מָעוֹז צוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי לְךָ נָאֶה לְשַׁבֵּחַ.
תִּכּוֹן בֵּית תְּפִלָּתִי וְשָׁם תּוֹדָה נְזַבֵּחַ.
לְעֵת תָּכִין מַטְבֵּחַ מִצָּר הַמְנַבֵּחַ.
אָז אֶגְמוֹר בְּשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ.
Ma'oz tzur yeshuati, lekha na'eh l'shabeach
Tikon beit tefilati, v'sham todah n'zabeach
L'eit takhin matbeach, mitzar hamnabeach
Az egmor b'shir mizmor, hanukat hamizbeach
רָעוֹת שָׂבְעָה נַפְשִׁי בְּיָגוֹן כֹּחִי כִּלָה.
חַיַּי מָרְרוּ בְּקוֹשִׁי בְּשִׁעְבּוּד מַלְכוּת עֶגְלָה.
וּבְיָדוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה הוֹצִיא אֶת הַסְּגֻלָּה.
חֵיל פַּרְעֹה וְכָל זַרְעוֹ יָרְדוּ כְאֶבֶן בִּמְצוּלָה.
Ra'ot sava nafshi b'yagon kochi kilah
Hayai mar'ru b'koshi b'shibud malkhut eglah
U'v'yado ha'gedolah hotzi et ha'segulah
Chel paro v'khol zaro yardu kh'even bimtzula
דְּבִיר קָדְשׁוֹ הֱבִיאַנִי וְגַם שָׁם לֹא שָׁקַטְתִּי.
וּבָא נוֹגֵשׂ וְהִגְלַנִי. כִּי זָרִים עָבַדְתִּי.
וְיֵין רַעַל מָסַכְתִּי כִּמְעַט שֶׁעָבַרְתִּי.
קֵץ בָּבֶל, זְרֻבָּבֶל, לְקֵץ שִׁבְעִים נוֹשָׁעְתִּי.
Dvir kadsho heviani v'gam sham la shakat'ti
U'va nogesh v'higlani, ki zarim avad'ti
V'yein ra'al masakhti, kimat she'avarti
Keitz Bavel, Zerubavel, l'keitz shivi'im nosa'ati
כְּרוֹת קוֹמַת בְּרוֹשׁ, בִּקֵּשׁ אֲגָגִי בֶּן הַמְּדָתָא.
וְנִהְיָתָה לוֹ לְפַח וּלְמוֹקֵשׁ וְגַאֲוָתוֹ נִשְׁבָּתָה.
רֹאשׁ יְמִינִי נִשֵּׂאתָ וְאוֹיֵב שְׁמוֹ מָחִיתָ.
רֹב בָּנָיו וְקִנְיָנָיו עַל הָעֵץ תָּלִיתָ.
Karot komat b'rosh, bikesh Agagi ben Hamdata
V'niyatah lo l'pach ul'mokesh, v'gavato nishbatah
Rosh yemini niseita, v'oyev shmo m'chita
Rov banav, v'kinyanav, al ha'etz talita
יְוָנִים נִקְבְּצוּ עָלַי אֲזַי בִּימֵי חַשְׁמַנִּים.
וּפָרְצוּ חוֹמוֹת מִגְדָּלַי וְטִמְּאוּ כָּל הַשְּׁמָנִים.
וּמִנּוֹתַר קַנְקַנִּים נַעֲשָׂה נֵס לַשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים.
בְּנֵי בִינָה יְמֵי שְׁמוֹנָה קָבְעוּ שִׁיר וּרְנָנִים.
Yavanim kibetzu alai, azai bimei Hashmanim
U'fartzu chomot migdalai, v'timu kol ha'shmanim
U'minotar kankanim, na'aseh nes lashoshanim
B'nei binah, yemei shmonah, kavu shir u'rnanim
חֲשׂוֹף זְרוֹעַ קָדְשֶׁךָ וְקָרֵב קֵץ הַיְשׁוּעָה.
