Psalm 68:1–70:5

¹Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;

let those who hate him flee before him!

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

as wax melts before fire,

let the wicked perish before God!

³But let the righteous be joyful;

let them exult before God;

let them be jubilant with joy!

⁴Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds;^d

his name is the Lord, exult before him!

⁵Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

is God in his holy habitation.

⁶God gives the desolate a home to dwell in;

he leads out the prisoners to prosperity;

but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

⁷O God, when thou didst go forth before thy people,

when thou didst march through the wilderness, Selah

⁸the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,

at the presence of God;

yon Sinai quaked at the presence of God,

the God of Israel.

⁹Rain in abundance, O God, thou didst shed abroad;

thou didst restore thy heritage as it languished;

¹⁰thy flock found a dwelling in it;

in thy goodness, O God, thou didst provide for the needy.

¹¹The Lord gives the command;

great is the host of those who bore the tidings:

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

The women at home divide the spoil,

¹³though they stay among the sheepfolds—

the wings of a dove covered with silver,

its pinions with green gold.

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered kings there,

snow fell on Zalmon.

¹⁵O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;

O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!

¹⁶Why look you with envy, O many-peaked mountain,

at the mount which God desired for his abode,

yea, where the Lord will dwell for ever?

¹⁷With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,

thousands upon thousands,

the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.

¹⁸Thou didst ascend the high mount,

leading captives in thy train,

and receiving gifts among men,

even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

¹⁹Blessed be the Lord,

who daily bears us up;

God is our salvation. Selah

²⁰Our God is a God of salvation;

and to GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.

²¹But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,

the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

²²The Lord said,

“I will bring them back from Bashan,

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

²³that you may bathe^f your feet in blood,

that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

²⁴Thy solemn processions are seen,^g O God,

the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—

²⁵the singers in front, the minstrels last,

between them maidens playing timbrels:

²⁶“Bless God in the great congregation,

the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”

²⁷There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,

the princes of Judah in their throng,

the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

²⁸Summon thy might, O God;

show thy strength, O God, thou who hast wrought for us.

²⁹Because of thy temple at Jerusalem

kings bear gifts to thee.

³⁰Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,

the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.

Trample^h under foot those who lust after tribute;

scatter the peoples who delight in war.

³¹Let bronze be brought from Egypt;

let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out her hands to God.

³²Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;

sing praises to the Lord, Selah

³³to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;

lo, he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.

³⁴Ascribe power to God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

and his power is in the skies.

³⁵Terrible is God in his^j sanctuary,

the God of Israel,

he gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!

PSALM 69

To the choirmaster: according to Lilies. A Psalm of David.

¹Save me, O God!

For the waters have come up to my neck.

²I sink in deep mire,

where there is no foothold;

I have come into deep waters,

and the flood sweeps over me.

³I am weary with my crying;

my throat is parched.

My eyes grow dim

with waiting for my God.

⁴More in number than the hairs of my head

are those who hate me without cause;

mighty are those who would destroy me,

those who attack me with lies.

What I did not steal

must I now restore?

⁵O God, thou knowest my folly;

the wrongs I have done are not hidden from thee.

⁶Let not those who hope in thee be put to shame through me,

O Lord GOD of hosts;

let not those who seek thee be brought to dishonor through me,

O God of Israel.

⁷For it is for thy sake that I have borne reproach,

that shame has covered my face.

⁸I have become a stranger to my brethren,

an alien to my mother’s sons.

⁹For zeal for thy house has consumed me,

and the insults of those who insult thee have fallen on me.

¹⁰When I humbled my soul with fasting,

it became my reproach.

¹¹When I made sackcloth my clothing,

I became a byword to them.

¹²I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,

and the drunkards make songs about me.

¹³But as for me, my prayer is to thee, O Lord.

At an acceptable time, O God,

in the abundance of thy steadfast love answer me.

With thy faithful help ¹⁴rescue me from sinking in the mire;

let me be delivered from my enemies

and from the deep waters.

¹⁵Let not the flood sweep over me,

or the deep swallow me up,

or the pit close its mouth over me.

¹⁶Answer me, O Lord, for thy steadfast love is good;

according to thy abundant mercy, turn to me.

¹⁷Hide not thy face from thy servant;

for I am in distress, make haste to answer me.

¹⁸Draw near to me, redeem me,

set me free because of my enemies!

¹⁹Thou knowest my reproach,

and my shame and my dishonor;

my foes are all known to thee.

²⁰Insults have broken my heart,

so that I am in despair.

I looked for pity, but there was none;

and for comforters, but I found none.

²¹They gave me poison for food,

and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

²²Let their own table before them become a snare;

let their sacrificial feasts^l be a trap.

²³Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see;

and make their loins tremble continually.

²⁴Pour out thy indignation upon them,

and let thy burning anger overtake them.

²⁵May their camp be a desolation,

let no one dwell in their tents.

²⁶For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten,

and him^m whom thou hast wounded, they afflict still more.ⁿ

²⁷Add to them punishment upon punishment;

may they have no acquittal from thee.

²⁸Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;

let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

²⁹But I am afflicted and in pain;

let thy salvation, O God, set me on high!

³⁰I will praise the name of God with a song;

I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

³¹This will please the Lord more than an ox

or a bull with horns and hoofs.

³²Let the oppressed see it and be glad;

you who seek God, let your hearts revive.

³³For the Lord hears the needy,

and does not despise his own that are in bonds.

³⁴Let heaven and earth praise him,

the seas and everything that moves therein.

³⁵For God will save Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah;

and his servants shall dwell there and possess it;

³⁶the children of his servants shall inherit it,

and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

PSALM 70

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, for the memorial offering.

¹Be pleased, O God, to deliver me!

O Lord, make haste to help me!

²Let them be put to shame and confusion

who seek my life!

Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor

who desire my hurt!

³Let them be appalled because of their shame

who say, “Aha, Aha!”

⁴May all who seek thee

rejoice and be glad in thee!

May those who love thy salvation

say evermore, “God is great!”

⁵But I am poor and needy;

hasten to me, O God!

Thou art my help and my deliverer;

O Lord, do not tarry!