Psalm 83–84

A Prayer for the Defeat of Israel’s Enemies^b

83 O God,

do not keep silent; do not be still, do not be quiet!

²Look! Your enemies are in revolt,

and those who hate you are rebelling.

³They are making secret plans against your people;

they are plotting against those you protect.

⁴“Come,” they say, “let us destroy their nation,

so that Israel will be forgotten for ever.”

⁵They agree on their plan

and form an alliance against you:

⁶the people of Edom and the Ishmaelites;

the people of Moab and the Hagrites;

⁷the people of Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek,

and of Philistia and Tyre.

⁸Assyria has also joined them

as a strong ally of the Ammonites and Moabites, the descendants of Lot.

^9*Do to them what you did to the Midianites,

and to Sisera and Jabin at the River Kishon.

¹⁰You defeated them at Endor,

and their bodies rotted on the ground.

^11*Do to their leaders what you did to Oreb and Zeeb;

defeat all their rulers as you did Zebah and Zalmunna,

¹²who said, “We will take for our own

the land that belongs to God.”

¹³Scatter them like dust, O God,

like straw blown away by the wind.

¹⁴As fire burns the forest,

as flames set the hills on fire,

¹⁵chase them away with your storm

and terrify them with your fierce winds.

¹⁶Cover their faces with shame, O Lord,

and make them acknowledge your power.

¹⁷May they be defeated and terrified for ever;

may they die in complete disgrace.

¹⁸May they know that you alone are the Lord,

supreme ruler over all the earth.

Longing for God’s House^c

84 How I love your Temple, Lord Almighty!

²How I want to be there!

I long to be in the Lord’s Temple.

With my whole being I sing for joy

to the living God.

³Even the sparrows have built a nest,

and the swallows have their own home;

they keep their young near your altars,

⁴How happy are those who live in your Temple, always singing praise to you.

⁵How happy are those whose strength comes from you,

who are eager to make the pilgrimage to Mount Zion.

⁶As they pass through the dry valley of Baca,

it becomes a place of springs;

the autumn rain fills it with pools.

⁷They grow stronger as they go;

they will see the God of gods on Zion.

⁸Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty.

Listen, O God of Jacob!

⁹Bless our king, O God,

the king you have chosen.

¹⁰One day spent in your Temple

is better than a thousand anywhere else;

I would rather stand at the gate of the house of my God

than live in the homes of the wicked.

¹¹The Lord is our protector and glorious king,

blessing us with kindness and honour.

He does not refuse any good thing

to those who do what is right.

¹²Lord Almighty, how happy are those who trust in you!