Psalms 68

For the choir director. Of David. A psalm. A song.

1God rises up; his enemies scatter, and those who hate him flee before him.

2As smoke is driven away, so you drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked perish before God.

3But the righteous will be glad; they will exult before God and rejoice with joy.

4Sing to God; sing praise to his name. Prepare the way for the one who rides through the deserts; Yah is his name. Exult before him.

5A father to the fatherless and a judge of widows is God in his holy dwelling.

6God settles the lonely in a home; he brings out prisoners into prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land.

7God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness—Selah

8The earth quaked; even the heavens poured down before God—Sinai itself—before God, the God of Israel.

9You poured down abundant rain, O God; your inheritance was weary, and you sustained it.

10Your creatures settled in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the poor.

11The Lord gives the word; the women who announce the good news are a great host.

12Kings of armies flee, they flee, and the woman at home divides the spoil.

13Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, the wings of a dove are covered with silver, and her pinions with yellow gold.

14When the Almighty scattered kings there, it snowed on Zalmon.

15A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan; a many-peaked mountain is the mountain of Bashan.

16Why do you look askance, O many-peaked mountains, at the mountain God desired for his dwelling? Indeed, Yahweh will dwell there forever.

17The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them, as at Sinai, in the holy place.

18You ascended on high; you took captives; you received gifts among people, even among the rebellious, so that Yah God might dwell there.

19Blessed be the Lord, who day by day carries our load—God is our salvation. Selah

20God is for us a God of deliverances, and to Yahweh the Lord belong ways out from death.

21Surely God will crush the head of his enemies, the hairy crown of the one who walks in his guilt.

22The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan; I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,”

23so that you may bathe your foot in blood, and the tongue of your dogs may have its share from the enemies.

24They have seen your procession, O God—the procession of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

25The singers went before, the musicians after, in the midst of young women beating tambourines.

26Bless God in the assemblies—Yahweh—you who are from the fountain of Israel.

27There is little Benjamin, ruling them; the princes of Judah with their throng; the princes of Zebulun; the princes of Naphtali.

28Your God has commanded your strength. Strengthen, O God, what you have done for us.

29Because of your temple at Jerusalem, kings will bring tribute to you.

30Rebuke the beast of the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the peoples, submitting itself with pieces of silver. He has scattered the peoples who delight in wars.

31Nobles shall come from Egypt; Cush shall quickly stretch out his hands to God.

32Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God; sing praises to the Lord—Selah

33to him who rides in the highest heavens, which are from ancient times—behold, he gives forth his voice, a mighty voice.

34Ascribe strength to God; his majesty is over Israel, and his strength is in the skies.

35Awesome is God from your sanctuaries; the God of Israel—he gives strength and mighty power to the people. Blessed be God!