Tehillim Mizmor 30- Mizmor Shir Hanukkat HaBayit

(1) A psalm of David. A song for the dedication of the House.

(2) I extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, and not let my enemies rejoice over me.

(3) O LORD, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me.

(4) O LORD, You brought me up from Sheol, preserved me from going down into the Pit.

(5) O you faithful of the LORD, sing to Him, and praise His holy name.

(6) For He is angry but a moment, and when He is pleased there is life. One may lie down weeping at nightfall; but at dawn there are shouts of joy.

(7) When I was untroubled, I thought, “I shall never be shaken,”

(8) for You, O Lord, when You were pleased, made [me] firm as a mighty mountain. When You hid Your face, I was terrified.

(9) I called to You, O LORD; to my Lord I made appeal,

(10) “What is to be gained from my death, from my descent into the Pit? Can dust praise You? Can it declare Your faithfulness?

(11) Hear, O LORD, and have mercy on me; O LORD, be my help!”

(12) You turned my lament into dancing, you undid my sackcloth and girded me with joy,

(13) that [my] whole being might sing hymns to You endlessly; O LORD my God, I will praise You forever.

(1) A psalm; a song of dedication of the House – There are those who say that David commanded that the singers play this song at the dedication of the First Temple, and those who say at the dedication of the Second Temple or the Third, because he compared the time of exile to a time of sickness as I will explain. It seems to me that he composed this song at the dedication of his own house, the House of Cedars, because the psalm does not mention the House of God. This usage is similar to “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house,” (Samuel II 5:8) as I explained there. At that time David fell sick and then recovered from his sickness. R’ Moshe said that David mourned when Natan told him that he would not build the house for the Lord. When he told him that Shlomo his son would build the house he was clothed with joy in place of his mourning because his son was like him, and his enemies could not disparage him. And he said that suffering of the soul is similar to physical suffering, and even worse in the sense that “A man's spirit will sustain his illness…” (Proverbs 18:14)

(7) Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David...(9) And David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward. (10) And David waxed greater and greater; for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him. . (11) And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house. (12) And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for His people Israel’s sake.

(1) And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, (2) that the king said unto Nathan the prophet: ‘See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.’ (3) And Nathan said to the king: ‘Go, do all that is in thy heart; for the LORD is with thee.’ (4) And it came to pass the same night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying: (5) ’Go and tell My servant David: Thus saith the LORD: Shalt thou build Me a house for Me to dwell in? (6) for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. (7) In all places wherein I have walked among all the children of Israel, spoke I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying: Why have ye not built Me a house of cedar?

(18) And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. (19) And they said one to another: ‘Behold, this dreamer cometh. (20) Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say: An evil beast hath devoured him; and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ (21) And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand; and said: ‘Let us not take his life.’ (22) And Reuben said unto them: ‘Shed no blood; cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand upon him’—that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father. (23) And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colours that was on him; (24) and they took him, and cast him into the pit—and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. (25) And they sat down to eat bread; and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and ladanum, going to carry it down to Egypt. (26) And Judah said unto his brethren: ‘What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? (27) Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh.’ And his brethren hearkened unto him. (28) And there passed by Midianites, merchantmen; and they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt.

(1) And the LORD prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah; and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (2) Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly. (3) And he said: I called out of mine affliction Unto the LORD, and He answered me; Out of the belly of the nether-world cried I, And Thou heardest my voice. (4) For Thou didst cast me into the depth, In the heart of the seas, And the flood was round about me; All Thy waves and Thy billows Passed over me. (5) And I said: ‘I am cast out From before Thine eyes’; Yet I will look again Toward Thy holy temple. (6) The waters compassed me about, even to the soul; The deep was round about me; The weeds were wrapped about my head.