Psalm 68
New American Standard Bible
The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.
For the music director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
68 [a]May (A)God arise, [b]may His enemies be scattered,
And [c]may those who hate Him flee from His presence.
2 As (B)smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As (C)wax melts before a fire,
So the (D)wicked will perish before God.
3 But the (E)righteous will be joyful; they will rejoice before God;
Yes, they will rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, (F)sing praises to His name;
[d](G)Exalt Him who (H)rides through the deserts,
Whose (I)name is [e]the Lord, and be jubilant before Him.
5 A (J)father of the fatherless and a (K)judge [f]for the widows,
Is God in His (L)holy dwelling.
6 God [g](M)makes a home for the lonely;
He (N)leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only (O)the rebellious live in parched lands.
7 God, when You (P)went forth before Your people,
When You (Q)marched through the desert, Selah
8 The (R)earth quaked;
The (S)heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
[h](T)Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You (U)made plentiful rain fall, God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was [i]parched.
10 Your creatures settled in it;
In Your kindness You (V)provided for the poor, God.
11 The Lord gives the [j]command;
The (W)women who proclaim good news are a great army:
12 “(X)Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will (Y)divide the spoils!”
13 [k]When you lie down (Z)among the sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with [l]glistening gold.
14 When the Almighty (AA)scattered the kings [m]there,
It was snowing in (AB)Zalmon.
15 (AC)The mountain of Bashan is a [n]mountain of God;
The mountain of Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.
16 Why do you look with envy, you mountains of many peaks,
At the mountain God has (AD)desired as His dwelling?
Indeed, (AE)the Lord will dwell there forever.
17 The (AF)chariots of God are [o]myriads, (AG)thousands upon thousands;
[p]The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have (AH)ascended on high, You have (AI)led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among people,
Even among the rebellious as well, that [q]the Lord God may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily (AJ)bears our burden,
(AK)The God who is our salvation. Selah
20 God is to us a (AL)God of salvation;
And (AM)to [r]God the Lord belong ways of escape [s]from death.
21 God certainly will (AN)shatter the heads of His enemies,
The hairy [t]head of one who goes about in his guilt.
22 The Lord [u]said, “(AO)I will bring them back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 So that [v](AP)your foot may shatter them in blood,
And the tongue of your (AQ)dogs may have its portion from your enemies.”
24 They have seen (AR)Your procession, God,
The procession of my God, my King, [w](AS)into the sanctuary.
25 The (AT)singers went on, the musicians after them,
[x]In the midst of the (AU)young women beating tambourines.
26 (AV)Bless God in the congregations,
Even the Lord, you who are of the (AW)fountain of Israel.
27 (AX)Benjamin, the [y]youngest, is there, [z]ruling them,
The leaders of Judah in their company,
The leaders of (AY)Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali.
28 [aa]Your God has (AZ)commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, God, You (BA)who acted [ab]in our behalf.
29 [ac]Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
(BB)Kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the (BC)animals [ad]in the reeds,
The herd of (BD)bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling the pieces of silver;
He has (BE)scattered the peoples who delight in war.
31 [ae]Messengers will come from (BF)Egypt;
[af](BG)Cush will quickly stretch out her hands to God.
32 Sing to God, you (BH)kingdoms of the earth,
(BI)Sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 To Him who (BJ)rides upon the [ag](BK)highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, (BL)He [ah]speaks with His voice, a (BM)mighty voice.
34 (BN)Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel,
And (BO)His strength is in the [ai]skies.
35 [aj]God, You are (BP)awesome from Your [ak]sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself (BQ)gives strength and power to the people.
(BR)Blessed be God!
