to greatly increase silver and gold for himself.

Deu 17:18  “And it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his reign, that he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah in a book, from the one before the priests, the Lĕwites.

Deu 17:19  “And it shall be with him, and he shall read it all the days of his life, so that he learns to fear יהוה his Elohim and guard all the Words of this Torah and these laws, to do them,

Deu 17:20  so that his heart is not lifted up above his brothers, and so as not to turn aside from the command, right or left, so that he prolongs his days in his reign, he and his children, in the midst of Yisra’ĕl.

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 18:1-5

Deu 18:1  “The priests, the Lĕwites, all the tribe of Lĕwi, have no part nor inheritance with Yisra’ĕl. They are to eat the offerings of יהוה made by fire, and His inheritance.

Deu 18:2  “But among his brothers Lĕwi has no inheritance. יהוה is his inheritance, as He has spoken to him.

Deu 18:3  “And this is the priest’s right from the people, from those who bring an offering, whether it is bull or sheep: they shall give to the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks, and the stomach;

Deu 18:4  the first-fruits of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and the first of the fleece of your sheep, you give to him.

Deu 18:5  “For יהוה your Elohim has chosen him out of all your tribes to stand to serve in the Name of יהוה, him and his sons forever.

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 18:6-13

Deu 18:6  “And when the Lĕwite comes from one of your gates, from where he has sojourned among all Yisra’ĕl, and shall come with all the desire of his being to the place which יהוה chooses,

Deu 18:7  then he shall serve in the Name of יהוה his Elohim, like all his brothers the Lĕwites, who are standing there before יהוה.

Deu 18:8  “They are to have portion for portion to eat, besides what comes from the sale of his inheritance.

Deu 18:9  “When you come into the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, do not learn to do according to the abominations of those gentiles.

Deu 18:10  “Let no one be found among you who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practises divination, or a user of magic, or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer,

Deu 18:11  or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.

Deu 18:12  “For whoever does these are an abomination to יהוה, and because of these abominations יהוה your Elohim drives them out from before you.

Deu 18:13  “Be perfect before יהוה your Elohim,

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 18:14-19:13

Deu 18:14  for these nations whom you are possessing do listen to those using magic and to diviners. But as for you, יהוה your Elohim has not appointed such for you.

Deu 18:15  “יהוה your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brothers. Listen to Him,

Deu 18:16  according to all you asked of יהוה your Elohim in Ḥorĕḇ in the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of יהוה my Elohim, nor let me see this great fire any more, lest I die.’

Deu 18:17  “And יהוה said to me, ‘What they have spoken is good.

Deu 18:18  ‘I shall raise up for them a Prophet like you out of the midst of their brothers. And I shall put My Words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.

Deu 18:19  ‘And it shall be, the man who does not listen to My Words which He speaks in My Name, I require it of him.

Deu 18:20  ‘But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My Name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other mighty ones, even that prophet shall die.’

Deu 18:21  “And when you say in your heart, ‘How do we know the word which יהוה has not spoken?’ –

Deu 18:22  when the prophet speaks in the Name of יהוה and the word is not, or comes not, that is the word which יהוה has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.

Deu 19:1  “When יהוה your Elohim cuts off the nations whose land יהוה your Elohim is giving you, and you dispossess them and dwell in their cities and in their houses,

Deu 19:2  separate three cities for yourself in the midst of your land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess.

Deu 19:3  “Prepare a way for yourself, and divide into three parts the border of your land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to inherit, that anyone who killed someone shall flee there.

Deu 19:4  “And this is the matter of the one who killed someone who flees there and live: He who smites his neighbour unintentionally, not having hated him in time past,

Deu 19:5  even he who goes to the forest with his neighbour to cut timber, and his hand swings a stroke with the axe to cut down the tree, and the head slips from the handle and strikes his neighbour so that he dies – let him flee to one of these cities and live,

Deu 19:6  lest the revenger of blood, while his displeasure is hot, pursue the one who killed someone and overtake him, because the way is long, and shall smite him, though he was not worthy of death, since he had not hated him before.

Deu 19:7  “Therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘Separate three cities for yourself.’

Deu 19:8  “And if יהוה your Elohim enlarges your border, as He swore to your fathers, and has given you the land which He promised to give to your fathers –

Deu 19:9  when you guard all this command to do it, which I am commanding you today, to love יהוה your Elohim and to walk in His ways all the days – then you shall add three more cities for yourself besides these three,

Deu 19:10  so that innocent blood is not shed in the midst of your land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance, or blood-guilt shall be upon you.

Deu 19:11  “But when anyone hates his neighbour, and shall lie in wait for him and rise against him and smite the life from him so that he dies, then he shall flee to one of these cities,

Deu 19:12  and the elders of his city shall send and bring him from there, and give him into the hand of the revenger of blood, and he shall die.

Deu 19:13  “Your eye shall not pardon him, but you shall purge the blood of innocent blood from Yisra’ĕl, so that it might be well with you.

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 19:14-20:9

Deu 19:14  “Do not remove your neighbour’s boundary, which those in the past have set, in your inheritance which you inherit in the land that יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess.

Deu 19:15  “One witness does not rise up against a man concerning any crookedness or any sin that he commits. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses a matter is established.

Deu 19:16  “When a malicious witness rises up against any man to accuse him of turning aside,

Deu 19:17  then both men who have the dispute shall stand before יהוה, before the priests and the judges who serve in those days.

Deu 19:18  “And the judges shall diligently search and see if the witness is a false witness, who has falsely accused his brother,

Deu 19:19  then you shall do to him as he thought to have done to his brother. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Deu 19:20  “And let the rest hear and fear, and never again do this evil matter in your midst.

Deu 19:21  “And let your eye not pardon, life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Deu 20:1  “When you go out to battle against your enemies, and shall see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them, for יהוה your Elohim, who brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim, is with you.

Deu 20:2  “And it shall be, when you draw near to the battle, that the priest shall come and speak to the people,

Deu 20:3  and shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: You are drawing near today to battle with your enemies. Do not let your heart faint, do not fear, or tremble, or be afraid before them,

Deu 20:4  for יהוה your Elohim is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

Deu 20:5  “And the officers shall speak to the people, saying, ‘Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man dedicate it.

Deu 20:6  ‘And who is the man who has planted a vineyard and has not begun to use it? Let him also go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man should begin to use it.

Deu 20:7  ‘And who is the man who is engaged to a woman and has not taken her? Let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle and another man take her.’

Deu 20:8  “And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Who is the man who is afraid and tender of heart? Let him go and return to his house, lest the heart of his brothers faint like his heart.’

Deu 20:9  “And it shall be, when the officers have finished speaking to the people, that they shall appoint commanders of the divisions to lead the people.

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 20:10-21:9

Deu 20:10  “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then you shall make a call for peace to it.

Deu 20:11  “And it shall be that if it accepts your call for peace, and shall open to you, then all the people found in it are to be your compulsory labour, and serve you.

Deu 20:12  “But if it does not make peace with you, and shall fight against you, then you shall besiege it,

Deu 20:13  and יהוה your Elohim shall give it into your hands, and you shall smite every male in it with the edge of the sword.

Deu 20:14  “Only the women, and the little ones, and the livestock, and all that is in the city, all its spoil, you take as plunder for yourself. And you shall eat the enemies’ plunder which יהוה your Elohim gives you.

Deu 20:15  “Do so to all the cities which are very far from you, which are not of the cities of these nations.

Deu 20:16  “Only, of the cities of these peoples which יהוה your Elohim gives you as an inheritance, you do not keep alive any that breathe,

Deu 20:17  but you shall certainly put them under the ban: the Ḥittite and the Amorite and the Kenaʽanite and the Perizzite and the Ḥiwwite and the Yeḇusite, as יהוה your Elohim has commanded you,

Deu 20:18  lest they teach you to do according to all their abominations which they have done for their mighty ones, and you sin against יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 20:19  “When you besiege a city for a long time by fighting against it to take it, you do not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. If you do eat of them, do not cut them down. For is the tree of the field a man to be besieged by you?

Deu 20:20  “Only the trees which you know are not trees for food you do destroy and cut down, to build siege-works against the city that is fighting against you, until it falls.

Deu 21:1  “When anyone is found slain, lying in the field in the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess, and it is not known who smote him,

Deu 21:2  then your elders and your judges shall go out, and they shall measure the distance from the slain man to the cities round about.

Deu 21:3  “And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man shall take a heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke,

Deu 21:4  and the elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a wadi with flowing water, which is neither ploughed nor sown, and they shall break the heifer’s neck there in the wadi.

Deu 21:5  “And the priests, the sons of Lĕwi, shall come near, for יהוה your Elohim has chosen them to serve Him and to bless in the Name of יהוה, and by their mouth every strife and every stroke is tried.

Deu 21:6  “And let all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the wadi.

Deu 21:7  “And they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it.

Deu 21:8  ‘O יהוה, forgive Your people Yisra’ĕl, whom You have redeemed, and do not allow innocent blood in the midst of Your people Yisra’ĕl.’ And the blood-guilt shall be pardoned to them.

Deu 21:9  “Thus you purge the guilt of innocent blood from your midst when you do what is right in the eyes of יהוה.


Prophets: Isaiah 51:12 – 52:12

Isa 51:12  “I, I am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of man that dies, and of the son of man who is made like grass?

Isa 51:13  “And you have forgotten יהוה your Maker who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and you continually fear, all the day, because of the rage of the oppressor, as he has prepared to destroy. And where is the rage of the oppressor?

Isa 51:14  “Bowed, he hastens to be loosened, that he should not die in the pit, and that his bread should not fail.

Isa 51:15  “But I am יהוה your Elohim, stirring up the sea, and its waves roar. יהוה of hosts is His Name.

Isa 51:16  “And I have put My Words in your mouth, and with the shadow of My hand I have covered you, to plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and to say to Tsiyon, ‘You are My people.’ ”

Isa 51:17  Awake, awake yourself! Rise up, O Yerushalayim, you who have drunk at the hand of יהוה the cup of His wrath. You have drunk the dregs of the cup of reeling, and drained it out.

Isa 51:18  Of all the sons she bore, she has none to guide her. And of all the sons she has brought up, none takes her by the hand.

Isa 51:19  Both these are coming upon you – who is sorry for you?: Ruin and destruction, scarcity of food and sword. How shall I comfort you?

Isa 51:20  Your sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, like a gazelle in a net. They are filled with the wrath of יהוה, the rebuke of your Elohim.

Isa 51:21  Therefore please hear this, you afflicted and drunk, but not with wine.

Isa 51:22  Thus said your Master, יהוה and your Elohim, who pleads the cause of His people, “See, I shall take out of your hand the cup of reeling, the dregs of the cup of My wrath – never again shall you drink it.

Isa 51:23  “And I shall put it into the hand of those who afflict you, who have said to your being, ‘Bow down, and we pass over you.’ And you made your back like the ground, and as the street, to walk over.”

Isa 52:1  Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Tsiyon, put on your garments of splendour, O Yerushalayim, the set-apart city! For no more do the uncircumcised and the unclean come into you.

Isa 52:2  Shake yourself from the dust, arise, and sit down, O Yerushalayim. Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Tsiyon!

Isa 52:3  For thus said יהוה, “You have been sold for naught, and you are redeemed not with silver.”

Isa 52:4  For thus said the Master יהוה, “At first My people went down into Mitsrayim to sojourn there, and Ashshur oppressed them without cause.

Isa 52:5  “And now, what have I here,” declares יהוה, “that My people are taken away for naught? Those who rule over them make them wail,” declares יהוה, “and My Name is despised all day continually.

Isa 52:6  “Therefore My people shall know My Name, in that day, for I am the One who is speaking. See, it is I.”

Isa 52:7  How pleasant upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who proclaims peace, who brings good news, who proclaims deliverance, who says to Tsiyon, “Your Elohim reigns!”

Isa 52:8  The voice of your watchmen! They shall lift up their voices, together they shout for joy, because eye to eye they see the return of יהוה to Tsiyon.

Isa 52:9  Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Yerushalayim! For יהוה shall comfort His people, He shall redeem Yerushalayim.

Isa 52:10  יהוה shall lay bare His set-apart arm in the eyes of all the nations. And all the ends of the earth shall see the deliverance of our Elohim.

Isa 52:11  Turn aside! Turn aside! Come out from there, touch not the unclean. Come out of her midst, be clean, you who bear the vessels of יהוה.

Isa 52:12  For you shall not come out in haste, nor go in flight. For יהוה is going before you, and the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl is your rear guard.


Brit Hadasha: Matthew 18:15-20

Mat 18:15  “And if your brother sins against you, go and reprove him, between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.

Mat 18:16  “But if he does not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word might be established.’

Mat 18:17  “And if he refuses to hear them, say it to the assembly. And if he refuses even to hear the assembly, let him be to you like a gentile and a tax collector.

Mat 18:18  “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind1 on earth shall be having been bound1 in heaven, and whatever you loosen1 on earth shall be having been loosened1 in heaven. Footnote: 1Binding and loosening is Heḇrew idiom for exercising authority (to prohibit and permit).

Mat 18:19  “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning any matter that they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in the heavens.

Mat 18:20  “For where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there I am in their midst.”

Mathew 26:36 – 27:10

Mat 26:36  Then יהושע came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the taught ones, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

Mat 26:37  And He took with Him Kĕpha and the two sons of Zaḇdai, and He began to be grieved and deeply distressed.

Mat 26:38  Then He said to them, “My being is exceedingly grieved, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

Mat 26:39  And going forward a little, He fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I desire, but as You desire.”

Mat 26:40  And He came to the taught ones and found them asleep, and said to Kĕpha, “So, were you not able to watch with Me one hour?

Mat 26:41  “Watch and pray, lest you enter into trial. The spirit indeed is eager, but the flesh is weak.”

Mat 26:42  Again He went away, a second time, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is impossible for this to pass unless I drink it, let Your desire be done.”

Mat 26:43  And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

Mat 26:44  And He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Mat 26:45  Then He came to His taught ones and said to them, “Still sleeping and taking rest? See, the hour has come near, and the Son of Aḏam is delivered up into the hands of sinners.

Mat 26:46  “Rise, let us go. See, he who delivers Me up has come near.”

Mat 26:47  And while He was still speaking, see, Yehuḏah, one of the twelve, with a large crowd with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

Mat 26:48  And he who was delivering Him up gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, it is He, seize Him.”

Mat 26:49  And going straight up to יהושע he said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

Mat 26:50  And יהושע said to him, “Friend, why have you come?” Then they came and laid hands on יהושע and seized Him.

Mat 26:51  And look, one of those with יהושע put out his hand and drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest he cut off his ear.

Mat 26:52  Then יהושע said to him, “Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword shall die by the sword.

Mat 26:53  “Or do you think that I am not able to pray to My Father now, and He shall provide Me with more than twelve legions of messengers?

Mat 26:54  “How then would the Scriptures be filled that it has to be this way?”

Mat 26:55  In that hour יהושע said to the crowds, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to arrest Me? Daily I sat with you, teaching in the Set-apart Place, and you did not seize Me.

Mat 26:56  “But all this came to be, so that the Scriptures of the prophets might be filled.” Then all the taught ones left Him and fled.

Mat 26:57  And those who had seized יהושע led Him away to Qayapha the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together.

Mat 26:58  But Kĕpha followed Him at a distance to the courtyard of the high priest, and he went in and sat with the servants to see the end.

Mat 26:59  And the chief priests, and the elders, and all the council were seeking false witness against יהושע to put Him to death,

Mat 26:60  but found none. Although many false witnesses came forward, they found none. But at last two false witnesses came forward,

Mat 26:61  and said, “This one said, ‘I am able to destroy the Dwelling Place of Elohim and to build it in three days.’ ”

Mat 26:62  And the high priest stood up and said to Him, “Have You no answer to make? What do these witness against You?”

Mat 26:63  But יהושע remained silent. So the high priest said to Him, “I put You to oath, by the living Elohim that You say to us if You are the Messiah, the Son of Elohim.”

Mat 26:64  יהושע said to him, “You have said it. Besides I say to you, from now you shall see the Son of Aḏam sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of the heaven.”

Mat 26:65  Then the high priest tore his garments, saying, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? See, now you have heard His blasphemy!

Mat 26:66  “What do you think?” And they answering, said, “He is liable to death.”

Mat 26:67  Then they spat in His face and beat Him, and others slapped Him,

Mat 26:68  saying, “Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who is the one who struck You?”

Mat 26:69  And Kĕpha sat outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him, saying, “And you were with יהושע of Galil.”

Mat 26:70  But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you say.”

Mat 26:71  And as he was going out into the porch, another girl saw him and said to those there, “And this one was with יהושע of Natsareth.”

Mat 26:72  But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”

Mat 26:73  And after a while those who stood by came to him and said to Kĕpha, “Truly you are one of them too, for even your speech gives you away.”

Mat 26:74  Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” And immediately a cock crowed.

Mat 26:75  And Kĕpha remembered the word of יהושע who had said to him, “Before a cock crows, you shall deny Me three times.” And going out, he wept bitterly.

Mat 27:1  And morning having come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against יהושע, so as to put Him to death.

Mat 27:2  And having bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

Mat 27:3  Then Yehuḏah – he who delivered Him up – having seen that He had been condemned, repented, returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and to the elders,

Mat 27:4  saying, “I have sinned in delivering up innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”

Mat 27:5  And throwing down the pieces of silver in the Dwelling Place he left, and went and hanged himself.

Mat 27:6  And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not right to put them into the treasury, seeing they are the price of blood.”

Mat 27:7  So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field, for the burial of strangers.

Mat 27:8  Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood, until today.

Mat 27:9  Then was filled what was spoken by Yirmeyahu the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of Him who was pierced, on whom they of the children of Yisra’ĕl set a price,

Mat 27:10  and gave them for the potter’s field, as יהוה had ordered me.”

John 1:19-27

Joh 1:19  Now this was the witness of Yoḥanan when the Yehuḏim sent from Yerushalayim priests and Lĕwites to ask him, “Who are you?”

Joh 1:20  And he confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”

Joh 1:21  And they asked him, “What then, are you Ěliyahu?” So he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

Joh 1:22  Therefore they said to him, “Who are you, so that we give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”

Joh 1:23  He said, “I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of יהוה,’ as the prophet Yeshayahu said.”

Joh 1:24  And those sent were of the Pharisees,

Joh 1:25  and they asked him, saying, “Why then do you immerse if you are not the Messiah, nor Ěliyahu, nor the Prophet?”

Joh 1:26  Yoḥanan answered them, saying, “I immerse in water, but in your midst stands One whom you do not know,

Joh 1:27  the One coming after me, who has become before me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loosen.”

Acts 3:13-26

Act 3:13  “The Elohim of Aḇraham, and of Yitsḥaq, and of Yaʽaqoḇ, the Elohim of our fathers, esteemed His Servant יהושע, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him.

Act 3:14  “But you denied the Set-apart and Righteous One, and asked that a man, a murderer, be granted you.

Act 3:15  “But you killed the Leader1 of life, whom Elohim raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. Footnote: 1 Or Prince.

Act 3:16  “And by the belief in His Name, this one whom you see and know, His Name made strong, and the belief which comes through Him has given him this perfect healing before all of you.

Act 3:17  “And now, brothers, I know that you did it in ignorance, as your rulers did too.

Act 3:18  “But this is how Elohim has filled what He had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that His Messiah was to suffer.

Act 3:19  “Repent therefore and turn back, for the blotting out of your sins, in order that times of refreshing might come from the presence of the Master,

Act 3:20  and that He sends יהושע Messiah, pre-appointed for you,

Act 3:21  whom heaven needs to receive until the times of restoration of all matters, of which Elohim spoke through the mouth of all His set-apart prophets since of old.

Act 3:22  “For Mosheh truly said to the fathers, ‘יהוה your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers. Him you shall hear according to all matters, whatever He says to you.

Act 3:23  ‘And it shall be that every being who does not hear that Prophet1 shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ Footnote: 1Deut. 18:18-20.

Act 3:24  “And likewise, all the prophets who have spoken, from Shemu’ĕl and those following, have also announced these days.

Act 3:25  “You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which Elohim made with our fathers, saying to Aḇraham, ‘And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.’

Act 3:26  “To you first, Elohim, having raised up His Servant יהושע, sent Him to bless you, in turning away each one of you from your wicked ways.”1 Footnote: 1See 2:38.

Acts 7:35-53

Act 7:35  “This Mosheh whom they had refused, saying, ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge?’ – this one Elohim sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Messenger who appeared to him in the bush.

Act 7:36  “This one led them out, after he had done wonders and signs in the land of Mitsrayim, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.

Act 7:37  “This is the Mosheh who said to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘יהוה your Elohim shall raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brothers. Him you shall hear.’

Act 7:38  “This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the Messenger who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living Words to give to us,

Act 7:39  unto whom our fathers would not become obedient, but thrust away, and in their hearts they turned back to Mits-rayim,

Act 7:40  saying to Aharon, ‘Make us mighty ones to go before us, for this Mosheh who led us out of the land of Mitsrayim, we do not know what has become of him.’

Act 7:41  “And they made a calf in those days, and brought an offering to the idol, and were rejoicing in the works of their own hands.

Act 7:42  “So Elohim turned and gave them up to worship the host of the heaven, as it has been written in the book of the Prophets, ‘Did you bring slaughtered beasts and offerings unto Me during forty years in the wilderness, O house of Yisra’ĕl?

Act 7:43  ‘And you took up the tent of Moleḵ, and the star of your mighty one Kiyyun, images which you made to bow before them. Therefore I shall remove you beyond Baḇel.’

Act 7:44  “The Tent of Witness was with our fathers in the wilderness, as He appointed, instructing Mosheh to make it according to the pattern that he had seen,

Act 7:45  which our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought with Yehoshua into the land possessed by the gentiles, whom Elohim drove out before the face of our fathers until the days of Dawiḏ,

Act 7:46  who found favour before Elohim and asked to find a dwelling for the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ,

Act 7:47  but Shelomoh built Him a house.

Act 7:48  “However, the Most High does not dwell in dwellings made with hands,1 as the prophet says: Footnote: 1See 17:24.

Act 7:49  ‘The heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house shall you build for Me? says יהוה, or what is the place of My rest?

Act 7:50  ‘Has My hand not made all these?’

Act 7:51  “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Set-apart Spirit, as your fathers did, you also do.

Act 7:52  “Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who before announced the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,

Act 7:53  who received the Torah as it was ordained by messengers, but did not watch over it.”1 Footnote: 1See Mt. 5:20.

1 Timothy 5:17-22

1Ti 5:17  Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double respect, especially those who labour in the word and teaching.

1Ti 5:18  For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The labourer is worthy of his wages.”

1Ti 5:19  Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.

1Ti 5:20  Reprove those who are sinning, in the presence of all, so that the rest also might fear.

1Ti 5:21  I earnestly witness before Elohim and the Master יהושע Messiah, and the chosen messengers, that you watch over these matters without prejudice, doing none at all with partiality.

1Ti 5:22  Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in sins of others. Keep yourself clean.

Hebrews 10:28-31

Heb 10:28  Anyone who has disregarded the Torah of Mosheh dies without compassion on the witness of two or three witnesses.

Heb 10:29  How much worse punishment do you think shall he deserve who has trampled the Son of Elohim underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was set apart as common, and insulted the Spirit of favour?

Heb 10:30  For we know Him who has said, “Vengeance is Mine, I shall repay, says יהוה.” And again, “יהוה shall judge His people.”

Heb 10:31  It is fearsome to fall into the hands of the living Elohim.

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Re’eh | ראה | “See”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Re’eh, Reeh, R’eih, or Ree (רְאֵה — Hebrew for “see”, the first word in the parashah) is the 47th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fourth in the Book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17. The parashah is the longest weekly Torah portion in the Book of Deuteronomy (although not in the Torah), and is made up of 7,442 Hebrew letters, 1,932 Hebrew words, and 126 verses, and can occupy about 258 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).


Torah: Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 11:26-12:10

Deu 11:26  ‘See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:

Deu 11:27  the blessing, when you obey the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I command you today;

Deu 11:28  and the curse, if you do not obey the commands of יהוה your Elohim, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other mighty ones which you have not known.

Deu 11:29  ‘And it shall be, when יהוה your Elohim has brought you into the land which you go to possess, that you shall put the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ěyḇal.

Deu 11:30  ‘Are they not beyond the Yardĕn, toward the setting sun, in the land of the Kenaʽanites who dwell in the desert plain opposite Gilgal, beside the terebinth trees of Moreh?

Deu 11:31  ‘For you are passing over the Yardĕn to go in to possess the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, and you shall possess it and dwell in it,

Deu 11:32  and shall guard to do all the laws and right-rulings which I am setting before you today.’

Deu 12:1  “These are the laws and right-rulings which you guard to do in the land which יהוה Elohim of your fathers is giving you to possess, all the days that you live on the soil.

Deu 12:2  “Completely destroy all the places where the nations which you are dispossessing served their mighty ones, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.

Deu 12:3  “And you shall break down their altars, and smash their pillars, and burn their Ashĕrim with fire. And you shall cut down the carved images of their mighty ones and shall destroy their name1 out of that place. Footnote: 1The names of the gentile deities (mighty ones).

Deu 12:4  “Do not do so to יהוה your Elohim,

Deu 12:5  but seek the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His Name there, for His Dwelling Place, and there you shall enter.

Deu 12:6  “And there you shall take your burnt offerings, and your offerings, and your tithes, and the contributions of your hand, and your vowed offerings, and your voluntary offerings, and the firstlings of your herd and of your flock.

Deu 12:7  “And there you shall eat before יהוה your Elohim, and shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which יהוה your Elohim has blessed you.

Deu 12:8  “Do not do as we are doing here today – each one doing whatever is right in his own eyes1. Footnote: 1See Jud. 17:6 & 21:25.

Deu 12:9  “Because you have not yet entered the rest and the inheritance which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.

Deu 12:10  “But you shall pass over the Yardĕn, and shall dwell in the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to inherit, and He shall give you rest from all your enemies round about, and you shall dwell in safety.

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah) Devarim 12:11-12:28

Deu 12:11  “And it shall be, that unto the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell there, there you are to bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, and your offerings, and your tithes, and the contributions of your hand, and all your choice offerings which you vow to יהוה.

Deu 12:12  “And you shall rejoice before יהוה your Elohim, you and your sons and your daughters, and your male servants and your female servants, and the Lĕwite who is within your gates, since he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

Deu 12:13  “Guard yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see,

Deu 12:14  except in the place which יהוה chooses, in one of your tribes, there you are to offer your burnt offerings, and there you are to do all that I command you.

Deu 12:15  “Only, whatever your being desires you shall slaughter and eat, according to the blessing of יהוה your Elohim which He has given you, within all your gates. The unclean and the clean do eat of it, of the gazelle and the deer alike.

Deu 12:16  “Only, the blood you do not eat, pour it on the earth like water.

Deu 12:17  “You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or of the firstlings of your herd or your flock, or of any of your offerings which you vow, or of your voluntary offerings, or of the contribution of your hand.

Deu 12:18  “But eat them before יהוה your Elohim, in the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite who is within your gates. And you shall rejoice before יהוה your Elohim in all that you put your hands to.

Deu 12:19  “Guard yourself that you do not forsake the Lĕwite as long as you live in your land.

Deu 12:20  “When יהוה your Elohim enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, ‘Let me eat meat,’ because you long to eat meat, you eat as much meat as your being desires.

Deu 12:21  “When the place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you shall slaughter from your herd and from your flock which יהוה has given you, as I have commanded you, and you shall eat within your gates as much as your being desires.

Deu 12:22  “Only, as the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you are to eat of it. The unclean and the clean alike eat of it.

Deu 12:23  “Only, be firm not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, do not eat the life with the meat.

Deu 12:24  “Do not eat it, you pour it on the earth like water.

Deu 12:25  “Do not eat it, that it might be well with you and your children after you, when you do what is right in the eyes of יהוה.

Deu 12:26  “Only, the set-apart gifts which you have, and your vowed offerings, you are to take up and go to the place which יהוה chooses.

Deu 12:27  “And you shall make your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of יהוה your Elohim. And the blood of your offerings is poured out on the altar of יהוה your Elohim, and you eat the meat.

Deu 12:28  “Guard, and obey all these words which I command you, that it might be well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of יהוה your Elohim.

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 12:29-13:18

Deu 12:29  “When יהוה your Elohim does cut off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land,

Deu 12:30  guard yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire about their mighty ones, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their mighty ones? And let me do so too.’1 Footnote: 1See also 18:9, Lev. 18:3, Jer.10:2, Ezek. 11:12 & 20:32, Eph. 4:17, and 1 Peter 4:3

Deu 12:31  “Do not do so to יהוה your Elohim, for every abomination which יהוה hates they have done to their mighty ones, for they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their mighty ones.

Deu 12:32  “All the words I am commanding you, guard to do it – do not add to it nor take away from it.1 Footnote: 1See also 4:2, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19.

Deu 13:1  “When there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he shall give you a sign or a wonder,

Deu 13:2  and the sign or the wonder shall come true, of which he has spoken to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other mighty ones – which you have not known – and serve them,’

Deu 13:3  do not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for יהוה your Elohim is trying you to know whether you love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being.

Deu 13:4  “Walk after יהוה your Elohim and fear Him, and guard His commands and obey His voice, and serve Him and cling to Him.

Deu 13:5  “And that prophet or that dreamer of dreams is put to death, because he has spoken apostasy against יהוה your Elohim – who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim and redeemed you from the house of bondage – to make you stray from the way in which יהוה your Elohim commanded you to walk. Thus you shall purge the evil from your midst.

Deu 13:6  “When your brother, the son of your mother, or your son or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own being, entices you secretly, saying, ‘Let us go and serve other mighty ones’– which you have not known, neither you nor your fathers,

Deu 13:7  of the mighty ones of the people which are all around you, near to you or far off from you, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth –

Deu 13:8  do not agree with him or listen to him, nor shall your eye pardon him, nor spare him or conceal him,

Deu 13:9  but you shall certainly kill him. Your hand is first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people,

Deu 13:10  and you shall stone him with stones until he dies, because he sought to entice you away from יהוה your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage.

Deu 13:11  “And let all Yisra’ĕl hear and fear, and not again do any such evil matter as this in your midst.

Deu 13:12  “When you hear someone in one of your cities, which יהוה your Elohim gives you to dwell in, saying,

Deu 13:13  ‘Some men, sons of Beliyaʽal, have gone out of you midst and led the inhabitants of their city astray, saying, “Let us go and serve other mighty ones” ’ – mighty ones whom you have not known –

Deu 13:14  then you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently. And see if the matter is true and established that this abomination was done in your midst,

Deu 13:15  you shall certainly smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, putting it under the ban, and all that is in it and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.

Deu 13:16  “And gather all its plunder into the middle of the street, and completely burn with fire the city and all its plunder, before יהוה your Elohim. And it shall be a heap forever, never to be built again.

Deu 13:17  “And none of that which is put under the ban is to cling to your hand, so that יהוה turns from the fierceness of His displeasure and shall show you compassion, love you and increase you, as He swore to your fathers,

Deu 13:18  when you obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard all His commands which I command you today, to do what is right in the eyes of יהוה your Elohim.

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 14:1-14:21

Deu 14:1  “You are the children of יהוה your Elohim. Do not cut yourselves nor shave the front of your head for the dead,

Deu 14:2  for you are a set-apart people to יהוה your Elohim, and יהוה has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a treasured possession above all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

Deu 14:3  “Do not eat whatever is abominable.

Deu 14:4  “These are the living creatures which you do eat: ox, sheep, and goat,

Deu 14:5  deer, and gazelle, and roebuck, and wild goat, and mountain goat, and antelope, and mountain sheep.

Deu 14:6  “And every beast that has a split hoof divided in two, chewing the cud, among the beasts, you do eat.

Deu 14:7  “But of those chewing the cud or those having a split hoof completely divided, you do not eat, such as these: the camel, and the hare, and the rabbit, for they chew the cud but do not have a split hoof, they are unclean for you.

