Psalms 68
1 God, arise and scatter your enemies, and cause those who hate you to run away from you.
For the leader. Of David. A psalm. A song. God arises, his enemies scatter: they who hate him flee before him.
2 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).
As smoke before wind is driven, as wax melts before fire, so before God vanish the wicked.
3 But righteous people should be joyful; they should rejoice when they are in God’s presence; they should be happy, and be very joyful.
But the righteous rejoice in God’s presence, they exult with exceeding joy.
4 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.
Sing to God, make music to his name, his name is the Lord, praise him who rides on the clouds, and exult in his presence.
5 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.
Father of orphans, defender of widows, is God in his holy abode.
6 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.
God brings home the lonely, he leads forth the prisoner to comfort, so that none but the rebel lives cheerless.
7 God, you led your people out [of Egypt], and then you marched with them through the desert.
God, when you went in front of your people in your march through the desert, (Selah)
8 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.
earth shook, the heavens poured rain at the presence of God, Sinai’s God at the presence of God, Israel’s God.
9 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].
Rain in abundance, God, you did sprinkle, restoring the languishing land of your heritage.
10 Your people built homes there; and because you were good to them, you provided [food] for those who were poor.
A dwelling therein your people found: in your goodness, O God, you did care for the poor.
11 The Lord gave a message, and many women took that message to other places.
The Lord spoke the glad tidings of victory, a great army of women proclaim it:
12 [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].
‘Kings of armies they flee, they flee, and the housewife divides the spoil:
13 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.
dove’s wings covered with silver and pinions with shimmer of gold,
14 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].
set with stones, like snow upon Zalmon.’
15 There is a very high mountain in the Bashan [region], a mountain which has many peaks.
A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan, a mountain of peaks is the mountain of Bashan.
16 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!
You high-peaked mountains, why look you askance at the mountain which God has desired for his home whereon the Lord will live forever?
17 [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].
The chariots of God are twice ten thousand: the Lord came from Sinai, his holy place.
18 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.
You did mount the height with trains of your captives, and gifts that you had received from the people. The rebels shall live with the Lord God.
19 Praise the Lord, who [helps us] carry our heavy loads every day; he is the one who saves/rescues us.
Blest be the Lord who sustains us daily, the God who is also our saviour. (Selah)
20 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].
Our God is a God who is saviour. The ways of escape from death are known to the Lord God.
21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies, the skulls of those who continue to behave sinfully.
Yes, God will shatter the head of his foes the rough scalp of those who strut on in their sins.
22 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].
The Lord said: ‘I will bring you home from Bashan, home from the depths of the sea,
23 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.”
that your feet you may bathe in blood, and your dogs lick their share of the foe.’
24 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.
In the temple appear God’s triumphal processions, processions in praise of my king and my God,
25 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.
with singers in front, and minstrels behind, and maidens with timbrels between them, singing,
26 [They are all singing], “You Israeli people, praise God when you gather together; praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!”
‘You of the well-spring of Israel, bless the Lord God in the dance.’
27 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.
There, in front, is Benjamin the little, the princes of Judah beside them, the princes of Zebulon, princes of Naphtali.
28 God, show people that you are very powerful; show people the power with which you have helped us previously.
God, show your strength, your godlike might, as you did in the past,
29 Show that power from your temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to you.
from your temple that crowns Jerusalem. Kings shall bring tribute to you.
30 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.
Rebuke the beast of the reed, the herd of bulls, with the calves of the peoples. Trample down the lovers of lies. Scatter the nations whose joy is in war.
31 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].
May they come from Egypt with gifts of oil, Ethiopia haste with full hands to God.
32 [You people who are citizens of] kingdoms/countries all over the world, sing to God! Sing praises to the Lord!
Sing to God, O you kingdoms of earth, make melody to the Lord. (Selah)
33 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.
Praise him who rides on the ancient heavens. See! He utters his voice, his mighty voice.
34 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.
Ascribe strength to the God over Israel, whose strength and majesty live in the skies.
35 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!
Awe-inspiring is God in his holy place, it is Israel’s God who gives strength and might to his people. Blessed be God.
