Psalm 68

Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 68

God’s Majestic Power

For the choir director. A psalm of David. A song.

¹God arises. His enemies scatter,
and those who hate him flee from his presence.^(A)
²As smoke is blown away,
so you blow them away.
As wax melts before the fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.^(B)
³But the righteous are glad;
they rejoice before God and celebrate with joy.^(C)

⁴Sing to God! Sing praises to his name.
Exalt him who rides on the clouds^[a]—
his name is the Lord^[b]—and celebrate before him.^(D)
⁵God in his holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.^(E)
⁶God provides homes for those who are deserted.
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,^[c]
but the rebellious live in a scorched land.^(F)

⁷God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the desert,Selah
⁸the earth trembled and the skies poured rain
before God, the God of Sinai,^[d]
before God, the God of Israel.^(G)
⁹You, God, showered abundant rain;
you revived your inheritance when it languished.^(H)
¹⁰Your people settled in it;
God, you provided for the poor by your goodness.^(I)

¹¹The Lord gave the command;
a great company of women brought the good news:^(J)
¹²“The kings of the armies flee—they flee!”
She who stays at home divides the spoil.^(K)
¹³While^[e] you lie among the sheep pens,^[f]
the wings of a dove are covered with silver,
and its feathers with glistening gold.^(L)
¹⁴When the Almighty scattered kings in the land,
it snowed on Zalmon.^[g]^(M)

¹⁵Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain;
Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.^(N)
¹⁶Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,
at the mountain God desired for his abode?
The Lord will dwell there forever!^(O)
¹⁷God’s chariots are tens of thousands,
thousands and thousands;^(P)
the Lord is among them in the sanctuary^[h]
as he was at Sinai.^(Q)
¹⁸You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;
you received gifts from^[i] people,
even from the rebellious,
so that the Lord God might dwell there.^[j]^(R)

¹⁹Blessed be the Lord!
Day after day he bears our burdens;
God is our salvation.^(S)Selah
²⁰Our God is a God of salvation,
and escape from death belongs to the Lord my Lord.^(T)
²¹Surely God crushes the heads of his enemies,
the hairy brow of one who goes on in his guilty acts.^(U)
²²The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea^(V)
²³so that your foot may wade^[k] in blood
and your dogs’ tongues may have their share
from the enemies.”^(W)
²⁴People have seen your procession, God,
the procession of my God,
my King, in the sanctuary.^(X)
²⁵Singers lead the way,
with musicians following;
among them are young women
playing tambourines.^(Y)
²⁶Bless God in the assemblies;
bless the Lord from the fountain of Israel.^(Z)
²⁷There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,
the rulers of Judah in their assembly,^[l]
the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali.^(AA)

²⁸Your God has decreed your strength.
Show your strength, God,
you who have acted on our behalf.^(AB)
²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem,
kings will bring tribute to you.^(AC)
³⁰Rebuke the beast in the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.^(AD)
Trample underfoot those with bars of silver.^[m]
Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.^(AE)
³¹Ambassadors will come^[n] from Egypt;
Cush will stretch out its hands to God.^(AF)

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
sing praise to the Lord,^(AG)Selah
³³to him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.^(AH)
Look, he thunders with his powerful voice!^(AI)
³⁴Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel;
his power is among the clouds.^(AJ)
³⁵God, you are awe-inspiring in your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!^(AK)

Footnotes

68:4 Or rides through the desert
68:4 Hb Yah
68:6 Or prisoners with joyous music; Hb uncertain
68:8 Or God, this one of Sinai
68:13 Or If
68:13 Or the campfires, or the saddlebags; Hb obscure
68:14 Or Black Mountain
68:17 Or in holiness, also in v. 24
68:18 Lit among
68:18 Or even those rebelling against the Lord God’s living there; Hb obscure
68:23 LXX, Syr read dip
68:27 Hb obscure
68:30 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
68:31 Or They bring red cloth, or They bring bronze

Tehillim 68

Orthodox Jewish Bible

68 (For the one directing. Of Dovid. Mizmor. Shir.) Let Elohim arise, let His oyevim be scattered; let them also that hate Him flee before Him.

²⁽³⁾As ashan (smoke) is blown away, so drive them away; as wax melteth before the eish, so let the resha’im perish at the presence of Elohim.

³⁽⁴⁾But let the tzaddikim have simchah; let them rejoice before Elohim; and, let them rejoice with simchah.

⁴⁽⁵⁾Sing unto Elohim, sing praises to Shmo; extol Him that rideth on the clouds by Shmo Hashem, and rejoice before Him.

⁵⁽⁶⁾Avi yetomim (father of orphans), and a dayan (judge) of almanot (widows), is Elohim in His Ma’on Kodesh.

