Psalms 68
1 God, arise and scatter your enemies, and cause those who hate you to run away from you.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. A song. Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered! Let them who hate him also 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 is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
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 let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
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! Sing praises to his name! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to the LORD, his name! Rejoice before him!
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.
A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
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 sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
7 God, you led your people out [of Egypt], and then you marched with them through the desert.
God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness... (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.
The earth trembled. The sky also poured down rain at the presence of the God of Sinai— at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
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].
You, God, sent a plentiful rain. You confirmed your inheritance when it was weary.
10 Your people built homes there; and because you were good to them, you provided [food] for those who were poor.
Your congregation lived therein. You, God, prepared your goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gave a message, and many women took that message to other places.
The Lord announced the word. The ones who proclaim it are a great company.
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 flee! They flee!” She who waits at home divides the plunder,
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.
while you sleep amongst the camp fires, the wings of a dove sheathed with silver, her feathers with shining 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].
When the Almighty scattered kings in her, it snowed on Zalmon.
15 There is a very high mountain in the Bashan [region], a mountain which has many peaks.
The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains. The mountains of Bashan are rugged.
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!
Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, the LORD will dwell there 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 tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is amongst them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary.
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 have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts amongst people, yes, amongst the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell there.
19 Praise the Lord, who [helps us] carry our heavy loads every day; he is the one who saves/rescues us.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation. (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].
God is to us a God of deliverance. To GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies, the skulls of those who continue to behave sinfully.
But God will strike through the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp of such a one as still continues in his guiltiness.
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 again from Bashan, I will bring you again 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 you may crush them, dipping your foot in blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
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.
They have seen your processions, God, even the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
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.
The singers went before, the minstrels followed after, amongst the ladies playing with tambourines,
26 [They are all singing], “You Israeli people, praise God when you gather together; praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!”
“Bless God in the congregations, even the Lord in the assembly of Israel!”
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 is little Benjamin, their ruler, the princes of Judah, their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.
28 God, show people that you are very powerful; show people the power with which you have helped us previously.
Your God has commanded your strength. Strengthen, God, that which you have done for us.
29 Show that power from your temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to you.
Because of your temple at Jerusalem, kings shall bring presents 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 wild animal of the reeds, the multitude of the bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot the bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight 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].
Princes shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall hurry to stretch out her 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, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing praises 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.
to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a 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 God! His excellency is over Israel, his strength is 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!
You are awesome, God, in your sanctuaries. The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people. Praise be to God!
