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Psalm 83

Surrounded by Enemies

Heading
A song. A psalm by Asaph.

Opening Plea

God, do not keep silent.
Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, God.

A Catalog of Enemies

Look! Your enemies are in an uproar,
and those who hate you have raised their head.
Against your people they devise deceptive schemes,
and they plot together against the people you treasure.
They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation,
so the name of Israel will not be remembered anymore.”
Indeed, with one mind they plot together.
They form an alliance against you—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
Gebal[a] and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the inhabitants of Tyre.
Even Ashshur has joined with them. Interlude
They have become the arm of the sons of Lot.[b]

Prayer for Destruction of the Enemies

Do to them as you did to Midian,
as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the stream Kishon.
10 They perished at Endor.
They became like manure for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and like Zeeb,
all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take possession of God’s pastures for ourselves.”
13 My God, make them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire burns the forest,
or as a flame sets the mountains on fire,
15 so pursue them with your violent wind,
and terrify them with your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame
so that they will seek your name, O Lord.
17 May they be ashamed and terrified forever.
May they be disgraced and perish.
18 Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord,
you alone are the Most High over all the earth.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 83:7 Also called Byblos
  2. Psalm 83:8 The Moabites and Ammonites

A Request to Act against Israel’s Neighbors

A song. A psalm of Asaph.[a]

83 O God, do not rest silently.
Do not keep silent or be still, O God.
For look, your enemies roar,
and those who hate you have lifted their head.
They devise cunning schemes[b] against your people,
and consult together against your protected ones.[c]
They say, “Come, let us annihilate them from being a nation,
so that the name of Israel will be remembered no more.”
For they have consulted together with a unified purpose.[d]
They have made a covenant against you:
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
Moab and the Hagrites,
Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,
Philistia, with the inhabitants of Tyre.
Assyria also has joined with them.
They provide help[e] to the children of Lot. Selah
Do to them as you did with Midian,
as with Sisera, as with Jabin at the wadi of Kishon.
10 They were destroyed at En-dor;
they became dung for the ground.
11 Make their leaders like Oreb and Zeeb,
and all their chiefs like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take as our possession
the pastures of God.”
13 O my God, make them like the tumbleweed,
like the chaff before wind.
14 As fire burns a forest,
and as a flame sets afire mountains,
15 so pursue them with your tempest
and terrify them with your storm.
16 Fill their faces with shame,
that they may seek your name, O Yahweh.
17 Let them be ashamed and terrified forever,
and let them be humiliated and perish
18 that they may know that you,
whose name is Yahweh, you alone,
are the Most High over the whole earth.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 83:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 83:3 Hebrew “scheme”
  3. Psalm 83:3 Or “your treasured ones”
  4. Psalm 83:5 Literally “with a heart together”
  5. Psalm 83:8 Literally “they have become an arm for”