Psalm 68

Revised Standard Version

⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
    lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds;^[a]
    his name is the Lord, exult before him!

⁵ Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
⁶ God gives the desolate a home to dwell in;
    he leads out the prisoners to prosperity;
    but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

⁷ O God, when thou didst go forth before thy people,
    when thou didst march through the wilderness,Selah
⁸ the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
    at the presence of God;
yon Sinai quaked at the presence of God,
    the God of Israel.
⁹ Rain in abundance, O God, thou didst shed abroad;
    thou didst restore thy heritage as it languished;
¹⁰ thy flock found a dwelling in it;
    in thy goodness, O God, thou didst provide for the needy.

¹¹ The Lord gives the command;
    great is the host of those who bore the tidings:
¹²     “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil,
¹³     though they stay among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
    its pinions with green gold.
¹⁴ When the Almighty scattered kings there,
    snow fell on Zalmon.

¹⁵ O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
    O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
¹⁶ Why look you with envy, O many-peaked mountain,
    at the mount which God desired for his abode,
    yea, where the Lord will dwell for ever?

¹⁷ With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
    thousands upon thousands,
    the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.^[b]
18 Thou didst ascend the high mount,
    leading captives in thy train,
    and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord,
    who daily bears us up;
    God is our salvation.Selah
²⁰ Our God is a God of salvation;
    and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.

²¹ But God will shatter 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 from Bashan,
    I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
²³ that you may bathe^[c] your feet in blood,
    that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

²⁴ Thy solemn processions are seen,^[d] O God,
    the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
²⁵ the singers in front, the minstrels last,
    between them maidens playing timbrels:
²⁶ “Bless God in the great congregation,
    the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”
²⁷ There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
    the princes of Judah in their throng,
    the princes of Zeb′ulun, the princes of Naph′tali.

²⁸ Summon thy might, O God;
    show thy strength, O God, thou who hast wrought for us.
²⁹ Because of thy temple at Jerusalem
    kings bear gifts to thee.
³⁰ Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
    the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample^[e] under foot those who lust after tribute;
    scatter the peoples who delight in war.^[f]
31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt;
    let Ethiopia hasten to 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 in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    lo, he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.
³⁴ Ascribe power to God,
    whose majesty is over Israel,
    and his power is in the skies.
³⁵ Terrible is God in his^[g] sanctuary,
    the God of Israel,
    he gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!