Psalms 68
God’s Majestic Power
1For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. A song. God arises. His enemies scatter,and those who hate Him flee from His presence. a
2 As smoke is blown away,
so You blow them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God. b
3 But the righteous are glad;
they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy. c
4 Sing to God! Sing praises to His name.
Exalt Him who rides on the clouds ▼
▼Or rides through the desert
– His name is ▼
▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.
Yahweh ▼▼Lit Yah
– and rejoice before Him. g 5 God in His holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows. h
6 God provides homes for those who are deserted.
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity, ▼
▼Or prisoners with joyous music; Hb uncertain
but the rebellious live in a scorched land. j
7 God, when You went out before Your people,
when You marched through the desert, ▼
▼Selah: A Hebrew word whose meaning is uncertain; various interpretations include: (1) a musical notation, (2) a pause for silence, (3) a signal for worshipers to fall prostrate on the ground, (4) a term for the worshipers to call out, and (5) a word meaning "forever"
Selah
8 the earth trembled and the skies poured down rain
before God, the God of Sinai, ▼
▼Lit God, this Sinai
before God, the God of Israel. m
9 You, God, showered abundant rain;
You revived Your inheritance when it languished. n
10 Your people settled in it;
God, You provided for the poor by Your goodness. o
11 The Lord gave the command;
a great company of women brought the good news: p
12 “The kings of the armies flee – they flee!”
She who stays at home divides the spoil. q
13 While ▼
▼Or If
you lie among the sheepfolds, ▼▼Or campfires, or saddlebags; Hb obscure
the wings of a dove are covered with silver,
and its feathers with glistening gold. t
14 When the ▼
▼God Almighty: The Hebrew word is El Shaddai; El = "God," but the meaning of Shaddai is disputed; traditionally it is translated "Almighty".
Almighty scattered kings in the land,it snowed on Zalmon. ▼
▼Or Black Mountain
,
w 15 Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain;
Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks. x
16 Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,
at the mountain ▼
▼= Mount Zion
God desired for His dwelling?The Lord will live there forever! z
17 God’s chariots are tens of thousands,
thousands and thousands; aa
the Lord is among them in the sanctuary ▼
▼Or in holiness
as He was at Sinai. ac
18 You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;
You received gifts from ▼
▼Lit among
people,even from the rebellious,
so that the Lord God might live there. ▼
▼Or even those rebelling against the Lord God’s living there, or even rebels are living with the Lord God; Hb obscure
,
af 19 May the Lord be praised!
Day after day He bears our burdens;
God is our salvation. ag , ▼
▼Selah: A Hebrew word whose meaning is uncertain; various interpretations include: (1) a musical notation, (2) a pause for silence, (3) a signal for worshipers to fall prostrate on the ground, (4) a term for the worshipers to call out, and (5) a word meaning "forever"
Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and escape from death belongs to the Lord God. ai
21 Surely God crushes the heads of His enemies,
the hairy head of one who goes on in his ▼
▼guilt/guilty: The liability to be punished for a fault, a sin, an act, or an omission unless there is forgiveness or atonement; the term normally concerns an objective fact, not a subjective feeling.
guilty acts. ak 22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea al
23 so that your foot may wade ▼
▼LXX, Syr read dip
in bloodand your dogs’ tongues may have their share
from the enemies.” an
24 People have seen Your procession, God,
the procession of my God,
my King, in the sanctuary. ▼
▼Or in holiness
,
ap 25 Singers ▼
▼Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read Officials
lead the way,with musicians following;
among them are young women
playing tambourines. ar
26 Praise God in the assemblies;
praise the Lord from the fountain of Israel. as
27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,
the rulers of Judah in their assembly, ▼
▼Hb obscure
the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali. au
28 Your God has decreed your strength.
Show Your strength, God,
You who have acted on our behalf. av
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
kings will bring tribute to You. aw
30 Rebuke the beast ▼
▼Probably Egypt
in the reeds,the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. ay
Trample underfoot those with bars of silver. ▼
▼Or peoples, trampling on those who take pleasure in silver, or peoples, trampling on the bars of silver, or peoples, who trample each other for bars of silver
Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war. ba
31 Ambassadors will come ▼
▼Or They bring red cloth, or They bring bronze
from Egypt;▼
▼Cush/ Cushite: The lands of the Nile in southern Egypt, including Nubia and Northern Sudan; the people who lived in that region
Cush will stretch out its hands ▼▼Probably with tribute or in submission
to God. be 32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
sing praise to the Lord, bf , ▼
▼Selah: A Hebrew word whose meaning is uncertain; various interpretations include: (1) a musical notation, (2) a pause for silence, (3) a signal for worshipers to fall prostrate on the ground, (4) a term for the worshipers to call out, and (5) a word meaning "forever"
Selah
33 to Him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens. bh
Look, He thunders with His powerful voice! bi
34 Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
His power among the clouds. bj
35 God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised! bk
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