⁶⁽⁷⁾Elohim setteth the yechidim (alone ones) in a family; He bringeth out those which are asirim (prisoners, those bound with chains); but the sorerim (rebels) dwell in a dry land.

⁷⁽⁸⁾O Elohim, when Thou wentest forth before Thy people, when Thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah;

⁸⁽⁹⁾Eretz shook, Shomayim also poured rain at the presence of Elohim; even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of Elohim, Elohei Yisroel.

⁹⁽¹⁰⁾Thou, O Elohim, didst send a plentiful geshem (rain), whereby Thou didst restore Thine nachalah, when it was parched.

¹⁰⁽¹¹⁾Thy congregation hath dwelt therein; Thou, O Elohim, hast prepared of Thy bounty for the oni.

¹¹⁽¹²⁾Adonoi gave the word; rav (great) was the tzava (company, army) of the mevaserot (heralds, those that published it, the lady evangelists).

¹²⁽¹³⁾Melachim of tzeva’ot (armies) shall flee, they flee; and she that tarried at home shall divide the plunder.

¹³⁽¹⁴⁾Though ye have lain among the cooking pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a yonah covered with kesef, and her feathers with glistening gold.

¹⁴⁽¹⁵⁾When Shaddai scattered melachim therein, it was white as snow in Tzalmon.

¹⁵⁽¹⁶⁾The Har Elohim is the Har Bashan; a mountain of peaks is the Har Bashan.

¹⁶⁽¹⁷⁾Why gaze ye in envy, ye many-peaked harim? This is the har which Elohim hath chosen to dwell in; indeed, Hashem will dwell in it lanetzach (forever).

¹⁷⁽¹⁸⁾The merkavot of Elohim are myriads, a thousand thousands; Adonoi is among them, as in Sinai, in kodesh (holiness).

¹⁸⁽¹⁹⁾Thou hast ascended on marom (high), Thou hast led captivity captive; Thou hast received mattanot among adam; yes, even from the sorerim (the rebellious) also, that Hashem Elohim might dwell [there].

¹⁹⁽²⁰⁾Baruch Adonoi, Who yom yom bears us up, even HaEl Yeshuateinu (the G-d of our salvation). Selah.

²⁰⁽²¹⁾Our G-d is a G-d who saves; and from Hashem Adonoi come escapes from mavet (death).

²¹⁽²²⁾But Elohim shall shatter the rosh of His oyevim, and the hairy kodkod (crown of the head, scalp) of such a one as continueth on in his trespasses.

²²⁽²³⁾Adonoi said, I will bring back from Bashan, I will bring back from the depths of the sea;

²³⁽²⁴⁾That thy regel may be bathed in dahm, that the leshon of thy klavim (dogs) may partake of the oyevim.

²⁴⁽²⁵⁾They have seen Thy processions, O Elohim; even the goings of my G-d, my Melech, in the Kodesh.

²⁵⁽²⁶⁾The sharim (singers) went before, the nogenim (players on instruments) followed after; among them were the alamot (young unmarried virgins) playing timbrels.

²⁶⁽²⁷⁾Barchu Elohim in the congregations, even Hashem, out of the Makor Yisroel (Fountain of Israel).

²⁷⁽²⁸⁾There is Binyamin, the youngest at the head; the sarim (princes) of Yehudah and the throng of them, the sarim (princes) of Zevulun, and the sarim (princes) of Naphtali.

²⁸⁽²⁹⁾Eloheicha hath commanded thy oz; strengthen, O Elohim, that which Thou hast wrought for us.

²⁹⁽³⁰⁾Because of Thy Heikhal at Yerushalayim shall melachim bring offerings unto Thee.

³⁰⁽³¹⁾Rebuke the company of spearmen, the adat (herd) of bulls, with the agalim (calves) of the nations, till every one prostrate himself with ingots of kesef; He scatters the people that delight in wars.

³¹⁽³²⁾Magnates shall come out of Mitzrayim; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto Elohim.

³²⁽³³⁾Sing unto Elohim, ye mamlechot of ha’aretz; O sing praises unto Adonoi. Selah.

³³⁽³⁴⁾To Him that rideth upon the skies of Shomayim of old; lo, He doth send out His voice, and that a kol oz (mighty voice).

³⁴⁽³⁵⁾Ascribe ye oz (power) unto Elohim; His majesty is over Yisroel, and His oz is in the skies.

³⁵⁽³⁶⁾O Elohim, Thou art norah (awesome, terrible) out of Thy Mikdashim; the El (G-d) of Yisroel is He that giveth oz and strength unto His people. Baruch Elohim.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

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Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB)

Psalm 68 Christian Standard Bible