Psalm 68

¹Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered;

let those who hate him flee before him!

²As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;

as wax melts before fire,

let the wicked perish before God!

³But let the righteous be joyful;

let them exult before God;

let them be jubilant with joy!

⁴Sing to God, sing praises to his name;

lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds;

his name is the Lord, exult before him!

⁵Father of the fatherless and protector of widows

is God in his holy habitation.

⁶God gives the desolate a home to dwell in;

he leads out the prisoners to prosperity;

but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

⁷O God, when thou didst go forth before thy people,

when thou didst march through the wilderness,   Selah

⁸the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,

at the presence of God;

yon Sinai quaked at the presence of God,

the God of Israel.

⁹Rain in abundance, O God, thou didst shed abroad;

thou didst restore thy heritage as it languished;

¹⁰thy flock found a dwelling in it;

in thy goodness, O God, thou didst provide for the needy.

¹¹The Lord gives the command;

great is the host of those who bore the tidings:

¹²“The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!”

The women at home divide the spoil,

¹³though they stay among the sheepfolds—

the wings of a dove covered with silver,

its pinions with green gold.

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered kings there,

snow fell on Zalmon.

¹⁵O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;

O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!

¹⁶Why look you with envy, O many-peaked mountain,

at the mount which God desired for his abode,

yea, where the Lord will dwell for ever?

¹⁷With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,

thousands upon thousands,

the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.

¹⁸Thou didst ascend the high mount,

leading captives in thy train,

and receiving gifts among men,

even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

¹⁹Blessed be the Lord,

who daily bears us up;

God is our salvation.   Selah

²⁰Our God is a God of salvation;

and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.

²¹But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,

the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.

²²The Lord said,

“I will bring them back from Bashan,

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

²³that you may bathe your feet in blood,

that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

²⁴Thy solemn processions are seen, O God,

the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—

²⁵the singers in front, the minstrels last,

between them maidens playing timbrels:

²⁶“Bless God in the great congregation,

the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”

²⁷There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,

the princes of Judah in their throng,

the princes of Zebʹulun, the princes of Naphʹtali.

²⁸Summon thy might, O God;

show thy strength, O God, thou who hast wrought for us.

²⁹Because of thy temple at Jerusalem

kings bear gifts to thee.

³⁰Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,

the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.

Trample under foot those who lust after tribute;

scatter the peoples who delight in war.

³¹Let bronze be brought from Egypt;

let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out her hands to God.

³²Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;

sing praises to the Lord,   Selah

³³to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;

lo, he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.

³⁴Ascribe power to God,

whose majesty is over Israel,

and his power is in the skies.

³⁵Terrible is God in his sanctuary,

the God of Israel,

he gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!