Blessed is my Master day by day.⁵

footnotes: ⁵ Psalms 68:20.

He will load us with deliverance

and redemption,

and in His Name we shall exult all day,

and by His deliverance,

we will raise our head to the heights—

For He is the [source of] strength for the poor,

and a refuge for the needy.

The tribes of Yah

bear witness to [the purity of] Israel.⁶

footnotes: ⁶ See Rashi to Numbers 26:5. By associating His name Yud (י) Hey (ה) with the tribes of Israel, God testifies that His people had not been sexually defiled by the Egyptians.

In their distress He feels distress,⁷

footnotes: ⁷ See Mesechet Megillah 29a.

[as they were] burdened and enslaved.

By a sapphire brick,⁸

footnotes: ⁸ When God appeared to the prophets during the era of enslavement, they saw Him with a sapphire brick under his feet. This demonstrated His concern for their hard labor to produce bricks for the the Egyptians. This comforted them in their exile.—Etz Yosef

He showed them the might of [His] love;

And revealed Himself to lift them

from the depths of the pit and dungeon.

“For with Adonoy is kindliness,

and with Him, is abundant redemption.”⁹

footnotes: ⁹ Psalms 130:7.

How precious is His kindliness,

with His shadow to shield them!

Into exile in Babylon,

was He sent for their sake;¹⁰

footnotes: ¹⁰ See note 3.

when ships were sent down [to carry them away]

He included Himself among them;

and He made them [objects of] compassion

before their captors—

“For Adonoy will not forsake His people

for the sake of His great Name.”¹¹

footnotes: ¹¹ 1 Samuel 12:22.

In Elam¹² He placed His throne

footnotes: ¹² Persia.

to save His loved ones;¹³

footnotes: ¹³ God saved the Jews from the hands of Ahasuerus who became king of Persia after Cyrus and Darius defeated the Babylonians.

to remove from there

the strongholds of those

who rebelled against Him.

From beneath the sword¹⁴

footnotes: ¹⁴ This refers to Haman who sought to destroy the Jewish people by the sword.

He redeemed His servants.

The power of His people, He will exalt,¹⁵

footnotes: ¹⁵ After the miracle of Purim, the Jews became respected and feared.

praise for all His pious ones.

“For though He afflicts,

He is compassionate, according to His mercy

and His abundant kindliness.”¹⁶

footnotes: ¹⁶ Lamentations 3:32 combined with Isaiah 63:7.

The he-goat, [so] great was its might,¹⁷

footnotes: ¹⁷ This stanza refers to the Greek persecution, and the Jewish victory through the Hasmoneans.

that the (vision of the) four [horns]¹⁸

footnotes: ¹⁸ See Daniel 8:8.

ascended to His ennobled ones?¹⁹

footnotes: ¹⁹ Ibid.

In their hearts they intended

to destroy His cherished ones;

[but] through His priests²⁰

footnotes: ²⁰ This refers to the Hasmoneans, who were kohanim, descendants of Aaron.

He destroyed those who rose against Him.

“The kindlinesses of Adonoy

have never ended,

for His mercies are inexhaustible.”²¹

footnotes: ²¹ Lamentations 3:23.

I was handed over to Edom—²²

footnotes: ²² Edomites are descendants of Esau, brother of Jacob.

into the hands of my quarrelsome brothers²³

footnotes: ²³ Esau quarreled with Jacob over the birthright, and the blessings of their father, Isaac.

who daily

filled their bellies from my wealth.²⁴

footnotes: ²⁴ The Romans grew rich from the taxes they levied on the Jews.

His help is with me

to support my pillars;

and You have not abandoned me

all the days of my times.²⁵

footnotes: ²⁵ See Daniel 7:25. This is a reference to the times of our exile

“For my Master will not cast [me] away forever.”²⁶

footnotes: ²⁶ Lamentations 3:31.

When He comes from Edom

with bloodied clothes

having slain in Botzrah²⁷

footnotes: ²⁷ See Isaiah 63:1. The prophet sees God in an allegorical sense as a Bloodied Warrior Who takes revenge on the imprisoner, torturer, and murderer of the Jewish People, as part of the final redemption.

and executed traitors—

the splashing of their lifeblood

having reddened His garments.

With His great power,

He will diminish

the [haughty] spirit of princes—

“Afflicting them with His harsh wind

on the day of the East Wind.”²⁸

footnotes: ²⁸ Isaiah 27:8.

On seeing that it is so,

Edom's guardian angel

will think that Botzrah

is a refuge like Betzer.²⁹

footnotes: ²⁹ Betzer was one of the cities of refuge prescribed by the Torah.

That an angel,

like a man, is protected within it,

and that the premeditated [killer]

like the unpremeditated [killer]

is held in the refuge.³⁰

footnotes: ³⁰ The Talmud (Makos 12a) says that the guardian angel of Esau will make three mistakes in fleeing to Botzrah. All three are enumerated in this stanza.

“Love Adonoy, all His pious ones,

the faithful ones whom He preserves.”³¹

footnotes: ³¹ Psalms 31:24.

May the Rock³² command His kindliness

footnotes: ³² God is often referred to as the Rock of Israel, indicating that He is the sole source of strength for the Jewish people.

His communities to gather;

from the four winds

unto Him to be gathered.

And upon the mountain³³

footnotes: ³³ Mt. Moriah.

exalted above all mountains

to grant us rest;

and with us, He will return;

the banished ones He will gather.

“He will bring back,” is not said³⁴

footnotes: ³⁴ See note 00 above.

but “He will return and gather.”³⁵

footnotes: ³⁵ Deuteronomy 30:3.

Blessed is our God

Who has done good with us;

according to His mercy,

and abundant kindliness,

He did great things for us.

These things and similar ones

may He increase for us,

to magnify His great Name,

powerful, and awesome

which is pronounced upon us.

Blessed is He, our God

Who created us for His glory³⁶

footnotes: ³⁶ Isaiah 43:7.

to extol Him, to praise Him;

and to recount His majesty.

Of all peoples,

His kindliness has been powerful over us.

Therefore, with [our] whole heart,

and with [our] whole soul,

and with all [our] possessions,

we proclaim Him King, and declare His Unity.

May the Possessor of peace

grant us blessing and peace,

—from left (north) and from right (south)

peace upon Israel.

The merciful One,

He will bless His people with peace,

and they will merit to see

children and grandchildren

occupying themselves with Torah

and with commandments,

[bringing] peace upon Israel.

Advisor, Almighty, Powerful One,

Eternal Father, Prince of peace.³⁷

footnotes: ³⁷ Isaiah 9:5.