Psalms 68

1 To the chief Musician. Of David. A Psalm: a Song. Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, and let them that hate him flee before him.

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

2 As smoke is driven, thou wilt drive them away; as wax melteth before the fire, the wicked shall perish at the presence of 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 the righteous shall rejoice: they shall exult before God and be glad 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 unto God, sing forth his name; cast up a way for him that rideth in the deserts: his name is Jah; and rejoice before 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 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

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 maketh the solitary into families; those that were bound he bringeth out into prosperity: but the rebellious dwell in a parched [land].

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 didst march through the wilderness (Selah)

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

8 The earth trembled, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God, yon Sinai, at the presence of God, 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 Thou, O God, didst pour a plentiful rain upon thine inheritance, and when it was weary thou strengthenedst 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 flock hath dwelt therein: thou hast prepared in thy goodness, for the afflicted, O God!

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

11 The Lord gives the word: great the host of the publishers.

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

12 Kings of armies flee; they flee, and she that tarrieth at home divideth the spoil.

[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 Though ye have lain among the sheepfolds, [ye shall be as] wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with green 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 Almighty scattered kings in it, it became snow-white as Zalmon.

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 [As] mount Bashan is the mount of God, a many-peaked mountain, [as] mount Bashan.

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

16 Why do ye look with envy, ye many-peaked mountains, upon the mount that God hath desired for his abode? yea, Jehovah will dwell [there] 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 twenty thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them: it is a Sinai in holiness.

[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 hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts in Man, and even [for] the rebellious, for the dwelling [there] of Jah Elohim.

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: day by day doth he load us [with good], the God who is our salvation. (Selah)

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 with Jehovah, the Lord, are the goings forth [even] 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 Verily God will smite the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp of him that goeth on still in his 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 Bashan, I will bring [them] again from the depth 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 thou mayest dip thy foot in blood: the tongue of thy dogs has its portion from 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 They have seen thy goings, O God, the goings of my God, my 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 singers went before, the players on stringed instruments after, in the midst of maidens playing on tabrets.

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 In the congregations bless ye God, the Lord, — [ye] from the fountain 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 little Benjamin, their ruler; the princes of Judah, their company; the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

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 Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for 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 unto thee.

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

30 Rebuke the beast of the reeds, the assembly of the strong, with the calves of the peoples: [every one] submitteth himself with pieces of silver. Scatter the peoples that delight in war.

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 Great ones shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall quickly stretch out her hands unto 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 Ye kingdoms of the earth, sing unto God; sing psalms of the Lord, (Selah)

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

33 Of him that rideth upon the heavens, the heavens which are of old: lo, he uttereth his voice, a mighty 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 Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength 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 Terrible art thou, O God, out of thy sanctuaries, — the God of Israel! He it is that giveth strength and might unto the 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!