Psalms 83

1 A song. A Psalm by Asaph. God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God.

God, do not continue to be silent! Do not be quiet and say nothing,

2 For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads.

because your enemies are rioting against you; those who hate you are rebelling against you!

3 They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones.

They are secretly planning to do things to harm [us], your people; they are (conspiring together against/planning how to defeat) the people whom you protect.

4 “Come,” they say, “let’s destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.”

They say, “Come, we must destroy their nation, with the result that no one will remember that Israel ever existed!”

5 For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you.

They have agreed on [what they want to do to destroy Israel], and they have formed an alliance against you.

6 The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites;

[The people who have done that are] the people of Edom [region], the descendants of Ishmael [who live on the east side of the Jordan River], the Moab [people-group], the descendants of Hagar [who also live on the east side of the Jordan River],

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

Gebal [people-group], the Ammon [people-group], the Amalek [people-group], the Philistia [people-group], and the people of Tyre [city].

8 Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. (Selah)

[The people of] have joined them; they are strong allies of the [Moab and Ammon people-groups, who are] descendants of [Abraham’s nephew] Lot.

9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon;

[God], do to those people things like you did to the Midian [people-group], like [you did] to Sisera and Jabin at Kishon River.

10 who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth.

You destroyed them at Endor [town], and their corpses [lay on] the ground and decayed.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

Do to them things like you did to [Kings] Oreb and Zeeb; defeat their leaders like you defeated Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, “Let’s take possession of God’s pasture lands.”

who said, “We will take for ourselves the land that [the Israelis say] belongs to God!”

13 My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind.

My God, cause them [to disappear quickly] like whirling dust, like chaff that the wind blows away!

14 As the fire that burns the forest, as the flame that sets the mountains on fire,

Like a fire completely burns a forest and like flames burn in the mountains,

15 so pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with your storm.

expel them by sending storms; cause them to be terrified by your big storms/hurricanes!

16 Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, Yahweh.

Cause them [SYN] to be very ashamed in order that they will admit that you are very powerful.

17 Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish;

Cause them to be forever disgraced [because of being defeated], and cause them to die while they are still disgraced.

18 that they may know that you alone, whose name is Yahweh, are the Most High over all the earth.

Cause them to know that you, whose name is Yahweh, are the supreme ruler over everything on the earth.