Footnotes
- Psalm 68:1 Or God shall
- Psalm 68:1 Or His enemies shall
- Psalm 68:1 Or those who hate Him shall
- Psalm 68:4 Or Prepare the way for Him
- Psalm 68:4 Heb Yah
- Psalm 68:5 Lit of
- Psalm 68:6 Lit makes the solitary to dwell in a house
- Psalm 68:8 Lit This is Sinai which
- Psalm 68:9 Lit weary
- Psalm 68:11 Lit word
- Psalm 68:13 Lit If
- Psalm 68:13 I.e., gold alloyed with silver
- Psalm 68:14 Lit in it
- Psalm 68:15 Or mighty mountain
- Psalm 68:17 Lit twice 10,000
- Psalm 68:17 Another reading is The Lord came from Sinai into the sanctuary
- Psalm 68:18 Heb Yah
- Psalm 68:20 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Psalm 68:20 I.e., in view of; lit for
- Psalm 68:21 Lit skull
- Psalm 68:22 Or says
- Psalm 68:23 Some ancient versions render, you may bathe your foot in blood
- Psalm 68:24 Or in holiness
- Psalm 68:25 Or The maidens in the midst
- Psalm 68:27 Or smallest
- Psalm 68:27 Or their ruler
- Psalm 68:28 Some mss Command, God
- Psalm 68:28 Lit for us
- Psalm 68:29 Or From Your temple
- Psalm 68:30 Lit of
- Psalm 68:31 As in LXX; MT uncertain, possibly, Articles of bronze; or Articles of red cloth
- Psalm 68:31 Or Ethiopia
- Psalm 68:33 Lit heaven of heavens of old
- Psalm 68:33 Lit gives forth
- Psalm 68:34 Lit clouds
- Psalm 68:35 Or Awesome is God from your sanctuary
- Psalm 68:35 Lit holy places
Psalm 68
1599 Geneva Bible
68 1 In this Psalm David setteth forth as in a glass the wonderful mercies of God toward his people: 5 Who by all means and most strange sorts declared himself to them. 15 And therefore God’s Church by reason of his promises, graces, and victories, doth excel without comparison all worldly things. 34 He exhorteth therefore all men to praise God forever.
To him that excelleth. A Psalm or song of David.
1 God [a]will arise, and his enemies shall be scattered: they also that hate him, shall flee before him.
2 As the smoke vanisheth, so shalt thou drive them away: and as wax melteth before the fire, so shall the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 [b]But the righteous shall be glad, and rejoice before God: yea, they shall leap for joy.
4 Sing unto God, and sing praises unto his name: exalt him that rideth upon the heavens, in his Name [c]Jah, and rejoice before him.
5 He is a Father of the fatherless, and a Judge of the widows, even God in his holy habitation.
6 God [d]maketh the solitary to dwell in families, and delivereth them that were prisoners in stocks: but the rebellious shall dwell in a [e]dry land.
7 [f]O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people: when thou wentest through the wilderness, (Selah.)
8 The earth shook, and the heavens dropped at the presence of this God: even Sinai was moved at the presence of God, even the God of Israel.
9 Thou, O God, sentest a gracious rain upon thine inheritance, and thou didst refresh it when it was weary.
10 Thy Congregation dwelled therein: for thou, O God, hast of thy [g]goodness prepared it for the poor.
11 The Lord gave matter to the [h]women to tell of the great army.
12 Kings of the armies did flee: they did flee, and [i]she that remained in the house, divided the spoil.
13 Though ye have lain among [j]pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove that is covered with silver, and whose feathers are like yellow gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings [k]in it, it was white as the snow in Zalmon.
15 [l]The mountain of God is like the mountain of Bashan: it is an high mountain, as mount Bashan.
16 [m]Why leap ye, ye high mountains? as for this Mountain, God delighteth to dwell in it: yea, the Lord will dwell in it forever.
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand thousand Angels, and the Lord is among them, as in the Sanctuary of Sinai.
18 Thou art gone up on high: thou hast [n]led captivity captive, and received gifts for men: yea, even the rebellious hast thou led, that the Lord God might dwell there.
19 Praised be the Lord, even the God of our salvation, which ladeth us daily with benefits. Selah.
20 This is our God, even the God that saveth us: and to the Lord God belong the [o]issues of death.
21 Surely God will wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy pate of him that walketh in his sins.
22 The Lord hath said, I will bring my people again from [p]Bashan: I will bring them again from the depths of the Sea:
23 That thy foot may be dipped in blood, and the tongue of thy dogs in the blood of the enemies, even in [q]it.
24 They have seen, O God, thy [r]goings, the goings of my God, and my king, which art in the Sanctuary.
25 The [s]singers went before, the players of instruments after: in the midst were the maids playing with timbrels.
26 Praise ye God in the assemblies, and the Lord, ye that are of the fountain [t]of Israel.
27 There was [u]little Benjamin with their [v]ruler, and the Princes of Judah with their assembly, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.
