Psalms 68

1 For the end, a Psalm of a Song by David. Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; and let them that hate him flee from before him.

God, arise and scatter your enemies, and cause those who hate you to run away from you.

2 As smoke vanishes, let them vanish: as wax melts before the fire, so let the sinners perish from before God.

Like [wind] blows smoke away, chase your enemies away. Like wax melts when it is near a fire, cause wicked people to (disappear/be destroyed).

3 But let the righteous rejoice; let them exult before God: let them be delighted with joy.

But righteous people should be joyful; they should rejoice when they are in God’s presence; they should be happy, and be very joyful.

4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name: make a way for him that rides upon the west (the Lord is his name) and exult before him. They shall be troubled before the face of him,

Sing to God; sing to praise him; sing a song (OR, make a road) for him who rides on the clouds; his name is Yahweh; be glad when you are in his presence.

5 [who is] the father of the orphans, and judge of the widows: [such is] God in his holy place.

God, who lives in his sacred temple, is [like] [MET] a father to [those who are] orphans, and he is the one who protects widows.

6 God settles the solitary in a house; leading forth prisoners mightily, also them that act provokingly, [even] them that dwell in tombs.

For those who have no one to live with, he provides families [to live with]. He frees prisoners and enables them to be successful, but those who rebel [against him] will be forced to live in a very hot and dry land.

7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou wentest through the wilderness; (Pause)

God, you led your people out [of Egypt], and then you marched with them through the desert.

8 the earth quaked, yea, the heavens dropped [water] at the presence of the God of Sina, at the presence of the God of Israel.

After you did that, because when you, the God [worshiped by us] Israeli people, appeared to us at Sinai [Mountain], the earth shook, and rain poured down from the sky.

9 O God, thou wilt grant to thine inheritance a gracious rain; for it was weary, but thou didst refresh it.

You caused plenty of rain to fall [on your land], [and so] you enabled good crops to grow again on the land that you gave [to us Israelis].

10 Thy creatures dwell in it: thou hast in thy goodness prepared for the poor.

Your people built homes there; and because you were good to them, you provided [food] for those who were poor.

11 The Lord God will give a word to them that preach [it] in a great company.

The Lord gave a message, and many women took that message to other places.

12 The king of the forces of the beloved, of the beloved, [will] even [grant them] for the beauty of the house to divide the spoils.

[They proclaimed], “Many kings and their armies are running away [from our army]!” [When our army brought back to their homes] the things that they captured, the women who were at home divided up those things [among themselves and among their families].

13 Even if ye should lie among the lots, [ye shall have] the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her breast with yellow gold.

Even those women who were in the pens [taking care of] the sheep [received some of those things]; they got statues of doves whose wings were covered with silver and whose feathers were covered with pure yellow gold.

14 When the heavenly One scatters kings upon it, they shall be made snow-white in Selmon.

When Almighty [God] scattered the [enemy] kings [and their armies], [the number of weapons that they abandoned there] seemed like there had been a snowstorm on Zalmon (OR, a black) [Mountain].

15 The mountain of God is a rich mountain; a swelling mountain, a rich mountain.

There is a very high mountain in the Bashan [region], a mountain which has many peaks.

16 Wherefore do ye conceive [evil], ye swelling mountains? [this is] the mountain which God has delighted to dwell in; yea, the Lord will dwell [in it] for ever.

But the [people who live near] that mountain should not [RHQ] envy those who live near [Zion], the mountain on which God chose to live! Yahweh will live there forever!

17 The chariots of God are ten thousand fold, thousands of rejoicing ones: the Lord is among them, in Sina, in the holy place.

[After we defeated all our enemies], [it was as though] the Lord, surrounded by many thousands of strong chariots, descended from Sinai [Mountain] and came into the sacred temple [in Jerusalem].

18 Thou art gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive, thou hast received gifts for man, yea, for [they were] rebellious, that thou mightest dwell among them.