נְקֹם נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדֶיךָ מֵאֻמָּה הָרְשָׁעָה.
כִּי אָרְכָה לָנוּ הַשָּׁעָה וְאֵין קֵץ לִימֵי הָרָעָה.
דְּחֵה אַדְמוֹן בְּצֵל צַלְמוֹן, הָקֵם לָנוּ רוֹעֶה שִׁבְעָה.
Chasof z'roa kodshekha, v'kareiv keitz ha'yeshuah
N'kom nikmat dam avadekha, me'umah har'sha'ah
Ki arkha lanu ha'shaah' v'ein keitz l'ra'ah
D'he Admon, b;'tzel tzalmon, v'hakeim lanu ro'eh shivah
My Stronghold, the Rock of my salvation, to You one must give praise:
Let my house of prayer be restored, and I will bring an offering of thanks.
When You ready the slaughter of the blaspheming oppressor,
Then I will complete with song and poetry the dedication of the altar.
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My soul was filled with torments, my strength was spent with sorrow;
They embittered my life with toil during the enlavement to the Kingdom of the Heifer (see Jeremiah 46:20, "Egypt is a handsome heifer").
But God, with a mighty hand, took out the treasured nation.
And the army of Pharaoh and all his seed sank like a stone into the deep.
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God brought me to God's holy shrine, but even there I found no quiet,
For the oppressor came and exiled me, for I had served strange gods:
I drank the poisoned wine and almost passed away,
As Babylon's end drew near, Zerubbabel came, and after seventy years I was saved.
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The Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, sought to cut down the lofty cypress. (Mordecai - see Talmud, Megillah, 10b.);
But his design became a snare to himself, and his pride was put to rest.
You raised head of the Benjamite,
You erased the name of the enemy.
All of his sons and all of his stuff
You hung upon the gallows.
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The Greeks gathered against me
back in the days of the Hasmoneans;
They broke through the walls of my towers, and defiled all the oils;
But from the last of the remaining flasks a miracle was wrought for your lovely lilies. (Likened to a lily in Song of Solomon 2:2.,
And so the wise ones set these eight days for song and for praise.
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Bare Your holy arm and hasten the final salvation –
Avenge the vengeance of Your servants’ blood from the wicked nation.
For the hour has grown so long, and there is no end to the days of evil,
Push Admon (the Red One) into the darkest shadows, and establish for us the seven shepherds.
(see Micah 5:4 "We shall raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men")
רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ פָּתַר קְרָיָא בַּגָּלֻיּוֹת,
וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ, זֶה גָּלוּת בָּבֶל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה ד, כט): רָאִיתִי אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה תֹהוּ.
וָבֹהוּ, זֶה גָּלוּת מָדַי (אסתר ו, יד): וַיַּבְהִלוּ לְהָבִיא אֶת הָמָן.
וְחשֶׁךְ, זֶה גָּלוּת יָוָן, שֶׁהֶחֱשִׁיכָה עֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּגְזֵרוֹתֵיהֶן, שֶׁהָיְתָה אוֹמֶרֶת לָהֶם, כִּתְבוּ עַל קֶרֶן הַשּׁוֹר שֶׁאֵין לָכֶם חֵלֶק בֵּאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.
עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם, זֶה גָּלוּת מַמְלֶכֶת הָרְשָׁעָה, שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵקֶר כְּמוֹ הַתְּהוֹם, מַה הַתְּהוֹם הַזֶּה אֵין לוֹ חֵקֶר, אַף הָרְשָׁעִים כֵּן.
וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת, זֶה רוּחוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ, הֵיאַךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (ישעיה יא, ב): וְנָחָה עָלָיו רוּחַ ה',
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish interpreted these verses with the kingships of exile.
the earth was chaos - this is the Exile of Babylon. As it says (in Jeremiah 4:29), "I saw the earth, and behold, it was chaos."
and void - this is This is the Exile of Persia. As it says (in Esther 6:14), "and in bewilderment, they brought Haman..."
and darkness - this is the Exile of Greece, who darkened the eyes of Israel with their decrees, and would order them to write on the horns of their oxen that they claimed no allegiance to the God of Israel.
on the face of the deep - this the wicked Kingdom, whose power cannot be measured, just as the great deep cannot be plumbed.
and the spirit of God hovered - this is the spirit of the Messianic King. As it says (in Isaiah 11:2), "And the spirit of God rested upon him..."
