Va’Etkhanan, Ki Tetzeh (2) 1“‘Comfort, comfort My people’, says your Elohim. 2‘Bid Yerushalayim take heart, and proclaim unto her that her time of service is accomplished, that her guilt is paid off; that she has received of the hand of יהוה double for all her sins.’ 3‘Hark!’ one calls, ‘Clear in the wilderness the way of יהוה , make plain in the desert a highway for our Elohim’. 4Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the rugged shall be made level, and the rough places a plain; 5and the Kavod יהוה shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of יהוה has spoken it.”
6“‘Hark!’ one says, ‘Proclaim!’ And he says, ‘What shall I proclaim? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field; 7the grass withers, the flower fades; because the breath of יהוה blows upon it; surely the people is grass. 8The grass withers, the flower fades; but the D’var Eloheinu shall stand forever.’ 9O you that tell good tidings to Tzion, get up into the high mountain; O you that tell good tidings to Yerushalayim, lift up your voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Yehudah, ‘Behold your Elohim!’ 10Behold, Adonai יהוה will come as a Mighty One, and His arm will rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. 11Even as a shepherd that feeds his flock, that gathers the lambs in his arm, and carries them in his bosom, and gently leads those that nurse. end Ki Tetzeh (2) 12Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 13Who has meted out the Ru’akh יהוה ? Or who was His counsellor that he might instruct Him? 14With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of right, and taught Him knowledge, and made Him to know the way of discernment? 15Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance; behold the isles are as a mote in weight. 16And Levanon is not sufficient fuel, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for an Olah.”
17“All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are accounted by Him as things of nought, and vanity. 18To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare unto Him? 19The image perchance, which the craftsman has melted, and the goldsmith spread over with gold, the silversmith casting silver chains? 20A holm-oak is consecrated, he chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks unto him a cunning craftsman to set up an image that shall not be moved. 21Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood the foundations of the earth? 22It is He that sits above the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreads them out as a tent to dwell in; 23that brings princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth as a thing of nought. 24Scarce are they planted, scarce are they sown, scarce has their stock taken root in the earth; when He blows upon them, they wither, and the whirlwind takes them away as stubble. 25‘To whom, then, will you liken Me, that I should be equal,’ says the Kadosh One. 26Lift up your eyes on high, and see: who has created these? He that brings out their host by number, He calls them all by name; by the greatness of His might, and for that He is strong in power, not one fails. end Va’Etkhanan, Lekh L’kha 27Why do you say, O Ya’akov, and speak, O Yisra’el, ‘My way is hid from יהוה , and my right is passed over from my Elohim’? 28Have you not known? Have you not heard that the everlasting Elohim, יהוה , the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary? His discernment is past searching out. 29He gives power to the faint; and to him that has no might He increases strength. 30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall; 31but they that hope in יהוה shall renew their strength; they shall soar in the air as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.”
אנַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי יֹאמַר אֱלֹהֵיכֶם. בדַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְקִרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ כִּי מָלְאָה צְבָאָהּ כִּי נִרְצָה עֲוֹנָהּ: כִּי לָקְחָה מִיַּד יהוה כִּפְלַיִם בְּכָל חַטֹּאתֶיהָ. גקוֹל קוֹרֵא בַּמִּדְבָּר פַּנּוּ דֶּרֶךְ יהוה ; יַשְּׁרוּ בָּעֲרָבָה מְסִלָּה לֵאלֹהֵינוּ. דכָּל גֶּיא יִנָּשֵׂא וְכָל הַר וְגִבְעָה יִשְׁפָּלוּ; וְהָיָה הֶעָקֹב לְמִישׁוֹר וְהָרְכָסִים לְבִקְעָה. הוְנִגְלָה כְּבוֹד יהוה ; וְרָאוּ כָל בָּשָׂר יַחְדָּו כִּי פִּי יהוה דִּבֵּר.
