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14 [a]O my God, treat them like tumbleweed,
    like chaff blown before the wind.
15 As a fire rages through a forest,
    as a flame sets mountains ablaze,
16 so hound them with your tempests
    and terrify them with your stormwinds.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 83:14 The psalmist likens the fate of the enemies to that of tumbleweed and chaff carried away by the wind and a forest or mountains destroyed by fire (common figures of destruction at the hand of the Lord: see Pss 1:4; 35:5; Isa 5:24; 10:17; 17:13; 29:5; Jer 13:24).
  2. Psalm 83:16 Tempests . . . stormwinds: for God in the thunderstorm, see Pss 18:8-16; 68:34; 77:18f; Ex 15:7-10; Jos 10:11; Jdg 5:4, 20f; 1 Sam 2:10; 7:10; Isa 29:5f; 33:3. See also note on Ps 68:5.

14 As fire consumes the forest
    or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,(A)
15 so pursue them with your tempest(B)
    and terrify them with your storm.(C)
16 Cover their faces with shame,(D) Lord,
    so that they will seek your name.

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