Deu 14:8  “And the pig is unclean for you, because it has a split hoof, but does not chew the cud. You do not eat their flesh or touch their dead carcasses.

Deu 14:9  “These you do eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales you do eat.

Deu 14:10  “And whatever does not have fins and scales you do not eat, it is unclean for you.

Deu 14:11  “Any clean bird you do eat,

Deu 14:12  but these you do not eat: the eagle, and the vulture, and the black vulture,

Deu 14:13  and the red kite, and the falcon, and the buzzard after their kinds,

Deu 14:14  and every raven after its kind,

Deu 14:15  and the ostrich, and the nighthawk, and the seagull, and the hawk after their kinds,

Deu 14:16  the little owl, and the great owl, and the white owl,

Deu 14:17  and the pelican, and the carrion vulture, and the fisher owl,

Deu 14:18  and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe and the bat.

Deu 14:19  “And every creeping insect that flies is unclean for you, they are not eaten.

Deu 14:20  “Any clean bird you do eat.

Deu 14:21  “Do not eat whatever dies of itself. Give it to the stranger who is within your gates, to eat it, or sell it to a foreigner. For you are a set-apart people to יהוה your Elohim. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 14:22-14:29

Deu 14:22  “You shall tithe without fail all the yield of your grain that the field brings forth year by year.

Deu 14:23  “And you shall eat before יהוה your Elohim, in the place where He chooses to make His Name dwell, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, and of the firstlings of your herds and your sheep, so that you learn to fear יהוה your Elohim always.

Deu 14:24  “But when the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to bring the tithe, or when the place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to put His Name is too far from you, when יהוה your Elohim is blessing you,

Deu 14:25  then you shall give it in silver, and shall take the silver in your hand and go to the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses.

Deu 14:26  “And you shall use the silver for whatever your being desires: for cattle or sheep, for wine or strong drink, for whatever your being desires. And you shall eat there before יהוה your Elohim, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

Deu 14:27  “And do not forsake the Lĕwite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.

Deu 14:28  “At the end of every third year you bring out all the tithe of your increase of that year and store it up within your gates.

Deu 14:29  “And the Lĕwite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the sojourner and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 15:1-15:18

Deu 15:1  “At the end of every seven years you make a release of debts.

Deu 15:2  “And this is the word of the release: Every creditor is to release what he has loaned to his neighbour, he does not require it of his neighbour or his brother, because it is called the release of יהוה.

Deu 15:3  “Of a foreigner you could require it, but your hand is to release whatever is owed by your brother.

Deu 15:4  “Only, there should be no poor among you. For יהוה does greatly bless you in the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you to possess as an inheritance,

Deu 15:5  only if you diligently obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim, to guard to do all these commands which I am commanding you today.

Deu 15:6  “For יהוה your Elohim shall bless you as He promised you. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And you shall rule over many nations, but they do not rule over you.

Deu 15:7  “When there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, within any of the gates in your land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you, do not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother,

Deu 15:8  for you shall certainly open your hand to him and certainly lend him enough for his need, whatever he needs.

Deu 15:9  “Be on guard lest there be a thought of Beliyaʽal in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is near,’ and your eye is evil against your poor brother and you give him naught. And he shall cry out to יהוה against you, and it shall be a sin in you.

Deu 15:10  “You shall certainly give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this reason יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.

Deu 15:11  “Because the poor one does not cease from the land. Therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall certainly open your hand to your brother, to your poor and to your needy one, in your land.’

Deu 15:12  “When your brother is sold to you, a Heḇrew man or a Heḇrew woman, and shall serve you six years, then let him go free from you in the seventh year.

Deu 15:13  “And when you send him away free from you, let him not go away empty-handed.

Deu 15:14  “You shall richly supply him from your flock, and from your threshing-floor, and from your winepress. With that which יהוה has blessed you with, give to him.

Deu 15:15  “And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Mitsrayim, and יהוה your Elohim redeemed you. Therefore I am commanding you this word today.

Deu 15:16  “And it shall be, when he says to you, ‘I do not go away from you,’ because he loves you and your house, because it is good for him with you,

Deu 15:17  then you shall take an awl and thrust it through his ear to the door, and he shall be your servant forever. Do the same to your female servant.

Deu 15:18  “Let it not be hard in your eyes when you send him away free from you, for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. And יהוה your Elohim shall bless you in all that you do.

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 15:19-16:17

Deu 15:19  “Set apart to יהוה your Elohim all the first-born males that come from your herd and your flock. Do no work with the first-born of your herd, nor shear the first-born of your flock.

Deu 15:20  “You and your household are to eat it before יהוה your Elohim year by year in the place which יהוה chooses.

Deu 15:21  “But when there is any defect in it, lame or blind, or has any evil defect, do not slaughter it to יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 15:22  “Eat it within your gates – the unclean and the clean alike – as the gazelle, and as the deer.

Deu 15:23  “Only, do not eat its blood, pour it on the ground like water.

Deu 16:1  “Guard the month of Aḇiḇ, and perform the Passover to יהוה your Elohim, for in the month of Aḇiḇ יהוה your Elohim brought you out of Mitsrayim by night.

Deu 16:2  “And you shall slaughter the Passover to יהוה your Elohim, from the flock and the herd, in the place where יהוה chooses to put His Name.

Deu 16:3  “Eat no leavened bread with it. For seven days you eat unleavened bread with it, bread of affliction, because you came out of the land of Mitsrayim in haste – so that you remember the day in which you came out of the land of Mitsrayim, all the days of your life.

Deu 16:4  “And no leaven should be seen with you in all your border for seven days, neither should any of the meat which you slaughter in the evening on the first day stay all night until morning.

Deu 16:5  “You are not allowed to slaughter the Passover within any of your gates which יהוה your Elohim gives you,

Deu 16:6  but at the place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell, there you slaughter the Passover in the evening, at the going down of the sun, at the appointed time you came out of Mitsrayim.

Deu 16:7  “And you shall roast and eat it in the place which יהוה your Elohim chooses, and in the morning you shall turn and go to your tents.

Deu 16:8  “Six days you eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there is a closing festival to יהוה your Elohim – you do no work.

Deu 16:9  “Count seven weeks for yourself. Begin to count seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the grain.

Deu 16:10  “And you shall perform the Festival of Weeks to יהוה your Elohim, according to the voluntary offering from your hand, which you give as יהוה your Elohim blesses you.

Deu 16:11  “And you shall rejoice before יהוה your Elohim, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite who is within your gates, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are in your midst, at the place where יהוה your Elohim chooses to make His Name dwell.

Deu 16:12  “And you shall remember that you were a slave in Mitsrayim, and you shall guard and do these laws.

Deu 16:13  “Perform the Festival of Booths for seven days after the ingathering from your threshing-floor and from your winepress,

Deu 16:14  and you shall rejoice in your festival, you and your son and your daughter, and your male servant and your female servant, and the Lĕwite, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates.

Deu 16:15  “For seven days you shall observe a festival to יהוה your Elohim in the place which יהוה chooses, because יהוה your Elohim does bless you in all your increase and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be only rejoicing!

Deu 16:16  “Three times a year all your males appear before יהוה your Elohim in the place which He chooses: at the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and at the Festival of Weeks, and at the Festival of Booths. And none should appear before יהוה empty-handed,

Deu 16:17  but each one with the gift of his hand, according to the blessing of יהוה your Elohim which He has given you.


Prophets: Isaiah 54:11-55:5

Isa 54:11  “O you afflicted one, tossed with storm, and not comforted, see, I am setting your stones in antimony, and shall lay your foundations with sapphires,

Isa 54:12  and shall make your battlements of rubies, your gates of crystal, and all your walls of precious stones,

Isa 54:13  and all your children taught by יהוה, and the peace of your children great.

Isa 54:14  “In righteousness you shall be established – far from oppression, for you shall not fear, and far from ruin, for it does not come near you.

Isa 54:15  “See, they shall indeed assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever shall assemble against you falls for your sake!

Isa 54:16  “See, I Myself have created the blacksmith who blows the coals in the fire, who brings forth an instrument for his work. And I have created the waster to destroy.

Isa 54:17  “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall prove wrong. This is the inheritance of the servants of יהוה, and their righteousness from Me,” declares יהוה.

Isa 55:1  “Oh everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no silver, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without price.

Isa 55:2  “Why do you weigh out silver for what is not bread, and your labour for what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and let your being delight itself in fatness.

Isa 55:3  “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, so that your being lives. And let Me make an everlasting covenant with you, the trustworthy kindnesses of Dawiḏ.

Isa 55:4  “See, I have given Him as a witness to the people, a Leader and a Commander for the people.

Isa 55:5  “See, a nation you do not know you shall call, and a nation who does not know you run to you, because of יהוה your Elohim, and the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, for He has adorned you.”

 Isaiah 66:1-24

Isa 66:1  Thus said יהוה, “The heavens are My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is this house that you build for Me? And where is this place of My rest?

Isa 66:2  “And all these My hand have made, and all these that exist,” declares יהוה. “Yet to such a one I look: on him who is poor and bruised of spirit, and who trembles at My Word.

Isa 66:3  “But whoever slaughters the bull slays a man; whoever slaughters the lamb breaks a dog’s neck; whoever brings a grain offering – pig’s blood; whoever burns incense blesses an idol. Indeed, they have chosen their own ways, and their being delights in their abominations.

Isa 66:4  “I shall also choose their punishments, and bring their fears on them. Because I called, but no one answered. I spoke and they did not hear, and they did evil before My eyes, and chose what was displeasing to Me.”

Isa 66:5  Hear the Word of יהוה, you who tremble at His Word, “Your brothers who hate you, who cast you out for My Name’s sake, said, ‘Let יהוה be esteemed, so that we see your joy.’ But they are put to shame.”

Isa 66:6  “A roaring sound from the city, a voice from the Hĕḵal, the voice of יהוה, repaying His enemies!

Isa 66:7  “Before she laboured, she gave birth; before a pain came to her, she was delivered of a male child.

Isa 66:8  “Who has heard the like of this? Who has seen the like of these? Is a land brought forth in one day? Is a nation born at once? For as soon as Tsiyon laboured, she gave birth to her children.

Isa 66:9  “Shall I bring to birth, and not give delivery?” says יהוה. “Shall I who give delivery restrain birth?” said your Elohim.

Isa 66:10  “Rejoice with Yerushalayim, and be glad with her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn for her;

Isa 66:11  so that you feed, and shall be satisfied with the breast of her comforts, so that you drink deeply, and shall delight yourselves in her overflowing esteem.”

Isa 66:12  For thus said יהוה, “See, I am extending peace to her like a river, and the esteem of the gentiles like a flowing stream. And you shall feed; you shall be carried on the side, and be fondled on her knees.

Isa 66:13  “As one whom his mother comforts, so I comfort you. And in Yerushalayim you are comforted.”

Isa 66:14  “And you shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones flourish as tender grass. And the hand of יהוה shall be known to His servants, and His displeasure to His enemies.

Isa 66:15  “For look, יהוה comes with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His displeasure with burning, and His rebuke with flames of fire.

Isa 66:16  “For by fire and by His sword יהוה shall judge all flesh, and the slain of יהוה shall be many –

Isa 66:17  those who set themselves apart and cleanse themselves at the gardens after ‘One’ in the midst, eating flesh of pigs1 and the abomination and the mouse, are snatched away, together,” declares יהוה. Footnote: 1See 65:4.

Isa 66:18  “And I, because of their works and their imaginations, am coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My esteem.

Isa 66:19  “And I shall set a sign among them, and shall send some of those who escape to the nations – Tarshish and Pul and Luḏ, who draw the bow, and Tuḇal and Yawan, the coastlands afar off who have not heard My report nor seen My esteem. And they shall declare My esteem among the gentiles.

Isa 66:20  “And they shall bring all your brothers as an offering to יהוה out of all the gentiles, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My set-apart mountain Yerushalayim,” declares יהוה, “as the children of Yisra’ĕl bring an offering in a clean vessel into the House of יהוה.

Isa 66:21  “And from them too I shall take for priests – for Lĕwites,” declares יהוה.

Isa 66:22  “For as the new heavens and the new earth that I make stand before Me,” declares יהוה, “so your seed and your name shall stand.

Isa 66:23  “And it shall be that from New Moon to New Moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,” declares יהוה.

Isa 66:24  “And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me1. For their worm shall not die, and their fire not be quenched. And they shall be repulsive to all flesh!” Footnote: 1See 24:6, 34:2-3, Ps. 110:6, Jer. 25:33.


Brit Hadasha: John 16:1 – 17:26

Joh 16:1  “These words I have spoken to you, so that you do not stumble.

Joh 16:2  “They shall put you out of the congregations, but an hour is coming when everyone who kills you shall think he is rendering service to Elohim.

Joh 16:3  “And this they shall do to you because they did not know the Father, nor Me.

Joh 16:4  “But I have said these words to you, so that when the hour comes you remember that I told them to you. And these words I did not say to you at the beginning, for I was with you.

Joh 16:5  “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and not one of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’

Joh 16:6  “But because I have said these words to you, grief has filled your heart.

Joh 16:7  “But I say the truth to you. It is better for you that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you at all, but if I go, I shall send Him to you.

Joh 16:8  “And having come, He shall reprove1 the world concerning sin,2 and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment – Footnotes: 1Or confute or prove wrong. 22 Chr. 24:20, Neh. 9:30, Ezek. 36:27, Mic. 3:8, Acts 28:25-27.

Joh 16:9  concerning sin because they do not believe in Me,

Joh 16:10  concerning righteousness because I go to My Father and you see Me no more,

Joh 16:11  concerning judgment because the ruler of this world1 is judged. Footnote: 1See Lk. 4:6.

Joh 16:12  “I still have many words to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now.

Joh 16:13  “But when He comes, the Spirit of the Truth, He shall guide you into all the truth. For He shall not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He shall speak, and He shall announce to you what is to come.

Joh 16:14  “He shall esteem Me, for He shall take of what is Mine and announce it to you.

Joh 16:15  “All that the Father has is Mine. That is why I said that He takes from what is Mine and announces it to you.

Joh 16:16  “A little while, and you do not see Me, and again a little while, and you shall see Me.”

Joh 16:17  Therefore some of His taught ones said to one another, “What is this that He says to us, ‘A little while, and you do not see Me, and again a little while, and you shall see Me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?”

Joh 16:18  So they said, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”

Joh 16:19  יהושע, therefore, knew that they were wishing to ask Him, and He said to them, “Are you asking one another about what I said, ‘A little while, and you do not see Me, and again a little while, and you shall see Me’?

Joh 16:20  “Truly, truly, I say to you that you shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice. And you shall be grieved, but your grief shall become joy.

Joh 16:21  “The woman has grief when she is in labour, because her hour has come, but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the affliction, for joy that a man was born into the world.

Joh 16:22  “And you, therefore, have grief now, but I shall see you again and your heart shall rejoice, and no one takes your joy away from you.

Joh 16:23  “And in that day you shall ask Me none at all. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My Name He shall give you.

Joh 16:24  “Until now you have asked naught in My Name. Ask, and you shall receive, in order that your joy might be complete.

Joh 16:25  “These words I have spoken to you in figures of speech, but an hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but I shall declare the Father plainly to you.

Joh 16:26  “In that day you shall ask in My Name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father on your behalf,

Joh 16:27  for the Father Himself does love you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from Elohim.

Joh 16:28  “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”

Joh 16:29  His taught ones said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and not using figure of speech!

Joh 16:30  “Now we know that You know all, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from Elohim.”

Joh 16:31  יהושע answered them, “Do you now believe?

Joh 16:32  “See, an hour is coming, and has now come, that you are scattered, each to his own, and leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.

Joh 16:33  “These words I have spoken to you, that in Me you might have peace. In the world you have pressure, but take courage, I have overcome the world.”

Joh 17:1  יהושע said these words, and lifted up His eyes to the heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come. Esteem Your Son, so that Your Son also might esteem You,

Joh 17:2  as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give everlasting life to all whom You have given Him.

Joh 17:3  “And this is everlasting life, that they should know You, the only true Elohim, and יהושע Messiah whom You have sent.

Joh 17:4  “I have esteemed You on the earth, having accomplished the work You have given Me that I should do.

Joh 17:5  “And now, esteem Me with Yourself, Father, with the esteem which I had with You before the world was.

Joh 17:6  “I have revealed Your Name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world. They were Yours, and You gave them to Me, and they have guarded Your Word.1 Footnote: 1See Ps. 138:2.

Joh 17:7  “Now they have come to know that all You gave to Me, is from You.

Joh 17:8  “Because the Words which You gave to Me, I have given to them. And they have received them, and have truly known that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

Joh 17:9  “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.

Joh 17:10  “And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I have been esteemed in them.

Joh 17:11  “And I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Set-apart Father, guard them in Your Name which You have given Me, so that they might be one,1 as We are. Footnote: 1See 10:30.

Joh 17:12  “When I was with them in the world, I was guarding them in Your Name which You have given Me, and I watched over them, and not one of them perished except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be filled.

Joh 17:13  “And now I come to You. And I speak these words in the world, so that they have My joy completed in them.

Joh 17:14  “I have given them Your Word, and the world hated them because they are not of the world, as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:15  “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the wicked one.

Joh 17:16  “They are not of the world, as I am not of the world.

Joh 17:17  “Set them apart in Your truth – Your Word is truth.1 Footnote: 1See Ps. 119:142, 151, 160

Joh 17:18  “As You sent Me into the world, I also sent them into the world.

Joh 17:19  “And for them I set Myself apart, so that they too might be set apart in truth.

Joh 17:20  “And I do not pray for these alone, but also for those believing in Me through their word,

Joh 17:21  so that they all might be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so that they too might be one in Us, so that the world might believe that You have sent Me.

Joh 17:22  “And the esteem which You gave Me I have given them, so that they might be one as We are one,

Joh 17:23  “I in them, and You in Me, so that they might be perfected into one, so that the world knows that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Joh 17:24  “Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me, might be with Me where I am, so that they see My esteem which You have given Me, because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

Joh 17:25  “O righteous Father, indeed the world did not know You, but I knew You, and these knew that You sent Me.

Joh 17:26  “And I have made Your Name known to them, and shall make it known,1 so that the love with which You loved Me might be in them, and I in them.” Footnote: 1See v. 6, Ps. 22:22, Heb. 2:12.

1 Corinthians 5:9-13

1Co 5:9  I wrote to you in my letter not to keep company with those who whore.

1Co 5:10  And I certainly did not mean with those of this world who whore, or with the greedy of gain, or swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

1Co 5:11  But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone called ‘a brother,’ if he is one who whores, or greedy of gain, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler – not even to eat with such a one.

1Co 5:12  For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are inside?

1Co 5:13  But Elohim judges those who are outside. And put away the wicked one from among you! Deu 13:5

1 John 4:1-6

1Jn 4:1  Beloved ones, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of Elohim, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

1Jn 4:2  By this you know the Spirit of Elohim: Every spirit that confesses that יהושע Messiah has come in the flesh is of Elohim,

1Jn 4:3  and every spirit that does not confess that יהושע Messiah has come in the flesh is not of Elohim. And this is the spirit of the anti-messiah which you heard is coming, and now is already in the world.

1Jn 4:4  You are of Elohim, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world, therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.

1Jn 4:6  We are of Elohim – the one knowing Elohim hears us. He who is not of Elohim does not hear us. By this we know the Spirit of the Truth and the spirit of the delusion.

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Eikev | עקב | “Consequence”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Eikev, Ekev, Ekeb, Aikev, or Eqeb (עֵקֶב — Hebrew for “if [you follow],” the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 46th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the third in the Book of Deuteronomy. It comprises Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25. The parashah is made up of 6,865 Hebrew letters, 1,747 Hebrew words, and 111 verses, and can occupy about 232 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).


Torah: Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 7:12-8:10

Deu 7:12  “And it shall be, because you hear these right-rulings, and shall guard and do them, that יהוה your Elohim shall guard with you the covenant and the kindness which He swore to your fathers,

Deu 7:13  and shall love you and bless you and increase you, and shall bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you.

Deu 7:14  “Blessed are you above all peoples – there is not going to be a barren man or a barren woman among you or among your livestock.

Deu 7:15  “And יהוה shall turn away from you all sickness and put on you none of the evil diseases of Mitsrayim which you have known, but He shall put them on all those who hate you.

Deu 7:16  “And you shall consume all the peoples whom יהוה your Elohim is delivering over to you – your eye shall not pardon them. And do not serve their mighty ones, for that is a snare to you.

Deu 7:17  “When you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I, I am unable to drive them out,’

Deu 7:18  do not be afraid of them. Remember well what יהוה your Elohim did to Pharaoh and to all Mitsrayim,

Deu 7:19  the great trials which your eyes saw, and the signs and the wonders, the strong hand and the outstretched arm, by which יהוה your Elohim brought you out. יהוה your Elohim does so to all the peoples of whom you are afraid.

Deu 7:20  “And יהוה your Elohim also sends the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed.

Deu 7:21  “Do not be afraid of them, for יהוה your Elohim, the great and awesome Ěl, is in your midst.

Deu 7:22  “And יהוה your Elohim shall drive out those nations before you, little by little. You are not allowed to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.

Deu 7:23  “But יהוה your Elohim shall deliver them over to you and destroy them with a great destruction until they are consumed.

Deu 7:24  “And He shall give their sovereigns into your hand, and you shall destroy their name from under the heavens. No one is going to be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them.

Deu 7:25  “The carved images of their mighty ones you are to burn with fire. Do not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it, for it is an abomination to יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 7:26  “And do not bring an abomination into your house, lest you be accursed like it. Utterly loathe it and utterly hate it, for it is accursed.

Deu 8:1  “Guard to do every command which I command you today, that you might live, and shall increase, and go in, and shall possess the land of which יהוה swore to your fathers.

Deu 8:2  “And you shall remember that יהוה your Elohim led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove you, to know what is in your heart, whether you guard His commands or not.

Deu 8:3  “And He humbled you, and let you suffer hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, to make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of יהוה1. Footnote: 1Messiah quotes this in Mt. 4:4 and in Lk. 4:4.

Deu 8:4  “Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.

Deu 8:5  “Thus you shall know in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so יהוה your Elohim disciplines you,

Deu 8:6  therefore you shall guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim, to walk in His ways and to fear Him.

Deu 8:7  “For יהוה your Elohim is bringing you into a good land, a land of streams of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills,

Deu 8:8  a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey,

Deu 8:9  a land in which you eat bread without scarcity, in which you do not lack at all, a land whose stones are iron and out of whose hills you dig copper.

Deu 8:10  “And you shall eat and be satisfied, and shall bless יהוה your Elohim for the good land which He has given you.

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah) Devarim 8:11-9:3

Deu 8:11  “Be on guard, lest you forget יהוה your Elohim by not guarding His commands, and His right-rulings, and His laws which I command you today,

Deu 8:12  lest you eat and shall be satisfied, and build lovely houses and shall dwell in them,

Deu 8:13  and your herds and your flocks increase, and your silver and your gold are increased, and all that you have is increased,

Deu 8:14  that your heart then becomes lifted up, and you forget יהוה your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage,

Deu 8:15  who led you through that great and awesome wilderness – fiery serpents and scorpions and thirst – where there was no water, who brought water for you out of the flinty rock,

Deu 8:16  who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, in order to humble you and to try you, to do you good in the end,

Deu 8:17  you then shall say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand have made for me this wealth!’

Deu 8:18  “But you shall remember יהוה your Elohim, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, in order to establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is today.

Deu 8:19  “And it shall be, if you by any means forget יהוה your Elohim, and follow other mighty ones, and serve them and bow yourself to them, I have warned you this day that you shall certainly perish.

Deu 8:20  “Like the nations which יהוה is destroying before you, so you are to perish, because you did not obey the voice of יהוה your Elohim.

Deu 9:1  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: You are passing over the Yardĕn today, to go in to dispossess nations greater and stronger than yourself, cities great and walled up to the heavens,

Deu 9:2  a people great and tall, the descendants of the Anaqim, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, ‘Who does stand before the descendants of Anaq?’

Deu 9:3  “And you shall know today that יהוה your Elohim is He who is passing over before you as a consuming fire – He does destroy them and subdue them before you. So you shall dispossess them and destroy them quickly, as יהוה has said to you.

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 9:4-9:29

Deu 9:4  “Do not think in your heart, after יהוה your Elohim has driven them out before you, saying, ‘Because of my righteousness יהוה has brought me in to possess this land.’ But it is because of the wrong of these nations that יהוה is driving them out from before you.

Deu 9:5  “It is not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you go in to possess their land, but because of the wrong of these nations that יהוה your Elohim drives them out from before you, in order to establish the word which יהוה swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ.

Deu 9:6  “And you shall know that יהוה your Elohim is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stiff-necked people.

Deu 9:7  “Remember, do not forget how you provoked to wrath יהוה your Elohim in the wilderness. From the day that you came out of the land of Mitsrayim until you came to this place, you have been rebellious against יהוה.

Deu 9:8  “Even in Ḥorĕḇ you made יהוה wroth, so that יהוה was enraged with you, to destroy you.

Deu 9:9  “When I went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant which יהוה made with you, then I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights. I did not eat bread nor did I drink water.

Deu 9:10  “Then יהוה gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of Elohim, and on them were all the Words which יהוה had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.

Deu 9:11  “And it came to be, at the end of forty days and forty nights, that יהוה gave me the two tablets of stone, the tablets of the covenant.

Deu 9:12  “Then יהוה said to me, ‘Arise, go down quickly from here, for your people whom you brought out of Mitsrayim have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them, they have made themselves a moulded image.’

Deu 9:13  “And יהוה spoke to me, saying, ‘I have seen this people, and look, they are a stiff-necked people.

Deu 9:14  ‘Leave Me alone, so that I destroy them and blot out their name from under the heavens, and make of you a nation stronger and greater than they.’

Deu 9:15  “So I turned and came down from the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.

Deu 9:16  “And I looked and saw that you had sinned against יהוה your Elohim, and had made for yourselves a moulded calf! You had quickly turned aside from the way which יהוה had commanded you.

Deu 9:17  “And I took the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes,

Deu 9:18  “and I fell down before יהוה, as at the first, forty days and forty nights. I did not eat bread and I did not drink water, because of all your sins which you committed in doing evil in the eyes of יהוה, to provoke Him.

Deu 9:19  “For I was afraid of the displeasure and rage with which יהוה was wroth with you, to destroy you. But יהוה listened to me that time once more.

Deu 9:20  “And יהוה was very enraged with Aharon, to destroy him, so I prayed for Aharon at that time also.

Deu 9:21  “And I took your sin, the calf which you had made, and burned it with fire and crushed it and ground it very small, until it was as fine as dust. And I threw its dust into the stream that came down from the mountain.

Deu 9:22  “And at Taḇʽĕrah and at Massah and at Qiḇroth Hatta’awah you made יהוה wroth.

Deu 9:23  “And when יהוה sent you from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa, saying, ‘Go up and possess the land which I have given you,’ then you rebelled against the mouth of יהוה your Elohim, and you neither trusted Him nor listened to His voice.

Deu 9:24  “You have been rebellious against יהוה from the day that I knew you.

Deu 9:25  “So I fell down before יהוה the forty days and forty nights, for I fell down because יהוה had said He would destroy you.

Deu 9:26  “And I prayed to יהוה, and said, ‘O Master יהוה, do not destroy Your people and Your inheritance whom You have redeemed in Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Mitsrayim with a strong hand.

Deu 9:27  ‘Remember Your servants, Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yaʽaqoḇ. Do not look on the stubbornness of this people, or on their wrong or on their sin,

Deu 9:28  lest the land from which You brought us should say, “Because יהוה was not able to bring them to the land which He promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.”

Deu 9:29  ‘And they are Your people and Your inheritance, whom You brought out by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm.’

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 10:1-10:11

Deu 10:1  “At that time יהוה said to me, ‘Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain. And you shall make yourself an ark of wood,

Deu 10:2  then I write on the tablets the Words that were on the first tablets, which you broke. And you shall put them in the ark.’

Deu 10:3  “So I made an ark of acacia wood, hewed two tablets of stone like the first, and went up the mountain, with the two tablets in my hand.

Deu 10:4  “And He wrote on the tablets according to the first writing, the Ten Words, which יהוה had spoken to you in the mountain from the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. Then יהוה gave them to me,

Deu 10:5  and I turned and came down from the mountain, and put the tablets in the ark which I had made. And they are there, as יהוה commanded me.”

Deu 10:6  Now the children of Yisra’ĕl set out from the wells of Benĕi Yaʽaqan to Mosĕrah. Aharon died there, and he was buried there. And Elʽazar his son became priest in his place.

Deu 10:7  From there they set out to Guḏgoḏah, and from Guḏgoḏah to Yotḇathah, a land of rivers of water.

Deu 10:8  At that time יהוה separated the tribe of Lĕwi to bear the ark of the covenant of יהוה, to stand before יהוה, to serve Him, and to bless in His Name, to this day.

Deu 10:9  Therefore Lĕwi has no portion nor inheritance with his brothers. יהוה is his inheritance, as יהוה your Elohim promised him.

Deu 10:10  “And I stayed in the mountain for forty days and forty nights. And יהוה heard me at that time also, and יהוה chose not to destroy you.

Deu 10:11  “And יהוה said to me, ‘Arise, go before the people, to set out, and let them go in and possess the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.’

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 10:12-11:9

Deu 10:12  “And now, Yisra’ĕl, what is יהוה your Elohim asking of you, but to fear יהוה your Elohim, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve יהוה your Elohim with all your heart and with all your being,

Deu 10:13  to guard the commands of יהוה and His laws which I command you today for your good?

Deu 10:14  “See, the heavens and the heaven of heavens belong to יהוה your Elohim, also the earth with all that is in it.

Deu 10:15  “יהוה delighted only in your fathers, to love them. And He chose their seed after them, you above all peoples1, as it is today. Footnote: 1See also 7:6, 14:2, 26:18, Ps. 135:4 and Amos 3:2.

Deu 10:16  “And you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and harden your neck no more.

Deu 10:17  “For יהוה your Elohim is Elohim of mighty ones and Master of masters, the great Ěl, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.

Deu 10:18  “He executes right-ruling for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the stranger, giving him food and a garment.

Deu 10:19  “And you shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Mitsrayim.

Deu 10:20  “Fear יהוה your Elohim. Serve Him, and cling to Him, and swear by His Name.

Deu 10:21  “He is your praise, and He is your Elohim, who has done for you these great and awesome deeds which your eyes have seen.

Deu 10:22  “Your fathers went down to Mitsrayim with seventy beings, and now יהוה your Elohim has made you as numerous as the stars of the heavens.

Deu 11:1  “And you shall love יהוה your Elohim and guard His Charge1: even His laws, and His right-rulings, and His commands, always. Footnote: 1See Gen. 26:5.

Deu 11:2  “And you shall know today – for it is not your children who have not known and who have not seen the discipline of יהוה your Elohim, His greatness, His strong hand and His outstretched arm,

Deu 11:3  and His signs, and His works which He had done in the midst of Mitsrayim, to Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim, and to all his land;

Deu 11:4  and that which He had done to the army of Mitsrayim, to their horses and their chariots, when He made the waters of the Sea of Reeds overflow them as they pursued you, and how יהוה has destroyed them to this day;

Deu 11:5  and what He had done for you in the wilderness till you came to this place;

Deu 11:6  and what He had done to Dathan and Aḇiram the sons of Eliyaḇ, son of Re’uḇĕn, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and their tents, and all the living creatures that were in their possession, in the midst of all Yisra’ĕl.

Deu 11:7  “For yours are the eyes that saw all the great work of יהוה, which He did.

Deu 11:8  “And you shall guard every command which I command you today, so that you are strong, and shall go in, and shall possess the land which you are passing over to possess,

Deu 11:9  and to prolong your days in the land which יהוה swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, a land flowing with milk and honey.

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 11:10-11:21

Deu 11:10  “For the land which you are going in to possess is not like the land of Mitsrayim from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden,

Deu 11:11  but the land which you are passing over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of the heavens,

Deu 11:12  a land which יהוה your Elohim looks after. The eyes of יהוה your Elohim are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the latter end of the year.