וקוֹל אֹמֵר קְרָא וְאָמַר מָה אֶקְרָא; כָּל הַבָּשָׂר חָצִיר וְכָל חַסְדּוֹ כְּצִיץ הַשָּׂדֶה. זיָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ כִּי רוּחַ יהוה נָשְׁבָה בּוֹ; אָכֵן חָצִיר הָעָם. חיָבֵשׁ חָצִיר נָבֵל צִיץ; וּדְבַר אֱלֹהֵינוּ יָקוּם לְעוֹלָם. טעַל הַר גָּבֹהַּ עֲלִי לָךְ מְבַשֶּׂרֶת צִיּוֹן הָרִימִי בַכֹּחַ קוֹלֵךְ מְבַשֶּׂרֶת יְרוּשָׁלִָם; הָרִימִי אַל תִּירָאִי אִמְרִי לְעָרֵי יְהוּדָה הִנֵּה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם. יהִנֵּה אֲדֹנָי יהוה בְּחָזָק יָבוֹא וּזְרֹעוֹ מֹשְׁלָה לוֹ; הִנֵּה שְׂכָרוֹ אִתּוֹ וּפְעֻלָּתוֹ לְפָנָיו. יאכְּרֹעֶה עֶדְרוֹ יִרְעֶה בִּזְרֹעוֹ יְקַבֵּץ טְלָאִים וּבְחֵיקוֹ יִשָּׂא; עָלוֹת יְנַהֵל. יבמִי מָדַד בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ מַיִם וְשָׁמַיִם בַּזֶּרֶת תִּכֵּן וְכָל בַּשָּׁלִשׁ עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ; וְשָׁקַל בַּפֶּלֶס הָרִים וּגְבָעוֹת בְּמֹאזְנָיִם. יגמִי תִכֵּן אֶת רוּחַ יהוה ; וְאִישׁ עֲצָתוֹ יוֹדִיעֶנּוּ. ידאֶת מִי נוֹעָץ וַיְבִינֵהוּ וַיְלַמְּדֵהוּ בְּאֹרַח מִשְׁפָּט; וַיְלַמְּדֵהוּ דַעַת וְדֶרֶךְ תְּבוּנוֹת יוֹדִיעֶנּוּ. טוהֵן גּוֹיִם כְּמַר מִדְּלִי וּכְשַׁחַק מֹאזְנַיִם נֶחְשָׁבוּ; הֵן אִיִּים כַּדַּק יִטּוֹל. טזוּלְבָנוֹן אֵין דֵּי בָּעֵר; וְחַיָּתוֹ אֵין דֵּי עוֹלָה.
יזכָּל הַגּוֹיִם כְּאַיִן נֶגְדּוֹ; מֵאֶפֶס וָתֹהוּ נֶחְשְׁבוּ לוֹ. יחוְאֶל מִי תְּדַמְּיוּן אֵל; וּמַה דְּמוּת תַּעַרְכוּ לוֹ. יטהַפֶּסֶל נָסַךְ חָרָשׁ וְצֹרֵף בַּזָּהָב יְרַקְּעֶנּוּ; וּרְתֻקוֹת כֶּסֶף צוֹרֵף. כהַמְסֻכָּן תְּרוּמָה עֵץ לֹא יִרְקַב יִבְחָר; חָרָשׁ חָכָם יְבַקֶּשׁ לוֹ לְהָכִין פֶּסֶל לֹא יִמּוֹט. כאהֲלוֹא תֵדְעוּ הֲלוֹא תִשְׁמָעוּ הֲלוֹא הֻגַּד מֵרֹאשׁ לָכֶם; הֲלוֹא הֲבִינוֹתֶם מוֹסְדוֹת הָאָרֶץ. כבהַיֹּשֵׁב עַל חוּג הָאָרֶץ וְיֹשְׁבֶיהָ כַּחֲגָבִים; הַנּוֹטֶה כַדֹּק שָׁמַיִם וַיִּמְתָּחֵם כָּאֹהֶל לָשָׁבֶת. כגהַנּוֹתֵן רוֹזְנִים לְאָיִן; שֹׁפְטֵי אֶרֶץ כַּתֹּהוּ עָשָׂה. כדאַף בַּל נִטָּעוּ אַף בַּל זֹרָעוּ אַף בַּל שֹׁרֵשׁ בָּאָרֶץ גִּזְעָם; וְגַם נָשַׁף בָּהֶם וַיִּבָשׁוּ וּסְעָרָה כַּקַּשׁ תִּשָּׂאֵם. כהוְאֶל מִי תְדַמְּיוּנִי וְאֶשְׁוֶה יֹאמַר קָדוֹשׁ. כושְׂאוּ מָרוֹם עֵינֵיכֶם וּרְאוּ מִי בָרָא אֵלֶּה הַמּוֹצִיא בְמִסְפָּר צְבָאָם; לְכֻלָּם בְּשֵׁם יִקְרָא מֵרֹב אוֹנִים וְאַמִּיץ כֹּחַ אִישׁ לֹא נֶעְדָּר. כזלָמָּה תֹאמַר יַעֲקֹב וּתְדַבֵּר יִשְׂרָאֵל: נִסְתְּרָה דַרְכִּי מֵיהוה וּמֵאֱלֹהַי מִשְׁפָּטִי יַעֲבוֹר. כחהֲלוֹא יָדַעְתָּ אִם לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם יהוה בּוֹרֵא קְצוֹת הָאָרֶץ לֹא יִיעַף וְלֹא יִיגָע: אֵין חֵקֶר לִתְבוּנָתוֹ. כטנֹתֵן לַיָּעֵף כֹּחַ; וּלְאֵין אוֹנִים עָצְמָה יַרְבֶּה. לוְיִעֲפוּ נְעָרִים וְיִגָעוּ; וּבַחוּרִים כָּשׁוֹל יִכָּשֵׁלוּ. לאוְקוֹיֵ יהוה יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ יַעֲלוּ אֵבֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִים; יָרוּצוּ וְלֹא יִיגָעוּ יֵלְכוּ וְלֹא יִיעָפוּ.
D'var יהוה , The Word of יהוה 