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!
For behold, your enemies (C)make an uproar;
    those who hate you have (D)raised their heads.
They lay (E)crafty plans against your people;
    they consult together against your (F)treasured ones.
They say, “Come, (G)let us wipe them out as a nation;
    let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
For they conspire with one accord;
    against you they make a covenant—
the tents of (H)Edom and (I)the Ishmaelites,
    (J)Moab and (K)the Hagrites,
(L)Gebal and (M)Ammon and (N)Amalek,
    (O)Philistia with the inhabitants of (P)Tyre;
(Q)Asshur also has joined them;
    they are the strong arm of (R)the children of Lot. Selah

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

  1. Psalm 83:13 Or like a tumbleweed

Psalm 83

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

83 God, don’t be silent!
    Don’t be quiet or sit still, God,
    because—look!—your enemies are growling;
    those who hate you are acting arrogantly.
They concoct crafty plans against your own people;
    they plot against the people you favor.
“Come on,” they say, “let’s wipe them out as a nation!
    Let the name Israel be remembered no more!”
They plot with a single-minded heart;
    they make a covenant against you.
They are the clans of Edom and the Ishmaelites,
    Moab and the Hagrites,
    Gebal, Ammon, Amalek,
    Philistia along with the citizens of Tyre.
Assyria too has joined them—
    they are the strong arm for Lot’s children. Selah

Do to them what you did to Midian,
    to Sisera, and to Jabin at the Kishon River.
10 They were destroyed at Endor;
    they became fertilizer for the ground.
11 Make their officials like Oreb and Zeeb,
    all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna—
12     those who said, “Let’s take God’s pastures for ourselves.”
13 My God, make them like tumbleweeds,
    like chaff blown by wind.
14 Just like a fire consumes a forest,
    just like flames set mountains ablaze,
15         pursue them with your storm,
        terrify them with your hurricane.
16 Cover their faces with shame, Lord, so that they might seek your name.
17 Let them be shamed and terrified forever.
    Let them die in disgrace.
18     Let them know that you—
        your name is the Lord!—
    you alone are Most High over all the earth.