Deu 11:13  ‘And it shall be that if you diligently obey My commands which I command you today, to love יהוה your Elohim and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your being,

Deu 11:14  then I shall give you the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, and you shall gather in your grain, and your new wine, and your oil.

Deu 11:15  ‘And I shall give grass in your fields for your livestock, and you shall eat and be satisfied.

Deu 11:16  ‘Guard yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other mighty ones and bow down to them.

Deu 11:17  ‘Then the displeasure of יהוה shall burn against you, and He shall shut up the heavens, and there be no rain, and the land not give its increase. And you shall perish quickly from the good land which יהוה is giving you.

Deu 11:18  ‘And you shall lay up these Words1 of Mine in your heart and in your being, and shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. Footnote: 1See footnote at 5:22.

Deu 11:19  ‘And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up,

Deu 11:20  and shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,

Deu 11:21  so that your days and the days of your children are increased on the soil of which יהוה swore to your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens on the earth.

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 11:22-11:25

Deu 11:22  ‘For if you diligently guard all these commands which I command you, to do it, to love יהוה your Elohim, to walk in all His ways, and to cling to Him,

Deu 11:23  then יהוה shall drive out all these nations before you, and you shall dispossess greater and stronger nations than you.

Deu 11:24  ‘Every place on which the sole of your foot treads is yours: from the wilderness, and Leḇanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, even to the Western Sea is your border.

Deu 11:25  ‘No man shall stand against you. יהוה your Elohim shall put the dread of you and the fear of you upon all the land where you tread, as He has spoken to you.


Prophets: Isaiah 49:14 – 51:3

Isa 49:14  But Tsiyon says, “יהוה has forsaken me, and יהוה has forgotten me.”

Isa 49:15  “Would a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Though they forget, I never forget you.

Isa 49:16  “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are always before Me.

Isa 49:17  “Your sons shall hurry, your destroyers and those who laid you waste depart from you.

Isa 49:18  “Lift up your eyes round about and see, all of them gather together and come to you. As I live,” declares יהוה, “you shall put on all of them as an ornament, and bind them on you as a bride does.

Isa 49:19  “For your wastes, and your deserted places, and the land of your destruction, shall soon be too narrow for the inhabitants, while those who swallowed you up are far away.

Isa 49:20  “The sons of your bereavement shall yet say in your ears, ‘The place is too narrow for me, make room for me to live.’

Isa 49:21  “And you shall say in your heart, ‘Who has brought forth these for me, since I am bereaved and barren, an exile, and wandering to and fro? And who reared them? See, I was left alone – from where did these come?’ ”

Isa 49:22  Thus said the Master יהוה, “See, I lift My hand up to the gentiles, and set up My banner for the peoples; and they shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughters carried on their shoulders;

Isa 49:23  “And sovereigns shall be your foster fathers, and their sovereignesses your nursing mothers. They bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet. And you shall know that I am יהוה – those who wait for Me shall not be ashamed.”

Isa 49:24  Is prey taken from the mighty, and the captives of the righteous delivered?

Isa 49:25  Yet thus said יהוה, “Even the captives of the mighty is taken away, and the prey of the ruthless is delivered; and I strive with him who strives with you, and I save your children.

Isa 49:26  “And I shall feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and let them drink their own blood as sweet wine. All flesh shall know that I, יהוה, am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ.”

Isa 50:1  Thus says יהוה, “Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce, whom I have put away? Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Look, you were sold for your crookednesses, and your mother was put away for your transgressions.

Isa 50:2  “When I came, why was there no one? When I called, why was there no one to answer? Was My hand too short to redeem? Or have I no power to deliver? See, by My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink for there is not water, and die of thirst.

Isa 50:3  “I clothe the heavens with darkness, and I make sackcloth their covering.”

Isa 50:4  The Master יהוה has given Me the tongue of taught ones, that I should know to help the weary with a word. He wakes Me morning by morning, he wakes My ear to hear as taught ones.

Isa 50:5  The Master יהוה has opened My ear, and I was not rebellious, nor did I turn away.

Isa 50:6  I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard, I did not hide My face from humiliation and spitting.

Isa 50:7  And the Master יהוה helps Me, therefore I shall not be humiliated. So I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I am not put to shame.

Isa 50:8  Near is He who declares Me right. Who would contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me.

Isa 50:9  See, the Master יהוה helps Me. Who would declare Me wrong? See, all of them wear out like a garment, a moth eats them.

Isa 50:10  Who among you is fearing יהוה, obeying the voice of His Servant, that has walked in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the Name of יהוה and lean upon his Elohim!

Isa 50:11  See, all you who light a fire, girding on burning arrows: walk in the light of your fire and in the burning arrows you have lit. From My hand you shall have this: you shall lie down in grief!

Isa 51:1  “Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, seeking יהוה: Look to the rock you were hewn from, and to the hole of the pit you were dug from.

Isa 51:2  “Look to Aḇraham your father, and to Sarah who bore you. For he was alone when I called him, and I blessed him and increased him.

Isa 51:3  “For יהוה shall comfort Tsiyon, He shall comfort all her waste places. For He makes her wilderness like Ěḏen, and her desert like the garden of יהוה. Joy and gladness are found in it, thanksgiving and the voice of song.


Brit Hadasha: John 13:31 – 15:27

Joh 13:31  When, therefore, he went out, יהושע said, “Now the Son of Aḏam has been esteemed, and Elohim has been esteemed in Him.

Joh 13:32  “If Elohim has been esteemed in Him, Elohim shall also esteem Him in Himself, and straightaway esteem Him.

Joh 13:33  “Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You shall seek Me, and as I said to the Yehuḏim, ‘Where I am going, you are unable to come,’ I now also say to you.

Joh 13:34  “A renewed command I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Joh 13:35  “By this shall all know that you are My taught ones, if you have love for one another.”

Joh 13:36  Shimʽon Kĕpha said to Him, “Master, where are You going?” יהושע answered him, “Where I am going you are unable to follow Me now, but afterwards you shall follow Me.”

Joh 13:37  Kĕpha said to Him, “Master, why am I unable to follow You now? I shall lay down my life for You.”

Joh 13:38  יהושע answered him, “Shall you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock shall not crow at all until you have denied Me three times.

Joh 14:1  “Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in Elohim, believe also in Me.

Joh 14:2  “In My Father’s house are many staying places. And if not, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

Joh 14:3  “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I shall come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, you might be too.

Joh 14:4  “And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

Joh 14:5  T’oma said to Him, “Master, we do not know where You are going, and how are we able to know the way?”

Joh 14:6  יהושע said to him, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Joh 14:7  “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father too. From now on you know Him, and have seen.”

Joh 14:8  Philip said to Him, “Master, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”

Joh 14:9  יהושע said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, and how do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

Joh 14:10  “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak from Myself. But the Father who stays in Me does His works.

Joh 14:11  “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, otherwise believe Me because of the works themselves.

Joh 14:12  “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he shall do also. And greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father.

Joh 14:13  “And whatever you ask in My Name, that I shall do, in order that the Father might be esteemed in the Son.

Joh 14:14  “If you ask whatever in My Name, I shall do it.

Joh 14:15  “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands.1 Footnote: 1See Ex. 20:6, vv. 21&23, 1 John 5:2-3, 2 John v. 6.

Joh 14:16  “And I shall ask the Father, and He shall give you another Helper, to stay with you forever –

Joh 14:17  the Spirit of the Truth, whom the world is unable to receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him, for He stays with you and shall be in you.

Joh 14:18  “I shall not leave you orphans – I am coming to you.

Joh 14:19  “Yet a little while, and the world no longer sees Me, but you shall see Me, because I live, and you shall live.

Joh 14:20  “In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

Joh 14:21  “He who possesses My commands and guards them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and manifest Myself to him.”

Joh 14:22  Yehuḏah – not the one from Qerioth – said to Him, “Master, what has come about that You are about to manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”

Joh 14:23  יהושע answered him, “If anyone loves Me, he shall guard My Word. And My Father shall love him, and We shall come to him and make Our stay with him.

Joh 14:24  “He who does not love Me does not guard My Words. And the Word which you hear is not Mine but of the Father Who sent Me.

Joh 14:25  “These Words I have spoken to you while still with you.

Joh 14:26  “But the Helper, the Set-apart Spirit, whom the Father shall send in My Name, He shall teach you all, and remind you of all that I said to you.

Joh 14:27  “Peace I leave with you – My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Joh 14:28  “You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming to you.’ If you did love Me, you would have rejoiced that I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.

Joh 14:29  “And now I have told you before it takes place, that when it does take place, you shall believe.

Joh 14:30  “I shall no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming,1 and he possesses none at all in Me, Footnote: 1See Lk. 4:6.

Joh 14:31  but, in order for the world to know that I love the Father, and that as the Father commanded Me, so I am doing. Rise up, let us go from here.

Joh 15:1  “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.

Joh 15:2  “Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit He prunes, so that it bears more fruit.

Joh 15:3  “You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you.

Joh 15:4  “Stay in Me, and I stay in you. As the branch is unable to bear fruit of itself, unless it stays in the vine, so neither you, unless you stay in Me.

Joh 15:5  “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do naught!

Joh 15:6  “If anyone does not stay in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Joh 15:7  “If you stay in Me, and My Words stay in you, you shall ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.

Joh 15:8  “In this My Father is esteemed, that you bear much fruit, and you shall be My taught ones.

Joh 15:9  “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Stay in My love.

Joh 15:10  “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in My love,1 even as I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in His love. Footnote: 1See 14:15.

Joh 15:11  “These words I have spoken to you, so that My joy might be in you, and that your joy might be complete.

Joh 15:12  “This is My command, that you love one another, as I have loved you.1 Footnote: 1See 13:34, 15:17.

Joh 15:13  “No one has greater love than this: that one should lay down his life for his friends.

Joh 15:14  “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

Joh 15:15  “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, for all teachings which I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Joh 15:16  “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in My Name He might give you.

Joh 15:17  “These words I command you, so that you love one another.1 Footnote: 1See 13:34, 15:12.

Joh 15:18  “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

Joh 15:19  “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, for that reason the world hates you.

Joh 15:20  “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they shall persecute you too. If they have guarded My Word, they would guard yours too.

Joh 15:21  “But all this they shall do to you because of My Name, because they do not know Him who sent Me.

Joh 15:22  “If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Joh 15:23  “He who hates Me hates My Father as well.

Joh 15:24  “If I did not do among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin. But now they have both seen and have hated both Me and My Father,

Joh 15:25  but…that the word might be filled which was written in their Torah, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ Psalms 35:19, 69:4

Joh 15:26  “And when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of the Truth, who comes from the Father, He shall bear witness of Me,

Joh 15:27  but you also bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

James 5:7-11

Jas 5:7  So, brothers, be patient until the coming of the Master. See, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

Jas 5:8  You too, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Master has drawn near.

Jas 5:9  Do not grumble against each other, brothers, lest you be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the door!

Jas 5:10  My brothers, as an example of suffering and patience, take the prophets, who spoke in the Name of יהוה.

Jas 5:11  See, we call those blessed who endure. You have heard of the endurance of Iyoḇ and saw the purpose of יהוה, that He is very sympathetic and compassionate.

Romans 8:31-39

Rom 8:31  What then shall we say to this? If Elohim is for us, who is against us?

Rom 8:32  Truly, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up on behalf of us all – how shall He not, along with Him, freely give us all else?

Rom 8:33  Who shall bring any charge against Elohim’s chosen ones? It is Elohim who is declaring right.

Rom 8:34  Who is he who is condemning? It is Messiah who died, and furthermore is also raised up, who is also at the right hand of Elohim, who also makes intercession for us.

Rom 8:35  Who shall separate us from the love of the Messiah? Shall pressure, or distress, or persecution, or scarcity of food, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Rom 8:36  As it has been written, “For Your sake we are killed all day long, we are reckoned as sheep of slaughter.” Psalms 44:22

Rom 8:37  But in all this we are more than overcomers through Him who loved us.

Rom 8:38  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor messengers nor principalities nor powers, neither the present nor the future,

Rom 8:39  nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of Elohim which is in Messiah יהושע our Master.

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Va’etchanan | ואתחנן | “I Pleaded”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Va’etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּן — Hebrew for “and I pleaded,” the first word in the parashah) is the 45th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the second in the Book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11. The parashah is made up of 7,343 Hebrew letters, 1,878 Hebrew words, 122 verses, and can occupy about 249 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).


Torah: Deuteronomy 3:23 – 7:11

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 3:23-4:4

Deu 3:23  “And I pleaded with יהוה at that time, saying,

Deu 3:24  ‘O Master יהוה, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand, for who is a mighty one in the heavens or on earth who does according to Your works and according to Your might?

Deu 3:25  ‘I pray, let me pass over and see the good land beyond the Yardĕn, this good hill country, and Leḇanon.’

Deu 3:26  “But יהוה was enraged with me, for your sake, and would not listen to me, and יהוה said to me, ‘Enough of that! Speak no more to Me about this matter.

Deu 3:27  ‘Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift up your eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and look with your eyes, for you do not pass over this Yardĕn.

Deu 3:28  ‘But charge Yehoshua, and strengthen him and make him brave, for he shall pass over before this people and causes them to inherit the land which you see.’

Deu 3:29  “And we dwelt in the valley opposite Bĕyth Peʽor.

Deu 4:1  “And now, O Yisra’ĕl, listen to the laws and the right-rulings which I am teaching you to do, so that you live, and shall go in and possess the land which יהוה Elohim of your fathers is giving you.

Deu 4:2  “Do not add to the Word which I command you, and do not take away from it1, so as to guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim which I am commanding you. Footnote: 1See also 12:32, Prov. 30:6, Rev. 22:18-19.

Deu 4:3  “Your eyes have seen what יהוה did at Baʽal Peʽor, for יהוה your Elohim has destroyed from your midst all the men who followed Baʽal Peʽor.

Deu 4:4  “But you who are clinging to יהוה your Elohim are alive today, every one of you.

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah) Devarim 4:5-4:40

Deu 4:5  “See, I have taught you laws and right-rulings, as יהוה my Elohim commanded me, to do thus in the land which you go to possess.

Deu 4:6  “And you shall guard and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding before the eyes of the peoples who hear all these laws, and they shall say, ‘Only a wise and understanding people is this great nation!’

Deu 4:7  “For what great nation is there which has Elohim so near to it, as יהוה our Elohim is to us, whenever we call on Him?

Deu 4:8  “And what great nation is there that has such laws and righteous right-rulings like all this Torah which I set before you this day?

Deu 4:9  “Only, guard yourself, and guard your life diligently, lest you forget the Words your eyes have seen, and lest they turn aside from your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your children and your grandchildren.

Deu 4:10  “The day when you stood before יהוה your Elohim in Ḥorĕḇ, יהוה said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me and I make them hear My Words, so that they learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth and teach them to their children.’

Deu 4:11  “And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the heart of the heavens – darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.

Deu 4:12  “And יהוה spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard a voice of words, but saw no form, you only heard a voice.

Deu 4:13  “And He made known to you His covenant which He commanded you to do, the Ten Words, and He wrote them on two tablets of stone.

Deu 4:14  “And יהוה commanded me at that time to teach you laws and right-rulings, for you to do them in the land which you pass over to possess.

Deu 4:15  “Therefore, diligently guard yourselves, for you saw no form when יהוה spoke to you at Ḥorĕḇ out of the midst of the fire,

Deu 4:16  lest you should do corruptly and shall make for yourselves a carved image in the form of any figure – the likeness of male or female,

Deu 4:17  the likeness of any beast that is on the earth or the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the heavens,

Deu 4:18  the likeness of any creature that creeps on the ground or the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth;

Deu 4:19  and lest you lift up your eyes to the heavens, and shall see the sun, and the moon, and the stars – all the host of the heavens – and you be drawn away into bowing down to them and serving them, which יהוה your Elohim has allotted to all the peoples under all the heavens.

Deu 4:20  “But יהוה has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Mitsrayim, to be His people, an inheritance, as it is today.

Deu 4:21  “And יהוה was enraged with me because of your words, and swore that I would not pass over the Yardĕn, and that I would not enter the good land which יהוה your Elohim is giving you as an inheritance.

Deu 4:22  “For I am to die in this land, I am not passing over the Yardĕn, but you are passing over, and shall possess that good land.

Deu 4:23  “Guard yourselves, lest you forget the covenant of יהוה your Elohim which He made with you, and shall make for yourselves a carved image in the form of whatever יהוה your Elohim has forbidden you.

Deu 4:24  “For יהוה your Elohim is a consuming fire, a jealous Ěl.

Deu 4:25  “When you bring forth children and grandchildren, and shall grow old in the land, and shall do corruptly and make a carved image in the form of whatever, and shall do what is evil in the eyes of יהוה your Elohim to provoke Him,

Deu 4:26  “I shall call the heavens and earth to witness against you on that day, that you soon completely perish from the land which you pass over the Yardĕn to possess – you do not prolong your days in it but are completely destroyed.

Deu 4:27  “And יהוה shall scatter you among the peoples, and you shall be left few in number among the gentiles where יהוה drives you.

Deu 4:28  “And there you shall serve mighty ones, the work of men’s hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear nor eat nor smell.

Deu 4:29  “But from there you shall seek יהוה your Elohim, and shall find, when you search for Him with all your heart1 and with all your being. Footnote: 1Jer. 29:13.

Deu 4:30  “In your distress, when all these words shall come upon you in the latter days, then you shall return to יהוה your Elohim and shall obey His voice.

Deu 4:31  “For יהוה your Elohim is a compassionate Ěl, He does not forsake you, nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.

Deu 4:32  “For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that Elohim created man on the earth, and ask from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens, whether there has been a Word as great as this, or has been heard like it.

Deu 4:33  “Has a people heard the voice of Elohim speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and live?

Deu 4:34  “Or has Elohim tried to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of a nation by trials, and by signs, and by wonders, and by battle, and by a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and by great fearsome deeds, according to all that יהוה your Elohim did for you in Mitsrayim before your eyes?

Deu 4:35  “You have been shown it, to know that יהוה Himself is Elohim; there is no one beside Him.

Deu 4:36  “From the heavens He let you hear His voice, to instruct you, and on earth He showed you His great fire, and you heard His words out of the midst of the fire.

Deu 4:37  “And because He loved your fathers, therefore He chose their seed after them, and brought you out of Mitsrayim with His Presence, with His great power,

Deu 4:38  to drive out from before you nations greater and stronger than you, to bring you in, to give you their land as an inheritance, as it is today.

Deu 4:39  “And you shall know today, and shall recall to your heart that יהוה Himself is Elohim in the heavens above and on the earth beneath; there is none else.

Deu 4:40  “And you shall guard His laws and His commands which I command you today, so that it is well with you and with your children after you, and so that you prolong your days on the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you for all time.”

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 4:41-4:49

Deu 4:41  Then Mosheh separated three cities beyond the Yardĕn, toward the rising of the sun,

Deu 4:42  for him who killed someone to flee there, he who kills his neighbour unintentionally, without having hated him in time past, and might flee to one of these cities and live:

Deu 4:43  Betser in the wilderness in the level land for the Re’uḇĕnites, and Ramoth in Gilʽaḏ for the Gaḏites, and Golan in Bashan for the Menashshites.

Deu 4:44  And this is the Torah which Mosheh set before the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Deu 4:45  These are the witnesses, and the laws, and the right-rulings which Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl after they came out of Mitsrayim,

Deu 4:46  beyond the Yardĕn, in the valley opposite Bĕyth Peʽor, in the land of Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt at Ḥeshbon, whom Mosheh and the children of Yisra’ĕl had smitten after they came out of Mitsrayim.

Deu 4:47  And they took possession of his land and the land of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, two sovereigns of the Amorites, who were beyond the Yardĕn, toward the rising of the sun,

Deu 4:48  from Aroʽĕr, which is on the bank of the wadi Arnon, even to Mount Siyon, which is Ḥermon,

Deu 4:49  and all the desert plain beyond the Yardĕn as far as the Sea of the Araḇah, below the slopes of Pisgah.

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 5:1-5:22

Deu 5:1  And Mosheh called all Yisra’ĕl, and said to them, “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl, the laws and right-rulings which I speak in your hearing today. And you shall learn them, and guard to do them.

Deu 5:2  “יהוה our Elohim made a covenant with us in Ḥorĕḇ.

Deu 5:3  “יהוה did not make this covenant with our fathers, but with us, those who are here today, all of us who are alive.

Deu 5:4  “יהוה spoke with you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire.

Deu 5:5  “I stood between יהוה and you at that time, to declare to you the Word of יהוה – for you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up the mountain – saying:

Deu 5:6  ‘I am יהוה your Elohim who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of bondage.

Deu 5:7  ‘You have no other mighty ones against My face.

Deu 5:8  ‘You do not make for yourself a carved image, any likeness of which is in the heavens above, or which is in the earth beneath, or which is in the waters under the earth,

Deu 5:9  you do not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, יהוה your Elohim, am a jealous Ěl, visiting the crookedness of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,

Deu 5:10  but showing kindness to thousands, to those who love Me and guard My commands.

Deu 5:11  ‘You do not bring1 the Name of יהוה your Elohim to naught, for יהוה does not leave him unpunished who brings His Name to naught. Footnote: 1Or lift up, or take.

Deu 5:12  ‘Guard the Sabbath day, to set it apart, as יהוה your Elohim commanded you.

Deu 5:13  ‘Six days you labour, and shall do all your work,

Deu 5:14  but the seventh day is a Sabbath1 of יהוה your Elohim. You do not do any work – you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates, so that your male servant and your female servant rest as you do. Footnote: 1See footnote at Ex. 20:10.

Deu 5:15  ‘And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Mitsrayim, and that יהוה your Elohim brought you out from there by a strong hand and by an outstretched arm. Therefore יהוה your Elohim commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Deu 5:16  ‘Respect your father and your mother, as יהוה your Elohim has commanded you, so that your days are prolonged, and so that it is well with you on the soil which יהוה your Elohim is giving you.

Deu 5:17  ‘You do not murder.

Deu 5:18  ‘You do not commit adultery.

Deu 5:19  ‘You do not steal.

Deu 5:20  ‘You do not bear false witness against your neighbour.

Deu 5:21  ‘You do not covet your neighbour’s wife, nor do you desire your neighbour’s house, his field, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, his ox, nor his donkey, or whatever belongs to your neighbour.’

Deu 5:22  “These Words יהוה spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a loud voice, and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 5:23-6:3

Deu 5:23  “And it came to be, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, that you came near to me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders,

Deu 5:24  and said, ‘See, יהוה our Elohim has shown us His esteem and His greatness, and we have heard His voice from the midst of the fire. Today we have seen that Elohim speaks with man – and he lives!

Deu 5:25  ‘And now why should we die? For this great fire is consuming us. If we hear the voice of יהוה our Elohim any more, then we shall die.

Deu 5:26  ‘For who is there of all flesh who has heard the voice of the living Elohim speaking from the midst of the fire, as we have, and does live?

Deu 5:27  ‘You go near and hear all that יהוה our Elohim says, and speak to us all that יהוה our Elohim says to you, and we shall hear and do it.’

Deu 5:28  “And יהוה heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me, and יהוה said to me, ‘I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken.

Deu 5:29  ‘Oh, that they had such a heart in them, to fear Me and to guard all My commands always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever!

Deu 5:30  ‘Go, say to them, “Return to your tents.”

Deu 5:31  ‘But you, stand here by Me, and let Me speak to you all the commands, and the laws, and the right-rulings which you are to teach them. And they shall do them in the land which I am giving them to possess.’

Deu 5:32  “And you shall guard to do as יהוה your Elohim has commanded you – do not turn aside, to the right or to the left.

Deu 5:33  “Walk in all the way which יהוה your Elohim has commanded you, so that you live and it be well with you. And you shall prolong your days in the land which you possess.

Deu 6:1  “And this is the command, the laws and right-rulings which יהוה your Elohim has commanded, to teach you to do in the land which you are passing over to possess,

Deu 6:2  so that you fear יהוה your Elohim, to guard all His laws and His commands which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days be prolonged.

Deu 6:3  “And you shall hear, O Yisra’ĕl, and shall guard to do, that it might be well with you, and that you increase greatly as יהוה Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 6:4-6:25

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Deu 6:5  “And you shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your might.

Deu 6:6  “And these Words which I am commanding you today shall be in your heart,

Deu 6:7  and you shall impress them upon your children, and shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up,

Deu 6:8  and shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

Deu 6:9  “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deu 6:10  “And it shall be, when יהוה your Elohim brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give you great and good cities which you did not build,

Deu 6:11  and houses filled with all kinds of goods, which you did not fill, and wells dug which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you shall eat and be satisfied –

Deu 6:12  be on guard, lest you forget יהוה who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, from the house of bondage.

Deu 6:13  “Fear יהוה your Elohim and serve Him, and swear by His Name.

Deu 6:14  “Do not go after other mighty ones, the mighty ones of the peoples who are all around you,

Deu 6:15  for יהוה your Elohim is a jealous Ěl in your midst, lest the displeasure of יהוה your Elohim burn against you, then He shall destroy you from the face of the earth.

Deu 6:16  “Do not try יהוה your Elohim as you tried Him in Massah.

Deu 6:17  “Diligently guard the commands of יהוה your Elohim, and His witnesses, and His laws which He has commanded you.

Deu 6:18  “And you shall do what is right and good in the eyes of יהוה, that it might be well with you, and you shall go in and possess the good land of which יהוה swore to your fathers,

Deu 6:19  to drive out all your enemies from before you, as יהוה has spoken.

Deu 6:20  “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the witnesses, and the laws, and the right-rulings which יהוה our Elohim has commanded you?’

Deu 6:21  then you shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Mitsrayim, and יהוה brought us out of Mitsrayim with a strong hand,

Deu 6:22  and יהוה sent signs and wonders, great and grievous, upon Mitsrayim, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his household, before our eyes.

Deu 6:23  ‘And He brought us out from there, to bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers.

Deu 6:24  ‘And יהוה commanded us to do all these laws, to fear יהוה our Elohim, for our good always, to keep us alive, as it is today.

Deu 6:25  ‘And it is righteousness for us when we guard to do all this command before יהוה our Elohim, as He has commanded us.’

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 7:1-7:11

Deu 7:1  “When יהוה your Elohim brings you into the land which you go to possess, He shall also clear away many nations before you: the Ḥittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Kenaʽanites and the Perizzites and the Ḥiwwites and the Yeḇusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you.

Deu 7:2  “And when יהוה your Elohim gives them over to you, you shall smite them and put them under the ban, completely. Make no covenant with them, and show them no favour.

Deu 7:3  “And do not intermarry with them – you do not give your daughter to his son, and you do not take his daughter for your son,

Deu 7:4  for he turns your sons away from following Me, to serve other mighty ones. Then the displeasure of יהוה shall burn against you and promptly destroy you.

Deu 7:5  “But this is what you do to them: Break down their altars, and smash their pillars, and cut down their Ashĕrim, and burn their carved images with fire.

Deu 7:6  “For you are a set-apart people to יהוה your Elohim. יהוה your Elohim has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a treasured possession above all the peoples on the face of the earth.

Deu 7:7  “יהוה did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more numerous than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples,

Deu 7:8  but because of יהוה loving you, and because of Him guarding the oath which He swore to your fathers, יהוה has brought you out with a strong hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh sovereign of Mitsrayim.

Deu 7:9  “And you shall know that יהוה your Elohim, He is Elohim, the trustworthy Ěl guarding covenant and kindness for a thousand generations with those who love Him, and those who guard His commands,

Deu 7:10  but repaying those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He does not delay to do so with him who hates Him, He repays him to his face.

Deu 7:11  “And you shall guard the command, and the laws, and the right-rulings which I command you today, to do them.


Prophets: Isaiah 40:1-31

Isa 40:1  “Comfort, comfort My people!” says your Elohim.

Isa 40:2  “Speak to the heart of Yerushalayim, and cry out to her, that her hard service is completed, that her crookedness is pardoned, that she has received from the hand of יהוה double for all her sins.”

Isa 40:3  The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of יהוה; make straight in the desert a highway for our Elohim.

Isa 40:4  “Let every valley be raised, and every mountain and hill made low. And the steep ground shall become level, and the rough places smooth.

Isa 40:5  “And the esteem of יהוה shall be revealed, and all flesh together shall see it. For the mouth of יהוה has spoken.”

Isa 40:6  The voice said, “Cry out!” and he said, “What do I cry?” “All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

Isa 40:7  “Grass shall wither, the flower shall fade, when the Spirit of יהוה has blown on it! Truly the people is grass!

Isa 40:8  “Grass shall wither, the flower shall fade, but the Word of our Elohim stands forever1.” Footnote: 11 Peter 1:24-25.

Isa 40:9  You who bring good news to Tsiyon, get up into the high mountain. You who bring good news to Yerushalayim, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid. Say to the cities of Yehuḏah, “See your Elohim!”

Isa 40:10  See, the Master יהוה comes with a strong hand, and His arm rules for Him. See, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.

Isa 40:11  He feeds His flock like a shepherd, He gathers the lambs with His arm, and carries them in His bosom, gently leading those who are with young.

Isa 40:12  Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and measured the heavens with a span, and contained the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

Isa 40:13  Who has meted out the Spirit of יהוה, or as His counsellor taught Him?

Isa 40:14  With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of right-ruling? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding?

Isa 40:15  See, nations are as a drop in a bucket, and are reckoned as dust on the balance. See, He lifts up isles as fine dust.

Isa 40:16  And Leḇanon is not enough to burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

Isa 40:17  All nations before Him are as a non-entity, and they are reckoned by Him as less than a speck, and emptiness.

Isa 40:18  And to whom would you liken Ěl? And what likeness would you compare to Him?

Isa 40:19  The workman moulds a graven image, and the goldsmith overspreads it with gold, and the silversmith casts silver chains.

Isa 40:20  He who is too poor for such an offering chooses a tree that does not rot. He seeks for himself a skilled craftsman to prepare a carved image that does not totter.

Isa 40:21  Did you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Isa 40:22  It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,

Isa 40:23  who brings princes to naught, shall make the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Isa 40:24  Hardly have they been planted, hardly have they been sown, hardly has their stock taken root in the earth, when He shall blow on them and they wither, and a whirlwind take them away like stubble.

Isa 40:25  “And to whom then do you liken Me, or to whom am I compared?” says the Set-apart One.

Isa 40:26  Lift up your eyes on high and see. Who has created these? He who is bringing out their host by number, He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power – not one is missing.

Isa 40:27  Why do you say, O Yaʽaqoḇ, and speak, O Yisra’ĕl, “My way is hidden from יהוה, and my rights are overlooked by my Elohim”?

Isa 40:28  Did you not know? Have you not heard? The everlasting Elohim, יהוה, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.

Isa 40:29  He gives power to the faint, and to those who have no might He increases strength.

Isa 40:30  Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men stumble and fall,

Isa 40:31  but those who wait on יהוה renew their strength, they raise up the wing like eagles, they run and are not weary, they walk and do not faint.


Brit Hadasha: Mark 12:28-34

Mar 12:28  And one of the scribes coming near, hearing them reasoning together, knowing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first command of all?”

Mar 12:29  And יהושע answered him, “The first of all the commands is, ‘Hear, O Yisra’ĕl, יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one. Deu. 6:4

Mar 12:30  ‘And you shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first command. Deu. 6:5

Mar 12:31  “And the second, like it, is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other command greater than these.” Lev. 19:18

Mar 12:32  And the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one Elohim, and there is no other besides Him. Deu. 4:35

Mar 12:33  “And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the being, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is more than all the burnt offerings and offerings.”

Deu. 6:5

Mar 12:34  And when יהושע saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the reign of Elohim.” And after that no one was bold enough to question Him.

Luke 4:1-13

Luk 4:1  And יהושע, being filled with the Set-apart Spirit, returned from the Yardĕn and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

Luk 4:2  being tried for forty days by the devil. And in those days He did not eat at all, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

Luk 4:3  And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of Elohim, command this stone to become bread.”

