Psalm 68

International Children’s Bible

Praise God Who Saved the Nation

For the director of music. A song of David.

68 Let God come and scatter his enemies.
    Let those who hate him run away.
²Blow them away as smoke
    is driven away by the wind.
As wax melts before a fire,
    let the wicked be destroyed before God.
³But those who do right should be glad.
    They should rejoice before God.
    They should be happy and glad.

⁴Sing to God. Sing praises to his name.
Prepare the way for him
    who rides through the desert.
His name is the Lord.
    Rejoice before him.
⁵God is in his holy Temple.
    He is a father to orphans.
    He defends the widows.
⁶God gives the lonely a home.
    He leads prisoners out with joy.
    But those who turn against God will live in a dry land.

⁷God, you led your people out.
    You marched through the desert. Selah
⁸The ground shook,
    and the sky poured down rain
before God, the God of Mount Sinai,
    before God, the God of Israel.
⁹God, you sent much rain.
    You refreshed your tired land.
¹⁰Your people settled there.
    God, in your goodness
    you took care of the poor.

¹¹The Lord gave the command.
    And a great army told the news:
¹²“Kings and their armies run away.
    The women at home divide the wealth taken in war.”
¹³Those who stayed behind by the sheepfold
    will get the riches taken in battle.
¹⁴God scattered kings
    like snow on Mount Zalmon.

¹⁵The mountains of Bashan are great mountains.
    Mount Bashan has many peaks.
¹⁶Why do you mountains with many peaks look down
    on Mount Zion, which God chose for his home?
    The Lord will live there forever.
¹⁷God comes with millions of chariots.
    The Lord comes from Mount Sinai to his holy place.
¹⁸He went up to the heights.
    He led a parade of captives.
    He received the payment he demanded from the people,
even from those who turned against him.
    And the Lord God will live there.

¹⁹Praise the Lord, day by day.
God our Savior helps us. Selah
²⁰Our God is a God who saves us.
The Lord God saves us from death.

²¹God will crush his enemies’ heads,
    the hairy skulls of those who continue to sin.
²²The Lord said, “I will bring the enemy back from Bashan.
    I will bring them back from the depths of the sea.
²³Then you can stick your feet in their blood.
    And your dogs can lick their share.”

²⁴God, people have seen your victory march.
    God my King marched into the holy place.
²⁵The singers are in front, and the instruments are behind.
    In the middle are the girls with the tambourines.
²⁶Praise God in the meeting place.
    Praise the Lord in the gathering of Israel.
²⁷There is the smallest tribe, Benjamin, leading them.
    And there are the leaders of Judah with their group.
    There also are the leaders of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

²⁸God, order up your power.
    Show the mighty power you have used for us before.
²⁹Kings will bring their wealth to you,
    to your Temple in Jerusalem.
³⁰Punish Egypt, the beast among the tall grass along the river.
    Punish the leaders of nations, those bulls among the cows.
Then they will bring you their silver.
    Scatter those nations that love war.
³¹Messengers will come from Egypt with forced payment.
    The people of Cush will pray to God.

³²Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
    Sing praises to the Lord. Selah
³³Sing to the one who rides through the skies, which are from long ago.
    He speaks with a thundering voice.
³⁴Announce that God is powerful.
    He rules over Israel.
    His power is in the skies.
³⁵God, you are wonderful in your Temple.
    The God of Israel gives his people strength and power.