Psalm 68–70

Psalm 68

GOD’S MAJESTIC POWER

For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.

¹God arises. His enemies scatter,

and those who hate him flee from his presence.^t

²As smoke is blown away,

so you blow them away.

As wax melts before the fire,

so the wicked are destroyed before God.^u

³But the righteous are glad;

they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy.^v

⁴Sing to God! Sing praises to his name.

Exalt him who rides on the clouds^A—

his name is the Lord^B—and celebrate before him.^w

⁵God in his holy dwelling is

a father of the fatherless

and a champion of widows.^x

⁶God provides homes for those who are deserted.

He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,^C

but the rebellious live in a scorched land.^y

⁷God, when you went out before your people,

when you marched through the desert,

Selah

⁸the earth trembled and the skies poured rain

before God, the God of Sinai,^D

before God, the God of Israel.^z

⁹You, God, showered abundant rain;

you revived your inheritance when it languished.^aa

¹⁰Your people settled in it;

God, you provided for the poor by your goodness.^a

¹¹The Lord gave the command;

a great company of women brought the good news:^b

¹²“The kings of the armies flee—they flee!”

She who stays at home divides the spoil.^c

¹³While^E you lie among the sheep pens,^F

the wings of a dove are covered with silver,

and its feathers with glistening gold.^d

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered kings in the land,

it snowed on Zalmon.^Ae

¹⁵Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain;

Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.^f

¹⁶Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,

at the mountain God desired for his abode?

The Lord will dwell there forever!^g

¹⁷God’s chariots are tens of thousands,

thousands and thousands;^h

the Lord is among them in the sanctuary

as he was at Sinai.ⁱ

¹⁸You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;

you received gifts from^C people,

even from the rebellious,

so that the Lord God might dwell there.^Dj

¹⁹Blessed be the Lord!

Day after day he bears our burdens;

God is our salvation.^k

Selah

²⁰Our God is a God of salvation,

and escape from death belongs to the Lord my Lord.^l

²¹Surely God crushes the heads of his enemies,

the hairy brow of one who goes on in his guilty acts.^m

²²The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan;

I will bring them back from the depths of the seaⁿ

²³so that your foot may wade^E in blood

and your dogs’ tongues may have their share

from the enemies.”^o

²⁴People have seen your procession, God,

the procession of my God,

my King, in the sanctuary.^p

²⁵Singers lead the way,

with musicians following;

among them are young women

playing tambourines.^q

²⁶Bless God in the assemblies;

bless the Lord from the fountain of Israel.^r

²⁷There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,

the rulers of Judah in their assembly,^F

the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali.^s

²⁸Your God has decreed your strength.

Show your strength, God,

you who have acted on our behalf.^t

²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem,

kings will bring tribute to you.^u

³⁰Rebuke the beast in the reeds,

the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.^v

Trample underfoot those with bars of silver.^A

Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.^w

³¹Ambassadors will come^B from Egypt;

Cush will stretch out its hands to God.^x

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;

sing praise to the Lord,^y

Selah

³³to him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.^z

Look, he thunders with his powerful voice!^aa

³⁴Ascribe power to God.

His majesty is over Israel;

his power is among the clouds.^ab

³⁵God, you are awe-inspiring in your sanctuaries.

The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!^a

Psalm 69

A PLEA FOR RESCUE

For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”^b Of David.

¹Save me, God,

for the water has risen to my neck.^c

²I have sunk in deep mud, and there is no footing;

I have come into deep water,

and a flood sweeps over me.^d

³I am weary from my crying;

my throat is parched.

My eyes fail, looking for my God.^e

⁴Those who hate me without cause

are more numerous than the hairs of my head;

my deceitful enemies, who would destroy me,

are powerful.^f

Though I did not steal, I must repay.^g

⁵God, you know my foolishness,

and my guilty acts are not hidden from you.^h

⁶Do not let those who put their hope in you

be disgraced because of me,

Lord God of Armies;

do not let those who seek you

be humiliated because of me,

God of Israel.ⁱ

⁷For I have endured insults because of you,

and shame has covered my face.^j

⁸I have become a stranger to my brothers

and a foreigner to my mother’s sons^k

⁹because zeal for your house has consumed me,^l

and the insults of those who insult you

have fallen on me.^m

¹⁰I mourned and fasted,

but it brought me insults.ⁿ

¹¹I wore sackcloth as my clothing,

and I was a joke to them.

¹²Those who sit at the city gate talk about me,

and drunkards make up songs about me.^o

¹³But as for me, Lord,

my prayer to you is for a time of favor.

In your abundant, faithful love, God,

answer me with your sure salvation.^p

¹⁴Rescue me from the miry mud; don’t let me sink.

Let me be rescued from those who hate me

and from the deep water.^q

¹⁵Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me

or the deep swallow me up;

don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me.^r

¹⁶Answer me, Lord,

for your faithful love is good.

In keeping with your abundant compassion,

turn to me.^s

¹⁷Don’t hide your face from your servant,

for I am in distress.

Answer me quickly!^t

¹⁸Come near to me and redeem me;

ransom me because of my enemies.^u

¹⁹You know the insults I endure—

my shame and disgrace.

You are aware of all my adversaries.^v

²⁰Insults have broken my heart,

and I am in despair.

I waited for sympathy,

but there was none;

for comforters, but found no one.^w

²¹Instead, they gave me gall for my food,

and for my thirst

they gave me vinegar to drink.^x

²²Let their table set before them be a snare,

and let it be a trap for their allies.^y

²³Let their eyes grow too dim to see,

and let their hips continually quake.^z

²⁴Pour out your rage on them,

and let your burning anger overtake them.^aa

²⁵Make their fortification desolate;

may no one live in their tents.^ab

²⁶For they persecute the one you struck

and talk about the pain of those you wounded.^ac

²⁷Charge them with crime on top of crime;

do not let them share in your righteousness.^ad

²⁸Let them be erased from the book of life

and not be recorded with the righteous.^a

²⁹But as for me—poor and in pain—

let your salvation protect me, God.^b

³⁰I will praise God’s name with song

and exalt him with thanksgiving.^c

³¹That will please the Lord more than an ox,

more than a bull with horns and hooves.^d

³²The humble will see it and rejoice.

You who seek God, take heart!^e

³³For the Lord listens to the needy

and does not despise

his own who are prisoners.^f

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves in them,^g

³⁵for God will save Zion

and build up^A the cities of Judah.

They will live there and possess it.^h

³⁶The descendants of his servants will inherit it,

and those who love his name will live in it.ⁱ

Psalm 70

A CALL FOR DELIVERANCE

For the choir director. Of David. To bring remembrance.^j

¹God, hurry to rescue me.

Lord, hurry to help me!^k

²Let those who seek to kill me

be disgraced and confounded;

let those who wish me harm

be turned back and humiliated.

³Let those who say, “Aha, aha!”

retreat because of their shame.^l

⁴Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you;

let those who love your salvation

continually say, “God is great!”^m

⁵I am oppressed and needy;

hurry to me, God.

You are my help and my deliverer;

Lord, do not delay.ⁿ