Luk 4:4  But יהושע answered him, saying, “It has been written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of Elohim.’ ”1 Footnote: 1Mt. 4:4, Dt. 8:3.

Luk 4:5  And the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the reigns of the world in a moment of time.

Luk 4:6  And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I shall give You, and their esteem, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.1 Footnote: 1See 2 Cor. 4:4, also: John. 12:31, John. 14:30, John. 16:11, 1 John 5:19.

Luk 4:7  “If, then, You worship before me, all shall be Yours.”

Luk 4:8  And יהושע answering him, said, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it has been written, ‘You shall worship יהוה your Elohim, and Him only you shall serve.’

Deu. 6:13

Luk 4:9  And he brought Him to Yerushalayim, set Him on the edge of the Set-apart Place, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of Elohim, throw Yourself down from here,

Luk 4:10  for it has been written, ‘He shall command His messengers concerning You, to guard over You,’ Psa. 91:11

Luk 4:11  and, ‘In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash Your foot against a stone.’ ” Psa. 91:12

Luk 4:12  And יהושע answering, said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not try יהוה your Elohim.’ ” Deu. 6:16

Luk 4:13  And when the devil had ended every trial, he went away from Him until a convenient time.

Luke 10:25-37

Luk 10:25  And see, a certain one learned in the Torah stood up, trying Him, and saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit everlasting life?”

Luk 10:26  And He said to him, “What has been written in the Torah? How do you read it?”

Luk 10:27  And he answering, said, “ ‘You shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbour as yourself.’ ” Deu. 6:5, Lev. 19:18

Luk 10:28  And He said to him, “You have answered rightly. Do this and you shall live.1 Footnote: 1Mt. 19:17, Lev. 18:5

Luk 10:29  But he, wishing to declare himself righteous, said to יהושע, “And who is my neighbour?”

Luk 10:30  And replying, יהושע said, “A certain man was going down from Yerushalayim to Yeriḥo, and fell among robbers, who, both stripping and beating him, went away, leaving him half dead.

Luk 10:31  “And by a coincidence a certain priest was going down that way. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Luk 10:32  “And likewise a Lĕwite also, when he came to the place, and seeing, passed by on the other side.

Luk 10:33  “But a certain Shomeronite, journeying, came upon him. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

Luk 10:34  and he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. And having placed him on his own beast, he brought him to an inn, and looked after him.

Luk 10:35  “And going out on the next day, he took out two pieces of silver, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Look after him, and whatever more you spend I shall repay you when I return.’

Luk 10:36  “Who, then, of these three, do you think, was neighbour1 to him who fell among the robbers?” Footnote: 1Mt. 17:18.

Luk 10:37  And he said, “He who showed compassion on him.” Then יהושע said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 22:13-38

Luk 22:13  And going they found it as He had said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

Luk 22:14  And when the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve emissaries with Him.

Luk 22:15  And He said to them, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering,

Luk 22:16  for I say to you, I shall certainly not eat of it again until it is filled in the reign of Elohim.”

Luk 22:17  And taking the cup, giving thanks, He said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves,

Luk 22:18  for I say to you, I shall certainly not drink of the fruit of the vine until the reign of Elohim comes.”

Luk 22:19  And taking bread, giving thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of Me.”

Luk 22:20  Likewise the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the renewed covenant in My blood which is shed for you.

Luk 22:21  “But see, the hand of him delivering Me up is with Me on the table.

Luk 22:22  “For indeed the Son of Aḏam goes as it has been decreed, but woe to that man by whom He is delivered up!”

Luk 22:23  And they began to ask among themselves, which of them it could be who was about to do this.

Luk 22:24  And there also took place a dispute among them, as to which of them seemed to be greater.

Luk 22:25  And He said to them, “The sovereigns of the gentiles rule over them, and those who control them are called ‘workers of good.’

Luk 22:26  “But not so with you, but let him who is greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.

Luk 22:27  “For who is greater, the one who sits at the table, or the one who serves? Is it not the one who sits at the table? But I am in your midst as the One who serves.

Luk 22:28  “But you are those who have remained with Me in My trials.

Luk 22:29  “And I covenant for you, as My Father covenanted for Me, a reign,

Luk 22:30  to eat and drink at My table, in My reign, and to sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Yisra’ĕl.”

Luk 22:31  And the Master said, “Shimʽon, Shimʽon! See, Satan has asked for you to sift you as wheat.

Luk 22:32  “But I have prayed for you, that your belief should not fail. And when you have turned, strengthen your brothers.”

Luk 22:33  And he said to Him, “Master, I am prepared to go with You, both to prison and to death.”

Luk 22:34  And He said, “I say to you, Kĕpha, the cock shall not crow at all today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”

Luk 22:35  And He said to them, “When I sent you without purse and bag and sandals, did you lack any?” And they said, “None at all.”

Luk 22:36  And He said to them, “But now, let him who has a purse take it, likewise also a bag. And let him who has no sword sell his garment and buy one.

Luk 22:37  “For I say to you that what has been written has yet to be accomplished in Me, ‘And He was reckoned with lawless ones.’ For that which refers to Me has an end too.” Isa. 53:12

Luk 22:38  And they said, “Master, look, here are two swords.” But He said to them, “That is enough!”

Acts 13:13-43

Act 13:13  And having put out from Paphos, Sha’ul and those with him came to Perge in Pamphulia. And Yoḥanan, having left them, returned to Yerushalayim.

Act 13:14  But passing through from Perge, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the congregation on the Sabbath day and sat down.

Act 13:15  And after the reading of the Torah and the Prophets, the rulers of the congregation sent to them, saying, “Men, brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, speak.”

Act 13:16  And Sha’ul, standing up and motioning with his hand said, “Men, Yisra’ĕlites, and those fearing Elohim, listen:

Act 13:17  “The Elohim of this people Yisra’ĕl did choose our fathers, and exalted the people in their sojourning in the land of Mitsrayim, and with a high arm He brought them out of it.

Act 13:18  “Now for a time of about forty years He sustained them in the wilderness.

Act 13:19  “And having destroyed seven nations in the land of Kena‘an, He gave their land to them as an inheritance.

Act 13:20  “And after that He gave judges for about four hundred and fifty years, until Shemu’ĕl the prophet.

Act 13:21  “But then they asked for a sovereign, and Elohim gave them Sha’ul the son of Qish, a man of the tribe of Binyamin, for forty years.

Act 13:22  “And having removed him, He raised up for them Dawiḏ as sovereign, to whom also He gave witness and said, ‘I have found Dawiḏ the son of Yishai, a man after My own heart, who shall do all My desires.’

Act 13:23  “From this one’s seed, according to the promise, Elohim raised up for Yisra’ĕl a Saviour, יהושע,

Act 13:24  after Yoḥanan had first proclaimed the immersion of repentance to all the people of Yisra’ĕl, before His coming.

Act 13:25  “And as Yoḥanan was completing his mission, he said, ‘Who do you suppose I am? I am not He. But see, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’

Act 13:26  “Men, brothers, sons of the race of Aḇraham, and those among you fearing Elohim, to you the word of this deliverance has been sent,

Act 13:27  for those dwelling in Yerushalayim, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have filled them in having judged Him.

Act 13:28  “And having found not one cause for death, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death.

Act 13:29  “And when they had accomplished all that was written concerning Him, taking Him down from the timber, they laid Him in a tomb.

Act 13:30  “But Elohim raised Him from the dead,

Act 13:31  and He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galil to Yerushalayim, who are His witnesses to the people.

Act 13:32  “And we bring you the Good News, the promise made to the fathers,

Act 13:33  that Elohim has filled this for us, their children, having raised up יהושע, as it has also been written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son, today I have brought You forth.’ Psa. 2:7

Act 13:34  “And that He raised Him out of the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has said thus, ‘I shall give you the trustworthy kindnesses of Dawi.’          Isa. 55:3

Act 13:35  “For this reason He also says in another Psalm, ‘You shall not give Your Kind One to see corruption.’ Psa. 16:10

Act 13:36  “For Dawiḏ, indeed, having served his own generation by the counsel of Elohim, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption,

Act 13:37  but He whom Elohim raised up saw no corruption.

Act 13:38  “Let it therefore be known to you, brothers, that through this One forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

Act 13:39  and by Him everyone who believes is declared right from all sins from which you were not able to be declared right by the Torah of Mosheh.

Act 13:40  “Watch then that what was said in the prophets does not come upon you:

Act 13:41  “See, you despisers, marvel and perish, for I work a work in your days, a work which you would in no way believe if someone were to declare it to you.’ ” Hab. 1:5

Act 13:42  And when the Yehuḏim went out of the congregation, the gentiles begged to have these words spoken to them the next Sabbath.

Act 13:43  And when the meeting of the congregation had broken up, many of the Yehuḏim and of the worshipping converts followed Sha’ul and Barnaḇah, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the favour of Elohim.

Romans 3:21-31

Rom 3:21  But now, apart from the Torah, a righteousness of Elohim has been revealed, being witnessed by the Torah and the Prophets,

Rom 3:22  and the righteousness of Elohim is through belief in יהושע Messiah to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference,

Rom 3:23  for all have sinned and fall short of the esteem of Elohim,

Rom 3:24  being declared right, without paying, by His favour through the redemption which is in Messiah יהושע,

Rom 3:25  whom Elohim set forth as an atonement, through belief in His blood, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His tolerance Elohim had passed over the sins that had taken place before,

Rom 3:26  to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He is righteous and declares righteous the one who has belief in יהושע.

Rom 3:27  Where, then, is the boasting? It is shut out. By what Torah? Of works? No, but by the Torah of belief.

Rom 3:28  For we reckon that a man is declared right by belief without works of Torah.

Rom 3:29  Or is He the Elohim of the Yehuḏim only, and not also of the gentiles? Yea, of the gentiles also,

Rom 3:30  since it is one Elohim who shall declare right the circumcised by belief and the uncircumcised through belief.

Rom 3:31  Do we then nullify the Torah through the belief? Let it not be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.1 Footnote: 1See 7:12.

1 Timothy 2:1-15

1Ti 2:1  First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be made for all men,

1Ti 2:2  for sovereigns and all those who are in authority, in order that we lead a calm and peaceable life in all reverence and seriousness.

1Ti 2:3  For this is good and acceptable before Elohim our Saviour,

1Ti 2:4  who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

1Ti 2:5  For there is one Elohim,1 and one Mediator between Elohim and men, the Man Messiah יהושע, Foornote: 11 Cor. 8:6, Eph. 4:6, Mk. 12:29-34.

1Ti 2:6  who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be witnessed in its own seasons,

1Ti 2:7  for which I was appointed a proclaimer and an emissary – I am speaking the truth in Messiah and not lying – a teacher of the gentiles in belief and truth.

1Ti 2:8  So I resolve that the men pray everywhere, lifting up hands that are set-apart, without wrath and disputing.

1Ti 2:9  Likewise, that the women dress themselves becomingly, with decency and sensibleness, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly garments,

1Ti 2:10  but with good works,1 which is becoming for women undertaking worship of Elohim. Footnote: 1Mt. 16:27.

1Ti 2:11  Let a woman learn in silence, in all subjection.

1Ti 2:12  But I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, rather, to be in silence.

1Ti 2:13  Because Aḏam was formed first, then Ḥawwah.

1Ti 2:14  And Aḏam was not deceived, but the woman, having been deceived, fell into transgression.

1Ti 2:15  But she shall be saved in childbearing if they continue in belief, and love, and set-apartness, with sensibleness.

James 2:14-26

Jas 2:14  My brothers, what use is it for anyone to say he has belief but does not have works? This belief is unable to save him.

Jas 2:15  And if a brother or sister is naked and in need of daily food,

Jas 2:16  but one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” but you do not give them the bodily needs, what use is it?

Jas 2:17  So also belief, if it does not have works, is in itself dead.

Jas 2:18  But someone might say, “You have belief, and I have works.” Show me your belief without your works, and I shall show you my belief by my works.

Jas 2:19  You believe that “Elohim is one”. You do well. The demons also believe – and shudder! Deu. 6:4

Jas 2:20  But do you wish to know, O foolish man, that the belief without the works is dead?

Jas 2:21  Was not Aḇraham our father declared right by works when he offered Yitsḥaq his son on the altar?

Jas 2:22  Do you see that the belief was working with his works, and by the works the belief was perfected?

Jas 2:23  And the Scripture was filled which says, “Araham believed Elohim, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness.” And he was called, “Elohim’s friend.” Gen. 15:6, Isa. 41:8, 2Ch 20:7

Jas 2:24  You see, then, that a man is declared right by works, and not by belief alone.

Jas 2:25  In the same way, was not Raḥaḇ the whore also declared right by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

Jas 2:26  For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also the belief is dead without the works.

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Devarim | דברים | “Words”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Devarim, D’varim, or Debarim (דְּבָרִים — Hebrew for “words,” the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 44th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the first in the Book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22. The parashah is made up of 5,972 Hebrew letters, 1,548 Hebrew words, and 105 verses, and can occupy about 197 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).

According to the sages of the Mishnah (the Sifri), the numerous place names listed in verse 1 are not landmarks or geographical locations, but rather words of musar (rebuke) by Moses to the people of Israel. That is, instead of detailing their sins outright, he alluded to them with code words, however I see that he is mentioning the locations in order to remind them of there transgressions:

“In the desert” (בַּמִּדְבָּר) – that is, the time they complained “if only we would have died in the desert” (Exod. 17:3)
“In the plain” (בָּעֲרָבָה) – that is, their most recent sin with the Moabite women (and Ba’al Peor) in the plains of Moab (Num. 25)
“Opposite Suf” (מוֹל סוּף) – that is, the complaint of Israel at the shores of Yam Suf (at the start of the great exodus from Egypt)
“Paran” (פָּארָן) – that is, the Sin of the Spies, who were dispatched from Paran (Num. 13)
“Tofel and Lavan” (תּפֶל וְלָבָן, “libel” and “white”) – that is, their libeling the white manna (Num. 21:5)
“Hazerot” (חֲצֵרת) – that is, where Korach’s mutiny against Moses took place
“Di Zahav” – (דִי זָהָב,”too much gold”) the sin of the Golden Calf

Torah: Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 1:1-10

Deu 1:1  These are the words which Mosheh spoke to all Yisra’ĕl beyond the Yardĕn in the wilderness, in the desert plain opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laḇan, and Ḥatsĕroth, and Di Zahaḇ,

Deu 1:2  eleven days’ journey from Ḥorĕḇ by way of Mount Sĕʽir to Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa.

Deu 1:3  And it came to be in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl according to all that יהוה had commanded him concerning them,

Deu 1:4  after he had smitten Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt in Ḥeshbon, and Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, who dwelt at Ashtaroth in Eḏreʽi.

Deu 1:5  Beyond the Yardĕn, in the land of Mo’aḇ, Mosheh undertook to declair this Torah, saying,

The word used for explain or declair here is rab

H874

בָּאַר

bâ’ar

baw-ar’

A primitive root; to dig; by analogy to engrave; figuratively to explain: – declare, (make) plain (-ly).

H875

בְּאֵר

be‘êr

be-ayr’

From H874; a pit; especially a well: – pit, well.

H877

בֹּאר

bô’r

bore

From H874; a cistern: – cistern.

H878

בְּאֵרָא

be‘êrâ’

be-ay-raw’

From H875; a well; Beera, an Israelite: – Beera.

Deu 1:6  “יהוה our Elohim spoke to us in Ḥorĕḇ, saying, ‘You have dwelt long enough at this mountain.

Deu 1:7  ‘Turn and set out on your way, and go into the mountains of the Amorites, and to all the neighbouring places in the desert plain, in the mountains and in the low country, and in the Negeḇ and on the seacoast, to the land of the Kenaʽanites and to Leḇanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates.

Deu 1:8  ‘See, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land which יהוה swore to your fathers, to Aḇraham, to Yitsḥaq, and to Yaʽaqoḇ, to give to them and their seed after them.’

Deu 1:9  “And I spoke to you at that time, saying, ‘I am unable to bear you by myself.

Deu 1:10  ‘יהוה your Elohim has increased you, and see, you are today as numerous as the stars of the heavens.

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah) Devarim 1:11-21

Deu 1:11  ‘יהוה Elohim of your fathers is going to add to you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you as He has spoken to you!

Deu 1:12  ‘How do I bear your pressure and your burden and your strife, by myself?

Deu 1:13  ‘Choose men, wise and understanding, and known to your tribes, and let me appoint them as your heads.’

Deu 1:14  “And you answered me and said, ‘The word which you have spoken to us to do is good.’

Deu 1:15  “And I took the heads of your tribes, wise men and known, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, and leaders of hundreds, and leaders of fifties, and leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.

Deu 1:16  “And I commanded your judges at that time, saying, ‘When hearing between your brothers, judge righteously between a man and his brother or the stranger who is with him.

Deu 1:17  ‘Do not show partiality in right-ruling, hear the small as well as the great. Do not be afraid of anyone’s face, for the right-ruling belongs to Elohim. And the case which is too hard for you, bring it to me, and I shall hear it.’

Deu 1:18  “And I commanded you at that time all the words which you should do.

Deu 1:19  “Then we set out from Ḥorĕḇ, and went through all that great and awesome wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as יהוה our Elohim had commanded us. And we came to Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa.

Deu 1:20  “And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which יהוה our Elohim is giving us.

Deu 1:21  ‘See, יהוה your Elohim has set the land before you. Go up and possess it, as יהוה Elohim of your fathers has spoken to you. Do not fear, nor be discouraged.’

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 1:22-38

Deu 1:22  “And all of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we would come.’

Deu 1:23  “And the matter was good in my eyes, so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe.

Deu 1:24  “And they turned and went up into the mountains, and came to the wadi Eshkol, and spied it out.

Deu 1:25  “And they took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us. And they brought back word to us, saying, ‘The land which יהוה our Elohim is giving us is good.’

Deu 1:26  “But you would not go up and rebelled against the mouth of יהוה your Elohim,

Deu 1:27  and grumbled in your tents, and said, ‘Because יהוה was hating us, He has brought us out of the land of Mitsrayim to give us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

Deu 1:28  ‘Where are we going to? Our brothers have made our hearts melt, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we, the cities are great and walled up to the heavens, and we saw the sons of the Anaqim there too.” ’

Deu 1:29  “Then I said to you, ‘Have no dread or fear of them.

Deu 1:30  ‘יהוה your Elohim, who is going before you, He does fight for you, according to all He did for you in Mitsrayim before your eyes,

Deu 1:31  and in the wilderness, where you saw how יהוה your Elohim has borne you, as a man bears his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’

Deu 1:32  “Yet in this matter you are putting no trust in יהוה your Elohim,

Deu 1:33  who is going before you in the way to seek out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in fire by night and in a cloud by day.

Deu 1:34  “And יהוה heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and took an oath, saying,

Deu 1:35  ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see that good land of which I swore to give to your fathers,

Deu 1:36  except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and his children I give the land on which he walked, because he followed יהוה completely.’

Deu 1:37  “And יהוה was enraged with me for your sakes, saying, ‘You do not go in there, either.

Deu 1:38  ‘Yehoshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Strengthen him, for he shall cause Yisra’ĕl to inherit.

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 1:39-2:1

Deu 1:39  ‘And your little ones and your children, who you say are for a prey, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they are going in there. And to them I give it, and they are to possess it.

Deu 1:40  ‘But you, turn and take your journey into the wilderness by the Way of the Sea of Reeds.’

Deu 1:41  “Then you answered and said to me, ‘We have sinned against יהוה. We ourselves are going up, and we shall fight, as יהוה our Elohim commanded us.’ And when each one of you had girded on his battle gear, you were ready to go up into the mountain.

Deu 1:42  “And יהוה said to me, ‘Say to them, “Do not go up nor fight, for I am not in your midst, lest you be smitten before your enemies.” ’

Deu 1:43  “So I spoke to you, but you would not listen and rebelled against the mouth of יהוה, and acted proudly, and went up into the mountain.

Deu 1:44  “Then the Amorites who dwelt in that mountain came out against you and chased you as bees do, and drove you back from Sĕʽir to Ḥormah.

Deu 1:45  “And you returned and wept before יהוה, but יהוה would not listen to your voice nor give ear to you.

Deu 1:46  “So you dwelt in Qaḏĕsh many days, according to the days that you dwelt.

Deu 2:1  “Then we turned and set out into the wilderness, the way of the Sea of Reeds, as יהוה spoke to me, and we went round Mount Sĕʽir, many days.

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 2:2-30

Deu 2:2  “And יהוה spoke to me, saying,

Deu 2:3  ‘You have gone around this mountain long enough, turn northward.

Deu 2:4  ‘And command the people, saying, “You are about to pass over into the border of your brothers, the descendants of Ěsaw, who live in Sĕʽir, and they are afraid of you. So be on your guard.

Deu 2:5  “Do not strive with them, for I do not give you any of their land, no, not so much as one footstep, because I have given Mount Sĕʽir to Ěsaw as a possession.

Deu 2:6  “What food you buy from them with silver you shall eat. And also, what water you buy from them with silver you shall drink.

Deu 2:7  “For יהוה your Elohim has blessed you in all the work of your hand. He has known your wandering through this great wilderness. These forty years יהוה your Elohim has been with you, you have not lacked any matter.” ’

Deu 2:8  “And when we passed beyond our brothers, the descendants of Ěsaw who dwell in Sĕʽir, away from the way of the desert plain, away from Ěylath and Etsyon Geḇer, we turned and passed over by way of the Wilderness of Mo’aḇ.

Deu 2:9  “And יהוה said to me, ‘Do not distress Mo’aḇ, nor stir yourself up against them in battle, for I do not give you any of their land as a possession, because I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’ ”

Deu 2:10  (The Ěmites had dwelt there formerly, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anaqim.

Deu 2:11  They were also reckoned as Repha’ites, like the Anaqim, but the Mo’aḇites call them Ěmites.

Deu 2:12  And the Ḥorites formerly dwelt in Sĕʽir, but the descendants of Ěsaw dispossessed them and destroyed them from before them, and dwelt in their place, as Yisra’ĕl did to the land of their possession which יהוה gave them).

Deu 2:13  “ ‘Now rise up, and pass over the wadi Zereḏ.’ So we passed over the wadi Zereḏ.

Deu 2:14  “And the time we took to come from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa until we passed over the wadi Zereḏ was thirty-eight years, until all the generation of the men of battle was consumed from the midst of the camp, as יהוה had sworn to them.

Deu 2:15  “And also, the hand of יהוה was against them, to destroy them from the midst of the camp until they were consumed.

Deu 2:16  “And it came to be, when all the men of battle had finally perished from among the people,

Deu 2:17  that יהוה spoke to me, saying,

Deu 2:18  ‘This day you are to pass over at Ar, the boundary of Mo’aḇ.

Deu 2:19  ‘And when you come near the children of Ammon, do not distress them nor stir yourself up against them, for I do not give you any of the land of the children of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the descendants of Lot as a possession.’

Deu 2:20  (That was also reckoned as a land of Repha’ites. Repha’ites formerly dwelt there. But the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,

Deu 2:21  a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anaqim. But יהוה destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place,

Deu 2:22  as He had done for the descendants of Ěsaw, who dwelt in Sĕʽir, when He destroyed the Ḥorites from before them. They dispossessed them and dwelt in their place, even to this day.

Deu 2:23  And the Awwim who dwelt in villages as far as Azzah, the Kaphtorim who came from Kaphtor, destroyed them and dwelt in their place).

Deu 2:24  ‘Arise, set out and pass over the wadi Arnon. See, I have given into your hand Siḥon the Amorite, sovereign of Ḥeshbon, and his land. Begin to possess it, and stir up yourself against him in battle.

Deu 2:25  ‘This day I begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples under all the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, shall tremble and shake because of you.’

Deu 2:26  “Then I sent messengers from the Wilderness of Qeḏĕmoth to Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon, with words of peace, saying,

Deu 2:27  ‘Let me pass over through your land on the highway. I shall go on the highway and turn neither to the right nor to the left.

Deu 2:28  ‘What food you sell me for silver I shall eat, and what water you give me for silver I shall drink. Only let me pass over on foot,

Deu 2:29  as the descendants of Ěsaw who dwell in Sĕʽir and the Mo’aḇites who dwell in Ar did for me – until I pass over the Yardĕn to the land יהוה our Elohim is giving us.’

Deu 2:30  “But Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon would not let us pass over, for יהוה your Elohim hardened his spirit and strengthened his heart, to give him into your hand, as it is this day.

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 2:31-3:14

Deu 2:31  “And יהוה said to me, ‘See, I have begun to give Siḥon and his land over to you. Begin to possess – in order to possess his land.’

Deu 2:32  “And Siḥon and all his people came out against us to fight at Yahats,

Deu 2:33  and יהוה our Elohim gave him over to us, so we smote him, and his sons, and all his people.

Deu 2:34  “And we took all his cities at that time, and we put the men, women, and little ones of every city under the ban, we left none remaining.

Deu 2:35  “Only the livestock we took as plunder for ourselves, and the spoil of the cities which we captured.

Deu 2:36  “From Aroʽĕr, which is on the edge of the wadi Arnon, and the city that is by the wadi, as far as Gilʽaḏ, there was not one city too high for us. יהוה our Elohim gave all to us.

Deu 2:37  “Only you did not go near the land of the children of Ammon – anywhere along the wadi Yabboq, or to the cities of the mountains, or wherever יהוה our Elohim had forbidden us.

Deu 3:1  “Then we turned and went up the way to Bashan. And Oḡ sovereign of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, to battle at Eḏreʽi.

Deu 3:2  “And יהוה said to me, ‘Do not fear him, for I have given him and all his people and his land into your hand. And you shall do to him as you did to Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites, who dwelt at Ḥeshbon.’

Deu 3:3  “So יהוה our Elohim also gave into our hands Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, with all his people, and we smote him until he had no survivors remaining.

Deu 3:4  “And we captured all his cities at that time. There was not a city which we did not take from them: sixty cities, all the district of Argoḇ, the reign of Oḡ in Bashan.

Deu 3:5  “All these cities were fenced with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled towns.

Deu 3:6  “And we put them under the ban, as we did to Siḥon sovereign of Ḥeshbon, putting the men, the women, and the children of every city under the ban.

Deu 3:7  “But all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as booty for ourselves.

Deu 3:8  “And at that time we took the land, from the hand of the two sovereigns of the Amorites, that was beyond the Yardĕn, from the wadi Arnon to Mount Ḥermon

Deu 3:9  “(Tsiḏonians call Ḥermon, Siryon – and the Amorites call it Senir),

Deu 3:10  all the cities of the plain, all Gilʽaḏ, and all Bashan, as far as Salḵah and Eḏreʽi, cities of the reign of Oḡ in Bashan.

Deu 3:11  “For only Oḡ sovereign of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Repha’ites. See, his bedstead was an iron bedstead. Is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon? Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the cubit of a man.

Deu 3:12  “And this land, which we possessed at that time, from Aroʽĕr, which is by the wadi Arnon, and half the mountains of Gilʽaḏ and its cities, I gave to the Re’uḇĕnites and the Gaḏites.

Deu 3:13  “And the rest of Gilʽaḏ, and all Bashan, the reign of Oḡ, I gave to half the tribe of Menashsheh – all the district of Argoḇ, with all Bashan, called the land of the Repha’ites.

Deu 3:14  “Yaʽir son of Menashsheh had taken all the district of Argoḇ, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maʽaḵathites, and called them after his own name: the Bashan of Hawoth Yaʽir, to this day.

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Devarim 3:15-22

Deu 3:15  “And to Maḵir I gave Gilʽaḏ.

Deu 3:16  “And to the Re’uḇĕnites and the Gaḏites I gave from Gilʽaḏ as far as the wadi Arnon, the middle of the wadi as the border, as far as the wadi Yabboq, the border of the children of Ammon,

Deu 3:17  and the desert plain, with the Yardĕn as the border, from Kinnereth as far as the Sea of the Araḇah, the Salt Sea, below the slopes of Pisgah on the east.

Deu 3:18  “And I commanded you at that time, saying, ‘יהוה your Elohim has given you this land to possess. All you sons of might, pass over armed before your brothers, the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Deu 3:19  ‘But let your wives and your little ones, and your livestock – I know that you have much livestock – stay in your cities which I have given you,

Deu 3:20  until יהוה has given rest to your brothers as to you, and they also possess the land which יהוה your Elohim is giving them beyond the Yardĕn. Then you shall return, each man to his possession which I have given you.’

Deu 3:21  “And I commanded Yehoshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that יהוה your Elohim has done to these two sovereigns. יהוה does the same to all the reigns which you are passing over.

Deu 3:22  ‘Do not fear them, for יהוה your Elohim Himself fights for you.’


Prophets: Isaiah 1:1-27

Isa 1:1  The vision of Yeshayahu son of Amots, which he saw concerning Yehuḏah and Yerushalayim in the days of Uzziyahu, Yotham, Aḥaz, Ḥizqiyahu – sovereigns of Yehuḏah.

Isa 1:2  Hear, O heavens, and listen, O earth! For יהוה has spoken, “I have reared and brought up children, but they have transgressed against Me.

Isa 1:3  An ox knows its owner and a donkey its master’s crib – Yisra’ĕl does not know, My people have not understood.”

Isa 1:4  Alas, sinning nation, a people loaded with crookedness, a seed of evil-doers, sons acting corruptly! They have forsaken יהוה, they have provoked the Set-apart One of Yisra’ĕl, they went backward.

Isa 1:5  Why should you be beaten any more? You continue in apostasy! All the head is sick, and all the heart faints.

Isa 1:6  From the sole of the foot, to the head, there is no soundness in it – wounds and bruises and open sores; they have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment.

Isa 1:7  Your land is laid waste, your cities are burned with fire, strangers devour your land in your presence. And it is laid waste, as overthrown by strangers.

Isa 1:8  And the daughter of Tsiyon is left as a booth in a vineyard, as a hut in a garden of cucumbers, as a besieged city.

Isa 1:9  Unless יהוה of hosts had left to us a small remnant, we would have become like Seḏom, we would have been made like Amorah.

Isa 1:10  Hear the word of יהוה, you rulers of Seḏom; give ear to the Torah of our Elohim, you people of Amorah!

Isa 1:11  “Of what use to Me are your many slaughterings?” declares יהוה. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats.

Isa 1:12  “When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courtyards?

Isa 1:13  “Stop bringing futile offerings, incense, it is an abomination to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths, the calling of meetings – I am unable to bear unrighteousness and assembly.

Isa 1:14  “My being hates your New Moons and your appointed times, they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them.

Isa 1:15  “And when you spread out your hands, I hide My eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I do not hear. Your hands have become filled with blood.

Isa 1:16  “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Stop doing evil!

Isa 1:17  “Learn to do good! Seek right-ruling, reprove the oppressor, defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Isa 1:18  “Come now, and let us reason together,” says יהוה. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isa 1:19  “If you submit and obey, you shall eat the good of the land;

Isa 1:20  but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword,” for the mouth of יהוה has spoken.

Isa 1:21  How the steadfast city has become a whore! I have filled it with right-ruling; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers.

Isa 1:22  Your silver has become dross, your wine is mixed with water.

Isa 1:23  Your rulers are stubborn, and companions of thieves. Everyone loves bribes, and runs after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, nor does the cause of the widow reach them.

Isa 1:24  Therefore the Master declares, יהוה of hosts, the Elohim of Yisra’ĕl, “Ah, I shall be eased of My adversaries, and I shall be avenged of My enemies.

Isa 1:25  “And I shall turn My hand against you, and shall refine your dross as with lye, and shall remove all your alloy.

Isa 1:26  “And I shall give back your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning. After this you shall be called the city of righteousness, a steadfast city.”

Isa 1:27  Tsiyon shall be redeemed with right-ruling, and her returning ones with righteousness.


Brit Hadasha: Mark 14:1-16

Mar 14:1  Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread was after two days. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to take Him through treachery and put Him to death.

