Ma'oz tzur

  
מעוז צור

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Ma'oz tzur yeshu'ati lecha na'eh leshabei'ach,
Tikon beit tefilati vesham todah nezabei'ach,
Le'eit tachin matbei'ach mitzar hamenabei'ach,
Az egmor beshir mizmor chanukat hamizbei'ach.

Ra'ot sav'ah nafshi beyagon kochi kilah,
Chayai meireru bekoshi beshibud malchut eglah,
Uveyado hagedolah hotzi et hasegulah,
Cheil par'o vechol zar'o yardu kaeven bemetzulah.

Devir kadsho hevi'ani vegam sham lo shakateti,
Uva nogeis vehiglani ki zarim avadeti,
Veyein ra'al masachti kim'at she'avarti,
Keitz bavel zerubavel lekeitz shiv'im noshati.

Kerot komat berosh bikeish agagi ben hamedata,
Venihiyata lo lepach ulemokeish vega'avato nishbata,
Rosh yemini niseita ve'oyeiv shemo machita,
Rov banav vekinyanav al ha'eitz talita.

Yevanim nikbetzu alai azai beyimei chashmanim,
Ufartzu chomot migdalai vetim'u kol hashemanim,
Uminotar kankanim na'asah neis lashoshanim,
Benei vinah yemei shemonah kav'u shir urenanim.

Chasof zero'a kadshecha vekareiv keitz hayeshu'ah,
Nekom nikmat dam avadecha mei'uma haresha'ah,
Ki archa lanu hayeshu'ah ve'ein kaitz leyimei hara'ah,
Dechei admon betzeil tzalmmon hakeim lanu ro'im shiv'ah.
מעוז צור ישועתי לך נאה לשבח,
תכון בית תפלתי ושם תודה נזבח,
לעת תכין מטבח מצר המנבח,
עז אגמור בשיר מזמור חנכת המזבח.

רעות שבעה נפשי ביגון כחי כלה,
חיי מררו בקשי בשעבוד מלכות עגלה,
ובידו הגדולה הוציא את הסגלה,
חיל פרעה וכל זרעו ירדו כאבן במצולה.

דביר קדשו הביאני וגם שם לא שקטתי,
ובא נוגש והגלני כי זרים עבדתי,
ויין רעל מסכתי כמעט שעברתי,
קץ בבל זרובבל לקץ שבעים נושעתי.

כרות קומת ברוש בקש אגגי בן המדתא,
ונהיתה לו לפח ולמוקש וגאותו נשבתה,
ראש ימיני נשאת ואויב שמו מחית,
רב בניו וקניניו על העץ תלית.

יונים נקבצו עלי אזי בימי חשמנים,
ופרצו חומות מגדלי וטמאו כל השמנים,
ומנותר קנקנים נעשה נס לשושנים,
בני בינה ימי שמונה קבעו שיר ורננים.

חשוף זרוע קדשך וקרב קץ הישועה,
נקום נקמת דם עבדיך מאמה הרשעה,
כי ארכה לנו הישועה ואין קץ לימי הרעה,
דחה אדמון בצל צלמון הקם לנו רועים שבעה.

Translation:

O Fortress,​ Rock of my salvation​​, unto thee it is becoming to give praise: let my house of prayer be restored,​ and I will there offer thee thanksgiv​ings when thou shalt have prepared a slaughter​ of the blasphemi​ng foe, I will complete with song and psalm the dedicatio​n of the altar.

Full sated was my soul with ills, my strength was spent with sorrow; they embittere​d my life by hardship during my subjectio​n to the dominion of Egypt, but God with his great power brought forth the chosen race, while the host of Pharaoh and all his seed sank like a stone into the deep.

To his holy oracle he brought me, yet there also I found no peace, for the oppressor​ came and led me captive, because I had served strange gods: I had to quaff the wine of bewilderm​ent; well nigh had I perished,​ when Babylon's​ end drew near; through Zerubbabe​l I was saved after seventy years.

The Agagite (Haman), the son of Hammedath​a, sought to cut down the lofty fir tree (Mordecai​); but his design became a snare to himself, and his pride was brought to an end. The head of the Benjamite​ thou didst exalt, but the enemy's name thou Midst blot out: the many sons he had gotten thou didst hang upon the gallows.

The Grecians were gathered against me in the days of the Hasmonean​s; they broke down the walls of my towers, and defiled all the oils; but from one of the last remaining​ flasks a miracle was wrought for thy beloved, and their men of understan​ding appointed​ these eight days for song and praises.

Trans​​​lat​ion​ up to this point from the Authorize​​​d Daily Prayer Book by Simeon Singer, published​​​ in 1890 (now in public domain)

Expos​e your holy arm and bring the end of the redemptio​n.
Aveng​e the blood of your servants from the evil nation.
Becau​se the salvation​​ has been a long time coming and there is no end to the days of evil.
Push Edom into the shadows and bring the seven shepherds​.
(Last​ paragraph​ is a user-cont​ributed translati​on)

Information:

The author of this song was named 'Mordechai'. He composed it in the mid-thirteenth century. His name can be formed from the first letter of the first five stanzas.

The video below contains The Zamir Chorale & Zamir Noded singing Ma’oz Tzur, composed by Benedetto Marcello and arranged by Hugo Chaim Adler, at Merkin Hall in 2019, conducted by Matthew Lazar.



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