TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 83

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1A song, a psalm of Asaf.

אשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף׃

2O Hashem, do not be silent; do not hold aloof; do not be quiet, O Hashem!

באֱלֹהִים אַל־דֳּמִי־לָךְ אַל־תֶּחֱרַשׁ וְאַל־תִּשְׁקֹט אֵל׃

3For Your enemies rage, Your foes assert themselves.

גכִּי־הִנֵּה אוֹיְבֶיךָ יֶהֱמָיוּן וּמְשַׂנְאֶיךָ נָשְׂאוּ רֹאשׁ׃

4They plot craftily against Your people, take counsel against Your treasured ones.

דעַל־עַמְּךָ יַעֲרִימוּ סוֹד וְיִתְיָעֲצוּ עַל־צְפוּנֶיךָ׃

5They say, “Let us wipe them out as a nation; Yisrael's name will be mentioned no more.”

האָמְרוּ לְכוּ וְנַכְחִידֵם מִגּוֹי וְלֹא־יִזָּכֵר שֵׁם־יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹד׃

6Unanimous in their counsel they have made an alliance against You—

וכִּי נוֹעֲצוּ לֵב יַחְדָּו עָלֶיךָ בְּרִית יִכְרֹתוּ׃

7the clans of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,

זאָהֳלֵי אֱדוֹם וְיִשְׁמְעֵאלִים מוֹאָב וְהַגְרִים׃

8Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;

חגְּבָל וְעַמּוֹן וַעֲמָלֵק פְּלֶשֶׁת עִם־יֹשְׁבֵי צוֹר׃

9Assyria too joins forces with them; they give support to the sons of Lot. Selah.

טגַּם־אַשּׁוּר נִלְוָה עִמָּם הָיוּ זְרוֹעַ לִבְנֵי־לוֹט סֶלָה׃

10Deal with them as You did with Midian, with Sisera, with Jabin, at the brook Kishon—

יעֲשֵׂה־לָהֶם כְּמִדְיָן כְּסִיסְרָא כְיָבִין בְּנַחַל קִישׁוֹן׃

11who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the field.

יאנִשְׁמְדוּ בְעֵין־דֹּאר הָיוּ דֹּמֶן לָאֲדָמָה׃

12Treat their great men like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

shee-TAY-mo n'-dee-VAY-mo k'-o-RAYV v'-khiz-AYV ukh-ZE-vakh ukh-tzal-mu-NA kol n'-see-KHAY-mo

יבשִׁיתֵמוֹ נְדִיבֵמוֹ כְּעֹרֵב וְכִזְאֵב וּכְזֶבַח וּכְצַלְמֻנָּע כָּל־נְסִיכֵמוֹ׃

83:12   Treat their great men like Oreb and Zeeb

The psalm lists eleven enemies of Israel who, throughout history, have sought to destroy the Nation of Israel. Asaf seeks Hashem’s vengeance, and asks that He come down in a grand display of omnipotence to smite all of Israel’s enemies. He invokes the incidents recorded in Sefer Shoftim, when the Lord helped the judges destroy all the arrogant leaders of their adversaries. Oreb and Zeeb were two princes of Midian who were killed by Gidon during the defeat of the Midianites recorded in Sefer Shoftim (7:25), while Zebah and Zalmunna were two kings of Midian killed during this war as well (8:10-12).

13who said, “Let us take the meadows of Hashem as our possession.”

יגאֲשֶׁר אָמְרוּ נִירֲשָׁה לָּנוּ אֵת נְאוֹת אֱלֹהִים׃

14O my God, make them like thistledown, like stubble driven by the wind.

ידאֱ‍לֹהַי שִׁיתֵמוֹ כַגַּלְגַּל כְּקַשׁ לִפְנֵי־רוּחַ׃

15As a fire burns a forest, as flames scorch the hills,

טוכְּאֵשׁ תִּבְעַר־יָעַר וּכְלֶהָבָה תְּלַהֵט הָרִים׃

16pursue them with Your tempest, terrify them with Your storm.

טזכֵּן תִּרְדְּפֵם בְּסַעֲרֶךָ וּבְסוּפָתְךָ תְבַהֲלֵם׃

17Cover their faces with shame so that they seek Your name, Hashem.

יזמַלֵּא פְנֵיהֶם קָלוֹן וִיבַקְשׁוּ שִׁמְךָ יְהֹוָה׃

18May they be frustrated and terrified, disgraced and doomed forever.

יחיֵבֹשׁוּ וְיִבָּהֲלוּ עֲדֵי־עַד וְיַחְפְּרוּ וְיֹאבֵדוּ׃

19May they know that Your name, Yours alone, is Hashem, supreme over all the earth.

יטוְיֵדְעוּ כִּי־אַתָּה שִׁמְךָ יְהֹוָה לְבַדֶּךָ עֶלְיוֹן עַל־כָּל־הָאָרֶץ׃