| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
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עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ לַאֲדוֹן הַכֹּל
לָתֵת גְּדֻלָּה לְיוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית, |
It is our duty to praise the Lord of all, to ascribe greatness unto Him Who formed the world in the beginning. |
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שֶׁבָחַר־בָּנוּ לְיַחֵד אֶת־שְׁמוֹ
וְקֵרְבָנוּ לַעֲבוֹדָתוֹ. |
For He hath chosen us to proclaim the Unity of His Name, and He hath brought us near unto His service. |
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וַאֲנַחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים
וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים וּמוֹדִים לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. |
That is why we bend the knee and offer worship and thanks before the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, praised be He. |
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שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם וְיוֹסֵד אָרֶץ
וּמוֹשַׁב יְקָרוֹ בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וּשְׁכִינַת עֻזּוֹ בְּגָבְהֵי מְרוֹמִים׃ הוּא אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֵין עוֹד. אֱמֶת מַלְכֵּנוּ, אֶפֶס זוּלָתוֹ. כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתוֹ. וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ אֶל־לְבָבֶךָ, כִּי יְיָ הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְעַל־הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת אֵין עוֹד: |
We recognize in all nature His creative work; and we know that He alone is God. There is none else. The truths and the insights which God hath vouchsafed unto Israel will, one day, become the possession of all the children of man. |
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עַל־כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לְּךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ
לִרְאוֹת מְהֵרָה בְּתִפְאֶרֶת עֻזֶּךָ, לְהַעֲבִיר גִּלּוּלִים מִן־הָאָרֶץ וְהָאֱלִילִים כָּרוֹת יִכָּרֵתוּן, לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי וְכָל־בְּנֵי בָשָֹר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁמֶךָ, לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶיךָ כָּל־רִשְׁעֵי אָרֶץ׃ |
We hope for the speedy coming of that day, for the abolition of idolatry, for the cessation of evil, and for the perfection of the world under the Kingdom of the Almighty. |
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יַכִּירוּ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל־יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל
כִּי לְךָ תִּכְרַע כָּל־בֶּרֶךְ תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל־לָשׁוֹן׃ לְפָנֶיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ יִכְרְעוּ וְיִפּוֹלוּ וְלִכְבוֹד שִׁמְךָ יְקָר יִתֵּנוּ. וִיקַבְּלוּ כֻלָּם עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת עוֹל מַלְכוּתֶךָ, וְתִמְלךְ עֲלֵיהֶם מְהֵרָה לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃ |
Then all the inhabitants of the world will perceive and know, O God, that unto Thee every knee must bend, every tongue must swear fealty. Before Thee, O Lord, our God, they will bow and prostrate themselves. Unto Thy glorious Name they will give honor. They will accept the yoke of Thy Kingdom, Yea, Thou wilt reign over them speedily, and for ever and ever. |
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כִּי הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁלְּךָ הִיא
וּלְעוֹלְמֵי עַד תִּמְלוֹךְ בְּכָבוֹד, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ: יְיָ יִמְלֹךְ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד׃ וְנֶאֱמַר: וְהָיָה יְיָ לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ, בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְיָ אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד: |
For the Kingdom is Thine;
and unto all eternity Thou wilt reign in glory, as it is said: The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. And the Lord shall be King over all the earth; on that day shall the Lord be One, and His Name One. |
This is the scholar Dr. Jakob Petuchowski’s translation of Alenu from his Shabbat Minḥah prayer-pamphlet (1966), p.15r-16r. The end of “She’hu noteh shamayim” and the beginning of “Al Ken” contain a revisionist (or “redemptive”) paraliturgical translation. I have set his translation side-by-side with the Hebrew with linear phrasing. –Aharon Varady
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