Psa 68 | LSB | STEP | For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song. Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered, And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

Psalms 68

Psalm 68

Let God’s Enemies Be Scattered

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

1 ^{▼▼ Or God shall}Let God arise, ^{▼▼Or His enemies shall}let His enemies be scattered,
And ^{▼▼Or those who hate Him shall}let those who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish before God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God;
And let them rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
^{▼▼ Or Cast up a highway}Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,
Whose name is ^{▼▼The shortened form of Yahweh, found in poetry and praise (e.g. Hallelujah), and in names (e.g. Zechariah)}Yah, and exult before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless and a judge ^{▼▼Lit of}for the widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God causes the lonely to inhabit a home;
He leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, when You went forth before Your people,
When You marched through the wasteland, ^{▼▼Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude}Selah.
8 The earth quaked;
The heavens also dripped rain at the presence of God;
^{▼▼ Lit This is Sinai which}Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You caused abundant rain to sprinkle down, O God;
You established Your inheritance when it was ^{▼▼Lit weary}parched.
10 Your creatures inhabited it;
You established it in Your goodness for the poor, O God.
11 The Lord gives the word;
The women who proclaim the good news are a great host:
12 “Kings of armies retreat, they retreat,
And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!”
13 If you men lie down among the ^{▼▼Or cooking stones, saddle bags}sheepfolds,
You all would be like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
14 When the Almighty dispersed the kings ^{▼▼Lit in it}there,
It was snowing in Zalmon.
15 A ^{▼▼Or mighty mountain is}mountain 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 prized for His habitation?
Surely Yahweh will dwell there forever.
17 The chariots of God are ^{▼▼Lit twice ten thousand}myriads, thousands upon thousands;
^{▼▼ Or The Lord came from Sinai into the sanctuary}The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even among the rebellious also, that Yah—God—may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,
The God who is our salvation. Selah.
20 God is to us a God of ^{▼▼Lit salvations}salvation;
And to Yahweh the Lord belong escapes ^{▼▼In view of; lit for}from death.
21 Surely God will crush the head of His enemies,
The hairy ^{▼▼Or crown}skull of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.
22 The Lord ^{▼▼Or says}said, “I will bring them back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;
23 That ^{▼▼Some versions render, you may bathe your foot in blood}your foot may crush them in blood,
The tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen Your ^{▼▼Lit goings}procession, O God,
The ^{▼▼Lit goings}procession of my God, my King, ^{▼▼Lit in the sanctuary; or in holiness}into the sanctuary.
25 The singers went on, the musicians after them,
^{▼▼ Or The maidens in the midst}In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.
26 Bless God in the congregations,
Yahweh, the fountain of Israel.
27 There is Benjamin, the ^{▼▼Or smallest}youngest, ^{▼▼Or their ruler}having dominion over them,
The princes of Judah in their throng,
The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.
28 ^{▼▼Some mss Command, God}Your God has commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, O God, who has worked ^{▼▼Lit for us}on our behalf.
29 ^{▼▼ Or From Your temple}Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
Kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the beast ^{▼▼Lit of}in the reeds,
The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;
He has cast out the peoples who delight in war.
31 Envoys will come out of Egypt;
^{▼▼ Or Cush, cf. Gen 10:6}Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.
33 To Him who rides upon the ^{▼▼Lit heaven of heavens of old}highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, He gives forth His voice, a voice that is strong.
34 Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel
And His strength is in the ^{▼▼Lit clouds}skies.
35 ^{▼▼ Or Awesome is God from your sanctuary}O God, You are awesome from Your ^{▼▼Lit holy places}sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself gives strength and might to the people.
Blessed be God!