Mar 14:2  And they said, “Not at the festival, lest there shall be an uproar of the people.”

Mar 14:3  And while He was in Bĕyth Anyah in the house of Shimʽon the leper, and sitting at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of perfume, genuine nard, very costly. And breaking the flask she poured it on His head.

Mar 14:4  But there were some who were much displeased among themselves, and said, “Why was this perfume wasted?

Mar 14:5  “For it could have been sold for more than three hundred pieces of silver and given to the poor.” And they were scolding her.

Mar 14:6  But יהושע said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me.

Mar 14:7  “For you have the poor with you always, and you are able do good to them, whenever you wish. But you do not always have Me.

Mar 14:8  “What she had, she used. She took it beforehand to anoint My body for the burial.

Mar 14:9  “Truly, I say to you, wherever this Good News is proclaimed in all the world, what this woman did shall also be spoken of, to her remembrance.”

Mar 14:10  And Yehuḏah from Qerioth, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests to deliver Him up to them.

Mar 14:11  And when they heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him silver. And he was seeking how to deliver Him up, conveniently.

Mar 14:12  And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they were slaughtering the Passover lamb, His taught ones said to Him, “Where do You wish us to go and prepare, for You to eat the Passover?”

Mar 14:13  And He sent out two of His taught ones and said to them, “Go into the city, and there a man bearing a jar of water shall meet you, follow him.

Mar 14:14  “And wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I am to eat the Passover with My taught ones?” ’

Mar 14:15  “And he shall show you a large upper room, furnished, ready. Prepare for us there.”

Mar 14:16  And His taught ones went out and came into the city, and found it as He said to them, and they prepared the Passover.

John 15:1-11

Joh 15:1  “I am the true vine, and My Father is the gardener.

Joh 15:2  “Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit He prunes, so that it bears more fruit.

Joh 15:3  “You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you.

Joh 15:4  “Stay in Me, and I stay in you. As the branch is unable to bear fruit of itself, unless it stays in the vine, so neither you, unless you stay in Me.

Joh 15:5  “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who stays in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without Me you are able to do naught!

Joh 15:6  “If anyone does not stay in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up. And they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Joh 15:7  “If you stay in Me, and My Words stay in you, you shall ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.

Joh 15:8  “In this My Father is esteemed, that you bear much fruit, and you shall be My taught ones.

Joh 15:9  “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Stay in My love.

Joh 15:10  “If you guard My commands, you shall stay in My love,1 even as I have guarded My Father’s commands and stay in His love. Footnote: 1See 14:15.

Joh 15:11  “These words I have spoken to you, so that My joy might be in you, and that your joy might be complete.

Acts 9:1-22

Act 9:1  But Sha’ul, still breathing threats and murder against the taught ones of the Master, having come to the high priest,

Act 9:2  asked from him letters to the congregations of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, to bring them bound to Yerushalayim.

Act 9:3  And it came to be, that as he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light flashed around him from the heaven.

Act 9:4  And he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why do you persecute Me?”

Act 9:5  And he said, “Who are You, Master?” And the Master said, “I am יהושע, whom you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the prods.”

Act 9:6  Both trembling, and being astonished, he said, “Master, what do You wish me to do?” And the Master said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you shall be told what you have to do.”

Act 9:7  And the men journeying with him stood speechless, hearing indeed the voice but seeing no one.

Act 9:8  And Sha’ul arose from the ground, but when his eyes were opened he saw no one. And leading him by the hand they brought him into Damascus.

Act 9:9  And he was three days without sight, and did not eat nor drink.

Act 9:10  And there was at Damascus a certain taught one, by name Ḥananyah.1 And the Master said unto him in a vision, “Ḥananyah!” And he said, “Here I am, Master.” Footnote: 1See 22:12.

Act 9:11  And the Master said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and seek in the house of Yehuḏah for one called Sha’ul of Tarsos, for look, he is praying,

Act 9:12  and has seen in a vision a man named Ḥananyah coming in and laying his hand on him, so as to see again.”

Act 9:13  And Ḥananyah answered, “Master, I have heard from many about this man, how many evils he did to Your set-apart ones in Yerushalayim,

Act 9:14  and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all those calling on Your Name.”

Act 9:15  But the Master said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My Name before nations, sovereigns, and the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Act 9:16  “For I shall show him how much he has to suffer for My Name.”

Act 9:17  And Ḥananyah went away and went into the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Sha’ul, the Master יהושע, who appeared to you on the way as you came, has sent me, so that you might see again and be filled with the Set-apart Spirit.”

Act 9:18  And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it were scales, and he received his sight. And rising up, he was immersed.

Act 9:19  And having received food, he was strengthened. And Sha’ul was with the taught ones at Damascus some days.

Act 9:20  And immediately he proclaimed the Messiah in the congregations, that He is the Son of Elohim.

Act 9:21  And all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those calling on this Name in Yerushalayim, and has come here for this, to take them bound to the chief priests?”

Act 9:22  But Sha’ul kept increasing in strength, and was confounding the Yehuḏim who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this is the Messiah.

Hebrews 3:7 – 4:11;

Heb 3:7  Therefore, as the Set-apart Spirit says, “Today, if you hear His voice,

Heb 3:8  do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness,

Heb 3:9  where your fathers tried Me, proved Me, and saw My works forty years.

Heb 3:10  “Therefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’

Heb 3:11  “As I swore in My wrath, ‘If they shall enter into My rest…’ ”1 Footnote: 1Ps. 95:7-11.

Heb 3:12  Look out, brothers, lest there be in any of you a wicked heart of unbelief in falling away from the living Elohim,

Heb 3:13  but encourage one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened by the deceivableness of sin.

Heb 3:14  For we have become partakers of Messiah if we hold fast the beginning of our trust firm to the end,

Heb 3:15  while it is said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Heb 3:16  For who, having heard, rebelled? Was it not all who came out of Mitsrayim, led by Mosheh?

Heb 3:17  And with whom was He grieved forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?

Heb 3:18  And to whom did He swear that they would not enter into His rest, but to those who did not obey?

Heb 3:19  So we see that they were unable to enter in because of unbelief.

Heb 4:1  Therefore, since a promise remains of entering into His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.

Heb 4:2  For indeed the Good News was brought to us as well as to them, but the word which they heard did not profit them, not having been mixed with belief in those who heard it.

Heb 4:3  For we who have believed do enter into that rest, as He has said, “As I swore in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest…” And yet His works have come into being from the foundation of the world.

Heb 4:4  For somewhere He has said thus about the seventh day, “And Elohim rested on the seventh day from all His works,”

Heb 4:5  and in this again, “If they shall enter into My rest…”

Heb 4:6  Since then it remains for some to enter into it, and those who formerly received the Good News did not enter in because of disobedience,1 Footnote: 1See 3:18.

Heb 4:7  He again defines a certain day, “Today,” saying through Dawiḏ so much later, as it has been said, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.”

Heb 4:8  For if Yehoshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.

Heb 4:9  So there remains a Sabbath-keeping for the people of Elohim.

Heb 4:10  For the one, having entered into His rest, has himself also rested from his works, as Elohim rested from His own.

Heb 4:11  Let us therefore do our utmost to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.1 Footnote: 1See 3:18.

1 Timothy 3:1-7

1Ti 3:1  Trustworthy is the word: If a man longs for the position of an overseer, he desires a good work.

1Ti 3:2  An overseer, then, should be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, sensible, orderly, kind to strangers, able to teach,

1Ti 3:3  not given to wine, no brawler, but gentle, not quarrelsome, no lover of money,

1Ti 3:4  one who rules his own house well, having his children in subjection with all reverence,

1Ti 3:5  for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how shall he look after the assembly of Elohim?

1Ti 3:6  Not a new convert, lest he become puffed up with pride and fall into the judgment of the devil.

1Ti 3:7  And he should even have a good witness from those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Massei | מסעי | “Journeys”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Masei, Mas’ei, or Masse (מַסְעֵי — Hebrew for “journeys,”[1] the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 43rd weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the 10th and last in the Book of Numbers. It constitutes Numbers 33:1–36:13. The parashah is made up of 5,773 Hebrew letters, 1,461 Hebrew words, and 132 verses, and can occupy about 189 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).


Torah: Numbers 33:1 – 36:13

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 33:1-10

Num 33:1  These are the departures of the children of Yisra’ĕl, who went out of the land of Mitsrayim by their divisions under the hand of Mosheh and Aharon.

Num 33:2  And Mosheh wrote down the starting points of their departures at the command of יהוה, and these are their departures according to their starting points:

Num 33:3  So they departed from Raʽmeses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month, on the morrow of the Passover the children of Yisra’ĕl went out with boldness before the eyes of all the Mitsrites,

Num 33:4  and the Mitsrites were burying all their first-born, whom יהוה had smitten among them. Also on their mighty ones יהוה had executed judgments.

Num 33:5  Then the children of Yisra’ĕl departed from Raʽmeses and camped at Sukkoth.

Num 33:6  And they departed from Sukkoth and camped at Ětham, which is on the edge of the wilderness.

Num 33:7  And they departed from Ětham and turned back to Pi Haḥiroth, which is east of Baʽal Tsephon. And they camped near Miḡdol.

Num 33:8  And they departed from before Haḥiroth and passed over through the midst of the sea into the wilderness, went three days’ journey in the Wilderness of Ětham, and camped at Marah.

Num 33:9  And they departed from Marah and came to Ělim. And at Ělim were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, so they camped there.

Num 33:10  And they departed from Ělim and camped by the Sea of Reeds.

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 33:11-49

Num 33:11  And they departed from the Sea of Reeds and camped in the Wilderness of Sin.

Num 33:12  And they departed from the Wilderness of Sin and camped at Dophqah.

Num 33:13  And they departed from Dophqah and camped at Alush.

Num 33:14  And they departed from Alush and camped at Rephiḏim, and there was no water for the people to drink.

Num 33:15  And they departed from Rephiḏim and camped in the Wilderness of Sinai.

Num 33:16  And they departed from the Wilderness of Sinai and camped at Qiḇroth Hatta’awah.

Num 33:17  And they departed from Qiḇroth Hatta’awah and camped at Ḥatsĕroth.

Num 33:18  And they departed from Ḥatsĕroth and camped at Rithmah.

Num 33:19  And they departed from Rithmah and camped at Rimmon Perets.

Num 33:20  And they departed from Rimmon Perets and camped at Liḇnah.

Num 33:21  And they departed from Liḇnah and camped at Rissah.

Num 33:22  And they departed from Rissah and camped at Qehĕlathah.

Num 33:23  And they departed from Qehĕlathah and camped at Mount Shapher.

Num 33:24  And they departed from Mount Shapher and camped at Ḥaraḏah.

Num 33:25  And they departed from Ḥaraḏah and camped at Maqhĕloth.

Num 33:26  And they departed from Maqhĕloth and camped at Taḥath.

Num 33:27  And they departed from Taḥath and camped at Teraḥ.

Num 33:28  And they departed from Teraḥ and camped at Mithqah.

Num 33:29  And they departed from Mithqah and camped at Ḥashmonah.

Num 33:30  And they departed from Ḥashmonah and camped at Mosĕroth.

Num 33:31  And they departed from Mosĕroth and camped at Benĕi Yaʽaqan.

Num 33:32  And they departed from Benĕi Yaʽaqan and camped at Ḥor Haggiḏgaḏ.

Num 33:33  And they departed from Ḥor Haggiḏgaḏ and camped at Yotḇathah.

Num 33:34  And they departed from Yotḇathah and camped at Aḇronah.

Num 33:35  And they departed from Aḇronah and camped at Etsyon Geḇer.

Num 33:36  And they departed from Etsyon Geḇer and camped in the Wilderness of Tsin, which is Qaḏĕsh.

Num 33:37  And they departed from Qaḏĕsh and camped at Mount Hor, on the boundary of the land of Eḏom.

Num 33:38  Then Aharon the priest went up to Mount Hor at the command of יהוה, and died there in the fortieth year after the children of Yisra’ĕl had come out of the land of Mitsrayim, on the first day of the fifth month.

Num 33:39  Now Aharon was one hundred and twenty-three years old when he died on Mount Hor.

Num 33:40  And the sovereign of Araḏ, the Kenaʽanite, who dwelt in the South in the land of Kenaʽan, heard of the coming of the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Num 33:41  So they departed from Mount Hor and camped at Tsalmonah.

Num 33:42  And they departed from Tsalmonah and camped at Punon.

Num 33:43  And they departed from Punon and camped at Oḇoth.

Num 33:44  And they departed from Oḇoth and camped at Iyĕ Ha-Aḇarim, at the border of Mo’aḇ.

Num 33:45  And they departed from Iyim and camped at Diḇon Gaḏ.

Num 33:46  And they departed from Diḇon Gaḏ and camped at Almon Diḇlathayemah.

Num 33:47  And they departed from Almon Diḇlathayemah and camped in the mountains of Aḇarim, before Neḇo.

Num 33:48  And they departed from the mountains of Aḇarim and camped in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.

Num 33:49  And they camped by the Yardĕn, from Bĕyth Yeshimoth as far as the Aḇĕl Shittim in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ.

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 33:50-34:15

Num 33:50  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo, saying,

Num 33:51  “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When you have passed over the Yardĕn into the land of Kenaʽan,

Num 33:52  then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and shall destroy all their engraved stones, and shall destroy all their moulded images, and lay waste all their high places,

Num 33:53  and you shall possess the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess.

Num 33:54  ‘And you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your clans. To the larger you give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you give a smaller inheritance. Wherever the lot falls to anyone, that is his. You inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.

Num 33:55  ‘And if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be pricks in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.

Num 33:56  ‘And it shall be that I do to you as I thought to do to them.’ ”

Num 34:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 34:2  “Command the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When you come into the land of Kenaʽan, this is the land which falls to you as an inheritance, the land of Kenaʽan to its boundaries:

Num 34:3  ‘Then your southern border shall be from the Wilderness of Tsin along the border of Eḏom, and your southern border shall be eastward from the end of the Salt Sea.

Num 34:4  ‘Then your border shall turn from the southern side of the Ascent of Aqrabbim, continue to Tsin, and be on the south of Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa, and it shall go on to Ḥatsar Addar, and continue to Atsmon.

Num 34:5  ‘And the border shall turn from Atsmon to the wadi of Mitsrayim, and it shall end at the Sea.

Num 34:6  ‘As for the western border, you shall have the Great Sea for a border, this is your western border.

Num 34:7  ‘And this is your northern border: From the Great Sea you mark out your borderline to Mount Hor,

Num 34:8  from Mount Hor you mark out your border to the entrance of Ḥamath, and the edge of the border shall be toward Tseḏaḏ,

Num 34:9  and the border shall proceed to Ziphron, and it shall end at Ḥatsar Ěnan. This is your northern border.

Num 34:10  ‘And you shall mark out your eastern border from Ḥatsar Ěnan to Shepham,

Num 34:11  and the border shall go down from Shepham to Riḇlah on the east side of Ayin, and the border shall go down and reach to the eastern side of the Sea of Kinnereth.

Num 34:12  ‘And the border shall go down along the Yardĕn, and it shall end at the Salt Sea. This is your land with its surrounding boundaries.’ ”

Num 34:13  And Mosheh commanded the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, “This is the land which you inherit by lot, which יהוה has commanded to give to the nine tribes and to the half-tribe.

Num 34:14  “For the tribe of the children of Re’uḇĕn according to the house of their fathers, and the tribe of the children of Gaḏ according to the house of their fathers, have received their inheritance. And the half-tribe of Menashsheh has received its inheritance.

Num 34:15  “The two tribes and the half-tribe have received their inheritance beyond the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo eastward, toward the sunrise.”

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 34:16-29

Num 34:16  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 34:17  “These are the names of the men who divide the land among you as an inheritance: Elʽazar the priest, and Yehoshua son of Nun.

Num 34:18  “And take one leader of every tribe to divide the land for the inheritance.

Num 34:19  “And these are the names of the men. From the tribe of Yehuḏah: Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh.

Num 34:20  “And from the tribe of the children of Shimʽon: Shemu’ĕl son of Ammihuḏ.

Num 34:21  “From the tribe of Binyamin: Eliḏaḏ son of Kislon.

Num 34:22  “And a leader from the tribe of the children of Dan: Buqqi son of Yoḡli.

Num 34:23  “From the sons of Yosĕph: a leader from the tribe of the children of Menashsheh, Ḥanni’ĕl son of Ěphoḏ.

Num 34:24  “And a leader from the tribe of the children of Ephrayim: Qemu’ĕl son of Shiphtan.

Num 34:25  “And a leader from the tribe of the children of Zeḇulun: Elitsaphan son of Parnaḵ.

Num 34:26  “And a leader from the tribe of the children of Yissasḵar: Palti’ĕl son of Azzan.

Num 34:27  “And a leader from the tribe of the children of Ashĕr: Aḥihuḏ son of Shelomi.

Num 34:28  “And a leader from the tribe of the children of Naphtali: Peḏah’ĕl son of Ammihuḏ.”

Num 34:29  These are the ones יהוה commanded to divide the inheritance among the children of Yisra’ĕl in the land of Kenaʽan.

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 35:1-8

Num 35:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo, saying,

Num 35:2  “Command the children of Yisra’ĕl that they shall give the Lĕwites cities to dwell in from the inheritance of their possession. Also give the Lĕwites open land around the cities.

Num 35:3  “And they shall have the cities to dwell in, and their open land for their cattle, and for their herds, and for all their livestock.

Num 35:4  “And the open land of the cities which you give the Lĕwites are from the wall of the city outward a thousand cubits all around.

Num 35:5  “And you shall measure outside the city on the east side two thousand cubits, and on the south side two thousand cubits, and on the west side two thousand cubits, and on the north side two thousand cubits. And the city is in the middle. This is to them the open land for the cities.

Num 35:6  “And the cities which you give to the Lĕwites are the six cities of refuge, which you give to him who killed someone to flee to, and to these you add forty-two cities.

Num 35:7  “All the cities which you give to the Lĕwites are forty-eight, these with their open land.

Num 35:8  “And the cities which you give are from the possession of the children of Yisra’ĕl. From the larger tribe you give many, from the smaller you give few, each one gives some of its cities to the Lĕwites, in proportion to the inheritance that each inherits.”

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 35:9-34

Num 35:9  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 35:10  “Speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and say to them, ‘When you pass over the Yardĕn into the land of Kenaʽan,

Num 35:11  then you shall choose cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the one who accidentally killed someone shall flee there.

Num 35:12  ‘And they shall be cities of refuge for you from the revenger, and the one who killed someone is not to die until he stands before the congregation in right-ruling.

Num 35:13  ‘And of the cities which you give, six are to be cities of refuge.

Num 35:14  ‘Give three cities beyond the Yardĕn, and give three cities in the land of Kenaʽan, as cities of refuge.

Num 35:15  ‘These six cities are for refuge for the children of Yisra’ĕl, and for the sojourner, and for the settler in their midst, for anyone who accidentally kills someone to flee there.

Num 35:16  ‘But if he has smitten him with an instrument of iron, so that he dies, he is a murderer. The murderer shall certainly be put to death.

Num 35:17  ‘And if he has smitten him with a stone in the hand, by which one could die, and he does die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall certainly be put to death.

Num 35:18  ‘Or if he has smitten him with a wooden instrument that could kill, and he does die, he is a murderer. The murderer shall certainly be put to death.

Num 35:19  ‘The revenger of blood himself puts the murderer to death. When he meets him, he puts him to death.

Num 35:20  ‘And if he thrusts him through in hatred, or throws an object at him while lying in wait, so that he dies,

Num 35:21  or in enmity he smites him with his hand so that he dies, the one who smote him shall certainly be put to death, for he is a murderer. The revenger of blood puts the murderer to death when he meets him.

Num 35:22  ‘But if he pushes him suddenly without enmity, or throws an object at him without lying in wait,

Num 35:23  or uses a stone, by which a man could die, throwing it at him without seeing him, so that he dies, while he was not his enemy or seeking his harm,

Num 35:24  then the congregation shall judge between him who killed someone and the revenger of blood, according to these right-rulings.

Num 35:25  ‘And the congregation shall rescue the one who killed someone from the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall return him to the city of refuge where he had fled, and he shall remain there until the death of the high priest who was anointed with the set-apart oil.

Num 35:26  ‘But if the one who killed someone at any time goes outside the limits of the city of refuge where he fled,

Num 35:27  and the revenger of blood finds him outside the limits of his city of refuge, and the revenger of blood kills him who killed someone, he is not guilty of blood,

Num 35:28  because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest he who killed someone is to return to the land of his possession.

Num 35:29  ‘And these shall be for a law of right-ruling to you throughout your generations in all your dwellings.

Num 35:30  ‘Whoever kills someone has to be put to death as a murderer by the mouth of witnesses, but only one witness does not bear witness against someone to die.

Num 35:31  ‘And take no ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall certainly be put to death.

Num 35:32  ‘And take no ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge to return to dwell in the land before the death of the priest.

Num 35:33  ‘And do not profane the land where you are, for blood profanes the land, and the land is not pardoned for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it.

Num 35:34  ‘And do not defile the land which you inhabit, in the midst of which I dwell, for I, יהוה, am dwelling in the midst of the children of Yisra’ĕl.’ ”

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 36:1-13

Num 36:1  And the heads of the fathers of the clans of the children of Gilʽaḏ, son of Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, of the clans of the sons of Yosĕph, came near and spoke before Mosheh and before the leaders, the heads of the fathers of the children of Yisra’ĕl,

Num 36:2  and said, “יהוה commanded my master to give the land as an inheritance by lot to the children of Yisra’ĕl, and my master was commanded by יהוה to give the inheritance of our brother Tselophḥaḏ to his daughters.

Num 36:3  “Now if they are married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Yisra’ĕl, then their inheritance shall be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and taken from the lot of our inheritance.

Num 36:4  “And if the Jubilee of the children of Yisra’ĕl takes place, then their inheritance shall be added to the inheritance of the tribe into which they marry, and their inheritance taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers.”

Num 36:5  And Mosheh commanded the children of Yisra’ĕl according to the word of יהוה, saying, “What the tribe of the sons of Yosĕph speaks is right.

Num 36:6  “This is the word which יהוה has commanded, for the daughters of Tselophḥaḏ, saying, ‘Let them marry who is good in their eyes, but let them marry only within the clan of their father’s tribe.’

Num 36:7  “And the inheritance of the children of Yisra’ĕl is not to change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Yisra’ĕl is to cling to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.

Num 36:8  “And every daughter possessing an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Yisra’ĕl is to be the wife of one of the clan of her father’s tribe, so that the children of Yisra’ĕl possess each the inheritance of his fathers.

Num 36:9  “Thus the inheritance is not to change hands from one tribe to another, but every tribe of the children of Yisra’ĕl is to cling to its own inheritance.”

Num 36:10  As יהוה commanded Mosheh, so did the daughters of Tselophḥaḏ.

Num 36:11  For Maḥlah, Tirtsah, and Ḥoḡlah, and Milkah, and Noʽah, the daughters of Tselophḥaḏ, were married to the sons of their father’s brothers.

Num 36:12  And they were married into the clans of the children of Menashsheh, the son of Yosĕph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of their father’s clan.

Num 36:13  These are the commands and the right-rulings which יהוה commanded the children of Yisra’ĕl by the hand of Mosheh in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.


Prophets: Jeremiah 2:4-28

Jer 2:4  Hear the word of יהוה, O house of Yaʽaqoḇ and all the clans of the house of Yisra’ĕl.

Jer 2:5  Thus said יהוה, “What unrighteousness have your fathers found in Me, that they have gone far from Me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

Jer 2:6  “And did not they say, ‘Where is יהוה, who brought us up out of the land of Mitsrayim, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and pits, through a land of drought and the shadow of death, a land that no one passed through and where no one dwelt?’

Jer 2:7  “Then I brought you into a garden land, to eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land and made My inheritance an abomination.

Jer 2:8  “The priests did not say, ‘Where is יהוה?’ And those who handle the Torah did not know Me, and the shepherds1 transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baʽal, and walked after matters that did not profit. Footnote: 1See 10:21, 12:10-11, 50:6-7.

Jer 2:9  “Therefore I still contend with you,” declares יהוה, “and with your children’s children I contend.

Jer 2:10  “For, pass beyond the isles of Kittim and see, and send to Qĕḏar and observe well, and see if there has been any like this.

Jer 2:11  “Has a nation changed its mighty ones, which are not mighty ones? But My people have changed My esteem1 for that which does not profit. Footnote: 1Symbolic name for His Ark.

Jer 2:12  “Be amazed, O heavens, at this, and be frightened, be utterly dried up,” declares יהוה.

Jer 2:13  “For My people have done two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters1, to hew out for themselves cisterns, cracked cisterns, which do not hold water. Footnote: 1See 17:13.

Jer 2:14  “Is Yisra’ĕl a servant? Was he born in the house? Why is he given to plunder?

Jer 2:15  “The young lions roared at him, they growled, and made his land waste; his cities have been burned, without inhabitant.

Jer 2:16  “Even the sons of Noph and of Taḥpanḥes have shaven the crown of your head.

Jer 2:17  “Have you not done this to yourself, by forsaking יהוה your Elohim when He led you in the way?

Jer 2:18  “And now why take the way to Mitsrayim, to drink the waters of Shiḥor? Or why take the way to Ashshur, to drink the waters of the River?

Jer 2:19  “Your own evil instructs you, and your backslidings reprove you. Know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter that you have forsaken יהוה your Elohim, and that My fear is not in you,” declares the Master יהוה of hosts.

Jer 2:20  “For of old you have broken your yoke and tore of your bonds. And you said, ‘I am not serving You,’ when on every high hill and under every green tree you lay down, a whore.

Jer 2:21  “Yet I had planted you a choice vine, all of it a true seed. How then have you turned before Me into the degenerate plant of a strange vine?

Jer 2:22  “Although you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap, yet your crookedness is ingrained before Me,” declares the Master יהוה.

Jer 2:23  “How do you say, ‘I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baʽals’? See your way in the valley, know what you have done: a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways,

Jer 2:24  a wild donkey used to the wilderness, sniffing the wind in the desire of her being – in her time of mating, who turns her away? All those who seek her need not weary themselves; in her month they find her.

Jer 2:25  “Keep your foot from being bare, and your throat from thirst. But you said, ‘It is useless, because I love strangers, and after them I go.’

Jer 2:26  “As the thief is ashamed when he is found out, so is the house of Yisra’ĕl ashamed – they and their sovereigns and their heads, and their priests and their prophets,

Jer 2:27  saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face. But in the time of their calamity they say, ‘Arise and save us.’

Jer 2:28  “But where are your mighty ones that you have made for yourselves? Let them arise, see if they save you in the time of your calamity. Because your mighty ones have become as many as your cities, O Yehuḏah.


Brit Hadasha: Matthew 24:1 – 25:46

Mat 24:1  And going out, יהושע went away from the Set-apart Place, and His taught ones came near to point out to Him the buildings of the Set-apart Place.

Mat 24:2  And יהושע said to them, “Do you not see all these? Truly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, at all, which shall not be thrown down.”

Mat 24:3  And as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the taught ones came to Him separately, saying, “Say to us, when shall this be, and what is the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Mat 24:4  And יהושע answering, said to them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray.

Mat 24:5  “For many shall come in My Name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they shall lead many astray.

Mat 24:6  “And you shall begin to hear of fightings and reports of fightings. See that you are not troubled, for these have to take place, but the end is not yet.

Mat 24:7  “For nation shall rise against nation, and reign against reign. And there shall be scarcities of food, and deadly diseases, and earthquakes in places.

Mat 24:8  “And all these are the beginning of birth pains.

Mat 24:9  “Then they shall deliver you up to affliction and kill you, and you shall be hated by all nations for My Name’s sake.

Mat 24:10  “And then many shall stumble, and they shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.

Mat 24:11  “And many false prophets shall rise up and lead many astray.

Mat 24:12  “And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many shall become cold.

Mat 24:13  “But he who shall have endured to the end shall be saved.1 Footnote:1See 10:22.

Mat 24:14  “And this Good News of the reign shall be proclaimed in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.

Mat 24:15  “So when you see the ‘abomination that lays waste,’1 spoken of by Dani’ĕl the prophet, set up in the set-apart place” – he who reads, let him understand – Footnote:1See Abomination that lays waste in Explanatory Notes.

Mat 24:16  “then let those who are in Yehuḏah flee to the mountains.

Mat 24:17  “Let him who is on the house-top not come down to take whatever out of his house.

Mat 24:18  “And let him who is in the field not turn back to get his garments.

Mat 24:19  “And woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing children in those days!

Mat 24:20  “And pray that your flight does not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.

Mat 24:21  “For then there shall be great distress,1 such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. Footnote:1Or great pressure, or great affliction.

Mat 24:22  “And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the sake of the chosen ones those days shall be shortened.

Mat 24:23  “If anyone then says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe.

Mat 24:24  “For false messiahs and false prophets shall arise, and they shall show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.

Mat 24:25  “See, I have forewarned you.

Mat 24:26  “So if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe.

Mat 24:27  “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines to the west, so also shall the coming of the Son of Aḏam be.

Mat 24:28  “For wherever the dead body is, there the eagles shall be gathered together.1 Footnote:1Lk. 17:37.

Mat 24:29  “And immediately after the distress1 of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give its light, and the stars shall fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. Footnote:1Or pressure.

Mat 24:30  “And then the sign of the Son of Aḏam shall appear in the heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Aḏam coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and much esteem.

Mat 24:31  “And He shall send His messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Mat 24:32  “And learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that the summer is near.

Mat 24:33  “So you also, when you see all these, know that He is near, at the doors.

Mat 24:34  “Truly, I say to you, this generation shall by no means pass away until all this takes place.

Mat 24:35  “The heaven and the earth shall pass away, but My words shall by no means pass away.

Mat 24:36  “But concerning that day and the hour no one knows, not even the messengers of the heavens, but My Father only.1 Footnote:1Mk. 13:32.

Mat 24:37  “And as the days of Noaḥ, so also shall the coming of the Son of Aḏam be.

Mat 24:38  “For as they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noaḥ entered into the ark,

Mat 24:39  and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also shall the coming of the Son of Aḏam be.

Mat 24:40  “Then two shall be in the field, the one is taken and the one is left.

Mat 24:41  “Two shall be grinding at the mill, one is taken and one is left.

Mat 24:42  “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Master is coming.

Mat 24:43  “And know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.

Mat 24:44  “Because of this, be ready too, for the Son of Aḏam is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him.

Mat 24:45  “Who then is a trustworthy and wise servant, whom his master set over his household, to give them food in season?

Mat 24:46  “Blessed is that servant whom his master, having come, shall find so doing.

Mat 24:47  “Truly, I say to you that he shall set him over all his possessions.

Mat 24:48  “But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’

Mat 24:49  and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards,

Mat 24:50  the master of that servant shall come on a day when he does not expect it, and at an hour he does not know,

Mat 24:51  and shall cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites – there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Mat 25:1  “Then the reign of the heavens shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.

Mat 25:2  “And five of them were wise, and five foolish.

Mat 25:3  “Those who were foolish, having taken their lamps, took no oil with them,

Mat 25:4  but the wise took oil in their containers with their lamps.

Mat 25:5  “Now while the bridegroom took time, they all slumbered and slept.

Mat 25:6  “And at midnight a cry was heard, ‘See, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him!’

Mat 25:7  “Then all those maidens rose up and trimmed their lamps.

Mat 25:8  “And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’

Mat 25:9  “But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, indeed, there would not be enough for us and you. Instead, go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’

Mat 25:10  “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.

Mat 25:11  “And later the other maidens also came, saying, ‘Master, Master, open up for us!’

Mat 25:12  “But he answering, said, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’

Mat 25:13  “Watch therefore, because you do not know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Aḏam is coming,

Mat 25:14  for it is like a man going from home, who called his own servants and delivered his possessions to them.

Mat 25:15  “And to one he gave five talents, and to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability, and went from home.

Mat 25:16  “And he who had received the five talents went and worked with them, and made another five talents.

