Add parallel Print Page Options

Psalm 68

For the Music Director. A Psalm of David. A Song.

Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered;
    let those who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away,
    You drive them away;
as wax melts before the fire,
    so may the wicked perish before God.
But let the righteous be glad;
    let them rejoice before God;
    let them rejoice exceedingly.

Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
    raise a song to Him who rides through the deserts—
His name is the Lord;
    exult before Him.
A father of the fatherless, and a protector of the widows,
    is God in His holy habitation.
God sets the deserted in families;
    He brings out prisoners into prosperity,
    but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

O God, when You went forth before Your people,
    when You marched through the wasteland, Selah
the earth shook;
    the heavens also poured down rain
at the presence of God; even Sinai shook
    at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
You, O God, sent plentiful rain;
    You established Your inheritance when it was weary.
10 Your congregation has lived in it;
    You, O God, by Your goodness have prepared for the poor.

11 The Lord gave the word;
    great was the company of women who proclaimed it:
12 “Kings of armies flee; they flee!”
    Even the women who were at home divided the spoil.
13 Though you sleep between the sheepfolds,
    yet you will be like the wings of a dove overlaid with silver,
    and its feathers with yellow gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it,
    it was white as snow on Mount Zalmon.

15 The mountain of God is as the mountain of Bashan;
    a mountain of many peaks like the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why are you envious, you mountains of many peaks?
    This is the mountain which God desires to dwell in;
    yes, the Lord will dwell in it forever.
17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, even thousands of thousands;
    the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
18 You have ascended on high,
    You have led captivity captive;
    You have received gifts from people,
yes, even from the rebellious,
    that the Lord God might dwell among them.

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits,
    even the God who is our salvation. Selah
20 That God is for us, the God of saving acts;
    and to God the Lord belongs escape from death.
21 But God will shatter the head of His enemies,
    and the scalp of one who walks in his trespasses.
22 The Lord said, “I will cause them to return from Bashan,
    I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea,
23 that your foot may stomp in the blood of your enemies,
    and the tongue of your dogs may have a portion in it.”

24 They have seen Your processions, O God,
    the processions of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before,
    the players on instruments followed after;
    among them were the young women playing tambourines.
26 Bless God in the congregations,
    the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin leading them,
    the princes of Judah and their throng of people,
    the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

28 Your God has commanded your strength;
    strengthen, O God, what You have done for us.
29 From Your temple above Jerusalem,
    kings will bring gifts to You.
30 Rebuke the animals that live among the reeds,
    the herd of bulls, with the calves of the people,
until everyone submits himself with pieces of silver;
    scatter peoples who delight in war.
31 Ambassadors will come out of Egypt;
    Ethiopia will stretch out its hands to God.

32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
    oh, sing praises to the Lord; Selah
33 to Him who rides on the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    He who sends out His voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God;
    His majesty is over Israel,
    and His strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuaries;
    the God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to people.

Blessed be God!

Jehovah the God of Sinai and of the sanctuary.

For the Chief Musician; A Psalm of David, a Song.

[a]68 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;
Let them also that hate him flee before him.
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.
But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God:
Yea, let them rejoice with gladness.
Sing unto God, sing praises to his name:
Cast up a highway for him that rideth through the deserts;
His name is [b]Jehovah; and exult ye before him.
A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows,
Is God in his holy habitation.
God [c]setteth the solitary in families:
He bringeth out the prisoners into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people,
When thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah
The earth trembled,
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God:
Yon Sinai trembled at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,
Thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
10 Thy [d]congregation dwelt therein:
Thou, O God, didst prepare of thy goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord giveth the word:
The women that publish the tidings are a great host.
12 Kings of armies flee, they flee;
And she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.
13 [e]When ye lie among the sheepfolds,
It is as the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And her pinions with yellow gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings therein,
It [f]was as when it snoweth in Zalmon.
15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A [g]high mountain is the mountain of Bashan.
16 Why look ye askance, ye high mountains,
At the mountain which God hath desired for his abode?
Yea, Jehovah will dwell in it for ever.
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands upon thousands:
The Lord is among them, [h]as in Sinai, in the sanctuary.
18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led away captives;
Thou hast received gifts among men,
Yea, among the rebellious also, that [i]Jehovah God might [j]dwell with them.

19 Blessed be [k]the Lord, who daily beareth our burden,
Even the God who is our salvation. Selah
20 God is unto us a God of deliverances;
And unto Jehovah the Lord belongeth escape from death.
21 But God will smite through the head of his enemies,
The hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his guiltiness.
22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan,
I will bring them again from the depths of the sea;
23 That thou mayest crush them, dipping thy foot in blood,
That the tongue of thy dogs may have its portion from thine enemies.
24 They have seen thy goings, O God,
Even the goings of my God, my King, [l]into the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before, the minstrels followed after,
In the midst of the damsels playing with timbrels.
26 Bless ye God in the congregations,
Even the Lord, ye that are of the fountain of Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin their ruler,
The princes of Judah and their [m]council,
The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength:
[n]Strengthen, O God, that which thou [o]hast wrought for us.
29 Because of thy temple at Jerusalem
Kings shall bring presents unto thee.
30 Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds,
The multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the peoples,
[p]Trampling under foot the pieces of silver:
[q]He hath scattered the peoples that delight in war.
31 Princes shall come out of Egypt;
[r]Ethiopia shall haste to stretch out her hands unto God.
32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth;
Oh sing praises unto the Lord; Selah
33 To him that rideth upon the heaven of heavens, which are of old;
Lo, he uttereth his voice, a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe ye strength unto God:
His excellency is over Israel,
And his strength is in the skies.
35 [s]O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places:
The God of Israel, he giveth strength and power unto his people.
Blessed be God.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 68:1 Or, God ariseth; and so throughout verses 1, 2, 3
  2. Psalm 68:4 Hebrew Jah.
  3. Psalm 68:6 Hebrew maketh the solitary to dwell in a house.
  4. Psalm 68:10 Or, troop
  5. Psalm 68:13 Or, Will ye lie among the sheepfolds, as the wings . . . gold?
  6. Psalm 68:14 Or, snowed
  7. Psalm 68:15 Hebrew mountain of summits.
  8. Psalm 68:17 Or, Sinai is in the sanctuary
  9. Psalm 68:18 Hebrew Jah.
  10. Psalm 68:18 Or, dwell there
  11. Psalm 68:19 Or, the Lord day by day: if one oppresseth us, God is our salvation
  12. Psalm 68:24 Or, in the sanctuary. Or, in holiness
  13. Psalm 68:27 Or, company
  14. Psalm 68:28 Or, Be strong, O God, thou that hast etc.
  15. Psalm 68:28 Or, hast wrought for us out of thy temple. Unto Jerusalem etc.
  16. Psalm 68:30 Or, Every one submitting himself with pieces of silver
  17. Psalm 68:30 Or, as otherwise read, Scatter thou
  18. Psalm 68:31 Hebrew Cush.
  19. Psalm 68:35 Or, Terrible is God