(לו) דְּנָ֣ה חֶלְמָ֔א וּפִשְׁרֵ֖הּ נֵאמַ֥ר קֳדָם־מַלְכָּֽא׃ (לז) אַ֣נְתְּה מַלְכָּ֔א מֶ֖לֶךְ מַלְכַיָּ֑א דִּ֚י אֱלָ֣הּ שְׁמַיָּ֔א מַלְכוּתָ֥א חִסְנָ֛א וְתָקְפָּ֥א וִֽיקָרָ֖א יְהַב־לָֽךְ׃ (לח) וּבְכָל־דִּ֣י דארין [דָֽיְרִ֣ין] בְּֽנֵי־אֲ֠נָשָׁא חֵיוַ֨ת בָּרָ֤א וְעוֹף־שְׁמַיָּא֙ יְהַ֣ב בִּידָ֔ךְ וְהַשְׁלְטָ֖ךְ בְּכָלְּה֑וֹן אַנְתְּה־ה֔וּא רֵאשָׁ֖ה דִּ֥י דַהֲבָֽא׃ (לט) וּבָתְרָ֗ךְ תְּק֛וּם מַלְכ֥וּ אָחֳרִ֖י אֲרַ֣עא מִנָּ֑ךְ וּמַלְכ֨וּ תליתיא [תְלִיתָאָ֤ה] אָחֳרִי֙ דִּ֣י נְחָשָׁ֔א דִּ֥י תִשְׁלַ֖ט בְּכָל־אַרְעָֽא׃ (מ) וּמַלְכוּ֙ רביעיה [רְבִ֣יעָאָ֔ה] תֶּהֱוֵ֥א תַקִּיפָ֖ה כְּפַרְזְלָ֑א כָּל־קֳבֵ֗ל דִּ֤י פַרְזְלָא֙ מְהַדֵּ֤ק וְחָשֵׁל֙ כֹּ֔לָּא וּֽכְפַרְזְלָ֛א דִּֽי־מְרָעַ֥ע כָּל־אִלֵּ֖ין תַּדִּ֥ק וְתֵרֹֽעַ׃..
(מד) וּֽבְיוֹמֵיה֞וֹן דִּ֧י מַלְכַיָּ֣א אִנּ֗וּן יְקִים֩ אֱלָ֨הּ שְׁמַיָּ֤א מַלְכוּ֙ דִּ֤י לְעָלְמִין֙ לָ֣א תִתְחַבַּ֔ל וּמַ֨לְכוּתָ֔ה לְעַ֥ם אָחֳרָ֖ן לָ֣א תִשְׁתְּבִ֑ק תַּדִּ֤ק וְתָסֵיף֙ כָּל־אִלֵּ֣ין מַלְכְוָתָ֔א וְהִ֖יא תְּק֥וּם לְעָלְמַיָּֽא׃
(36) “Such was the dream, and we will now tell the king its meaning. (37) You, O king—king of kings, to whom the God of Heaven has given kingdom, power, might, and glory; (38) into whose hands God has given men, wild beasts, and the fowl of heaven, wherever they may dwell; and to whom God has given dominion over them all—you are the head of gold. (39) But another kingdom will arise after you, inferior to yours; then yet a third kingdom, of bronze, which will rule over the whole earth. (40) But the fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron; just as iron crushes and shatters everything—and like iron that smashes—so will it crush and smash all these...
(44) And in the time of those kings, the God of Heaven will establish a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, a kingdom that shall not be transferred to another people. It will crush and wipe out all these kingdoms, but shall itself last forever—