Prima lettera ai Tessalonicesi - (מכתב ראשון לסלוניקים) 9

STUTTGARTENSIA-DELITZSCH	NEW JERUSALEM
1 אֱמֶת אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר בַּמָּשִׁיחַ וְלֹא אֲשַׁקֵּר וְדַעְתִּי מְעִידָה לִי בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ	1 This is the truth and I am speaking in Christ, without pretence, as my conscience testifies for me in theHoly Spirit;
2 כִּי־גָדוֹל עִצְּבוֹנִי וְאֵין־קֵץ לְדַאֲבוֹן לִבִּי	2 there is great sorrow and unremitting agony in my heart:
3 כִּי מִי־יִתֵּן הֱיוֹתִי אֲנִי מָחֳרָם מִן־הַמָּשִׁיחַ בְּעַד אַחַי שְׁאֵרִי וּבְשָׂרִי	3 I could pray that I myself might be accursed and cut off from Christ, if this could benefit the brotherswho are my own flesh and blood.
4 אֲשֶׁר הֵם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיֵשׁ לָהֶם מִשְׁפַּט הַבָּנִים וְהַכָּבוֹד וְהַבְּרִיתוֹת וּמַתַּן הַתּוֹרָה וַעֲבוֹדַת הַקֹּדֶשׁ וְהַהַבְטָחוֹת	4 They are Israelites; it was they who were adopted as children, the glory was theirs and the covenants;to them were given the Law and the worship of God and the promises.
5 וְלָהֶם הָאָבוֹת וַאֲשֶׁר מֵהֶם יָצָא הַמָּשִׁיחַ לְפִי בְשָׂרוֹ אֲשֶׁר־הוּא אֵל עַל־הַכֹּל מְבֹרָךְ לְעוֹלָמִים אָמֵן	5 To them belong the fathers and out of them, so far as physical descent is concerned, came Christ whois above al , God, blessed for ever. Amen.
6 אֲבָל לֹא כְאִלּוּ נָפַל דְּבַר אֱלֹהִים אָרְצָה כִּי לֹא־כֹל אֲשֶׁר הֵם מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל גַּם יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵמָּה	6 It is not that God's promise has failed. Not all born Israelites belong to Israel,
7 וְלֹא עַל־הֱיוֹתָם זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם כֻּלָּם בָּנִים הֵם כִּי בְיִצְחָק יִקָּרֵא לְךָ זָרַע	7 and not all the descendants of Abraham count as his children, for Isaac is the one through whom yourName will be carried on.
8 כְּלוֹמַר לֹא בְנֵי־הַבָּשָׂר הֵמָּה בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים כִּי אִם־בְּנֵי הַהַבְטָחָה הֵם הַנֶּחֱשָׁבִים לְזָרַע	8 That is, it is not by being children through physical descent that people become children of God; it isthe children of the promise that are counted as the heirs.
9 כִּי־דְבַר הַבְטָחָה הוּא מַה־שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר לַמּוֹעֵד אָשׁוּב וּלְשָׂרָה בֵן	9 The actual words of the promise were: I shal come back to you at this season, and Sarah wil have ason.
10 וְלֹא־זֹאת בִּלְבָד כִּי־כֵן הָיָה גַּם־בְּרִבְקָה בִּהְיוֹתָהּ הָרָה לְאֶחָד לְיִצְחָק אָבִינוּ	10 Even more to the point is what was said to Rebecca when she was pregnant by our ancestor, Isaac,
11 כִּי בְטֶרֶם יֻלְּדוּ בָנֶיהָ וְעוֹד לֹא־עָשֹוּ טוֹב אוֹ־רָע לְמַעַן תָּקוּם עֲצַת הָאֱלֹהִים כְּפִי בְחִירָתוֹ לֹא מִתּוֹךְ מַעֲשִׂים כִּי אִם־כִּרְצוֹן הַקֹּרֵא	11 before her children were born, so that neither had yet done anything either good or bad, but in orderthat it should be God's choice which prevailed
12 נֶאֱמַר לָהּ כִּי־רַב יַעֲבֹד צָעִיר	12 -not human merit, but his cal -- she was told: the elder one wil serve the younger.
