Ma’oz Tzur

1. Ma'oz tsur yeshu'ati
lecha na'eh leshabeakh.
Tikon beit tefilati
vesham todah nezaveakh.
Le'et tachin matbeakh
mitsar hamnabeakh,
'az 'egmor beshir mizmor
khanukat hamizbeakh.

1. Rock of ages, let our song
Praise Your saving power;
You, amid the raging foes,
Were our sheltering tower.
Furious they assailed us,
But Your arm availed us,
And Your word, Broke their sword,
When our own strength failed us.


Ma'oz Tzur is a Jewish liturgical poem or piyyut. It is written in Hebrew, and is usually sung during Hanukkah, after lighting the festival lights. This song is thought to have been written in the 13th century.