בליל רִאשון אומרים: Outside Israel, this poem is recited on the first night of the festival only.
וּבְכֵן וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. וּבְכֵן וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה AND so – IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
אָז רוֹב נִסִּים הִפְלֵאתָ בַּלַּיְלָה, בְּרֹאשׁ אַשְׁמוֹרֶת זֶה הַלַּיְלָה. Many were the miracles You performed long ago, at night.
גֵר צֶדֶק נִצַּחְתּוֹ כְּנֶחֶלַק לוֹ לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. At the beginning of the watch, on this night,
You won [Abraham]’s battle, when [his men were] split, and the night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
דַּנְתָּ מֶלֶךְ גְּרָר בַּחֲלוֹם הַלַּיְלָה, הִפְחַדְתָּ אֲרַמִּי בְּאֶמֶשׁ לַיְלָה. You judged the king of Gerar in his dream at night.
You put dread into [Laban] the Aramean’s heart that night.
וַיָּשַׂר יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַלְאָךְ וַיּוּכַל לוֹ לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. And Israel struggled with an angel and overcame him at night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
זֶרַע בְּכוֹרֵי פַתְרוֹס מָחַצְתָּ בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה, חֵילָם לֹא מָצְאוּ בְּקוּמָם בַּלַּיְלָה, טִיסַת נְגִיד חֲרֹשֶׁת סִלִּיתָ בְּכוֹכְבֵי לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. You crushed the firstborns of Patros [Egypt] in the middle of the night.
They could not find their strength, when they rose up
[against Israel] at night.
You flung [Sisera] the commander of Haroshet
off course with the stars of night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
יָעַץ מְחָרֵף לְנוֹפֵף אִוּוּי, הוֹבַשְׁתָּ פְגָרָיו בַּלַּיְלָה, כָּרַע בֵּל וּמַצָּבוֹ בְּאִישׁוֹן לַיְלָה, לְאִישׁ חֲמוּדוֹת נִגְלָה רָז חֲזוֹת לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. [Sennacherib] the blasphemer thought to raise his hand
against the beloved [city]; but You dried up the bodies
of his fallen in the night.
You overthrew Bel, idol and pedestal together, in the dead of night.
To [Daniel] the beloved man were revealed
the secrets of that vision of the night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
מִשְׁתַּכֵּר בִּכְלֵי קֹדֶשׁ נֶהֱרַג בּוֹ בַלַּיְלָה, נוֹשַׁע מִבּוֹר אֲרָיוֹת פּוֹתֵר בִּעֲתוּתֵי לַיְלָה, שִׂנְאָה נָטַר אֲגָגִי וְכָתַב סְפָרִים בַּלַּיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. [Belshazzar], who drank himself merry
from the holy vessels, was killed on that same night.
[Daniel] was brought out unharmed from the
lions’ den; he who had explained those terrors of the night.
[Haman] the Agagite bore his hatred and wrote his orders at night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
עוֹרַרְתָּ נִצְחֲךָ עָלָיו בְּנֶדֶד שְׁנַת לַיְלָה. פּוּרָה תִדְרוֹךְ לְשׁוֹמֵר מַה מִּלַיְלָה, צָרַח כַּשּׁוֹמֵר וְשָׂח אָתָא בֹקֶר וְגַם לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. You awakened Your might against him, disturbing
[King Ahashverosh’s] sleep at night.
You shall tread the winepress of [Se’ir],
who asks anxiously, “What of the night?”
You will cry out like the watchman, calling,
“Morning is come, and also night”
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
קָרֵב יוֹם אֲשֶׁר הוּא לֹא יוֹם וְלֹא לַיְלָה, רָם הוֹדַע כִּי לְךָ הַיּוֹם אַף לְךָ הַלַּיְלָה, שׁוֹמְרִים הַפְקֵד לְעִירְךָ כָּל הַיּוֹם וְכָל הַלַּיְלָה, תָּאִיר כְּאוֹר יוֹם חֶשְׁכַּת לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה. Draw near the day that will be neither day nor night.
Highest One, make known that day is Yours and also night.
Appoint watchmen [to guard] Your city all day long and all night,
Light up like daylight the darkness of night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.