Old/New Testament
31 (For the one directing. Mizmor Dovid) In Thee, Hashem, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in Thy tzedakah.
2 (3) Incline Thine ear to me; deliver me speedily; be Thou for me a Tzur Ma’oz, a Bais Metzudot (fortress) to save me.
3 (4) For Thou art my Sela (rock) and my Metzudah (fortress); therefore for the sake of Thy Name, lead me, and guide me.
4 (5) Pull me out of the reshet (trap, net) that they have laid for me; for Thou art my ma’oz (stronghold).
5 (6) Into Thine yad I commit my ruach; Thou hast redeemed me, Hashem El Emes [Lk 23:46; Ac 7:59].
6 (7) I hate them that are the shomrim of lying vanities [i.e., idols]; but I trust in Hashem.
7 (8) I will be glad and rejoice in Thy chesed; for Thou hast seen my affliction; Thou hast known the tzoros (troubles) of my nefesh;
8 (9) And hast not shut me up into the yad of the oyev (enemy); Thou hast set my feet in a merkhav (large place, spacious or broad place).
9 (10) Channeni, Hashem, for I am in tzoros; mine eye is consumed with ka’as (grief), my nefesh and my beten.
10 (11) For my life is spent with grief, and my years with groaning; my ko’ach faileth because of mine avon (iniquity), and my atzmot waste away.
11 (12) I was a cherpah (reproach, scorn, disgrace) among all mine enemies, but especially among my shchenim (neighbors), and a dread to mine acquaintance; they that did see me outside fled from me.
12 (13) I am forgotten like a dead man out of mind; I am like a keli oved (broken vessel).
13 (14) For I have heard the dibbah (evil report, slander) of many; terror was on every side; while they conspire against me, they plot to take my nefesh.
14 (15) But I trust in Thee, Hashem; I said, Thou art Elohai.
15 (16) My times are in Thy yad; deliver me from the yad of mine oyevim (enemies), and from them that persecute me.
16 (17) Make Thy face to shine upon Thy eved; hoshi’eini (save me) for the sake of Thy chesed.
17 Let me not be put to shame, Hashem; for I have called upon Thee; let the resha’im be put to shame, and let them keep silent in Sheol.
18 (19) Let the siftei sheker (lying lips) be put to silence; which speak insolent things with ga’avah (pride) and contemptuously against the tzaddik.
19 (20) Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast stored up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in Thee before the Bnei Adam!
20 (21) Thou shalt hide them b’seter (in the shelter) of Thy presence from the intrigues of ish; Thou shalt keep them safe in a sukkah from the riv l’shonot (the strife of tongues, contentious lashon hora, backbiting, slander).
21 Baruch Hashem! For He hath showed me His wondrous chesed in an Ir Matzor (besieged city).
22 (23) For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before Thine eyes; nevertheless Thou heardest the voice of my tachanun (supplications) when unto Thee I cried for help.
23 (24) O love Hashem, all ye His Chasidim; for Hashem preserveth the emunim (the faithful ones), but He pays back in full the oseh ga’avah (the one acting in pride, haughtily).
24 (25) Chazak! Be strong, let your levav take courage, all ye that hope in Hashem.
32 (Of David. A maskil). Ashrei is he whose peysha (rebellion) is forgiven, whose chata’ah (sin) is covered.
2 Ashrei is the adam unto whom Hashem imputeth not avon (iniquity), and in whose ruach there is no remiyyah (guile, deceit).
3 When I kept silent [i.e., refused to confess my sin, which was still naked and uncovered (see 32:1) and had no kapporah covering for my guilt before G-d], my atzmot wasted away through my groaning kol hayom (all the day).
4 For yomam valailah Thy yad was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as by the droughts of kayitz (summer). Selah.
5 I acknowledge my chattat unto Thee, and mine avon (iniquity) have I not covered up. I said, I will confess my peysha’im (rebellions) unto Hashem; and Thou forgavest the avon (iniquity) of my chattat. Selah.
6 Therefore shall every Chasid pray unto Thee in a time when Thou mayest be found; surely in the floods of mayim rabbim they shall not overtake him.
7 Thou art my seter (hiding place, shelter); Thou shalt preserve me from tzoros; Thou shalt envelop me with songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the Derech which thou shalt go; I will counsel thee with Mine eye.
9 Be ye not like the sus, or like the pered (mule), which have no binah; whose mouth must be harnassed with bit and bridle, else they come not near thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the resha’im, but he that trusteth in Hashem, chesed shall envelop and cover him.
11 Be glad in Hashem, and rejoice, ye tzaddikim; and shout for joy, all ye yishrei lev (upright in heart).
16 Now when Rav Sha’ul’s achyon (nephew) heard about the ma’arav (ambush), he went and gained entrance into the barracks and reported this to Rav Sha’ul.
17 And Rav Sha’ul summoned one of the centurions and said, "Bring this bochur to the tribune for he has something to report to him."
18 So the centurion took the bochur and brought him to the tribune and says, "The prisoner Rav Sha’ul has summoned me and asked me to bring this bochur to you; he has something to say to you."
19 The tribune grasped the bochur’s hand and drew him aside privately, inquiring, "What is it you have to report to me?"
20 And the bochur said, "The Judeans agreed to ask you to bring Rav Sha’ul down machar (tomorrow) to the Sanhedrin as if intending to inquire something more accurate concerning him.
21 "Therefore, you should not be persuaded by them, for more than arba’im anashim are lying in wait for him and these took a shevu’ah upon themselves neither to eat nor to drink until they have assassinated him, and now they are ready, waiting for your consent."
22 Therefore, the tribune dismissed the bochur, ordering him, "Tell no one that you reported these things to me."
23 And having summoned two of the centurions, the tribune said, "Prepare to leave for Caesarea by nine o’clock tonight the following: two hundred chaiyalim, seventy horsemen, and two hundred bowmen.
24 "And also provide mounts for Rav Sha’ul to ride, that he may be given safe passage to Felix the Moshel."
25 Then the tribune wrote an iggeret to this effect:
26 "Claudius Lysias to the most excellent Moshel, Felix. Greetings.
27 "This man was seized by the Judeans and was about to be killed by them, but when I learned that he is a Roman citizen, I came with the chaiyalim and rescued him.
28 "Desiring to have da’as of the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their Sanhedrin.
29 "I found he was being accused about issues of their Torah and the charge was nothing worthy of mavet or of imprisonment.
30 "And when I received information of a kesher (plot) keneged (against) the man, I sent him immediately to you, having given orders also to his accusers to state their case against Rav Sha’ul before your excellency."
31 Therefore, as they were ordered, the chaiyalim took Rav Sha’ul along and brought him under cover of lailah to Antipatris.
32 And on the next day, having allowed the horsemen to go on with Rav Sha’ul, they returned to the barracks.
33 When the horsemen entered into Caesarea, they delivered the iggeret to the Moshel and also presented Rav Sha’ul to him.
34 And having read it, and having asked from what province Rav Sha’ul hailed, the Moshel learned that he was from Cilicia.
35 "I will give you a hearing," Felix said, "when also your accusers arrive." Then the Moshel commanded Rav Sha’ul to be watched by shomrim in the Praetorium of Herod.
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