## Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 331

###### Sifrei Devarim 331:1
[Sifrei Devarim 331:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/331:1)

(דברים לב מא) **אִם שַׁנּוֹתִי בְּרַק חַרְבִּי**, כְּשֶׁפֻּרְעָנוּת יוֹצְאָה מִלְּפָנַי קַלָּה הִיא כַּבָּרָק, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן – **וְתֹאחֵז בְּמִשְׁפָּט יָדִי**.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
(Devarim 32:41) "When I whet the flash of My sword": When punishment goes forth from before Me, it is light as a flash — in spite of which "My hand takes hold of justice."


###### Sifrei Devarim 331:2
[Sifrei Devarim 331:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/331:2)

**אָשִׁיב נָקָם לְצָרָי** הֲרֵי אֶחָד, **וְלִמְשַׂנְאַי אֲשַׁלֵּם** הֲרֵי שְׁנַיִם.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
“I will *return* vengeance to My tormentors” (Dt.32:41)—
this is *one* [act of retribution].
“And will *repay* those who hate Me” (Dt.32:41)—
now, here’s a *second*!¹⁸⁶

footnotes:
¹⁸⁶ The text in smaller type is considered by F:381, n.1 to be an interpolation.


###### Sifrei Devarim 331:3
[Sifrei Devarim 331:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/331:3)

דָּבָר אַחֵר **אָשִׁיב נָקָם לְצָרָי** אֵלּוּ כּוּתִיִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (עזרא ד א): ״וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ צָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן״.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"I shall return vengeance to *My foes*": These are the Cutheans, of whom it is written (*Ezra* 4:1) "And *the foes* of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a sanctuary, etc."


###### Sifrei Devarim 331:4
[Sifrei Devarim 331:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sifrei%20Devarim/r/331:4)

**וְלִמְשַׂנְאַי אֲשַׁלֵּם**, אֵלּוּ הַמִּינִים. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהלים קלט כא): ״הֲלֹא מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ ה׳ אֶשְׂנָא וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ אֶתְקוֹטָט״.

**Sefaria Community Translation:**
"And I shall repay those who hate Me," viz. (Psalms 139:21-22) "Your haters, O L-rd, do I hate, and I strive with those who rise up against You. To the ends of hatred do I hate them; they have become my foes!"