Psalm 68

Psalm 68

God’s Majestic Power

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song.

¹God arises. His enemies scatter,

and those who hate Him flee from His presence. ^q

²As smoke is blown away,

so You blow them away.

As wax melts before the fire,

so the wicked are destroyed before God. ^r

³But the righteous are glad;

they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy. ^s

⁴Sing to God! Sing praises to His name.

Exalt Him who rides on the clouds ^t —

His name is Yahweh ^u—and rejoice before Him. ^v

⁵God in His holy dwelling is

a father of the fatherless

and a champion of widows. ^w

⁶God provides homes for those who are deserted.

He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, ^x

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 down rain

before God, the God of Sinai, ^z

before God, the God of Israel. ^a

⁹You, God, showered abundant rain;

You revived Your inheritance when it languished. ^b

¹⁰Your people settled in it;

God, You provided for the poor by Your goodness. ^c

¹¹The Lord gave the command;

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

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

She who stays at home divides the spoil. ^e

¹³While ^fyou lie among the sheepfolds, ^g

the wings of a dove are covered with silver,

and its feathers with glistening gold. ^h

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered kings in the land,

it snowed on Zalmon. ^ij

¹⁵Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain;

Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks. ^k

¹⁶Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,

at the mountain ^lGod desired for His dwelling?

The Lord will live there forever! ^m

¹⁷God’s chariots are tens of thousands,

thousands and thousands; ⁿ

the Lord is among them in the sanctuary ^o

as He was at Sinai. ^p

¹⁸You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;

You received gifts from ^qpeople,

even from the rebellious,

so that the Lord God might live there. ^rs

¹⁹May the Lord be praised!

Day after day He bears our burdens;

God is our salvation. ^tSelah

²⁰Our God is a God of salvation,

and escape from death belongs to the Lord God. ^u

²¹Surely God crushes the heads of His enemies,

the hairy head of one who goes on in his guilty acts. ^v

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

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea ^w

²³so that your foot may wade ^xin blood

and your dogs’ tongues may have their share

from the enemies.” ^y

²⁴People have seen Your procession, God,

the procession of my God,

my King, in the sanctuary. ^za

²⁵Singers ^blead the way,

with musicians following;

among them are young women

playing tambourines. ^c

²⁶Praise God in the assemblies;

praise the Lord from the fountain of Israel. ^d

²⁷There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,

the rulers of Judah in their assembly, ^e

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

²⁸Your God has decreed your strength.

Show Your strength, God,

You who have acted on our behalf. ^g

²⁹Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,

kings will bring tribute to You. ^h

³⁰Rebuke the beast ⁱin the reeds,

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

Trample underfoot those with bars of silver. ^k

Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war. ^l

³¹Ambassadors will come ^mfrom Egypt;

Cush will stretch out its hands ⁿto God. ^o

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;

sing praise to the Lord, ^pSelah

³³to Him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens. ^q

Look, He thunders with His powerful voice! ^r

³⁴Ascribe power to God.

His majesty is over Israel,

His power among the clouds. ^s

³⁵God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries.

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

May God be praised! ^t