PSALM 68

The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.

1 1Let aGod arise, 2let His enemies be scattered,

And 3let those who hate Him flee before Him.

2 As asmoke is driven away, so drive them away;

As bwax melts before the fire,

So let the cwicked perish before God.

3 But let the arighteous be glad; let them exult before God;

Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.

4 Sing to God, asing praises to His name;

1bLift up a song for Him who crides through the deserts,

Whose dname is 2the Lord, and exult before Him.

5 A afather of the fatherless and a bjudge 1for the widows,

Is God in His choly habitation.

6 God 1amakes a home for the lonely;

He bleads out the prisoners into prosperity,

Only cthe rebellious dwell in a parched land.

7 O God, when You awent forth before Your people,

When You bmarched through the wilderness,

1Selah.

8 The aearth quaked;

The bheavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;

1cSinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9 You ashed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;

You confirmed Your inheritance when it was 1parched.

10 Your creatures settled in it;

You aprovided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.

11 The Lord gives the 1command;

The awomen who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:

12 “aKings of armies flee, they flee,

And she who remains at home will bdivide the spoil!”

13 1When you lie down aamong the 2sheepfolds,

You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,

And its pinions with glistening gold.

14 When the Almighty ascattered the kings 1there,

It was snowing in bZalmon.

15 A 1amountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;

A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,

At the mountain which God has adesired for His abode?

Surely bthe Lord will dwell there forever.

17 The achariots of God are 1myriads, bthousands upon thousands;

2The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

18 You have aascended on high, You have bled captive Your captives;

You have received gifts among men,

Even among the rebellious also, that 1the Lord God may dwell there.

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily abears our burden,

bThe God who is our salvation.

Selah.

20 God is to us a aGod of deliverances;

And bto 1God the Lord belong escapes 2from death.

21 Surely God will ashatter the head of His enemies,

The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.

22 The Lord 1said, “aI will bring them back from Bashan.

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;

23 That 1ayour foot may shatter them in blood,

The tongue of your bdogs may have its portion from your enemies.”

24 They have seen aYour 1procession, O God,

The 1procession of my God, my King, 2binto the sanctuary.

25 The asingers went on, the musicians after them,

1In the midst of the bmaidens beating tambourines.

26 aBless God in the congregations,

Even the Lord, you who are of the bfountain of Israel.

27 There is aBenjamin, the 1youngest, 2ruling them,

The princes of Judah in their throng,

The princes of bZebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 1Your God has acommanded your strength;

Show Yourself strong, O God, bwho have acted 2on our behalf.

29 1Because of Your temple at Jerusalem

aKings will bring gifts to You.

30 Rebuke the abeasts 1in the reeds,

The herd of bbulls with the calves of the peoples,

Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;

He has cscattered the peoples who delight in war.

31 Envoys will come out of aEgypt;

1bEthiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

32 Sing to God, O akingdoms of the earth,

bSing praises to the Lord,

Selah.

33 To Him who arides upon the 1bhighest heavens, which are from ancient times;

Behold, cHe 2speaks forth with His voice, a dmighty voice.

34 aAscribe strength to God;

His majesty is over Israel

And bHis strength is in the 1skies.

35 1O God, You are aawesome from Your 2sanctuary.

The God of Israel Himself bgives strength and power to the people.

cBlessed be God!

PSALM 69

A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries.

For the choir director; according to †Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.

1 Save me, O God,

For the awaters have 1threatened my life.

2 I have sunk in deep amire, and there is no foothold;

I have come into deep waters, and a 1bflood overflows me.

3 I am aweary with my crying; my throat is parched;

My beyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those awho hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;

Those who would 1destroy me bare powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;

cWhat I did not steal, I then have to restore.

5 O God, it is You who knows amy folly,

And bmy wrongs are not hidden from You.

6 May those who wait for You not abe ashamed through me, O Lord 1God of hosts;

May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

7 Because afor Your sake I have borne reproach;

bDishonor has covered my face.

8 I have become aestranged 1from my brothers

And an alien to my mother’s sons.

9 For azeal for Your house has consumed me,

And bthe reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

10 When I wept ain my soul with fasting,

It became my reproach.

11 When I made asackcloth my clothing,

I became ba byword to them.

12 Those who asit in the gate talk about me,

And I am the 1bsong of the drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, aat an acceptable time;

O God, in the bgreatness of Your lovingkindness,

Answer me with 1Your saving truth.

14 Deliver me from the amire and do not let me sink;

May I be bdelivered from 1my foes and from the 2adeep waters.

15 May the 1aflood of water not overflow me

Nor the deep swallow me up,

Nor the bpit shut its mouth on me.

16 Answer me, O Lord, for aYour lovingkindness is good;

bAccording to the greatness of Your compassion, cturn to me,

17 And ado not hide Your face from Your servant,

For I am bin distress; answer me quickly.

18 Oh draw near to my soul and aredeem it;

bRansom me because of my enemies!

19 You know my areproach and my shame and my dishonor;

All my adversaries are 1before You.

20 Reproach has abroken my heart and I am so sick.

And bI looked for sympathy, but there was none,

And for ccomforters, but I found none.

21 They also gave me 1agall 2for my food

And for my thirst they bgave me vinegar to drink.

22 May atheir table before them become a snare;

And 1bwhen they are in peace, may it become a trap.

23 May their aeyes grow dim so that they cannot see,

And make their bloins shake continually.

24 aPour out Your indignation on them,

And may Your burning anger overtake them.

25 May their 1acamp be desolate;

May none dwell in their tents.

26 For they have apersecuted him whom bYou Yourself have smitten,

And they tell of the pain of those whom cYou have 1wounded.

27 Add ainiquity to their iniquity,

And bmay they not come into cYour righteousness.

28 May they be ablotted out of the bbook of life

And may they not be 1crecorded with the righteous.

29 But I am aafflicted and in pain;

1May Your salvation, O God, bset me securely on high.

30 I will apraise the name of God with song

And bmagnify Him with cthanksgiving.

31 And it will aplease the Lord better than an ox

Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.

32 The ahumble 1have seen it and are glad;

You who seek God, blet your heart 2revive.

33 For athe Lord hears the needy

And bdoes not despise His who are prisoners.

34 Let aheaven and earth praise Him,

The seas and beverything that moves in them.

35 For God will asave Zion and bbuild the cities of Judah,

That they may dwell there and cpossess it.

36 The 1adescendants of His servants will inherit it,

And those who love His name bwill dwell in it.

PSALM 70

Prayer for Help against Persecutors.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David; for a memorial.

1 aO God, hasten to deliver me;

O Lord, hasten to my help!

2 aLet those be ashamed and humiliated

Who seek my 1life;

Let those be turned back and dishonored

Who delight 2in my hurt.

3 aLet those be 1turned back because of their shame

Who say, “Aha, aha!”

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

And let those who love Your salvation say continually,

“Let God be magnified.”

5 But aI am afflicted and needy;

bHasten to me, O God!

You are my help and my deliverer;

O Lord, do not delay.