Psalm 68:1–70:5

¹May God arise,^p may his enemies be scattered;^q

may his foes flee^r before him.

²May you blow them away like smoke—^s

as wax melts^t before the fire,

may the wicked perish^u before God.

³But may the righteous be glad

and rejoice^v before God;

may they be happy and joyful.

⁴Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,^w

extol him who rides on the clouds^bx;

rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.^y

⁵A father to the fatherless,^z a defender of widows,^a

is God in his holy dwelling.^b

⁶God sets the lonely^c in families,^cd

he leads out the prisoners^e with singing;

but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.^f

⁷When you, God, went out^g before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness,^dh

⁸the earth shook,ⁱ the heavens poured down rain,^j

before God, the One of Sinai,^k

before God, the God of Israel.^l

⁹You gave abundant showers,^m O God;

you refreshed your weary inheritance.

¹⁰Your people settled in it,

and from your bounty,ⁿ God, you provided^o for the poor.

¹¹The Lord announces the word,

and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:^p

¹²“Kings and armies flee^q in haste;

the women at home divide the plunder.^r

¹³Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,^es

the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,

its feathers with shining gold.”

¹⁴When the Almighty^f scattered^t the kings in the land,

it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.^u

¹⁵Mount Bashan,^v majestic mountain,^w

Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,

¹⁶why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,

at the mountain where God chooses^x to reign,

where the Lord himself will dwell forever?^y

¹⁷The chariots^z of God are tens of thousands

and thousands of thousands;^a

the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.^g

¹⁸When you ascended^b on high,^c

you took many captives;^d

you received gifts from people,^e

even from^h the rebellious^f—

that you,ⁱ Lord God, might dwell there.

¹⁹Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,^g

who daily bears our burdens.^h

²⁰Our God is a God who saves;ⁱ

from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.^j

²¹Surely God will crush the heads^k of his enemies,

the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

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

I will bring them from the depths of the sea,^l

²³that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,^m

while the tongues of your dogsⁿ have their share.”

²⁴Your procession, God, has come into view,

the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.^o

²⁵In front are the singers,^p after them the musicians;^q

with them are the young women playing the timbrels.^r

²⁶Praise God in the great congregation;^s

praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.^t

²⁷There is the little tribe^u of Benjamin,^v leading them,

there the great throng of Judah’s princes,

and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.^w

²⁸Summon your power,^x God^j;

show us your strength,^y our God, as you have done^z before.

²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem

kings will bring you gifts.^a

³⁰Rebuke the beast^b among the reeds,^c

the herd of bulls^d among the calves of the nations.

Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.

Scatter the nations^e who delight in war.^f

³¹Envoys will come from Egypt;^g

Cush^kh will submit herself to God.

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,ⁱ

sing praise^j to the Lord,

³³to him who rides^k across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,

who thunders^l with mighty voice.^m

³⁴Proclaim the powerⁿ of God,

whose majesty^o is over Israel,

whose power is in the heavens.

³⁵You, God, are awesome^p in your sanctuary;^q

the God of Israel gives power and strength^r to his people.^s

Praise be to God!^t

Psalm 69^a

For the director of music. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David.

¹Save me, O God,

for the waters^u have come up to my neck.^v

²I sink in the miry depths,^w

where there is no foothold.

I have come into the deep waters;

the floods engulf me.

³I am worn out calling for help;^x

my throat is parched.

My eyes fail,^y

looking for my God.

⁴Those who hate me^z without reason^a

outnumber the hairs of my head;

many are my enemies without cause,^b

those who seek to destroy me.^c

I am forced to restore

what I did not steal.

⁵You, God, know my folly;^d

my guilt is not hidden from you.^e

⁶Lord, the Lord Almighty,

may those who hope in you

not be disgraced because of me;

God of Israel,

may those who seek you

not be put to shame because of me.

⁷For I endure scorn^f for your sake,^g

and shame covers my face.^h

⁸I am a foreigner to my own family,

a stranger to my own mother’s children;ⁱ

⁹for zeal for your house consumes me,^j

and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.^k

¹⁰When I weep and fast,^l

I must endure scorn;

¹¹when I put on sackcloth,^m

people make sport of me.

¹²Those who sit at the gateⁿ mock me,

and I am the song of the drunkards.^o

¹³But I pray to you, Lord,

in the time of your favor;^p

in your great love,^q O God,

answer me with your sure salvation.

¹⁴Rescue me from the mire,

do not let me sink;

deliver me from those who hate me,

from the deep waters.^r

¹⁵Do not let the floodwaters^s engulf me

or the depths swallow me up^t

or the pit close its mouth over me.^u

¹⁶Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your love;^v

in your great mercy turn to me.

¹⁷Do not hide your face^w from your servant;

answer me quickly,^x for I am in trouble.^y

¹⁸Come near and rescue me;

deliver^z me because of my foes.

¹⁹You know how I am scorned,^a disgraced and shamed;

all my enemies are before you.

²⁰Scorn has broken my heart

and has left me helpless;

I looked for sympathy, but there was none,

for comforters,^b but I found none.^c

²¹They put gall in my food

and gave me vinegar^d for my thirst.^e

²²May the table set before them become a snare;

may it become retribution and^b a trap.^f

²³May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,

and their backs be bent forever.^g

²⁴Pour out your wrath^h on them;

let your fierce anger overtake them.

²⁵May their place be deserted;ⁱ

let there be no one to dwell in their tents.^j

²⁶For they persecute those you wound

and talk about the pain of those you hurt.^k

²⁷Charge them with crime upon crime;^l

do not let them share in your salvation.^m

²⁸May they be blotted out of the book of lifeⁿ

and not be listed with the righteous.^o

²⁹But as for me, afflicted and in pain—

may your salvation, God, protect me.^p

³⁰I will praise God’s name in song^q

and glorify him^r with thanksgiving.

³¹This will please the Lord more than an ox,

more than a bull with its horns and hooves.^s

³²The poor will see and be glad^t—

you who seek God, may your hearts live!^u

³³The Lord hears the needy^v

and does not despise his captive people.

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and all that move in them,^w

³⁵for God will save Zion^x

and rebuild the cities of Judah.^y

Then people will settle there and possess it;

³⁶the children of his servants will inherit it,^z

and those who love his name will dwell there.^a

Psalm 70^a

70:1–5pp—Ps 40:13–17

For the director of music. Of David. A petition.

¹Hasten, O God, to save me;

come quickly, Lord, to help me.^b

²May those who want to take my life^c

be put to shame and confusion;

may all who desire my ruin

be turned back in disgrace.^d

³May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”^e

turn back because of their shame.

⁴But may all who seek you^f

rejoice and be glad^g in you;

may those who long for your saving help always say,

“The Lord is great!”^h

⁵But as for me, I am poor and needy;ⁱ

come quickly to me,^j O God.

You are my help^k and my deliverer;^l

Lord, do not delay.^m