Mat 25:17  “In the same way, he with the two also, he gained two more.

Mat 25:18  “But he who had received the one went away and dug in the ground, and hid the silver of his master.

Mat 25:19  “And after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

Mat 25:20  “And he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents. See, I have gained five more talents besides them.’

Mat 25:21  “And his master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Mat 25:22  “Then he who had received two talents came and said, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents. See, I have gained two more talents besides them.’

Mat 25:23  “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a little, I shall set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Mat 25:24  “And the one who had received the one talent also came and said, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed,

Mat 25:25  and being afraid, I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’

Mat 25:26  “And his master answering, said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

Mat 25:27  ‘Then you should have put my silver with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

Mat 25:28  ‘Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to him who possesses ten talents.

Mat 25:29  ‘For to everyone who possesses, more shall be given, and he shall have overflowingly; but from him who does not possess, even what he possesses shall be taken away.1 Footnote:1See Lk. 8:18.

Mat 25:30  ‘And throw the worthless servant out into the outer darkness – there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Mat 25:31  “And when the Son of Aḏam comes in His esteem, and all the set-apart messengers with Him, then He shall sit on the throne of His esteem.

Mat 25:32  “And all the nations shall be gathered before Him, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats.

Mat 25:33  “And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.

Mat 25:34  “Then the Sovereign shall say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the reign prepared for you from the foundation of the world –

Mat 25:35  for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,

Mat 25:36  was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.’

Mat 25:37  “Then the righteous shall answer Him, saying, ‘Master, when did we see You hungry and we fed You, or thirsty and gave You to drink?

Mat 25:38  ‘And when did we see You a stranger and took You in, or naked and clothed You?

Mat 25:39  ‘And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and we came to You?’

Mat 25:40  “And the Sovereign shall answer and say to them, ‘Truly, I say to you, in so far as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.’

Mat 25:41  “He shall then also say to those on the left hand, ‘Go away from Me, accursed ones, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his messengers –

Mat 25:42  for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink,

Mat 25:43  ‘I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, was naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

Mat 25:44  “Then they also shall answer Him, saying, ‘Master, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not serve You?’

Mat 25:45  “Then He shall answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, in so far as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’

Mat 25:46  “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”

James 4:1-12

Jas 4:1  Where do fightings and strivings come from among you? Do they not come from your pleasures that battle in your members?

Jas 4:2  You desire, and do not have. You murder, and are jealous, and are unable to obtain. You strive and fight, and you do not possess, because you do not ask.

Jas 4:3  You ask and do not receive, because you ask evilly, in order to spend it on your pleasures.

Jas 4:4  Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with Elohim?1 Whoever therefore intends to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of Elohim. Footnote: 1Mt. 13:22, Lk. 4:5-6, Lk. 14:33, Rom. 12:2, 1 John 2:15-17.

Jas 4:5  Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose? Does the Spirit which dwells in us intensely crave unto envy?

Jas 4:6  But He gives greater favour. Because of this He says, “Elohim resists the proud, but gives favour to the humble.”

Jas 4:7  So then subject yourselves to Elohim. Resist the devil1 and he shall flee from you. Footnote: 1Or adversary.

Jas 4:8  Draw near to Elohim and He shall draw near to you. Cleanse hands, sinners. And cleanse the hearts, you double-minded!

Jas 4:9  Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to dejection.

Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the sight of the Master, and He shall lift you up.

Jas 4:11  Brothers, do not speak against one another. He that speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against Torah and judges Torah. And if you judge Torah, you are not a doer of Torah but a judge.

Jas 4:12  There is one Lawgiver and Judge, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Mattot | מטות | “Tribes”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Matot, Mattot, Mattoth, or Matos (מַּטּוֹת — Hebrew for “tribes”, the fifth word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 42nd weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ninth in the Book of Numbers. It constitutes Numbers 30:2–32:42. The parashah is made up of 5,652 Hebrew letters, 1,484 Hebrew words, and 112 verses, and can occupy about 190 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).


Torah: Numbers 30:1 (30:2) – 32:42

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 30:1-17

Num 30:1  And Mosheh spoke to the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, “This is the word which יהוה has commanded:

Num 30:2  “When a man vows a vow to יהוה, or swears an oath to bind himself by some agreement, he does not break his word, he does according to all that comes out of his mouth.

Num 30:3  “Or if a woman vows a vow to יהוה, and binds herself by some agreement while in her father’s house in her youth,

Num 30:4  and her father hears her vow and the agreement by which she has bound herself, and her father has kept silent towards her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement with which she has bound herself stands.

Num 30:5  “But if her father forbids her on the day that he hears, then none of her vows nor her agreements by which she has bound herself stand. And יהוה pardons her, because her father has forbidden her.

Num 30:6  “But if she at all belongs to a husband, while bound by her vows or by a rash utterance from her lips by which she bound herself,

Num 30:7  and her husband hears it, and he has kept silent towards her on the day that he hears, then her vows shall stand, and her agreements by which she bound herself do stand.

Num 30:8  “But if her husband forbids her on the day that he hears it, then he has nullified her vow which she vowed, and the rash utterance of her lips by which she bound herself, and יהוה pardons her.

Num 30:9  “But any vow of a widow or a divorced woman, by which she has bound herself, stands against her.

Num 30:10  “And if she vowed in her husband’s house, or bound herself by an agreement with an oath,

Num 30:11  and her husband heard it, and has kept silent towards her and did not forbid her, then all her vows shall stand, and every agreement by which she bound herself stands.

Num 30:12  “But if her husband clearly nullified them on the day he heard them, then whatever came from her lips concerning her vows or concerning the agreement binding her, it does not stand – her husband has nullified them, and יהוה pardons her.

Num 30:13  “Every vow and every binding oath to afflict her being, let her husband confirm it, or let her husband nullify it.

Num 30:14  “But if her husband is altogether silent at her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all the agreements that bind her – he confirms them, because he kept silent towards her on the day that he heard.

Num 30:15  “But if he nullifies them after he has heard, then he shall bear her crookedness.”

Num 30:16  These are the laws which יהוה commanded Mosheh, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter in her youth in her father’s house.

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 32:1-12

Num 31:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 31:2  “Take vengeance for the children of Yisra’ĕl on the Miḏyanites. After that you are to be gathered to your people.”

Num 31:3  And Mosheh spoke to the people, saying, “Arm some of yourselves for the campaign, and let them go against the Miḏyanites to take vengeance for יהוה on Miḏyan.

Num 31:4  “Send a thousand from each tribe of all the tribes of Yisra’ĕl for the campaign.”

Num 31:5  So there were supplied from the tribes of Yisra’ĕl one thousand from each tribe, twelve thousand armed ones for the campaign.

Num 31:6  And Mosheh sent them on the campaign, one thousand from each tribe, them and Pineḥas son of Elʽazar the priest on the campaign, with the set-apart utensils and the trumpets for sounding in his hand.

Num 31:7  And they fought against the Miḏyanites, as יהוה commanded Mosheh, and slew all the males.

Num 31:8  And they slew the sovereigns of Miḏyan with the rest of those who were pierced: Ewi, and Reqem, and Tsur, and Ḥur, and Reḇa, the five sovereigns of Miḏyan. And they slew Bilʽam son of Beʽor with the sword.

Num 31:9  And the sons of Yisra’ĕl took all the women of Miḏyan captive, with their little ones, and took as spoil all their livestock, and all their possessions.

Num 31:10  And they burned with fire all the cities where they dwelt, and all their settlements.

Num 31:11  And they took all the spoil and all the booty, both of man and beast.

Num 31:12  And they brought the captives, and the booty, and the spoil to Mosheh, and to Elʽazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, to the camp in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 31:13-24

Num 31:13  And Mosheh, and Elʽazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation, went to meet them outside the camp.

Num 31:14  But Mosheh was wroth with the officers of the army, with the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, who had come from the campaign.

Num 31:15  And Mosheh said to them, “Have you kept all the women alive?

Num 31:16  “Look, they are the ones who caused the children of Yisra’ĕl, through the word of Bilʽam, to trespass against יהוה in the matter of Peʽor, and there was a plague among the congregation of יהוה.

Num 31:17  “And now, slay every male among the little ones. And every woman who has known a man by lying with a man you shall slay.

Num 31:18  “But keep alive for yourselves all the female children who have not known a man by lying with a man.

Num 31:19  “And you, camp outside the camp seven days. Whoever has slain any being, and whoever has touched any slain, cleanse yourselves and your captives on the third day and on the seventh day.

Num 31:20  “And cleanse every garment, and every object of leather and all the work of goats’ hair, and every object of wood.”

Num 31:21  And Elʽazar the priest said to the men of the campaign who went to the battle, “This is the law of the Torah which יהוה commanded Mosheh:

Num 31:22  “Only the gold, and the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

Num 31:23  every object that passes through fire, you put through the fire, and it shall be clean; only, let it be cleansed with the water for uncleanness. And whatever does not pass through fire you pass through water.

Num 31:24  “And you shall wash your garments on the seventh day and be clean, and afterwards come into the camp.”

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 31:25-41

Num 31:25  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 31:26  “Count up the plunder that was taken, of man and of beast, you and Elʽazar the priest and the heads of the fathers of the congregation.

Num 31:27  “And you shall divide the plunder into two parts, between those who took part in the battle, who went out on the campaign, and all the congregation.

Num 31:28  “And set aside a levy for יהוה on the men of battle who went out on the campaign: one out of every five hundred, of man, and of the cattle, and of the donkeys, and of the sheep.

Num 31:29  “Take it from their half, and give it to Elʽazar the priest as a contribution to יהוה.

Num 31:30  “And from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half you shall take one of every fifty, of man, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the sheep, of all the livestock, and give them to the Lĕwites guarding the duty of the Dwelling Place of יהוה.”

Num 31:31  And Mosheh and Elʽazar the priest did as יהוה commanded Mosheh.

Num 31:32  And the booty remaining from the plunder, which the people of the campaign had taken, was six hundred and seventy-five thousand sheep,

Num 31:33  and seventy-two thousand cattle,

Num 31:34  and sixty-one thousand donkeys,

Num 31:35  and thirty-two thousand human beings in all, of women who had not known a man by lying with a man.

Num 31:36  And the half, the portion for those who went out on the campaign, was in number three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

Num 31:37  and the levy unto יהוה of the sheep was six hundred and seventy-five.

Num 31:38  And the cattle were thirty-six thousand, of which the levy unto יהוה was seventy-two.

Num 31:39  And the donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred, of which the levy unto יהוה was sixty-one.

Num 31:40  And the human beings were sixteen thousand, of which the levy unto יהוה was thirty-two beings.

Num 31:41  So Mosheh gave the levy which was the contribution unto יהוה to Elʽazar the priest, as יהוה commanded Mosheh.

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 31:42-54

Num 31:42  And from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half, which Mosheh divided from the men who campaigned:

Num 31:43  now the half belonging to the congregation was three hundred and thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

Num 31:44  and thirty-six thousand cattle,

Num 31:45  and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

Num 31:46  and sixteen thousand human beings.

Num 31:47  Then Mosheh took from the children of Yisra’ĕl’s half: one out of every fifty, drawn from man and beast, and gave them to the Lĕwites, who guarded the duty of the Dwelling Place of יהוה, as יהוה commanded Mosheh.

Num 31:48  And the officers who were over thousands of the campaign, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, came near to Mosheh,

Num 31:49  and they said to Mosheh, “Your servants have taken a count of the fighting men under our command, and not a man of us is missing.

Num 31:50  “So we have brought an offering for יהוה, what every man found of ornaments of gold: armlets and bracelets and signet rings and earrings and necklaces, to make atonement for ourselves before יהוה.”

Num 31:51  And Mosheh and Elʽazar the priest received the gold from them, all the fashioned ornaments.

Num 31:52  And all the gold of the offering that they presented to יהוה, from the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred and fifty sheqels.

Num 31:53  The men of the campaign had taken spoil, every man for himself.

Num 31:54  And Mosheh and Elʽazar the priest received the gold from the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting as a remembrance for the children of Yisra’ĕl before יהוה.

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 32:1-19

Num 32:1  And the children of Re’uḇĕn and the children of Gaḏ had much livestock, a large number. And they saw the land of Yaʽzĕr and the land of Gilʽaḏ and saw that the place was a place for livestock.

Num 32:2  So the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn came and spoke to Mosheh, and to Elʽazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying,

Num 32:3  “Ataroth, and Diḇon, and Yaʽzĕr, and Nimrah, and Ḥeshbon, and Elʽalĕh, and Seḇam, and Neḇo, and Beʽon,

Num 32:4  the land which יהוה had smitten before the congregation of Yisra’ĕl, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.”

Num 32:5  And they said, “If we have found favour in your eyes, let this land be given to your servants as a possession, and do not let us pass over the Yardĕn.”

Num 32:6  And Mosheh said to the children of Gaḏ and to the children of Re’uḇĕn, “Are your brothers to go into the battle while you yourselves sit here?

Num 32:7  “Now why do you discourage the heart of the children of Yisra’ĕl from passing over into the land which יהוה has given them?

Num 32:8  “Thus your fathers did when I sent them away from Qaḏĕsh Barnĕa to see the land.

Num 32:9  “For when they went up to the wadi Eshkol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Yisra’ĕl, so that they did not go into the land which יהוה had given them.

Num 32:10  “Then the displeasure of יהוה burned on that day, and He swore an oath, saying,

Num 32:11  ‘Not one of the men who came up from Mitsrayim, from twenty years old and above, is to see the land of which I swore to Aḇraham, Yitsḥaq, and Yaʽaqoḇ, because they did not follow Me completely,

Num 32:12  except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, the Qenizzite, and Yehoshua son of Nun, for they have followed יהוה completely.’

Num 32:13  “So the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the eyes of יהוה was destroyed.

Num 32:14  “And see, you have risen in your father’s place, an increase of men, sinners, to add still more the burning displeasure of יהוה against Yisra’ĕl.

Num 32:15  “For if you turn away from following Him, He shall once again leave them in the wilderness, and you shall destroy all these people.”

Num 32:16  Then they came near to him and said, “Let us build sheep-enclosures here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones,

Num 32:17  but let us ourselves be armed, hastening before the children of Yisra’ĕl until we have brought them to their place. And our little ones shall dwell in the walled cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

Num 32:18  “We shall not return to our homes until every one of the children of Yisra’ĕl has received his inheritance.

Num 32:19  “For we shall not inherit with them on the other side of the Yardĕn and beyond, because our inheritance has fallen to us on this eastern side of the Yardĕn.”

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 32:20-42

Num 32:20  And Mosheh said to them, “If you make this promise: if you arm yourselves before יהוה for battle,

Num 32:21  and all your armed ones pass over the Yardĕn before יהוה until He has driven out His enemies from before Him,

Num 32:22  and the land has been subdued before יהוה, then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless before יהוה and before Yisra’ĕl. And this land shall be your possession before יהוה.

Num 32:23  “But if you do not do so, then see, you shall sin against יהוה, and know: your sin is going to find you out.

Num 32:24  “Build cities for your little ones and enclosures for your sheep, and do what you have promised.”

Num 32:25  And the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn spoke to Mosheh, saying, “Your servants are going to do as my master commands.

Num 32:26  “Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock are going to be there in the cities of Gilʽaḏ,

Num 32:27  but your servants are passing over, every armed one of the army, before יהוה, to battle, as my master says.”

Num 32:28  And Mosheh gave command concerning them to Elʽazar the priest, to Yehoshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Num 32:29  And Mosheh said to them, “If the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn pass over the Yardĕn with you, every man armed for battle before יהוה, and the land has been subdued before you, then you shall give them the land of Gilʽaḏ as a possession.

Num 32:30  “But if they do not pass over armed with you, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Kenaʽan.”

Num 32:31  Then the children of Gaḏ and the children of Re’uḇĕn answered, saying, “As יהוה has said to your servants, so we do.

Num 32:32  “We ourselves are passing over armed before יהוה into the land of Kenaʽan, but the possession of our inheritance remains with us beyond the Yardĕn.”

Num 32:33  So Mosheh gave to the children of Gaḏ, to the children of Re’uḇĕn, and to half the tribe of Menashsheh, son of Yosĕph, the reign of Siḥon sovereign of the Amorites and the reign of Oḡ sovereign of Bashan, the land with its cities within the borders, the cities of the land round about.

Num 32:34  And the children of Gaḏ built Diḇon and Ataroth and Aroʽĕr,

Num 32:35  and Atroth, Shophan and Yaʽzĕr and Yoḡbehah,

Num 32:36  and Bĕyth Nimrah and Bĕyth Haran, walled cities, and enclosures for sheep.

Num 32:37  And the children of Re’uḇĕn built Ḥeshbon and Elʽalĕh and Qiryathayim,

Num 32:38  Neḇo and Baʽal Meʽon – the names being changed – and Shiḇmah. And they gave other names to the cities which they built.

Num 32:39  And the sons of Maḵir son of Menashsheh went to Gilʽaḏ and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it.

Num 32:40  So Mosheh gave Gilʽaḏ to Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, and he dwelt in it.

Num 32:41  And Ya’ir son of Menashsheh went and took its small towns, and called them Ḥawoth Ya’ir.

Num 32:42  And Noḇaḥ went and took Qenath and its villages, and he called it Noḇaḥ, after his own name.

Prophets: Jeremiah 1:1 – 2:3

Jer 1:1  The words of Yirmeyahu the son of Ḥilqiyahu, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Binyamin,

Jer 1:2  to whom the word of יהוה came in the days of Yoshiyahu son of Amon, sovereign of Yehuḏah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Jer 1:3  And it came in the days of Yehoyaqim, son of Yoshiyahu, sovereign of Yehuḏah, until the end of the eleventh year of Tsiḏqiyahu, son of Yoshiyahu, sovereign of Yehuḏah, until the exile of Yerushalayim in the fifth month.

Jer 1:4  Now the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

Jer 1:5  “Before I formed you in the belly I knew you, and before you came out of the womb I did set you apart – I appointed you a prophet to nations.”

Jer 1:6  And said I, “Ah, Master יהוה! See, I do not know how to speak, for I am a youth.”

Jer 1:7  And יהוה said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am a youth,’ but go to all to whom I send you, and speak whatever I command you.

Jer 1:8  “Do not fear their faces, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares יהוה.

Jer 1:9  Then יהוה put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and יהוה said to me, “See, I have put My words in your mouth.

Jer 1:10  “See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the reigns, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Jer 1:11  And the word of יהוה came to me, saying, “What do you see, Yirmeyahu?” And I said, “I see a branch of an almond tree.”

Jer 1:12  And יהוה said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over My word to do it.”

Jer 1:13  And the word of יהוה came to me a second time, saying, “What do you see?” And I said, “I see a boiling pot, and it is facing away from the north.”

Jer 1:14  And יהוה said to me, “Out of the north evil is set loose on all the inhabitants of the land.

Jer 1:15  “For look, I am calling all the clans of the reigns of the north,” declares יהוה. “And they shall come and each one set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Yerushalayim, against all its walls all around, and against all the cities of Yehuḏah.

Jer 1:16  “And I shall pronounce My judgments against them concerning all their evil, because they have forsaken Me, burned incense to other mighty ones, and bowed themselves to the works of their own hands.

Jer 1:17  “Now, gird up your loins and arise, and speak to them all that I command you. Do not break down before their faces, lest I break you before them.

Jer 1:18  “For look, I have made you this day a walled city and an iron column, and bronze walls against all the land, against the sovereigns of Yehuḏah, against her heads, against her priests, and against the people of the land.

Jer 1:19  “And they shall fight against you, but not prevail against you. For I am with you,” declares יהוה, “to deliver you.”

Jer 2:1  And the word of יהוה came to me, saying,

Jer 2:2  “Go, and you shall cry in the hearing of Yerushalayim, saying, ‘Thus said יהוה, “I remember you, the kindness of your youth, the love of your bridehood, when you went after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown.

Jer 2:3  “Yisra’ĕl was set-apart to יהוה, the first-fruits of His increase. All who ate of it became guilty – evil came upon them,” declares יהוה.’ ”


Brit Hadasha: Matthew 23:1-39

Mat 23:1  Then יהושע spoke to the crowds and to His taught ones,

Mat 23:2  saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Mosheh.

Mat 23:3  “Therefore, whatever they say to you to guard, guard and do. But do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do.

Mat 23:4  “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but with their finger they do not wish to move them.

Mat 23:5  “And they do all their works to be seen by men, and they make their t’fillen wide and lengthen the tzitziyot1 of their garments, Footnote:1Plural of Tzitzit – See Explanatory notes – “Tzitzit” and Num. 15:37-41, Dt. 22:12.

Mat 23:6  and they love the best place at feasts, and the best seats in the congregations,

Mat 23:7  and the greetings in the market-places, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’

Mat 23:8  “But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for One is your Teacher, the Messiah, and you are all brothers.

Mat 23:9  “And do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He who is in the heavens.

Mat 23:10  “Neither be called leaders, for One is your Leader, the Messiah.

Mat 23:11  “But the greatest among you shall be your servant.

Mat 23:12  “And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Mat 23:13  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for you do not go in, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Mat 23:14  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you eat up widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. Because of this you shall receive greater judgment.

Mat 23:15  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you go about the land and the sea to win one convert, and when he is won, you make him a son of Gehenna twofold more than yourselves.

Mat 23:16  “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the Dwelling Place, it does not matter, but whoever swears by the gold of the Dwelling Place, is bound by oath.’

Mat 23:17  “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the Dwelling Place that sets the gold apart?

Mat 23:18  “And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it does not matter, but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, is bound by oath.’

Mat 23:19  “Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sets the gift apart?

Mat 23:20  “He, then, who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all that is upon it.

Mat 23:21  “And he who swears by the Dwelling Place, swears by it and by Him who is dwelling in it.

Mat 23:22  “And he who swears by the heaven, swears by the throne of Elohim and by Him who is sitting upon it.

Mat 23:23  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you tithe the mint and the anise and the cumin,1 and have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah: the right-ruling and the compassion and the belief. These need to have been done, without neglecting the others. Footnote:1The wording in Lk. 11:42 is somewhat different.

Mat 23:24  “Blind guides – straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!

Mat 23:25  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are filled with plunder and unrighteousness.

Mat 23:26  “Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside of them becomes clean too.

Mat 23:27  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly indeed look well, but inside are filled with dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.

Mat 23:28  “So you too outwardly indeed appear righteous to men, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.1 Footnote:1See 5:20.

Mat 23:29  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous,

Mat 23:30  and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets.’

Mat 23:31  “Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who did murder the prophets –

Mat 23:32  and you fill up the measure of your fathers!

Mat 23:33  “Serpents, brood of adders! How would you escape the judgment of Gehenna?

Mat 23:34  “Because of this, see, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scholars of Scripture.1 Some of them you shall kill and impale, and some of them you shall flog in your congregations and persecute from city to city, Footnote:1See 13:52.

Mat 23:35  so that on you should come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Heḇel to the blood of Zeḵaryah, son of Bereḵyah, whom you murdered between the Dwelling Place and the altar.

Mat 23:36  “Truly, I say to you, all this shall come upon this generation.

Mat 23:37  “Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her! How often I wished to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you would not!

Mat 23:38  “See! Your house is left to you laid waste,

Mat 23:39  for I say to you, from now on you shall by no means see Me, until you say, ‘Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of יהוה!’ ”1 Footnote:1See Ps. 118:26.

Philippians 3:12-16

Php 3:12  Not that I have already received, or already been perfected, but I press on, to lay hold of that for which Messiah יהושע has also laid hold of me.

Php 3:13  Brothers, I do not count myself to have laid hold of it yet, but only this: forgetting what is behind and reaching out for what lies ahead,

Php 3:14  I press on toward the goal for the prize of the high calling of Elohim in Messiah יהושע.

Php 3:15  As many, then, as are perfect, should have this mind. And if you think differently in any respect, Elohim shall also reveal this to you.

Php 3:16  But to what we have already attained – walk by the same rule, be of the same mind.

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Pinchas | פנחס | “Phinehas”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

1Pe 3:15  But set apart יהוה Elohim in your hearts, and always be ready to give an answer to everyone asking you a reason concerning the expectation that is in you, with meekness and fear,

1Pe 3:16  having a good conscience, so that when they speak against you as doers of evil, those who falsely accuse your good behaviour in Messiah, shall be ashamed.


Brit Hadasha: Mark 11:27 – 12:37

Mar 11:27  And they came again to Yerushalayim. And as He was walking in the Set-apart Place, the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders came to Him,

Mar 11:28  and they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these? And who gave You this authority to do these?”

Mar 11:29  And יהושע answering, said to them, “I shall ask you one question, and answer Me, and I shall say to you by what authority I do these:

Mar 11:30  “The immersion of Yoḥanan – was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

John the immerser was actually in line to be high priest but left his position for the wilderness, whereas some of the priests at that time were not even Levites, but bought into the priesthood. So if they condemned John, they feared the people would maul them for their hypocrisy.

Mar 11:31  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He shall say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’

Mar 11:32  “But if we say, ‘From men’ ” – they feared the people, for all held that Yoḥanan was a prophet indeed.

Mar 11:33  And answering they said to יהושע, “We do not know.” And יהושע answering, said to them, “Neither do I say to you by what authority I do these.”

Mar 12:1  And He began to speak to them in parables, “A man planted a vineyard and put a hedge around it, and dug a vat for the winepress and built a watchtower, and let it out to farmers and went away.

Isa 5:1  Please let me sing to the One I love, a song for my loved One regarding His vineyard: my loved One has a vineyard on a fertile hill.

Isa 5:2  And He dug it up and cleared it of stones, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a watchtower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it. And He waited for the yielding of grapes, but it yielded rotten ones.

Isa 5:3  “And now, O inhabitant of Yerushalayim and man of Yehuḏah, please judge between Me and My vineyard.

Isa 5:4  “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I waited for the yielding of grapes, did it yield rotten ones?

Isa 5:5  “And now, please let Me inform you what I am doing to My vineyard: To take away its hedge and it shall be burned; to break down its wall and it shall be trampled down;

Isa 5:6  and I lay it waste; it is not pruned or dug and thornbushes and weeds shall come up; and I command the clouds not to rain on it.”

Isa 5:7  For the vineyard of יהוה of hosts is the house of Yisra’ĕl, and the man of Yehuḏah is His pleasant plant. He looked for right-ruling, but see, oppression; for righteousness, but see, weeping.

Psa 80:7  Turn us back, O Elohim of hosts, And cause Your face to shine, That we might be saved!

Psa 80:8  You brought a vine out of Mitsrayim; You drove out the nations, and planted it.

Psa 80:9  You cleared a place for it, And caused it to take deep root, And it filled the land.

Psa 80:10  Hills were covered with its shadow, And the mighty cedars with its twigs.

Psa 80:11  She spread her branches to the Sea, And her shoots to the River.

Psa 80:12  Why have You broken down her hedges, So that every passer-by plucked her fruit?

Psa 80:13  The boar out of the forest ravages it, And the wild beast of the field devours it.

Psa 80:14  Return, we beg You, O Elohim of hosts; Look down from heaven, and see, And visit this vine,

Psa 80:15  And the stock which Your right hand has planted, And the Son whom You made strong for Yourself.

Psa 80:16  It is burned with fire, it is cut down; They perish at the rebuke of Your face.

Psa 80:17  Let Your hand be upon the One at Your right hand, Upon the Son of Aḏam whom You made strong for Yourself,

Psa 80:18  And we shall not backslide from You. Revive us, and let us call upon Your Name.

Psa 80:19  Turn us back, O יהוה Elohim of hosts, And cause Your face to shine, That we might be saved!

Eze 3:17  “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Yisra’ĕl. And you shall hear a word from My mouth, and shall warn them from Me.

Eze 3:18  “When I say to the wrong1, ‘You shall certainly die,’ and you have not warned him, nor spoken to warn the wrong from his wrong way, to save his life, that same wrong man shall die in his crookedness, and his blood I require at your hand. Footnote: 1This passage is almost the same as in 18:20-32 and 33:8-20.

Eze 3:19  “But if you have warned the wrong and he does not turn from his wrong, nor from his wrong way, he shall die in his crookedness, and you have delivered your being.

Eze 3:20  “And when a righteous one turns from his righteousness and shall do unrighteousness, when I have put a stumbling-block before him, he shall die. Because you did not warn him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done is not remembered, and his blood I require at your hand.

Eze 3:21  “But if you have warned the righteous one that the righteous should not sin, and he did not sin, he shall certainly live because he has been warned, and you have delivered your being.”

Eze 3:22  And the hand of יהוה came upon me there, and He said to me, “Arise, go out into the plain, so that I might speak to you there.”

Mar 12:2  “And at harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers, to receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the farmers.

Mar 12:3  “And they seized him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

Mar 12:4  “And again he sent them another servant, and throwing stones at him, they wounded him in the head, and sent him away, having insulted him.

Mar 12:5  “And again he sent another, and they killed him; and many others, beating some and killing some.

Mar 12:6  “He had one more son, his beloved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They shall respect my son.’

Mar 12:7  “But those farmers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.’

Mar 12:8  “So they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

Mar 12:9  “What then shall the owner of the vineyard do? He shall come and destroy the farmers, and give the vineyard to others.

Mar 12:10  “Have you not read this Scripture, ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner-stone.

Mar 12:11  ‘This was from יהוה, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?”

Psa 118:22  The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief corner-stone.

Psa 118:23  This was from יהוה, It is marvellous in our eyes.

Mar 12:12  And they were seeking to seize Him, but feared the crowd, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. And leaving Him, they went away.

Mar 12:13  And they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in a word.

Mar 12:14  And when they came, they said to Him, “Teacher, we know that You are true, and it does not concern You about anyone, for You are not partial to any, but teach the way of Elohim in truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?

Mar 12:15  “Should we pay, or should we not pay?” And He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, “Why do you try Me? Bring Me a silver piece to look at.”

Mar 12:16  And they brought it, and He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” And they said to Him, “Caesar’s.”

Mar 12:17  So יהושע said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to Elohim what is Elohim’s.” And they marvelled at Him.

Mar 12:18  And Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him. And they asked Him, saying,

Mar 12:19  “Teacher, Mosheh wrote to us that if a brother of anyone dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

Deu 25:5  “When brothers dwell together, and one of them has died, and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not become a stranger’s outside. Her husband’s brother does go in to her, and shall take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her.

Deu 25:6  “And it shall be that the first-born son which she bears does rise up for the name of his dead brother, so that his name is not blotted out of Yisra’ĕl.

Mar 12:20  “There were seven brothers, and the first took a wife, and died, leaving no offspring.

Mar 12:21  “And the second took her, and he died, leaving behind no offspring. And the third likewise.

Mar 12:22  “And the seven left no offspring. Last of all the woman died too.

Mar 12:23  “In the resurrection then, when they rise, whose wife shall she be? For seven had her as wife.”

Mar 12:24  And יהושע answering, said to them, “Is this not why you go astray, because you do not know the Scriptures1 nor the power of Elohim? Footnote: 1Mt. 22:29.

Mar 12:25  “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as messengers in the heavens.

Mar 12:26  “And concerning the dead, that they rise – have you not read in the book of Mosheh, at the bush, how Elohim spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the Elohim of Araham, and the Elohim of Yitsaq, and the Elohim of Yaʽaqo’?

Exo 3:6  And He said, “I am the Elohim of your father, the Elohim of Aḇraham, the Elohim of Yitsḥaq, and the Elohim of Yaʽaqoḇ.” And Mosheh hid his face, for he was afraid to look at Elohim.

Mar 12:27  “He is not the Elohim of the dead, but Elohim of the living. You, then, go greatly astray.”

Mar 12:28  And one of the scribes coming near, hearing them reasoning together, knowing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first command of all?”

Mar 12:29  And יהושע answered him, “The first of all the commands is, ‘Hear, O Yisra’ĕl, יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one.

Mar 12:30  ‘And you shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first command.

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Deu 6:5  “And you shall love יהוה your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your being, and with all your might.

Mar 12:31  “And the second, like it, is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other command greater than these.”

