Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

83 ⁽⁰⁾ A song. A psalm of Asaf:

^2 (1) God, don’t remain silent!
Don’t stay quiet, God, or still;
^3 (2) because here are your enemies, causing an uproar;
those who hate you are raising their heads,
^4 (3) craftily conspiring against your people,
consulting together against those you treasure.

^5 (4) They say, “Come, let’s wipe them out as a nation;
let the name of Isra’el be remembered no more!”
^6 (5) With one mind they plot their schemes;
the covenant they have made is against you —
^7 (6) the tents of Edom and the Yishma‘elim,
Mo’av and the Hagrim,
^8 (7) G’val, ‘Amon and ‘Amalek,
P’leshet with those living in Tzor; (Selah)
^9 (8) Ashur too is allied with them,
to reinforce the descendants of Lot.

^10 (9) Do to them as you did to Midyan,
to Sisra and Yavin at Vadi Kishon —
^11 (10) they were destroyed at ‘Ein-Dor
and became manure for the ground.
^12 (11) Make their leaders like ‘Orev and Ze’ev,
all their princes like Zevach and Tzalmuna,
^13 (12) who said, “Let’s take possession
of God’s meadows for ourselves.”

^14 (13) My God, make them like whirling dust,
like chaff driven by the wind.
^15 (14) Like fire burning up the forest,
like a flame that sets the mountains ablaze,
^16 (15) drive them away with your storm,
terrify them with your tempest.
^17 (16) Fill their faces with shame,
so that they will seek your name, Adonai.
^18 (17) Let them be ashamed and fearful forever;
yes, let them perish in disgrace.
^19 (18) Let them know that you alone,
whose name is Adonai,
are the Most High over all the earth.

⁶ “But because I, Adonai, do not change,
you sons of Ya‘akov will not be destroyed.
⁷ Since the days of your forefathers
you have turned from my laws and have not kept them.
Return to me, and I will return to you,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“But you ask, ‘In respect to what
are we supposed to return?’
⁸ Can a person rob God?
Yet you rob me.
But you ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’
In tenths and voluntary contributions.
⁹ A curse is on you, on your whole nation,
because you rob me.
¹⁰ Bring the whole tenth into the storehouse,
so that there will be food in my house,
and put me to the test,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
“See if I won’t open for you
the floodgates of heaven
and pour out for you a blessing
far beyond your needs.
¹¹ For your sakes I will forbid the devourer
to destroy the yield from your soil;
and your vine will not lose its fruit
before harvest-time,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.
¹² “All nations will call you happy,
for you will be a land of delights,”
says Adonai-Tzva’ot.