He ascended the sacred mountain [where his temple is], and took with him many people who had been captured [in battles]; and received gifts from the enemies [whom he had defeated]. He received gifts even from those who had rebelled against him, and Yahweh our God will live there [in his sacred temple] forever.

19 Blessed be the Lord God, blessed be the Lord daily; and the God of our salvation shall prosper us. (Pause)

Praise the Lord, who [helps us] carry our heavy loads every day; he is the one who saves/rescues us.

20 Our God is the God of salvation; and to the Lord belong the issues from death.

Our God is the God who saves us; He is Yahweh, our Lord, the one who (allows us to escape/prevents us) from being killed [in battles].

21 But God shall crust the heads of his enemies; the hairy crown of them that go on in their trespasses.

But God will smash the heads of his enemies, the skulls of those who continue to behave sinfully.

22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Basan, I will bring [my people] again through the depths of the sea.

The Lord said, “I will bring back the [corpses of those who were killed in] Bashan, and I will bring back those who sank deep in the ocean [and drowned].

23 That thy foot may be dipped in blood, [and] the tongue of thy dogs [be stained] with that of [thine] enemies.

I will do that in order that you may wash your feet in their blood, and your dogs can [also] lap up some of your enemies’ blood.”

24 Thy goings, O God, have been seen; the goings of my God, the king, in the sanctuary.

God, many people see you march triumphantly into your sacred temple, [celebrating that you have defeated your enemies]. You [march like] a king does, and a large crowd walks with you.

25 The princes went first, next before the players on instruments, in the midst of damsels playing on timbrels.

The singers are in front, and the people who play stringed instruments are at the rear, and young women who are beating their tambourines are between them.

26 Praise God in the congregations, the Lord from the fountains of Israel.

[They are all singing], “You Israeli people, praise God when you gather together; praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!”

27 There is Benjamin the younger [one] in ecstasy, the princes of Juda their rulers, the princes of Zabulon, the princes of Nephthali.

First come [the people of the tribe of] Benjamin, the smallest [tribe], and following them come the leaders of [the tribe of] Judah and their group, and following them come the leaders of [the tribes of] Zebulun and Naphtali.

28 O God, command thou thy strength: strengthen, O God, this which thou hast wrought in us.

God, show people that you are very powerful; show people the power with which you have helped us previously.

29 Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents to thee.

Show that power from your temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to you.

30 Rebuke the wild beasts of the reed: let the crowd of bulls with the heifers of the nations [be rebuked], so that they who have been proved with silver may not be shut out: scatter thou the nations that wish for wars.

Rebuke [your enemies, such as those in Egypt who are like] wild hippopotamuses/animals that live in the reeds; and [powerful nations that are like] bulls that are among their calves [MET]; rebuke/trample them until they bow down and give you gifts of silver. Scatter the people who enjoy making wars.

31 Ambassadors shall arrive out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall hasten [to stretch out] her hand readily to God.

Then people will bring gifts of bronze (OR, of cloth) to you from Egypt; the people in Ethiopia will lift up their hands [to praise you].

32 Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth; sing psalms to the Lord. (Pause)

[You people who are citizens of] kingdoms/countries all over the world, sing to God! Sing praises to the Lord!

33 Sing to God that rides on the heaven of heaven, eastward: lo, he will utter a mighty sound with his voice.

Sing to the God, the one who rides across the sky, the sky that [he created] long ago. Listen as he shouts with a very powerful voice.

34 Give ye glory to God: his excellency is over Israel, and his power is in the clouds.

Proclaim that God is very powerful; he is the king that rules over Israel, and in the skies [he also shows that] he is powerful.

35 God is wonderful in his holy [places], the God of Israel: he will give power and strength to his people: blessed be God.

God is awesome as he comes out of his sacred temple; he is the God whom [we] Israeli people [worship]. He makes [DOU] his people very powerful. Praise God!