שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף

A song, a psalm by Asaf.

אֱלֹהִים אַל דֳּמִי לָךְ אַל תֶּחֱרַשׁ וְאַל תִּשְׁקֹט אֵל

God, do not be silent, do not hold Your peace. Almighty, do not be still. I beg of You to act, to come to our aid.

כִּי הִנֵּה אוֹיְבֶיךָ יֶהֱמָיוּן וּמְשַׂנְאֶיךָ נָשְׂאוּ רֹאשׁ

For behold, Your enemies are in an uproar; those who hate You have lifted their heads in arrogance.

עַל עַמְּךָ יַעֲרִימוּ סוֹד וְיִתְיָעֲצוּ עַל צְפוּנֶיךָ

They meet to lay devious plots against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones. Tzefunekha, translated as “Your treasured ones,” more literally means “Your hidden things,” that which cannot be seen because they are spiritual in nature. They seek to destroy us both physically and spiritually.

אָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַכְחִידֵם מִגּוֹי וְלֹא יִזָּכֵר שֵׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹד

Their plan is not merely to wage battle but to bring about our total annihilation: They said: Come, let us wipe them out as a nation, so that the name of Israel is remembered no more.

כִּי נוֹעֲצוּ לֵב יַחְדָּו עָלֶיךָ בְּרִית יִכְרֹתוּ

For in unity they take counsel; against You they have made a pact. War against Israel is ultimately a war waged against the God of Israel.

אָהֳלֵי אֱדוֹם וְיִשְׁמְעֵאלִים מוֹאָב וְהַגְרִים

These enemies who seek our destruction are comprised of many parties: the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moav and the Hagrites, the descendants of Hagar,

גְּבָל וְעַמּוֹן וַעֲמָלֵק פְּלֶשֶׁת עִם יֹשְׁבֵי צוֹר

Geval, a small kingdom to the north of Israel, Amon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre.

גַּם אַשּׁוּר נִלְוָה עִמָּם הָיוּ זְרוֹעַ לִבְנֵי לוֹט סֶלָה

Assyria too has joined them, despite its distance from the Land of Israel; they give a hand to the instigators of the conflict, the sons of Lot, the Moavites and Amonites, Selah.

עֲשֵׂה לָהֶם כְּמִדְיָן כְּסִיסְרָא כְיָבִין בְּנַחַל קִישׁוֹן

The psalmist prays for God to rout these enemies: Deal with them as You did with Midyan, as with Sisera and Yavin at the Kishon Stream.

נִשְׁמְדוּ בְעֵין דֹּאר הָיוּ דֹמֶן לָאֲדָמָה

They, Sisera and Yavin, were destroyed at Ein Dor; in death they became as dung for the ground.

שִׁיתֵמוֹ נְדִיבֵימוֹ כְּעֹרֵב וְכִזְאֵב וּכְזֶבַח וּכְצַלְמֻנָּע כָּל נְסִיכֵימוֹ

Make their nobles like Orev and Ze’ev, officers of Midyan slain by Gideon, all their princes like Zevah and Tzalmuna, kings of Midyan who were also killed by Gideon,

אֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ נִירְשָׁה לָּנוּ אֵת נְאוֹת אֱלֹהִים

who had said: Let us take the pleasant dwellings of God, the Land of Israel, for ourselves.

אֱלֹהַי שִׁיתֵמוֹ כַגַּלְגַּל כְקַשׁ לִפְנֵי רוּחַ

My God, make them like whirling sand, like chaff scattering before the wind,

כְּאֵשׁ תִּבְעַר יָעַר וּכְלֶהָבָה תְּלַהֵט הָרִים

like fire that consumes the forest, like flames that scorch mountains.

כֵּן תִּרְדְּפֵם בְּסַעֲרֶךָ וּבְסוּפָתְךָ תְבַהֲלֵם

So may You pursue them with Your tempest, terrify them with Your storm.

מַלֵּא פְנֵיהֶם קָלוֹן וִיבַקְשׁוּ שִׁמְךָ ה'

Fill their faces with shame until in desperation they seek Your name to save their lives, Lord.

יֵבֹשׁוּ וְיִבָּהֲלוּ עֲדֵי עַד וְיַחְפְּרוּ וְיֹאבֵדוּ

May they be ashamed and frightened forever; may they be humiliated and may they perish.

וְיֵדְעוּ כִּי אַתָּה שִׁמְךָ ה' לְבַדֶּךָ עֶלְיוֹן עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ

Then they will know that it is You alone whose name is the Lord. It is only Your name and Your power that are eternal, and that it is You who is Most High over all of the earth.