Lev 19:18  ‘Do not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the children of your people. And you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am יהוה.

Mar 12:32  And the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one Elohim, and there is no other besides Him.

Deu 4:35  “You have been shown it, to know that יהוה Himself is Elohim; there is no one beside Him.

Mar 12:33  “And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the being, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is more than all the burnt offerings and offerings.”

Mar 12:34  And when יהושע saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the reign of Elohim.” And after that no one was bold enough to question Him.

Mar 12:35  And יהושע responding, said, while teaching in the Set-apart Place, “How is it that the scribes say that the Messiah is the Son of Dawiḏ?

Mar 12:36  “Dawiḏ himself said by the Set-apart Spirit, יהוה said to my Master, “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool of Your feet.” ’

Psa 110:1  יהוה said to my Master, “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”

Psa 110:2  יהוה sends Your mighty sceptre out of Tsiyon. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Psa 110:3  Your people volunteer in the day of Your might, In the splendours of set-apartness! From the womb, from the morning, You have the dew of Your youth!

Psa 110:4  יהוה has sworn and does not relent, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Malkitseḏeq.”

Psa 110:5  יהוה at Your right hand Shall smite sovereigns in the day of His wrath.

Psa 110:6  He judges among the nations, He shall fill the nations with dead bodies, He shall crush the Head over the mighty earth!

Psa 110:7  He drinks of the stream by the wayside, Therefore He does lift up the head!

Mar 12:37  “Dawiḏ himself calls Him ‘Master.’ In what way then is He his Son?” And the large crowd heard Him gladly.

Mar 12:38  And in His teaching He was saying to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and like greetings in the market-places,

Mar 12:39  and the best seats in the congregations, and the best places at feasts,

Mar 12:40  who are devouring widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. These shall receive greater judgment.”

Mar 12:41  And sitting opposite the treasury He saw how the people put copper into the treasury. And many rich ones put in much.

Mar 12:42  And a poor widow came and threw in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent.

Mar 12:43  And calling near His taught ones He said to them, “Truly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those putting into the treasury,

Mar 12:44  for they all put in out of their excess, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her entire livelihood.”

Hebrews 12:1-17

Heb 12:1  We too, then, having so great a cloud of witnesses all around us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us,

Heb 12:2  looking to the Princely Leader and Perfecter of our belief, יהושע, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the stake, having despised the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of Elohim.

Heb 12:3  For consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and faint in your lives.

Heb 12:4  You have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Heb 12:5  And you have forgotten the appeal which speaks to you as to sons, “My son, do not despise the discipline of יהוה, nor faint when you are reproved by Him,

Heb 12:6  for whom יהוה loves, He disciplines, and flogs every son whom He receives.”1

Footnote: 1Prov. 3:11-12

Pro 3:11  My son, do not despise the discipline of יהוה, And do not loathe His reproof;

Pro 3:12  For whom יהוה loves He reproves, As a father the son whom he delights in1. Footnote: 1Verses 11 – 12 are quoted in Heb. 12:5-6.

Heb 12:7  If you endure discipline, Elohim is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom a father does not discipline?

Heb 12:8  But if you are without discipline, of which all have become sharers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.

Heb 12:9  Moreover, we indeed had fathers of our flesh disciplining us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?

Heb 12:10  For they indeed disciplined us for a few days as seemed best to them, but He does it for our profit, so that we might share His apartness.

Heb 12:11  And indeed, no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but grievous, but afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.1

Footnote: 1Dt. 8:2

Deu 8:1  “Guard to do every command which I command you today, that you might live, and shall increase, and go in, and shall possess the land of which יהוה swore to your fathers.

Deu 8:2  “And you shall remember that יהוה your Elohim led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you, prove you, to know what is in your heart, whether you guard His commands or not. Deu 8:3  “And He humbled you, and let you suffer hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, to make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that comes from the mouth of יהוה1. Footnote: 1Messiah quotes this in Mt. 4:4 and in Lk. 4:4.

Heb 12:12  So, strengthen the hands which hang down and the weak knees,

Heb 12:13  and make straight paths for your feet, lest the lame be turned aside, but instead, to be healed.

Heb 12:14  Pursue peace with all, and pursue apartness without which no one shall see the Master.

Heb 12:15  See to it that no one falls short of the favour of Elohim, that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, by which many become defiled,

Heb 12:16  lest there be anyone who whores, or profane one, like Ěsaw, who for a single meal sold his birthright.

Heb 12:17  For you know that afterward, when he wished to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears.

Worldly sorrow is simply being sorry for not having what one wants and is bred from selfishness. True Elohim guided repentance is a 180% turn from sin, and showing the fruit of that repentance. Esau did not have this and was simply sorry that he lost his blessing (2 Cor 7:10).

2Co 7:10  For sadness according to Elohim works repentance to deliverance, not to be regretted, but the sadness of the world works death.


Prophets: 1 Kings 18:46 – 19:21

1Ki 18:46  And the hand of יהוה was on Ěliyahu. And he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Aḥaḇ to the entrance of Yizreʽĕl.

Jezreel was a winter residence of Ahab and about 17 miles from Mount Carmel.

1Ki 19:1  And when Aḥaḇ reported to Izeḇel all that Ěliyahu had done, also how he slew all the prophets with the sword,

1Ki 19:2  Izeḇel sent a messenger to Ěliyahu, saying, “So let the mighty ones do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.”

1Ki 19:3  And he feared, and rose up and ran for his life, and went to Be’ĕrsheḇa, which belongs to Yehuḏah, and left his servant there.

It is interesting that after just having such great courage to fight and defeat 450 priests of Baal that Elijah would be so afraid of the woman Jezebel.

1Ki 19:4  But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree, and prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, יהוה, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!”

A broom tree was a desert shrub that could grow up to 10 feet tall.

1Ki 19:5  And he lay and slept under a broom tree, and see, a messenger touched him, and said to him, “Rise, eat.”

1Ki 19:6  And he looked and saw by his head a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and turned and lay down.

1Ki 19:7  And the messenger of יהוה came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Rise, eat, for the journey is too much for you.”

1Ki 19:8  And he rose up and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Ḥorĕḇ, the mountain of Elohim.

Mount Horeb was an alternate name for Mount Sinai, Ex 3:1.

1Ki 19:9  And there he went into a cave and spent the night there. And see, the word of יהוה came to him, and said to him, “What are you doing here, Ěliyahu?”

1Ki 19:10  And he said, “I have been very jealous for יהוה Elohim of hosts, for the children of Yisra’ĕl have forsaken Your covenant. They have thrown down Your altars, and they have slain Your prophets with the sword, and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it.”

1Ki 19:11  And He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before יהוה.” And see, יהוה passed by, and a great and strong wind tearing the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before יהוה – יהוה was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake – יהוה was not in the earthquake,

1Ki 19:12  and after the earthquake a fire – יהוה was not in the fire, and after the fire a still small voice.

It is hard to hear the voice of YHWH when there is clutter in one’s life, as one must listen very intently to hear a small still voice.

1Ki 19:13  And it came to be, when Ěliyahu heard it, that he wrapped his face in his robe and went out and stood at the cave opening. And see, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Ěliyahu?”

1Ki 19:14  And he said, “I have been very jealous for יהוה Elohim of hosts, for the children of Yisra’ĕl have forsaken Your covenant. They have thrown down Your altars, and they have slain Your prophets with the sword, and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it.”

1Ki 19:15  And יהוה said to him, “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus. And you shall go in and anoint Ḥaza’ĕl as sovereign over Aram.

1Ki 19:16  “And anoint Yĕhu son of Nimshi as sovereign over Yisra’ĕl. And anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Aḇĕl Meḥolah as prophet in your place.

The second time the word of YHWH asked what Elijah was doing there as he just defeated the priests of Baal and the people were on his side chanting “Yahweh is Elohim”, (1 Kgs 19:39). At this most pivotal moment when the people now needed Elijah’s guidance in how to properly worship YHWH, he had ran away from his responsibility and was sulking.

Many times a prideful person will think that they are the only one serving YHWH, when in reality YHWH always has others to replace someone who is not fit for their position. This should be quite humbling.

1Ki 19:17  “And it shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Ḥaza’ĕl, Yĕhu does kill. And whoever escapes from the sword of Yĕhu, Elisha does kill.

1Ki 19:18  “And I shall leave seven thousand in Yisra’ĕl, all whose knees have not bowed to Baʽal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

1Ki 19:19  And he went from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. And Ěliyahu passed by him and threw his robe on him.

1Ki 19:20  And he left the oxen and ran after Ěliyahu, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I follow you.” And he said to him, “Go, turn back, for what have I done to you?”

1Ki 19:21  And he turned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slaughtered them and cooked their flesh, using the implements of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he rose up and followed Ěliyahu, and became his servant.

Pinechas, Pinchas, Pinhas, or Pin’has (פִּינְחָס — Hebrew for “Phinehas,” a name, the sixth word and the first distinctive word in the parashah) is the 41st weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the eighth in the Book of Numbers. It constitutes Numbers 25:10–30:1. The parashah is made up of 7,853 Hebrew letters, 1,887 Hebrew words, and 168 verses, and can occupy about 280 lines in a Torah scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).

Torah: Numbers 25:10 – 29:40 (30:1)

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 25:10-26:4

Num 25:10  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 25:11  “Pineḥas, son of Elʽazar, son of Aharon the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Yisra’ĕl, because he was ardent with My ardour in their midst, so that I did not consume the children of Yisra’ĕl in My ardour.

Num 25:12  “Therefore say, ‘See, I am giving him My covenant of peace,

Num 25:13  and it shall be to him and to his seed after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was ardent for his Elohim, and made atonement for the children of Yisra’ĕl.’ ”

Num 25:14  And the name of the Yisra’ĕlite who was killed, who was killed with the Miḏyanite woman, was Zimri, son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Shimʽonites.

Num 25:15  And the name of the Miḏyanite woman who was killed was Kozbi the daughter of Tsur. He was head of the people of a father’s house in Miḏyan.

Num 25:16  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 25:17  “Distress the Miḏyanites! And you shall smite them,

Num 25:18  for they distressed you with their tricks with which they deceived you in the matter of Peʽor and in the matter of Kozbi, the daughter of a leader of Miḏyan, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peʽor.”

Num 26:1  And it came to be, after the plague, that יהוה spoke to Mosheh and Elʽazar, son of Aharon the priest, saying,

Num 26:2  “Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, everyone going out to the army in Yisra’ĕl.”

Num 26:3  So Mosheh and Elʽazar the priest spoke with them in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo, saying,

Num 26:4  “Take a census of the people from twenty years old and above, as יהוה commanded Mosheh and the children of Yisra’ĕl who came out of the land of Mitsrayim.”

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 26:5-51

Num 26:5  Re’uḇĕn, first-born of Yisra’ĕl, sons of Re’uḇĕn: of Ḥanoḵ, the clan of the Ḥanoḵites; of Pallu, the clan of the Palluites;

Num 26:6  of Ḥetsron, the clan of the Ḥetsronites; of Karmi, the clan of the Karmites.

Num 26:7  These are the clans of the Re’uḇĕnites, and their registered ones were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty.

Num 26:8  And the son of Pallu: Eliyaḇ.

Num 26:9  And the sons of Eliyaḇ: Nemu’ĕl, and Dathan, and Aḇiram. This Dathan and Aḇiram, were the called ones of the congregation, who contended against Mosheh and against Aharon in the company of Qoraḥ, when they contended against יהוה,

Num 26:10  and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Qoraḥ when that company died, when the fire consumed two hundred and fifty men. And they became a sign,

Num 26:11  but the sons of Qoraḥ did not die.

Num 26:12  Sons of Shimʽon according to their clans: of Nemu’ĕl, the clan of the Nemu’ĕlites; of Yamin, the clan of the Yaminites; of Yaḵin, the clan of the Yaḵinites;

Num 26:13  of Zeraḥ, the clan of the Zarḥites; of Sha’ul, the clan of the Sha’ulites.

Num 26:14  These are the clans of the Shimʽonites: twenty-two thousand two hundred.

Num 26:15  Sons of Gaḏ according to their clans: of Tsephon, the clan of the Tsephonites; of Ḥaggi, the clan of the Ḥaggites; of Shuni, the clan of the Shunites;

Num 26:16  of Ozni, the clan of the Oznites; of Ěri, the clan of the Ěrites;

Num 26:17  of Aroḏ, the clan of the Aroḏites; of Arĕli, the clan of the Arĕlites.

Num 26:18  These are the clans of the sons of Gaḏ according to their registered ones: forty thousand five hundred.

Num 26:19  Sons of Yehuḏah: Ěr and Onan. And Ěr and Onan died in the land of Kenaʽan.

Num 26:20  And sons of Yehuḏah according to their clans: of Shĕlah, the clan of the Shĕlanites; of Perets, the clan of the Partsites; of Zeraḥ, the clan of the Zarḥites.

Num 26:21  And sons of Perets: of Ḥetsron, the clan of the Ḥetsronites; of Ḥamul, the clan of the Ḥamulites.

Num 26:22  These are the clans of Yehuḏah according to their registered ones: seventy-six thousand five hundred.

Num 26:23  Sons of Yissasḵar according to their clans: of Tola, the clan of the Tolaites; of Puwwah, the clan of the Punites;

Num 26:24  of Yashuḇ, the clan of the Yashuḇites; of Shimron, the clan of the Shimronites.

Num 26:25  These are the clans of Yissasḵar according to their registered ones: sixty-four thousand three hundred.

Num 26:26  Sons of Zeḇulun according to their clans: of Sereḏ, the clan of the Sardites; of Ělon, the clan of the Ělonites; of Yaḥle’ĕl, the clan of the Yaḥle’ĕlites.

Num 26:27  These are the clans of the Zeḇulunites according to their registered ones: sixty thousand five hundred.

Num 26:28  Sons of Yosĕph according to their clans, by Menashsheh and Ephrayim:

Num 26:29  Sons of Menashsheh: of Maḵir, the clan of the Maḵirites. And Maḵir brought forth Gilʽaḏ; of Gilʽaḏ, the clan of the Gilʽaḏites.

Num 26:30  These are sons of Gilʽaḏ: of Iyezer, the clan of the Iyezerites; of Ḥĕleq, the clan of the Ḥĕleqites;

Num 26:31  of Asri’ĕl, the clan of the Asri’ĕlites; of Sheḵem, the clan of the Sheḵemites;

Num 26:32  of Shemiḏa, the clan of the Shemiḏaites; of Ḥĕpher, the clan of the Ḥĕpherites.

Num 26:33  And Tselophḥaḏ son of Ḥĕpher had no sons, but daughters. And the names of the daughters of Tselophḥaḏ: Maḥlah, and Noʽah, Ḥoḡlah, Milkah, and Tirtsah.

Num 26:34  These are the clans of Menashsheh, and their registered ones: fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

Num 26:35  These are the sons of Ephrayim according to their clans: of Shuthelaḥ, the clan of the Shuthalḥites; of Beḵer, the clan of the Baḵrites; of Taḥan, the clan of the Taḥanites.

Num 26:36  And these are sons of Shuthelaḥ: of Ěran, the clan of the Ěranites.

Num 26:37  These are the clans of the sons of Ephrayim according to their registered ones: thirty-two thousand five hundred. These are the sons of Yosĕph according to their clans.

Num 26:38  Sons of Binyamin according to their clans: of Bela, the clan of the Belaites; of Ashbĕl, the clan of the Ashbĕlites; of Aḥiram, the clan of the Aḥiramites;

Num 26:39  of Shephupham, the clan of the Shephuphamites; of Ḥupham, the clan of the Ḥuphamites.

Num 26:40  And sons of Bela were Ard and Naʽaman: of Ard, the clan of the Ardites; of Naʽaman, the clan of the Naʽamites.

Num 26:41  These are sons of Binyamin according to their clans, and their registered ones: forty-five thousand six hundred.

Num 26:42  These are sons of Dan according to their clans: of Shuḥam, the clan of the Shuḥamites. These are the clans of Dan according to their clans.

Num 26:43  All the clans of the Shuḥamites, according to their registered ones: sixty-four thousand four hundred.

Num 26:44  Sons of Ashĕr according to their clans: of Yimna, the clan of the Yimnahites; of Yishwi, the clan of the Yishwites; of Beriʽah, the clan of the Beriʽites.

Num 26:45  Of the sons of Beriʽah: of Ḥeḇer, the clan of the Ḥeḇerites; of Malki’ĕl, the clan of the Malki’ĕlites.

Num 26:46  And the name of the daughter of Ashĕr was Seraḥ.

Num 26:47  These are the clans of the sons of Ashĕr according to their registered ones: fifty-three thousand four hundred.

Num 26:48  Sons of Naphtali according to their clans: of Yaḥtse’ĕl, the clan of the Yaḥtse’ĕlites; of Guni, the clan of the Gunites;

Num 26:49  of Yĕtser, the clan of the Yĕtserites; of Shillĕm, the clan of the Shillĕmites.

Num 26:50  These are the clans of Naphtali according to their clans, and their registered ones: forty-five thousand four hundred.

Num 26:51  These are the registered ones of the children of Yisra’ĕl: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 26:52-27:5

Num 26:52  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 26:53  “The land is to be divided to these as an inheritance, according to the number of names.

Num 26:54  “To the large one you give a larger inheritance, and to the small one you give a smaller inheritance. Each shall be given its inheritance according to their registered ones.

Num 26:55  “But the land is divided by lot, they inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers.

Num 26:56  “According to the lot their inheritance is divided between the larger and the smaller.”

Num 26:57  And these are the registered ones of the Lĕwites according to their clans: of Gĕreshon, the clan of the Gĕreshonites; of Qehath, the clan of the Qehathites; of Merari, the clan of the Merarites.

Num 26:58  These are the clans of the Lĕwites: the clan of the Liḇnites, the clan of the Ḥeḇronites, the clan of the Maḥlites, the clan of the Mushites, and the clan of the Qorḥites. And Qehath brought forth Amram.

Num 26:59  And the name of Amram’s wife was Yoḵeḇeḏ the daughter of Lĕwi, who was born to Lĕwi in Mitsrayim. And to Amram she bore Aharon and Mosheh and their sister Miryam.

Num 26:60  And to Aharon were born Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu, Elʽazar and Ithamar.

Num 26:61  And Naḏaḇ and Aḇihu died when they brought strange fire before יהוה.

Num 26:62  And their registered ones were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and above. For they were not registered among the other children of Yisra’ĕl, because there was no inheritance given to them among the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Num 26:63  These are the ones registered by Mosheh and Elʽazar the priest, who registered the sons of Yisra’ĕl in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ by the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.

Num 26:64  But among these there was not a man of those registered by Mosheh and Aharon the priest when they registered the sons of Yisra’ĕl in the Wilderness of Sinai.

Num 26:65  For יהוה had said of them, “They shall certainly die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them, except Kalĕḇ son of Yephunneh, and Yehoshua son of Nun.

Num 27:1  Then came the daughters of Tselophḥaḏ, son of Ḥĕpher, son of Gilʽaḏ, son of Maḵir, son of Menashsheh, from the clans of Menashsheh, son of Yosĕph. And these were the names of his daughters: Maḥlah, Noʽah, and Ḥoḡlah, and Milkah, and Tirtsah.

Num 27:2  And they stood before Mosheh, and before Elʽazar the priest, and before the leaders and all the congregation, by the doorway of the Tent of Meeting, saying,

Num 27:3  “Our father died in the wilderness, yet he was not in the company of those who were met together against יהוה, in company with Qoraḥ, but he died in his own sin. And he had no sons.

Num 27:4  “Why should the name of our father be removed from among his clan because he had no son? Give us a possession among the brothers of our father.”

Num 27:5  Mosheh then brought their case before יהוה.

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 27:6-23

Num 27:6  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 27:7  “The daughters of Tselophḥaḏ speak what is right. You should certainly give them a possession of inheritance among their father’s brothers, and cause the inheritance of their father to pass to them.

Num 27:8  “And speak to the children of Yisra’ĕl, saying, ‘When a man dies and has no son, then you shall cause his inheritance to pass to his daughter.

Num 27:9  ‘And if he has no daughter, then you shall give his inheritance to his brothers.

Num 27:10  ‘And if he has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.

Num 27:11  ‘And if his father has no brothers, then you shall give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, and he shall possess it.’ ” And it shall be to the children of Yisra’ĕl a law of right-ruling, as יהוה commanded Mosheh.

Num 27:12  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Go up into this Mount Aḇarim, and see the land which I have given to the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Num 27:13  “And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people as Aharon your brother was gathered,

Num 27:14  because you rebelled against My mouth in the Wilderness of Tsin, in the strife of the congregation, to set Me apart at the waters before their eyes.” These were the waters of Meriḇah, at Qaḏĕsh in the Wilderness of Tsin.

Num 27:15  And Mosheh spoke to יהוה, saying,

Num 27:16  “Let יהוה, the Elohim of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation,

Num 27:17  who goes out before them and comes in before them, who leads them out and brings them in, so that the congregation of יהוה be not like sheep without a shepherd.”

Num 27:18  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Take Yehoshua son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit. And you shall lay your hand on him,

Num 27:19  and shall set him before Elʽazar the priest and before all the congregation, and give him charge before their eyes,

Num 27:20  and shall put some of your esteem upon him, so that all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl obey him.

Num 27:21  “And he is to stand before Elʽazar the priest, who shall inquire before יהוה for him by the right-ruling of the Urim. At his word they go out, and at his word they come in, both he and all the children of Yisra’ĕl with him, all the congregation.”

Num 27:22  And Mosheh did as יהוה commanded him, and took Yehoshua and set him before Elʽazar the priest and before all the congregation,

Num 27:23  and laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as יהוה commanded by the hand of Mosheh.

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 28:1-15

Num 28:1  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 28:2  “Command the children of Yisra’ĕl, and you shall say to them, ‘Take heed to bring My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet fragrance to Me, at their appointed time.’

Num 28:3  “And you shall say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire which you bring to יהוה: two male lambs a year old, perfect ones, daily, a continual burnt offering.

Num 28:4  ‘The one lamb you prepare in the morning, and the other lamb you prepare between the evenings,

Num 28:5  with one-tenth of an ĕphah of fine flour as a grain offering mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil,

Num 28:6  a continual burnt offering which was offered at Mount Sinai for a sweet fragrance, an offering made by fire to יהוה,

Num 28:7  and its drink offering, one-fourth of a hin for each lamb. Pour out the drink to יהוה as an offering in the set-apart place.

Num 28:8  ‘And the other lamb you prepare between the evenings. As the morning grain offering and its drink offering, you prepare it as an offering made by fire, a sweet fragrance to יהוה.

Num 28:9  ‘And on the Sabbath day two lambs a year old, perfect ones, and two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, with its drink offering,

Num 28:10  the burnt offering for every Sabbath, besides the continual burnt offering with its drink offering.

Num 28:11  ‘And on the beginnings of your months you bring near a burnt offering to יהוה: two young bulls and one ram, and seven lambs a year old, perfect ones;

Num 28:12  three-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, for each bull; two-tenths of an ĕphah of fine flour as a grain offering, mixed with oil, for the one ram;

Num 28:13  and one-tenth of an ĕphah of fine flour, mixed with oil, as a grain offering for each lamb, as a burnt offering of sweet fragrance, an offering made by fire to יהוה.

Num 28:14  ‘And their drink offering is half a hin of wine for a bull, and one-third of a hin for a ram, and one-fourth of a hin for a lamb. This is the burnt offering for each month throughout the months of the year,

Num 28:15  and one male goat as a sin offering to יהוה is prepared, besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 28:16-29:11

Num 28:16  ‘And in the first month, on the fourteenth day, is the Passover of יהוה,

Num 28:17  and on the fifteenth day of this month is a festival. For seven days unleavened bread is eaten.

Num 28:18  ‘On the first day is a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.

Num 28:19  ‘And you shall bring near an offering made by fire as a burnt offering to יהוה: two young bulls and one ram, and seven lambs a year old, perfect ones they are for you,

Num 28:20  and their grain offering, fine flour mixed with oil. Prepare three-tenths of an ĕphah for a bull, and two-tenths for a ram.

Num 28:21  ‘Prepare one-tenth of an ĕphah for each of the seven lambs,

Num 28:22  and one goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for you.

Num 28:23  ‘Prepare these besides the burnt offering of the morning, which is for a continual burnt offering.

Num 28:24  ‘According to these you are to prepare the food of the offering made by fire daily for seven days, as a sweet fragrance to יהוה. It is prepared besides the continual burnt offering and its drink offering.

Num 28:25  ‘And on the seventh day you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.

Num 28:26  ‘And on the day of the first-fruits, when you bring a new grain offering to יהוה at your Festival of Weeks, you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work.

Num 28:27  ‘And you shall bring near a burnt offering as a sweet fragrance to יהוה: two young bulls, one ram, and seven lambs a year old,

Num 28:28  with their grain offering of fine flour mixed with oil: three-tenths of an ĕphah for each bull, two-tenths for the one ram,

Num 28:29  one-tenth for each of the seven lambs,

Num 28:30  one male goat to make atonement for you,

Num 28:31  perfect ones they are for you. Prepare them with their drink offerings, besides the continual burnt offering with its grain offering.

Num 29:1  ‘And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work, it is a day of blowing the trumpets for you.

Num 29:2  ‘And you shall prepare a burnt offering as a sweet fragrance to יהוה: one young bull, one ram, seven lambs a year old, perfect ones,

Num 29:3  and their grain offering: fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ĕphah for the bull, two-tenths for the ram,

Num 29:4  and one-tenth for each of the seven lambs,

Num 29:5  and one male goat as a sin offering, to make atonement for you,

Num 29:6  besides the burnt offering with its grain offering for the New Moon, the continual burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings, according to their right-ruling, as a sweet fragrance, an offering made by fire to יהוה.

Num 29:7  ‘And on the tenth day of this seventh month you have a set-apart gathering, and you shall afflict your beings, you do no work.

Num 29:8  ‘And you shall bring near a burnt offering to יהוה, a sweet fragrance: one young bull, one ram, seven lambs a year old, perfect ones they are for you,

Num 29:9  and their grain offering: fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ĕphah for the bull, two-tenths for the one ram,

Num 29:10  one-tenth for each of the seven lambs,

Num 29:11  one male goat as a sin offering, besides the sin offering for atonement, the continual burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 29:12-30:1

Num 29:12  ‘And on the fifteenth day of the seventh month you have a set-apart gathering, you do no servile work. And you shall observe a festival to יהוה seven days,

Num 29:13  and you shall bring near a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a sweet fragrance to יהוה: thirteen young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs a year old, perfect ones they are,

Num 29:14  and their grain offering: fine flour mixed with oil, three-tenths of an ĕphah for each of the thirteen bulls, two-tenths for each of the two rams,

Num 29:15  and one-tenth for each of the fourteen lambs,

Num 29:16  and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

Num 29:17  ‘Then on the second day: twelve young bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs a year old, perfect ones,

Num 29:18  and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the right-ruling,

Num 29:19  and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

Num 29:20  ‘And on the third day eleven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs a year old, perfect ones,

Num 29:21  and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the right-ruling,

Num 29:22  and one goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

Num 29:23  ‘Then on the fourth day: ten bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs a year old, perfect ones,

Num 29:24  and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the right-ruling,

Num 29:25  and one male goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

Num 29:26  ‘Then on the fifth day: nine bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs a year old, perfect ones,

Num 29:27  and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the right-ruling,

Num 29:28  and one goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

Num 29:29  ‘Then on the sixth day: eight bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs a year old, perfect ones,

Num 29:30  and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the right-ruling,

Num 29:31  and one goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

Num 29:32  ‘Then on the seventh day: seven bulls, two rams, fourteen lambs a year old, perfect ones,

Num 29:33  and their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bulls, for the rams, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the right-ruling,

Num 29:34  and one goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

Num 29:35  ‘On the eighth day you have an assembly, you do no servile work,

Num 29:36  and you shall bring near a burnt offering, an offering made by fire, a sweet fragrance to יהוה: one bull, one ram, seven lambs a year old, perfect ones,

Num 29:37  their grain offering and their drink offerings for the bull, for the ram, and for the lambs, by their number, according to the right-ruling,

Num 29:38  and one goat as a sin offering, besides the continual burnt offering, its grain offering, and its drink offering.

Num 29:39  ‘These you prepare to יהוה at your appointed times, besides your vowed offerings and your voluntary offerings, as your burnt offerings and your grain offerings, as your drink offerings and your peace offerings.’ ”

Num 29:40  And Mosheh spoke to the children of Yisra’ĕl according to all יהוה had commanded Mosheh.

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃  

Balak | בלק | “Balak”

Deu 6:4  שׁמע  ישׂראל  יהוה  אלהינו  יהוה  אחד׃  

Deu 6:4  “Hear, O Yisra’ĕl: יהוה our Elohim, יהוה is one!

Balak (בָּלָק — Hebrew for “Balak,” a name, the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parashah) is the 40th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the Book of Numbers. It constitutes Numbers 22:2–25:9. The parashah is made up of 5,357 Hebrew letters, 1,455 Hebrew words, and 104 verses, and can occupy about 178 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, Sefer Torah).


Torah: Numbers 22:1 – 25:9

1st reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 22:1-12

Num 22:1  And the children of Yisra’ĕl set out and camped in the desert plains of Mo’aḇ beyond the Yardĕn of Yeriḥo.

Num 22:2  And Balaq son of Tsippor saw all that Yisra’ĕl had done to the Amorites.

Num 22:3  And Mo’aḇ was exceedingly afraid of the people because they were many, and Mo’aḇ was in dread because of the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Num 22:4  And Mo’aḇ said to the elders of Miḏyan, “Now this company is licking up all that is around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.” Now Balaq son of Tsippor was sovereign of the Mo’aḇites at that time,

Num 22:5  and he sent messengers to Bilʽam son of Beʽor at Pethor, which is near the River in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “See, a people has come from Mitsrayim. See, they have covered the surface of the land, and are settling next to me!

Num 22:6  “And now, please come at once, curse this people for me, for they are too strong for me. It might be that I smite them and drive them out of the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

Num 22:7  And the elders of Mo’aḇ and the elders of Miḏyan left with the fees for divination in their hand, and they came to Bilʽam and spoke the words of Balaq to him.

Num 22:8  And he said to them, “Spend the night here, and I shall bring back word to you, as יהוה speaks to me.” So the heads of Mo’aḇ stayed with Bilʽam.

Num 22:9  And Elohim came to Bilʽam and said, “Who are these men with you?”

Num 22:10  And Bilʽam said to Elohim, “Balaq, son of Tsippor, sovereign of Mo’aḇ, has sent to me, saying,

Num 22:11  ‘See, a people has come out of Mitsrayim and cover the surface of the land. Come now, curse them for me. It might be that I am able to fight against them and drive them out.’ ”

Num 22:12  And Elohim said to Bilʽam, “Do not go with them. You do not curse the people, for they are blessed.”

2nd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 22:13-20

Num 22:13  And Bilʽam rose in the morning and said to the heads of Balaq, “Go back to your land, for יהוה has refused to allow me to go with you.”

Num 22:14  And the heads of Mo’aḇ arose and went to Balaq, and said, “Bilʽam refuses to come with us.”

Num 22:15  Then Balaq again sent heads, more numerous and more esteemed than they.

Num 22:16  And they came to Bilʽam and said to him, “This is what Balaq son of Tsippor said: ‘Do not be withheld from coming to me, please,

Num 22:17  for I esteem you very greatly, and whatever you say to me, I do. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’ ”

Num 22:18  And Bilʽam answered and said to the servants of Balaq, “Though Balaq were to give me his house filled with silver and gold, I am unable to go beyond the word of יהוה my Elohim, to do less or more.

Num 22:19  “And now, please, you also stay here tonight, and let me find out what more יהוה says to me.”

Yahweh had distinctly already given His answer in verse 12, and he should not have even allowed these men in his house to tempt him from the word Yahweh gave him.

Num 22:20  And Elohim came to Bilʽam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them, but only the word which I speak to you that you do.”

3rd reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 22:21-38

Num 22:21  And Bilʽam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey, and went with the heads of Mo’aḇ.

