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Praise to God for Providing Victory

For the music director. Of David. A psalm. A song.[a]

68 God will arise; his enemies will be scattered,
and those who hate him will flee from before him.
As smoke is driven off, you will drive them off.
As wax melts before fire,
the wicked will perish before God.
But the righteous will be glad; they will exalt before God,
and will rejoice with joy.
Sing to God, sing praises to his name.
Lift up a song to the rider on the clouds—his name is Yah—[b]
and rejoice before him.
A father to orphans and a judge for widows
is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the lonely in a home;
he brings prisoners out into prosperity.
But the rebellious abide in a barren land.
O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the desert, Selah
the earth shook; the heavens also dripped rain
at the presence of God who was at Sinai,
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
You caused abundant rain to fall, O God.
When your inheritance was weary you revived it.
10 Your community dwelled in it.
You provided in your goodness for the poor, O God.
11 The Lord gives the word.
Great is the company of women who announce:
12 The kings of armies flee, they flee,
and she who remains at home divides the spoil.
13 Though you men lie down between the sheepfolds,
you will be like the wings of a dove covered in silver
and its pinions in yellow gold.”
14 When Shaddai scattered kings on it,
on Zalmon it snowed.[c]
15 A mountain of God[d] is the mountain of Bashan;
a mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why do you look with hostility, O many-peaked mountains?
This[e] mountain God desires for his dwelling.
Yes, Yahweh will abide in it forever.
17 The chariots of God
are twice ten thousand, with thousands doubled.
The Lord is among them at Sinai, distinctive in victory.[f]
18 You have ascended on high; you have led away captives.
You have received gifts from among humankind,
and even from the rebellious, so that Yah[g] God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord. Daily he loads us with benefits,[h]
the God of our salvation.[i] Selah
20 Our God is a God of deliverances,
and to the Yahweh the Lord belong escapes from death.
21 But God will shatter the head of his enemies,
the hairy scalp of the one who continues on[j] in his guilt.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 so that your foot may shatter them bloody
for the tongues of your dogs to have their share from the enemies.”
24 They have seen your processions, O God,
the processions of my God, my king, distinctive in victory.[k]
25 Singers went up front, those playing stringed instruments last,
between them young women playing tambourines.
26 Bless God in the assemblies,
Yahweh from the fountain of Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin ruling them,
with the princes of Judah in their throng,
the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.
28 Your God has commanded your strength.
Show yourself strong, O God, by what you perform[l] for us.
29 Because your temple is above Jerusalem,
kings will bring tribute to you.
30 Rebuke the beasts in[m] the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
trampling the pieces of silver.[n]
Scatter the nations who delight in battles.
31 Ambassadors[o] will come from Egypt;
Cush will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praise to the Lord, Selah
33 to the one who rides in the highest heavens of old.
See, he gives forth his voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
and his strength is in the clouds.
35 Awesome are you, O God, from your sanctuary.[p]
The God of Israel, it is he who gives strength and might to the people.
Blessed be God.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 68:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
  2. Psalm 68:4 A shortened form of “Yahweh”
  3. Psalm 68:14 Or “you caused it to snow on”
  4. Psalm 68:15 Or “A mighty mountain”
  5. Psalm 68:16 Hebrew “The”
  6. Psalm 68:17 Or “as at Sinai, in the sanctuary”
  7. Psalm 68:18 A shortened form of “Yahweh”
  8. Psalm 68:19 Or “daily carries our burden”
  9. Psalm 68:19 Or “victory”
  10. Psalm 68:21 Literally “is walking about”
  11. Psalm 68:24 Or “into the sanctuary”
  12. Psalm 68:28 Or “you who have worked”
  13. Psalm 68:30 Hebrew “of”
  14. Psalm 68:30 Or “until each humbles himself by offering pieces of silver”
  15. Psalm 68:31 Reading with the LXX; meaning uncertain
  16. Psalm 68:35 Hebrew “sanctuaries”

Psalm 68

For the music leader. Of David. A psalm. A song.

