Psalm 68-69

English Standard Version

⁴ Sing to God, ^(F)sing praises to his name;
    ^(G)lift up a song to him who ^(H)rides through ^(I)the deserts;
his name is ^(J)the Lord;
    exult before him!
^5 (K)Father of the fatherless and ^(L)protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
⁶ God ^(M)settles the solitary in a home;
    he ^(N)leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
    but ^(O)the rebellious dwell in ^(P)a parched land.

⁷ O God, when you ^(Q)went out before your people,
    ^(R)when you marched through ^(S)the wilderness, Selah
^8 (T)the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
    before God, the One of Sinai,
    before God,^[a] the God of Israel.
^9 (U)Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
    you restored your inheritance as it languished;
¹⁰ your flock^[b] found a dwelling in it;
    in your goodness, O God, you ^(V)provided for the needy.

¹¹ The Lord gives ^(W)the word;
    ^(X)the women who announce the news are a great host:
^{12     (Y)}“The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home ^(Z)divide the spoil—
¹³     though you men lie among ^(AA)the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
    its pinions with shimmering gold.
¹⁴ When the Almighty scatters kings there,
    let snow fall on ^(AB)Zalmon.

¹⁵ O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
    O many-peaked^[c] mountain, mountain of Bashan!
¹⁶ Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
    at the mount that God ^(AC)desired for his abode,
    yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
^17 (AD)The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
    thousands upon thousands;
    the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
^18 (AE)You ascended on high,
    ^(AF)leading a host of captives in your train
    and ^(AG)receiving gifts among men,
even among ^(AH)the rebellious, ^(AI)that the Lord God may dwell there.

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord,
    who daily ^(AJ)bears us up;
    God is our salvation. Selah
²⁰ Our God is a God of salvation,
    ^(AK)and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
^21 (AL)But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
    the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
²² The Lord said,
    “I will bring them back ^(AM)from Bashan,
^(AN)I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
²³ that you may ^(AO)strike your feet in their blood,
    that ^(AP)the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

²⁴ Your procession is^[d] seen, O God,
    the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
^25 (AQ)the singers in front, ^(AR)the musicians last,
    between them ^(AS)virgins playing tambourines:
^26 (AT)“Bless God in the great congregation,
    the Lord, O you^[e] who are of ^(AU)Israel's fountain!”
²⁷ There is ^(AV)Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
    the princes of Judah in their throng,
    the princes of ^(AW)Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

^28 (AX)Summon your power, O God,^[f]
    the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
²⁹ Because of your temple at Jerusalem
    kings shall ^(AY)bear gifts to you.
³⁰ Rebuke ^(AZ)the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
    the herd of ^(BA)bulls with the calves of the peoples.
^(BB)Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
    scatter the peoples who delight in war.^[g]
31 Nobles shall come from ^(BC)Egypt;
    ^(BD)Cush shall hasten to ^(BE)stretch out her hands to God.

^32 (BF)O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord, Selah
³³ to him ^(BG)who rides in ^(BH)the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    behold, he ^(BI)sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
^34 (BJ)Ascribe power to God,
    whose majesty is over Israel,
    and whose ^(BK)power is in ^(BL)the skies.
^35 (BM)Awesome is God from his^{[h] (BN)}sanctuary;
    the God of Israel—he is the one who gives ^(BO)power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

^4 (BX)More in number than the hairs of my head
    are ^(BY)those who hate me ^(BZ)without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
    ^(CA)those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
    must I now restore?
⁵ O God, you know my folly;
    the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

⁶ Let not those who hope in you ^(CB)be put to shame through me,
    O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
    O God of Israel.
⁷ For it is ^(CC)for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that dishonor has covered my face.
⁸ I have become ^(CD)a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother's sons.

⁹ For ^(CE)zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and ^(CF)the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
¹⁰ When I wept and humbled^[j] my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.
¹¹ When I made ^(CG)sackcloth my clothing,
    I became ^(CH)a byword to them.
¹² I am the talk of those who ^(CI)sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make ^(CJ)songs about me.

¹³ But as for me, my ^(CK)prayer is to you, O Lord.
    At ^(CL)an acceptable time, O God,
    in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
¹⁴ Deliver me
    from sinking in ^(CM)the mire;
^(CN)let me be delivered from my enemies
    and from ^(CO)the deep waters.
¹⁵ Let not the flood sweep over me,
    or the deep swallow me up,
    or ^(CP)the pit close ^(CQ)its mouth over me.

¹⁶ Answer me, O Lord, for your ^(CR)steadfast love is good;
    according to your abundant ^(CS)mercy, ^(CT)turn to me.
^17 (CU)Hide not your face from your servant,
    ^(CV)for I am in distress; ^(CW)make haste to answer me.
¹⁸ Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
    ransom me because of my enemies!

¹⁹ You know my ^(CX)reproach,
    and my shame and my dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.
^20 (CY)Reproaches have broken my heart,
    so that I am in ^(CZ)despair.
I ^(DA)looked for ^(DB)pity, but there was none,
    and for ^(DC)comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They gave me ^(DD)poison for food,
    and for my thirst they gave me ^(DE)sour wine to drink.

^22 (DF)Let their own ^(DG)table before them become a snare;
    ^(DH)and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.^[k]
23 (DI)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
    ^(DJ)and make their loins tremble continually.
²⁴ Pour out your indignation upon them,
    and let your burning anger overtake them.
^25 (DK)May their camp be a desolation;
    let no one dwell in their tents.
²⁶ For they ^(DL)persecute him whom ^(DM)you have struck down,
    and they recount the pain of ^(DN)those you have wounded.
^27 (DO)Add to them punishment upon punishment;
    may they have no acquittal from you.^[l]
28 Let them be ^(DP)blotted out of the book of the living;
    let them not be ^(DQ)enrolled among the righteous.

²⁹ But I am afflicted and in pain;
    let your salvation, O God, ^(DR)set me on high!

³⁰ I will ^(DS)praise the name of God with a song;
    I will ^(DT)magnify him with ^(DU)thanksgiving.
³¹ This will ^(DV)please the Lord more than an ox
    or a bull ^(DW)with horns and hoofs.
³² When ^(DX)the humble see it they will be glad;
    you who seek God, ^(DY)let your hearts revive.
³³ For the Lord hears the needy
    and ^(DZ)does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

³⁴ Let ^(EA)heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and everything that moves in them.
³⁵ For ^(EB)God will save Zion
    and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
^{36     (EC)}the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall dwell in it.