Num 22:22  But the displeasure of Elohim burned because he went, and the Messenger of יהוה stationed Himself in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

Num 22:23  And the donkey saw the Messenger of יהוה standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Bilʽam beat the donkey to turn her back onto the way.

Num 22:24  Then the Messenger of יהוה stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.

Num 22:25  And when the donkey saw the Messenger of יהוה, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Bilʽam’s foot against the wall, so he beat her again.

Bilʽam was a descendent of Laban. The “wall” against which Balaam’s ass crushed the prophet’s leg on his journey to the Plains of Moab to curse the Israelites (see Numbers 22:25) is the very mound of stones erected by Laban and Jacob on Mount Galed to attest to the vow which Balaam was now violating with his journey.

Laban’s father, Bethuel, was the son of Nachor, Abraham’s older brother. In addition, Laban was thrice related by marriage to Abraham’s family: his sister Rebecca married Isaac, and his two daughters, Leah and Rachel, both married Jacob. Thus Laban was Abraham’s great-nephew, Isaac’s cousin and brother-in-law, and Jacob’s uncle and father-in-law.

Laban lived in the city of Charan in Mesopotamia (Aram Naharaiim, the area between the Euphrates and the Tigris rivers in modern-day Iraq/Syria/Turkey), where Abraham’s father and brother and their families settled after accompanying him on the first leg of his journey from Ur Casdim to the Holy Land. We first encounter Laban welcoming Abraham’s servant Eliezer when the latter comes to Charan to find a bride for Isaac. A generation later, Isaac and Rebecca send their younger son Jacob to Charan to “take a wife from the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.”

Jacob falls in love with Rachel, the younger of Laban’s daughters, and works for seven years tending Laban’s flocks to earn her hand. But Laban replaces Rachel with her older sister Leah on the wedding night, Jacob discovering the deception only the next morning. Laban consents to give him Rachel in marriage as well — in return for an additional seven years of labor. For the many deceptions that accompany this incident, as well as numerous other ways in which Laban attempts to swindle Jacob in the twenty years that his son-in-law is in  his employ (Jacob works for an additional six years to earn flocks of his own), Laban is known in Midrashic literature as Laban HaRamai, “Laban the Deceiver”. Yet Jacob boasts that, in the end, he bested his father-in-law at his own game, turning his deceptions against him to earn for himself the great wealth with which he returns from Charan to the Holy Land..

Laban tries to prevent that return at all costs, or, at the very least, to compel Leah, Rachel and their children to remain with him in Charan; when Jacob and his family flee Laban’s home, he and his sons chase after them to force their return. It is for this reason that Laban is described as one of Israel’s most dangerous enemies, for he sought to nip the fledgling nation in its bud, when its entire history was concentrated in the first Jewish family. In the end, Laban and Jacob make a truce on Mount Galed, where they erect a mound of stones as a testimonial that “I will not pass over this mound to you, and that you will not pass over this mound and this pillar to me, for harm,” following which Laban returns to Charan.

Num 22:26  And the Messenger of יהוה went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn aside, right or left.

Num 22:27  And when the donkey saw the Messenger of יהוה, she lay down under Bilʽam. So Bilʽam’s displeasure burned, and he beat the donkey with his staff.

Num 22:28  Then יהוה opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Bilʽam, “What have I done to you, that you have beaten me these three times?”

Num 22:29  And Bilʽam said to the donkey, “Because you have mocked me. I wish there were a sword in my hand, for I would have killed you by now!”

Num 22:30  And the donkey said to Bilʽam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden, ever since I became yours, to this day? Was I ever known to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”

Num 22:31  Then יהוה opened Bilʽam’s eyes, and he saw the Messenger of יהוה standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand. And he bowed his head and fell on his face.

Num 22:32  And the Messenger of יהוה said to him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? See, I have come out to stand against you, because your way is reckless before Me.

Num 22:33  “And the donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, I certainly would have killed you by now, and let her live.”

Num 22:34  And Bilʽam said to the Messenger of יהוה, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me. And now, if evil is in Your eyes, let me turn back.”

Num 22:35  And the Messenger of יהוה said to Bilʽam, “Go with the men, but only the word that I speak to you, that you speak.” Bilʽam then went with the heads of Balaq.

Num 22:36  And when Balaq heard that Bilʽam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Mo’aḇ, which is on the border at the Arnon, which was in the extremity of the border.

Num 22:37  And Balaq said to Bilʽam, “Did I not urgently send to you, calling for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to esteem you?”

Num 22:38  And Bilʽam said to Balaq, “See, I have come to you! Now, am I at all able to say somewhat? The word that Elohim puts in my mouth, that I speak.”

4th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 22:39-23:12

Num 22:39  And Bilʽam went with Balaq, and they came to Qiryath Ḥutsoth.

Num 22:40  And Balaq slaughtered cattle and sheep, and he sent some to Bilʽam and to the heads who were with him.

Num 22:41  And it came to be the next day, that Balaq took Bilʽam and brought him up to the high places of Baʽal, and from there he saw the extremity of the camp.

Num 23:1  And Bilʽam said to Balaq, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”

Num 23:2  And Balaq did as Bilʽam had spoken, and Balaq and Bilʽam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Num 23:3  Bilʽam then said to Balaq, “Stand by your burnt offering, and let me go on. It might be that יהוה does come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I shall declare to you.” And he went to a bare height.

Num 23:4  And Elohim came to Bilʽam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”

Num 23:5  And יהוה put a word in the mouth of Bilʽam, and said, “Return to Balaq, and this is what you say.”

Num 23:6  And he returned to him and saw him standing by his burnt offering, he and all the heads of Mo’aḇ.

Num 23:7  And he took up his proverb and said, “Balaq the sovereign of Mo’aḇ has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come, curse Yaʽaqoḇ for me, and come, rage at Yisra’ĕl!’

Num 23:8  “How do I curse whom Ěl has not cursed? And how do I rage at whom יהוה has not raged?

Num 23:9  “For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I observe him. Look, a people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations.

Num 23:10  “Who shall count the dust of Yaʽaqoḇ, and the number of one-fourth of Yisra’ĕl? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!”

Num 23:11  And Balaq said to Bilʽam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have kept on blessing!”

Num 23:12  And he answered and said, “Should I not take heed to speak what יהוה has put in my mouth?”

5th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 23:13-26

Num 23:13  And Balaq said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you see them. You only see the extremity but not all of them. Curse them for me from there.”

Num 23:14  And he took him to the field of Tsophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Num 23:15  And he said to Balaq, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I meet over there.”

Num 23:16  And יהוה came to Bilʽam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balaq, and say this.”

Num 23:17  So he went to him and saw him standing by his burnt offering, and the heads of Mo’aḇ with him. And Balaq asked him, “What did יהוה say?”

Num 23:18  And he took up his proverb and said, “Rise up, Balaq, and hear! Listen to me, son of Tsippor!

Num 23:19  “Ěl is not a man, to lie; nor a son of man, to repent! Has He said, and would He not do it; or spoken, and would not confirm it?

Num 23:20  “See, I have received, to bless. And He has blessed, and I do not reverse it.

Num 23:21  “He has not looked upon wickedness in Yaʽaqoḇ, nor has He seen trouble in Yisra’ĕl. יהוה his Elohim is with him, and the shout of a Sovereign is in him.

Num 23:22  “Ěl who brought them out of Mitsrayim, is for them like the horns of a wild ox.

Num 23:23  “For there is no sorcery against Yaʽaqoḇ, nor is there any divination against Yisra’ĕl. Now it is said to Yaʽaqoḇ and to Yisra’ĕl, ‘What has Ěl done!’

Num 23:24  “Look, a people rises like a lioness, and lifts itself up like a lion; it lies not down until it devours the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.”

Num 23:25  And Balaq said to Bilʽam, “Do not curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”

Num 23:26  And Bilʽam answered and said to Balaq, “Have I not spoken to you, saying, ‘All that יהוה speaks, that I do’?”

6th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 23:27-24:13

Num 23:27  And Balaq said to Bilʽam, “Please come, let me take you to another place. It might be right in the eyes of Elohim that you curse them for me from there.”

Num 23:28  And Balaq took Bilʽam to the top of Peʽor, that overlooks the wasteland.

Num 23:29  And Bilʽam said to Balaq, “Build seven alters for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.”

Num 23:30  And Balaq did as Bilʽam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Num 24:1  And when Bilʽam saw that it pleased יהוה to bless Yisra’ĕl, he did not go as at other times, to seek to use sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

Num 24:2  And Bilʽam lifted up his eyes and saw Yisra’ĕl encamped according to their tribes. And the Spirit of Elohim came upon him.

Num 24:3  And he took up his proverb and said, “The saying of Bilʽam, son of Beʽor, and the saying of the man whose eyes are opened,

Num 24:4  the saying of him who hears the words of Ěl, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes opened wide:

Num 24:5  “How good are your tents, O Yaʽaqoḇ, your dwellings, O Yisra’ĕl!

Num 24:6  “Like wadis that stretch out, like gardens by a river, like aloes planted by יהוה, like cedars beside waters.

Num 24:7  “He makes water flow from his buckets, and his seed is in many waters. His sovereign is higher than Aḡaḡ, and his reign is exalted.

Num 24:8  “Ěl who brought him out of Mitsrayim is for them like the horns of a wild ox; he devours nations, his enemies; and he breaks their bones, and with his arrows he smites.

Num 24:9  “He bowed down, he lay down like a lion. And, like a lion, who would rouse him? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you.”

Num 24:10  Then the displeasure of Balaq burned against Bilʽam, and he struck his hands together. Balaq then said to Bilʽam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, and see, you have kept on blessing, these three times!

Num 24:11  “And now flee to your place. I said I would greatly esteem you, and see, יהוה has kept you back from esteem.”

Num 24:12  And Bilʽam said to Balaq, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,

Num 24:13  ‘If Balaq should give me his house filled with silver and gold, I am unable to go beyond the word of יהוה, to do either good or evil of my own heart. What יהוה speaks, that I speak’?

7th reading (עליה, aliyah)  Bemidbar 24:14-25:9

Num 24:14  “And now, see, I am going to my people. Come, let me advise you what this people is going to do to your people in the latter days.”

Num 24:15  And he took up his proverb and said, “The saying of Bilʽam, son of Beʽor, and the saying of the man whose eyes are opened,

Num 24:16  the saying of him who hears the words of Ěl, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, who falls down, with eyes opened wide:

Num 24:17  “I see Him, but not now; I observe Him, but not near. A Star shall come out of Yaʽaqoḇ, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Yisra’ĕl, and shall smite the corners of Mo’aḇ, and shall destroy all the sons of Shĕth.

Num 31:16  “Look, they are the ones who caused the children of Yisra’ĕl, through the word of Bilʽam, to trespass against יהוה in the matter of Peʽor, and there was a plague among the congregation of יהוה.

Num 25:3  Thus Yisra’ĕl was joined to Baʽal Peʽor, and the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl.

2Pe 2:15  having left the right way they went astray, having followed the way of Bilʽam the son of Beʽor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

2Pe 2:16  but he was rebuked for his transgression: a dumb donkey speaking with the voice of a man restrained the madness of the prophet.

Num 24:18  “And Eḏom shall be a possession; and Sĕʽir shall be a possession – enemies – and Yisra’ĕl is doing mightily.

Num 24:19  “And out of Yaʽaqoḇ One shall rule and destroy the remnant from Ar.”

Num 24:20  He then looked on Amalĕq, and he took up his proverb and said, “Amalĕq was first among the nations, but his latter end is to perish forever.”

Num 24:21  He then looked on the Qĕynites, and he took up his proverb and said, “Firm is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock,

Num 24:22  but Qayin is to be burned. Till when does Asshur keep you captive?”

Num 24:23  And he took up his proverb and said, “Oh, who does live when Ěl does this?

Num 24:24  And ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, and they shall afflict Asshur and afflict Ěḇer, and so shall Amalĕq, and he also perishes.”

Num 24:25  And Bilʽam arose and left, and returned to his place. And Balaq also went his way.

Num 25:1  And Yisra’ĕl dwelt in Shittim, and the people began to whore with the daughters of Mo’aḇ,

Num 25:2  and they invited the people to the slaughterings of their mighty ones, and the people ate and bowed down to their mighty ones.

Num 25:3  Thus Yisra’ĕl was joined to Baʽal Peʽor, and the displeasure of יהוה burned against Yisra’ĕl.

Num 25:4  And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Take all the leaders of the people and hang them up before יהוה, before the sun, so that the burning displeasure of יהוה turns away from Yisra’ĕl.”

Num 25:5  And Mosheh said to the judges of Yisra’ĕl, “Each one of you slay his men who were joined to Baʽal Peʽor.”

Num 25:6  And see, one of the children of Yisra’ĕl came and brought to his brothers a Miḏyanite woman before the eyes of Mosheh and before the eyes of all the congregation of the children of Yisra’ĕl, who were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

Num 25:7  And when Pineḥas, son of Elʽazar, son of Aharon the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the congregation and took a spear in his hand,

Num 25:8  and he went after the man of Yisra’ĕl into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Yisra’ĕl, and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague among the children of Yisra’ĕl came to a stop.

Num 25:9  And those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

Prophets: Micah 5:1 – 7:20

Mic 5:1  Now you are raided, O daughter of raiders, a siege has been laid against us. They strike the Judge of Yisra’ĕl with a rod on the cheek.

Mic 5:2  “But you, Bĕyth Leḥem Ephrathah, you who are little among the clans of Yehuḏah, out of you shall come forth to Me the One to become Ruler in Yisra’ĕl. And His comings forth1 are of old, from everlasting.” Footnote: 1Or His appearances.

The Messiah is prophesied to be born in Bethlehem, the city of king David and He is Elohim and eternal as “His goings forth have been from the days of eternity”. In the Hebrew “H’Olam”, the strongest wording possible to show He has no beginning but is an eternal being.

Mic 5:3  Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labour has given birth, and the remnant of His brothers return to the children of Yisra’ĕl.

Mic 5:4  And He shall stand and shepherd1 in the strength of יהוה, in the excellency of the Name of יהוה His Elohim. And they shall dwell, for at that time He shall be great, to the ends of the earth.

Footnote: 1Ezek. 34:13-14 “And I shall bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the lands, and shall bring them to their own land. And I shall feed them on the mountains of Yisra’ĕl, in the valleys, and in all the dwellings of the land.

Eze 34:14  “In good pasture I shall feed them, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Yisra’ĕl. They shall lie there in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Yisra’ĕl.

Mic 5:5  And this shall be peace. When Ashshur comes into our land, and when he treads in our palaces, we shall raise against him seven shepherds and eight leaders of men.

Mic 5:6  And they shall shepherd the land of Ashshur with the sword, and the land of Nimroḏ at its entrances. And He shall deliver us from Ashshur, when he comes into our land and when he treads within our borders.

Mic 5:7  And the remnant of Yaʽaqoḇ shall be in the midst of many peoples, as dew from יהוה, as showers on the grass, which do not wait for man nor delay for the sons of men.

Mic 5:8  And the remnant of Yaʽaqoḇ shall be among the gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of a forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, shall both tread down and shall tear, and there is no one to deliver.

Mic 5:9  Let your hand be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies be cut off.

Mic 5:10  “And it shall be in that day,” declares יהוה, “that I shall cut off your horses out of your midst, and I shall destroy your chariots.

Mic 5:11  “And I shall cut off the cities of your land, and I shall pull down all your strongholds.

Mic 5:12  “And I shall cut off witchcrafts out of your hand, and let you have no magicians.

Mic 5:13  “And I shall cut off your carved images, and your pillars from your midst, so that you no longer bow down to the work of your hands.

Mic 5:14  “And I shall pluck your Ashĕrim out of your midst, and I shall destroy your cities.

Mic 5:15  “And I shall take vengeance in wrath and rage on the gentiles who did not obey.”

Mic 6:1  Hear now what יהוה is saying, “Arise, strive with the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.

Mic 6:2  “Hear, O you mountains, the controversy of יהוה, and you everlasting foundations of the earth! For יהוה has a controversy with His people and He shall reprove Yisra’ĕl.

Mic 6:3  “My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Answer Me,

Mic 6:4  for I brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim, and I ransomed you from the house of bondage. And I sent Mosheh, Aharon, and Miryam before you.

Mic 6:5  “My people, remember, please, what Balaq sovereign of Mo’aḇ counselled, and what Bilʽam son of Beʽor answered him, from Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the righteousness of יהוה.”

Mic 6:6  With what shall I come before יהוה, bow myself before the high Elohim? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old?

Mic 6:7  Is יהוה pleased with thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my being?

Mic 6:8  He has declared to you, O man, what is good. And what does יהוה require of you but to do right, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your Elohim?

Mic 6:9  The voice of יהוה cries to the city – and let sound wisdom see Your Name! “Hear the Rod and Him who appointed it!

Mic 6:10  “Are there still treasures of wrongness in the house of the wrong, and the short measure that is an abomination?”

Mic 6:11  Would I be innocent with wrong scales, and with a bag of false weights?

Mic 6:12  “For her rich men are filled with cruel unrighteousness, and her inhabitants have spoken falsehood, and their tongue is deceit in their mouth.

Mic 6:13  “So I also, I shall smite you with a grievous wound, to lay you waste because of your sins:

Mic 6:14  “You shall eat but not be satisfied, and your inside be empty. And you shall store up but not save, and what you save I shall give to the sword.

Mic 6:15  “You shall sow but not reap, you shall tread the olives but not anoint yourselves with oil, and make sweet wine but not drink wine.

Mic 6:16  “For the laws of Omri are strictly observed, and all the works of the house of Aḥab, and you walk in their counsels. Therefore I give you for a ruin, and your inhabitants for a hissing, and let you bear the reproach of My people.”

Mic 7:1  Woe to me! For I am as gatherings of summer fruit, as gleanings of the grape harvest. There is no cluster to eat. My being has desired the first-ripe fruit.

Mic 7:2  The kind one has perished from the earth, and there is no one straight among men. All of them lie in wait for blood, everyone hunts his brother with a net.

Mic 7:3  Both hands are on the evil, to do it well. The prince asks for gifts, the judge seeks a bribe, and the great man speaks the desire of his being. And they weave it together.

Mic 7:4  The best of them is like a prickly plant, the most straight is sharper than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchman and your punishment has come, now is their confusion.

Mic 7:5  Trust no friend, rely on no companion, guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom.

Mic 7:6  For son is despising father, daughter rises up against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, the enemies of a man are the men of his own house.

Mic 7:7  As for me, I look to יהוה, I wait for the Elohim of my deliverance, my Elohim does hear me.

Mic 7:8  Do not rejoice over me, O my enemy. When I have fallen I have risen, when I sit in darkness יהוה is a light to me.

Mic 7:9  I bear the displeasure of יהוה, for I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case, and shall execute right-ruling for me, until He brings me out into the light and I look on His righteousness.

Mic 7:10  And let my enemy see it, and let shame cover her who said to me, “Where is יהוה your Elohim?” Let my eyes look on her: now she is trampled down like mud in the streets.

Mic 7:11  The day for building your walls! Let the decree go far and wide in that day –

Mic 7:12  that day when they come to you from Ashshur and the besieged cities of Mitsrayim, and from the siege1 to the River, and from sea to sea, and mountain to mountain. Footnote: 1“Siege” in this verse could be another name for Mitsrayim.

Mic 7:13  But the earth shall become a waste because of those who dwell in it, and for the fruit of their deeds.

Mic 7:14  Shepherd Your people with Your rod, the flock of Your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest, in the midst of Karmel. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilʽaḏ, as in days of old.

Mic 7:15  “As in the days when you came out of the land of Mitsrayim, I shall let him see wonders.”

Mic 7:16  Let the gentiles see and be ashamed of all their might, let them put their hand over their mouth, let their ears be deaf.

Mic 7:17  Let them lick the dust like a serpent, let them come trembling from their strongholds like snakes of the earth, let them be afraid of יהוה our Elohim and fear because of You.

Mic 7:18  Who is an Ěl like You – taking away crookedness and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? He shall not retain His wrath forever, for He Himself delights in kindness.

Mic 7:19  He shall turn back, He shall have compassion on us, He shall trample upon our crookednesses! And You throw all our sins into the depths of the sea!

Mic 7:20  You give truth to Yaʽaqoḇ, kindness to Aḇraham, which You swore to our fathers from the days of old!


Brit Hadasha: Mark 11:12-25

Mar 11:12  And on the next day, when they had come out from Bĕyth Anyah, He was hungry.

Mar 11:13  And seeing at a distance a fig tree having leaves, He went to see whether He would find any fruit on it. And when He came to it, He found none but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.

Mar 11:14  And יהושע, responding, said to it, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” And His taught ones heard it.

Mar 11:15  And they came to Yerushalayim. יהושע, entering into the Set-apart Place, began to drive out those who bought and sold in the Set-apart Place, and overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those selling doves.

Mar 11:16  And He did not allow anyone to carry a vessel through the Set-apart Place.

Mar 11:17  And He was teaching, saying to them, “Has it not been written, ‘My House shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of robbers.’

Isa 56:6  “Also the sons of the foreigner who join themselves to יהוה, to serve Him, and to love the Name of יהוה, to be His servants, all who guard the Sabbath, and not profane it, and hold fast to My covenant –

Isa 56:7  them I shall bring to My set-apart mountain, and let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their slaughterings are accepted on My altar, for My house is called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”

Jer 7:11  “Has this house, which is called by My Name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Look, I, even I Myself have seen it,” declares יהוה.

Mar 11:18  And the scribes and the chief priests heard it and they were seeking how to destroy Him, for they feared Him, because all the crowd was astonished at His teaching.

Mar 11:19  And when evening came, He went out of the city.

Mar 11:20  And in the morning, passing by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.

Mar 11:21  Then Kĕpha, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered.”

Mar 11:22  And יהושע answering, said to them, “Have belief in Elohim.

Mar 11:23  “For truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says, shall be done, he shall have whatever he says.

Mar 11:24  “Because of this I say to you, whatever you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.

Mar 11:25  “And whenever you stand praying, if you hold whatever against anyone, forgive, so that your Father in the heavens shall also forgive you your trespasses.

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

1Co 1:17  For Messiah did not send me to immerse, but to bring the Good News, not with wisdom of words, that the stake of Messiah should not be nullified.

1Co 1:18  For the word of the stake is indeed foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of Elohim.

1Co 1:19  For it has been written, “I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise, and set aside the learning of the learned ones.”1

Footnote:

Isa 29:14  “Therefore, see, I am again doing a marvellous work among this people, a marvellous work and a wonder. And the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their clever men shall be hidden.”

Mat 11:25  At that time יהושע responding, said, “I thank You, Father, Master of the heavens and earth, because You have hidden these matters from clever and learned ones and have revealed them to babes.1 Footnote: 1Lk. 10:21.

Rom 1:22  Claiming to be wise, they became fools,

Rom 1:23  and changed the esteem of the incorruptible Elohim into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds and of four-footed beasts and of reptiles.

Rom 1:24  Therefore Elohim gave them up to uncleanness in the lust of their hearts, to disrespect their bodies among themselves,

Rom 1:25  who changed the truth of Elohim into the falsehood, and worshipped and served what was created rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amĕn.

1Co 1:20  Where is the wise? Where is the scholar? Where is the debater of this age? Has not Elohim made foolish the wisdom of this world?

1Co 1:21  For since, in the wisdom of Elohim, the world through wisdom did not know Elohim, it pleased Elohim through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.

1Co 1:22  And since Yehuḏim ask a sign, and Greeks seek wisdom,

1Co 1:23  yet we proclaim Messiah impaled, to the Yehuḏim a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness,

1Co 1:24  but to those who are called – both Yehuḏim and Greeks – Messiah the power of Elohim and the wisdom of Elohim.

1Co 1:25  For the foolishness of Elohim is wiser than men, and the weakness of Elohim is stronger than men.

1Co 1:26  For look at your calling, brothers, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.

1Co 1:27  But Elohim has chosen the foolish matters of the world to put to shame the wise, and Elohim has chosen the weak of the world to put to shame the strong.

1Co 1:28  And Elohim has chosen the low-born of the world and the despised, and the ones that are not, that He might bring to naught the ones that are,

1Co 1:29  so that no flesh should boast in His presence.

1Co 1:30  And of Him you are in Messiah יהושע, who became for us wisdom from Elohim, righteousness also, and set-apartness and redemption,

1Co 1:31  that, as it has been written, “He who boasts, let him boast in יהוה.”

Jer 9:23  Thus said יהוה, “Let not the wise boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty boast in his might, nor let the rich boast in his riches,

Jer 9:24  but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am יהוה, doing kindness, right-ruling, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” declares יהוה.

2 Peter 2:1-22

2Pe 2:1  But there also came to be false prophets1 among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall secretly bring in destructive heresies, and deny the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Footnote: 1See Mt. 7:15-23 v. 7-8, and again v. 21.

Mat 7:15  “But beware of the false prophets,1 who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are savage wolves. Footnote: 1See v. 23

Mat 7:16  “By their fruits you shall know them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

Mat 7:17  “So every good tree yields good fruit, but a rotten tree yields wicked fruit.

Mat 7:18  “A good tree is unable to yield wicked fruit, and a rotten tree to yield good fruit.

Mat 7:19  “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Mat 7:20  “So then, by their fruits you shall know them –

Mat 7:21  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Master, Master,’ shall enter into the reign of the heavens, but he who is doing the desire of My Father in the heavens.

Mat 7:22  “Many shall say to Me in that day, ‘Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your Name, and cast out demons in Your Name, and done many mighty works in Your Name?’

Mat 7:23  “And then I shall declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me, you who work lawlessness!’

2Pe 2:2  And many shall follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of,

2Pe 2:3  and in greed, with fabricated words, they shall use you for gain. From of old their judgment does not linger, and their destruction does not slumber.

2Pe 2:4  For if Elohim did not spare the messengers who sinned, but sent them to Tartaros, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be kept for judgment,

2Pe 2:5  and did not spare the world of old, but preserved Noaḥ, a proclaimer of righteousness, and seven others, bringing in the flood on the world of the wicked,

2Pe 2:6  and having reduced to ashes the cities of Seḏom and Amorah condemned them to destruction – having made them an example to those who afterward would live wickedly,

2Pe 2:7  and rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed with the indecent behaviour of the lawless1

Footnote: 1The Greek word here, and in 3:17, is athesmos (not the usual one, anomos) but it also means “lawless.”

2Pe 2:8  (for day after day that righteous man, dwelling among them, tortured his righteous being by seeing and hearing their lawless works),

2Pe 2:9  then יהוה knows how to rescue the reverent ones from trial and to keep the unrighteous unto the day of judgment, to be punished,

2Pe 2:10  and most of all those walking after the flesh in filthy lust and despising authority – bold, headstrong, speaking evil of esteemed ones,

2Pe 2:11  whereas messengers who are greater in strength and power do not bring a slanderous accusation against them before the Master.

2Pe 2:12  But these, like natural unreasoning beasts, having been born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheme that which they do not know, shall be destroyed in their destruction,

2Pe 2:13  being about to receive the wages of unrighteousness, deeming indulgence in the day of pleasure, spots and blemishes, revelling in their own deceptions while they feast with you,

2Pe 2:14  having eyes filled with an adulteress, and unable to cease from sin, enticing unstable beings, having a heart trained in greed, children of a curse,

2Pe 2:15  having left the right way they went astray, having followed the way of Bilʽam the son of Beʽor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

Eze 7:11  ‘The violence has grown into a rod of wrongdoing. There is none of them, and none of its crowd, and none of their riches, and none eminent among them.

2Pe 2:16  but he was rebuked for his transgression: a dumb donkey speaking with the voice of a man restrained the madness of the prophet.

2Pe 2:17  These are fountains without water, clouds driven by a storm, to whom the blackest darkness is kept forever.

2Pe 2:18  For speaking arrogant nonsense, they entice – through the lusts of the flesh, through indecencies – the ones who have indeed escaped from those living in delusion,

2Pe 2:19  promising them freedom, though themselves being slaves of corruption – for one is a slave to whatever overcomes him.

2Pe 2:20  For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of the Master and Saviour יהושע Messiah, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the first.

The blood of Messiah pays the penalty of our sins, and the Holy Spirit gives us a new spirit to reject sin and walk in newness of life. If we reject this spirit from Yahweh and go back to our old way of life, then we are blaspheming the Holy Spirit and rejecting eternal life. (Heb 6:4-6)

Heb 6:4  For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Set-apart Spirit,

Heb 6:5  and have tasted the good Word of Elohim and the powers of the age to come,

Heb 6:6  and fall away, to renew them again to repentance – having impaled for themselves the Son of Elohim again, and put Him to open shame.1 Footnote: 1Heb. 10:26-31.

Heb 10:26  For if we sin purposely after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a slaughter offering for sins,1 Footnote: 1See also 6:6, Heb. 9:7, Num. 15:15-28.

Heb 10:27  but some fearsome anticipation of judgment, and a fierce fire which is about to consume the opponents.

Heb 10:28  Anyone who has disregarded the Torah of Mosheh dies without compassion on the witness of two or three witnesses.

Heb 10:29  How much worse punishment do you think shall he deserve who has trampled the Son of Elohim underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was set apart as common, and insulted the Spirit of favour?

Heb 10:30  For we know Him who has said, “Vengeance is Mine, I shall repay, says יהוה.” And again, “יהוה shall judge His people.”

Heb 10:31  It is fearsome to fall into the hands of the living Elohim.

2Pe 2:21  For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the set-apart command1 delivered unto them.

Footnote: 1The singular “command” often means “commands” – see 1 Tim. 6:14, Dt. 17:20, Ps. 19:8.

1Ti 6:14  that you guard the command1 spotlessly, blamelessly, until the appearing of our Master יהושע Messiah, Footnote: 1Command (singular) often means commands, e.g. Dt. 17:20, Ps. 19:8.

Deu 17:20  so that his heart is not lifted up above his brothers, and so as not to turn aside from the command, right or left, so that he prolongs his days in his reign, he and his children, in the midst of Yisra’ĕl.

Psa 19:8  The orders of יהוה are straight, rejoicing the heart; The command of יהוה is clear, enlightening the eyes;

2Pe 2:22  For them the proverb has proved true, “A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “A washed sow returns to her rolling in the mud.”

Pro 26:11  As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly.

Revelation 2:12-17

Rev 2:12  “And to the messenger of the assembly in Pergamos (Fortified) write, ‘He who has the sharp two-edged sword, says this:

Rev 2:13  “I know your works, and where you dwell, where the throne of Satan is. And you hold fast to My Name, and did not deny the belief in Me, even in the days in which Antipas was My trustworthy witness, who was killed near you, where Satan dwells.

Rev 2:14  “But I hold a few matters against you, because you have there those who adhere to the teaching of Bilʽam, who taught Balaq to put a stumbling-block before the children of Yisra’ĕl, to eat food offered to idols, and to commit whoring.

Rev 2:15  “So you also have those who adhere to the teaching of the Nikolaites, which teaching I hate.

Rev 2:16  “Repent, or else I shall come to you speedily and fight against them with the sword of My mouth.

Rev 2:17  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the assemblies. To him who overcomes I shall give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I shall give him a white stone, and on the stone a renewed Name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’

Aharonic Blessing

Num 6:22  And יהוה spoke to Mosheh, saying,

Num 6:23  “Speak to Aharon and his sons, saying, ‘This is how you bless the children of Yisra’ĕl. Say to them:

Num 6:24  “יהוה bless you and guard you;

Num 6:25  יהוה make His face shine upon you, and show favour to you;

Num 6:26  יהוה lift up His face upon you, and give you peace.” ’

Num 6:27  “Thus they shall put My Name on the children of Yisra’ĕl, and I Myself shall bless them.”

Num 6:24         יברכך  יהוה  וישׁמרך׃  

Num 6:25         יאר  יהוה  פניו  אליך  ויחנך׃  

Num 6:26         ישׂא  יהוה  פניו  אליך  וישׂם  לך  שׁלום׃