68 Let God rise up;
    let his enemies scatter;
    let those who hate him
        run scared before him!
Like smoke is driven away,
        drive them away!
    Like wax melting before fire,
        let the wicked perish before God!
But let the righteous be glad
    and celebrate before God.
    Let them rejoice with gladness!
Sing to God! Sing praises to his name!
        Exalt the one who rides the clouds!
    The Lord is his name.
        Celebrate before him!

Father of orphans and defender of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
God settles the lonely in their homes;
    he sets prisoners free with happiness,[a]
    but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

When you went forth before your people, God,
        when you marched through the wasteland, Selah
    the earth shook!
Yes, heaven poured down
    before God, the one from Sinai—
    before God, the God of Israel!
You showered down abundant rain, God;
    when your inheritance grew weary,
    you restored it yourself,
10     and your creatures settled in it.
In your goodness, God,
    you provided for the poor.

11 My Lord gives the command—
    many messengers are bringing good news:
12 “The kings of armies are on the run!
    The women back home divide the spoil.
13 Even if you lie down among the sheepfolds,
    there are wings of a dove covered with silver;
    its pinions covered in precious gold.”[b]
14 When the Almighty[c] scattered the kings there,
    snow fell on Mount Zalmon.

15 Mighty mountain, Mount Bashan;
    many-peaked mountain, Mount Bashan!
16 You many-peaked mountain:
    Why do you look with envy
    at the mountain God desired for his dwelling,
        the mountain where the Lord dwells forever?

17 God’s chariots are twice ten thousand—
    countless thousands!
    My Lord came from Sinai[d] into the sanctuary.
18 You ascended the heights,
    leading away your captives,
    receiving tribute from people,
        even from those who rebel
        against the Lord God’s dwelling there.
19 Bless the Lord!
    The God of our salvation
    supports us day after day! Selah
20 Our God is the God of salvation,
    and escape from certain death comes through God my Lord.

21 Yes, God will shatter the heads of his enemies—
    the very skulls of those who walk in guilt.
22 My Lord has spoken:
    “From Bashan I will bring those people back.
    I will bring them back from the ocean’s depths
23         so that you can wash your feet in their blood,
        so that your dogs’ tongues
        can lap up their share of your enemies.”

24 They saw your procession, God—
    the procession of my God,
    my king, into the sanctuary.
25 First came the singers,
    then the musicians;
    between them the young women
        were playing hand drums:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation;
    bless the Lord from Israel’s fountain!”
27 There’s Benjamin leading them,
    though he’s little;
    then the princes of Judah,
    their speaker;
    then the princes of Zebulun
    and the princes of Naphtali.

28 Summon your strength, God!
    Show how strong you are, God,
        just as you’ve done for us before,
29         from your temple above Jerusalem,
        where kings bring you gifts.
30 Rebuke the wild animals of the marshland,
    the herd of bulls among the calves of the peoples.
Trample those who delight in money;
    scatter the peoples who take pleasure in battles.
31 Let ambassadors come from Egypt;
    let Cush stretch out its hands to God.

32 Sing to God, all kingdoms of the earth!
    Sing praises to my Lord. Selah
33 Sing to the one who rides through heaven,
    the most ancient heaven.
    Look! God sends forth his voice,
        his mighty voice.
34 Recognize how strong God is!
    His majesty extends over Israel;
    his strength is in the clouds.
35 You are awesome, God, in your sanctuaries—
    the God of Israel who gives strength and power to his people!

Bless God!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 68:6 Or skillfully; LXX, Vulg with strength; Heb uncertain
  2. Psalm 68:13 Heb uncertain
  3. Psalm 68:14 Heb Shaddai
  4. Psalm 68:17 Correction; MT My Lord was among them, the one from Sinai, in holiness.