Psa 68 | HCSB | STEP | For the choir director . A Davidic psalm . A song . God arises . His enemies scatter , and those who hate Him flee from His presence .

Psalms 68

God’s Majestic Power

1 For 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 blood
and 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