28 Thy GOD hath appointed thy strength: establish, O God, that which thou first wrought in us,
29 [w]Out of thy Temple upon Jerusalem, and kings shall bring presents unto thee.
30 Destroy the company of the spearmen, and multitude of the mighty bulls with the calves of the people, that [x]tread under feet pieces of silver: scatter the people that delight in war.
31 Then shall the princes come out [y]of Egypt: Ethiopia shall haste to stretch her hands unto God.
32 Sing unto God, O ye kingdoms of the earth: sing praise unto the Lord, (Selah)
33 To him that rideth upon the most high heavens, which were from the beginning: behold, he will send out by his [z]voice a mighty sound.
34 Ascribe the power to God: for his majesty is upon Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, thou art [aa]terrible out of thine holy [ab]places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto the people: praised be God.
Footnotes
- Psalm 68:1 The Prophet showeth that albeit God suffereth the wicked tyrants to oppress his Church for a time, yet at length he will be revenged of them.
- Psalm 68:3 He showeth that when God declareth his power against the wicked, that it is for the commodity and salvation of his Church, which praise him therefore.
- Psalm 68:4 Yah and Jehovah are the names of God, which do signify his essence and majesty incomprehensible, so that hereby is declared that all idols are but vanity, and that the God of Israel is the only true God.
- Psalm 68:6 He giveth children to them that be childless, and increaseth their families.
- Psalm 68:6 Which is barren of God’s blessings, which before they had abused.
- Psalm 68:7 He teacheth that God’s favor peculiarly belongeth to his Church, as appeareth by their wonderful deliverance out of Egypt.
- Psalm 68:10 God blessed the land of Canaan, because he had chosen that place for his Church.
- Psalm 68:11 The fashion then was that women sang songs after the victory, as Miriam, Deborah, Judith, and others.
- Psalm 68:12 The prey was so great, that not only the soldiers, but women also had part thereof.
- Psalm 68:13 Though God suffer his Church for a time to lie in black darkness, yet he will restore it, and make it most shining and white.
- Psalm 68:14 In the land of Canaan, where his Church was.
- Psalm 68:15 Zion the Church of God, doth excel all worldly things, not in pomp and outward show, but by the inward grace of God, which there remaineth, because of his dwelling there.
- Psalm 68:16 Why boast ye of your strength and beauty against this Mountain of God?
- Psalm 68:18 As God overcame the enemies of his Church, took them prisoners, and made them tributaries: so Christ, which is God manifested in the flesh, subdued Satan and sin under us, and gave unto his Church most liberal gifts of his Spirit, Eph. 4:8.
- Psalm 68:20 In most extreme dangers God hath infinite ways to deliver his.
- Psalm 68:22 As he delivered his Church once from Og of Bashan, and other tyrants, and from the danger of the red Sea, so will he still do as oft as necessity requireth.
- Psalm 68:23 That is, in the blood of that great slaughter, where dogs shall lap blood.
- Psalm 68:24 That is, how thou which art chief King goest out with thy people to war, and givest them the victory.
- Psalm 68:25 He describeth the order of the people, when they went to the Temple to give thanks for the victory.
- Psalm 68:26 Which come of the Patriarch Jacob.
- Psalm 68:27 Benjamin is called little, because he was the youngest son of Jacob.
- Psalm 68:27 Who was some chief ruler of the tribe.
- Psalm 68:29 Declare out of thine holy palace thy power for the defense of thy Church Jerusalem.
- Psalm 68:30 He desireth that the pride of the mighty may be destroyed, which accustomed to garnish their shoes with silver, and therefore for their glittering pomp thought themselves above all men.
- Psalm 68:31 He prophecieth that the Gentiles shall come to the true knowledge and worship of God.
- Psalm 68:33 By his terrible thunders he will make himself to be known the God of all the world.
- Psalm 68:35 In showing fearful judgments against thine enemies for the salvation of thy people.
- Psalm 68:35 He alludeth to the Tabernacle which was divided in three parts.
Psalm 68
King James Version
68 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name Jah, and rejoice before him.
5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:
8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.
12 Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.
13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.
15 The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.
16 Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell in it for ever.
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.
21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.
22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:
23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.
24 They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
26 Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.
28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.
29 Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.
30 Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.
31 Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:
33 To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