13 כַּכָּתוּב וָאֹהַב אֶת־יַעֲקֹב וְאֶת־עֵשָׂו שָׂנֵאתִי	13 Or as scripture says elsewhere: I loved Jacob but hated Esau.
14 אִם־כֵּן מַה־נֹּאמַר הֲכִי יֶשׁ־עָוֶל בֵּאלֹהִים חָלִילָה	14 What should we say, then? That God is unjust? Out of the question!
15 כִּי לְמשֶׁה אָמַר וְחַנֹּתִי אֶת־אֲשֶׁר אָחֹן וְרִחַמְתִּי אֶת־אֲשֶׁר אֲרַחֵם	15 For speaking to Moses, he said: I am gracious to those to whom I am gracious and I take pity onthose on whom I take pity.
16 וְעַל־כֵּן אֵין הַדָּבָר לֹא־בְיַד הָרֹצֶה וְלֹא־בְיַד הָרָץ כִּי אִם־בְּיַד הָאֱלֹהִים הַמְרַחֵם	16 So it is not a matter of what any person wants or what any person does, but only of God havingmercy.
17 כִּי־כֵן הַכָּתוּב אֹמֵר לְפַרְעֹה בַּעֲבוּר זֹאת הֶעֱמַדְתִּיךָ בַּעֲבוּר הַרְאֹתְךָ אֶת־כֹּחִי וּלְמַעַן סַפֵּר שְׁמִי בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ	17 Scripture says to Pharaoh: I raised you up for this reason, to display my power in you and to have myname talked of throughout the world.
18 וְיוֹצֵא מִזֶּה כִּי אֶת־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יְחֻנֶּנּוּ וְאֶת־אֲשֶׁר יַחְפֹּץ יַקְשֵׁהוּ	18 In other words, if God wants to show mercy on someone, he does so, and if he wants to hardensomeone's heart, he does so.
19 וְכִי תֹאמַר אֵלַי מַדּוּעַ יוֹכִיחַ עוֹד נֶגֶד רְצוֹנוֹ מִי יִתְיַצָּב	19 Then you wil ask me, 'How then can he ever blame anyone, since no one can oppose his wil ?'
20 אָמְנָם בֶּן־אָדָם מִי אַתָּה אֲשֶׁר תָּרִיב אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים הֲיֹאמַר יֵצֶר לְיֹצְרוֹ לָמָּה כָּכָה עֲשִׂיתָנִי	20 But you -- who do you think you, a human being, are, to answer back to God? Something that wasmade, can it say to its maker: why did you make me this shape?
21 אִם־אֵין רְשׁוּת לַיֹּצֵר עַל־הַחֹמֶר לַעֲשׂוֹת מִגֹּלֶם אֶחָד כְּלִי אֶחָד לְכָבוֹד וְאֶחָד לְקָלוֹן	21 A potter surely has the right over his clay to make out of the same lump either a pot for special use orone for ordinary use.
22 וּמָה אֵפוֹא אִם־הָאֱלֹהִים הֶחָפֵץ לְהַרְאוֹת זַעְמוֹ וּלְהוֹדִיעַ גְּבוּרָתוֹ נָשָׂא בְּכָל־אֹרֶךְ רוּחוֹ אֶת־כְּלֵי הַזַּעַם הַנְּכוֹנִים לַאֲבַדּוֹן	22 But suppose that God, although all the time he wanted to reveal his retribution and demonstrate hispower, has with great patience gone on putting up with those who are the instruments of his retribution anddesigned to be destroyed;
23 לְהוֹדִיעַ גַּם־אֶת־עשֶׁר כְּבוֹדוֹ עַל־כְּלֵי הַחֲנִינָה אֲשֶׁר יְעָדָם לַכָּבוֹד	23 so that he may make known the glorious riches ready for the people who are the instruments of hisfaithful love and were long ago prepared for that glory.
