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A song. A Psalm of Asaph

A Plea for Judgment

83 God, do not rest!
    Don’t be silent!
        Don’t stay inactive, God!
See! Your enemies rage;
    those who hate you issue threats.[a]
They plot against[b] your people
    and conspire against your cherished ones.
They say, “Let us go and erase them as a nation
    so the name of Israel will not be remembered anymore.”

Indeed, they shrewdly planned together,
    forming an alliance against you—
the tents of Edom, the Ishmaelites,
    Moab, the Hagrites,
Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia,
    and the inhabitants of Tyre.
Even Assyria joined them
    to strengthen the descendants of Lot.
Interlude

Deal with them as you did to Midian,[c]
    Sisera, and Jabin at the Kishon Brook.[d]
10 They were destroyed at En-dor
    and became as dung on the ground.
11 Punish their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,[e]
    and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,[f]
12 who said, “Let us possess the pastures of God.”

13 God, set them up like dried thistles,
    like straw before the wind.
14 Like a fire burning a forest,
    and a flame setting mountains ablaze.
15 Pursue them with your storm and
    terrify them with your whirlwind.
16 Fill their faces with shame
    until they seek your name, God.
17 Let them be humiliated and terrified permanently
    until they die in shame.[g]
18 Then they will know that you alone—
    whose name is Lord
        are the Most High over all the earth.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 83:2 Lit. you lift their head
  2. Psalm 83:3 Lit. they make shrewd secret counsel
  3. Psalm 83:9 Cf. Judg 7:1-24
  4. Psalm 83:9 Cf. Judg 4:7, 15, 21-24
  5. Psalm 83:11 Cf. Judg 7:25
  6. Psalm 83:11 Cf. Judg 8:12, 21
  7. Psalm 83:17 Lit. they are abased and destroyed

83 Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.

For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head.

They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.

They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.

For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee:

The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes;

Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre;

Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.

Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

10 Which perished at Endor: they became as dung for the earth.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb: yea, all their princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna:

12 Who said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession.

13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.

14 As the fire burneth a wood, and as the flame setteth the mountains on fire;

15 So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm.

16 Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O Lord.

17 Let them be confounded and troubled for ever; yea, let them be put to shame, and perish:

18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth.