Psalm 68

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.

¹May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;

may his foes flee before him.

²May you blow them away like smoke—

as wax melts before the fire,

may the wicked perish before God.

³But may the righteous be glad

and rejoice before God;

may they be happy and joyful.

⁴Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,

extol him who rides on the clouds;

rejoice before him—his name is the Lord.

⁵A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,

is God in his holy dwelling.

⁶God sets the lonely in families,

he leads out the prisoners with singing;

but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

⁷When you, God, went out before your people,

when you marched through the wilderness,

⁸the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain,

before God, the One of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

⁹You gave abundant showers, O God;

you refreshed your weary inheritance.

¹⁰Your people settled in it,

and from your bounty, God, you provided for the poor.

¹¹The Lord announces the word,

and the women who proclaim it are a mighty throng:

¹²“Kings and armies flee in haste;

the women at home divide the plunder.

¹³Even while you sleep among the sheep pens,

the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,

its feathers with shining gold.”

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land,

it was like snow fallen on Mount Zalmon.

¹⁵Mount Bashan, majestic mountain,

Mount Bashan, rugged mountain,

¹⁶why gaze in envy, you rugged mountain,

at the mountain where God chooses to reign,

where the Lord himself will dwell forever?

¹⁷The chariots of God are tens of thousands

and thousands of thousands;

the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.

¹⁸When you ascended on high,

you took many captives;

you received gifts from people,

even from the rebellious—

that you, Lord God, might dwell there.

¹⁹Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,

who daily bears our burdens.

²⁰Our God is a God who saves;

from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

²¹Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies,

the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

²²The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan;

I will bring them from the depths of the sea,

²³that your feet may wade in the blood of your foes,

while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”

²⁴Your procession, God, has come into view,

the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.

²⁵In front are the singers, after them the musicians;

with them are the young women playing the timbrels.

²⁶Praise God in the great congregation;

praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.

²⁷There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them,

there the great throng of Judah’s princes,

and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

²⁸Summon your power, God;

show us your strength, our God, as you have done before.

²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem

kings will bring you gifts.

³⁰Rebuke the beast among the reeds,

the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.

Humbled, may the beast bring bars of silver.

Scatter the nations who delight in war.

³¹Envoys will come from Egypt;

Cush will submit herself to God.

³²Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth,

sing praise to the Lord,

³³to him who rides across the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,

who thunders with mighty voice.

³⁴Proclaim the power of God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

whose power is in the heavens.

³⁵You, God, are awesome in your sanctuary;

the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.

Praise be to God!