24 וְהֵם אֲנַחְנוּ אֲשֶׁר קְרָאָם לֹא מִן־הַיְּהוּדִים בִּלְבַד כִּי אַף מִן־הַגּוֹיִם	24 We are that people, cal ed by him not only out of the Jews but out of the gentiles too.
25 כְּדַבְּרוֹ בְהוֹשֵׁעַ אֶקְרָא לְלֹא־עַמִּי עַמִּי וּלְלֹא־רֻחָמָה רֻחָמָה	25 Just as he says in the book of Hosea: I shal tell those who were not my people, 'You are my people,'and I shall take pity on those on whom I had no pity.
26 וְהָיָה בִּמְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר־יֵאָמֵר לָהֶם לֹא־עַמִּי אַתֶּם יֵאָמֵר לָהֶם בְּנֵי אֵל־חָי	26 And in the very place where they were told, 'You are not my people,' they wil be told that they are'children of the living God'.
27 וִישַׁעְיָהוּ קָרָא בְּקוֹלוֹ עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי אִם־יִהְיֶה מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּחוֹל הַיָּם שְׁאָר יָשׁוּב בּוֹ כִּלָּיוֹן חָרוּץ שֹׁטֵף צְדָקָה	27 And about Israel, this is what Isaiah cried out: Though the people of Israel are like the sand of thesea, only a remnant will be saved;
28 כִּי כָלָה וְנֶחֱרָצָה אֲדֹנָי עֹשֶׂה בְּקֶרֶב הָאָרֶץ	28 for without hesitation or delay the Lord wil execute his sentence on the earth.
29 וְכַאֲשֶׁר אָמַר יְשַׁעְיָהוּ לְפָנִים לוּלֵי יְהוָֹה צְבָאוֹת הוֹתִיר לָנוּ שָׂרִיד כִּמְעָט כִּסְדֹם הָיִינוּ לַעֲמֹרָה דָּמִינוּ	29 As Isaiah foretold: Had the Lord Sabaoth not left us a few survivors, we should be like Sodom, weshould be the same as Gomorrah.
30 וְעַתָּה מַה־נֹּאמַר הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא רָדְפוּ אַחֲרֵי הַצְּדָקָה הִשִּׂיגוּ אֶת־הַצְּדָקָה הִיא הַצְּדָקָה אֲשֶׁר מִתּוֹךְ הָאֱמוּנָה	30 What should we say, then? That the gentiles, although they were not looking for saving justice, foundit, and this was the saving justice that comes of faith;
31 וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבַקְשׁוֹ אַחֲרֵי תּוֹרַת צְדָקָה לְתוֹרַת הַצְּדָקָה לֹא הִגִּיעַ	31 while Israel, looking for saving justice by law-keeping, did not succeed in fulfilling the Law.
32 וְעַל־מָה יַעַן אֲשֶׁר־לֹא מֵאֱמוּנָה דְּרָשׁוּהָ כִּי אִם־מִמַּעֲשֵׂי הַתּוֹרָה כִּי הִתְנַגְּפוּ בְּאֶבֶן נָגֶף	32 And why? Because they were trying to find it in actions and not in faith, and so they stumbled over thestumbling-stone-
33 כַּכָּתוּב הִנְנִי יִסַּד בְּצִיּוֹן אֶבֶן נֶגֶף וְצוּר מִכְשׁוֹל וְכָל־הַמַּאֲמִין בּוֹ לֹא יֵבוֹשׁ	33 as it says in scripture: Now I am laying in Zion a stumbling-stone, a rock to trip people up; but he whorelies on this wil not be brought to disgrace.