Psalm 83
Living Bible
83 O God, don’t sit idly by, silent and inactive when we pray. Answer us! Deliver us!
2 Don’t you hear the tumult and commotion of your enemies? Don’t you see what they are doing, these proud men who hate the Lord? 3 They are full of craftiness and plot against your people, laying plans to slay your precious ones. 4 “Come,” they say, “and let us wipe out Israel as a nation—we will destroy the very memory of her existence.” 5 This was their unanimous decision at their summit conference—they signed a treaty to ally themselves against Almighty God— 6 these Ishmaelites and Edomites and Moabites and Hagrites; 7 people from the lands of Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia and Tyre; 8 Assyria has joined them too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot.[a]
9 Do to them as once you did to Midian, or as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon, 10 and as you did to your enemies at Endor, whose decaying corpses fertilized the soil. 11 Make their mighty nobles die as Oreb did, and Zeeb;[b] let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna, 12 who said, “Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!”
13 O my God, blow them away like dust; like chaff before the wind— 14 as a forest fire that roars across a mountain. 15 Chase them with your fiery storms, tempests, and tornados. 16 Utterly disgrace them until they recognize your power and name, O Lord. 17 Make them failures in everything they do; let them be ashamed and terrified 18 until they learn that you alone, Jehovah, are the God above all gods in supreme charge of all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 83:8 the descendants of Lot. The Moabites and Ammonites were among Lot’s descendants.
- Psalm 83:11 as Oreb did, and Zeeb, see Judges 7:25. like Zebah and Zalmunna, see Judges 8:21.
Psalm 83
New King James Version
Prayer to Frustrate Conspiracy Against Israel
A Song. A Psalm of Asaph.
83 Do(A) not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!
2 For behold, (B)Your enemies make a [a]tumult;
And those who hate You have [b]lifted up their head.
3 They have taken crafty counsel against Your people,
And consulted together (C)against Your sheltered ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (D)let us cut them off from being a nation,
That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”
5 For they have consulted together with one [c]consent;
They [d]form a confederacy against You:
6 (E)The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites;
Moab and the Hagrites;
7 Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek;
Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined with them;
They have helped the children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them as with (F)Midian,
As with (G)Sisera,
As with Jabin at the Brook Kishon,
10 Who perished at En Dor,
(H)Who became as refuse on the earth.
11 Make their nobles like (I)Oreb and like Zeeb,
Yes, all their princes like (J)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “Let us take for ourselves
The pastures of God for a possession.”
13 (K)O my God, make them like the whirling dust,
(L)Like the chaff before the wind!
14 As the fire burns the woods,
And as the flame (M)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them with Your tempest,
And frighten them with Your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame,
That they may seek Your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be [e]confounded and dismayed forever;
Yes, let them be put to shame and perish,
18 (N)That they may know that You, whose (O)name alone is the Lord,
Are (P)the Most High over all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 83:2 uproar
- Psalm 83:2 Exalted themselves
- Psalm 83:5 Lit. heart
- Psalm 83:5 Lit. cut a covenant
- Psalm 83:17 ashamed
Psalm 83
English Standard Version
O God, Do Not Keep Silence
A Song. A Psalm of (A)Asaph.
83 O God, do not keep silence;
(B)do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 For behold, your enemies (C)make an uproar;
those who hate you have (D)raised their heads.
3 They lay (E)crafty plans against your people;
they consult together against your (F)treasured ones.
4 They say, “Come, (G)let us wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
5 For they conspire with one accord;
against you they make a covenant—
6 the tents of (H)Edom and (I)the Ishmaelites,
(J)Moab and (K)the Hagrites,
7 (L)Gebal and (M)Ammon and (N)Amalek,
(O)Philistia with the inhabitants of (P)Tyre;
8 (Q)Asshur also has joined them;
they are the strong arm of (R)the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them as you did to (S)Midian,
as to (T)Sisera and Jabin at (U)the river Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at (V)En-dor,
who became (W)dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (X)Oreb and Zeeb,
all their princes like (Y)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, (Z)“Let us take possession for ourselves
of the pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like (AA)whirling dust,[a]
like (AB)chaff before the wind.
14 As (AC)fire consumes the forest,
as the flame (AD)sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so may you pursue them (AE)with your tempest
and terrify them with your hurricane!
16 (AF)Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O Lord.
17 Let them be (AG)put to shame and dismayed forever;
let them perish in disgrace,
18 that they may (AH)know that you alone,
(AI)whose name is the Lord,
are (AJ)the Most High over all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 83:13 Or like a tumbleweed
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.

