Psalms 68
1 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.
God, arise and scatter your enemies, and cause those who hate you to run away from you.
2 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.
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 be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
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! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to Yah, his name! 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 defender 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 sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched 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 God, when you went out before your people, when you marched 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 sky also poured down rain at the presence of the God of 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 You, God, sent a plentiful rain. You confirmed your inheritance when it was weary.
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 Your congregation lived therein. You, God, prepared your goodness 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 announced the word. The ones who proclaim it are a great company.
The Lord gave a message, and many women took that message to other places.
12 “Kings of armies flee! They flee!” She who waits at home divides the plunder,
[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 while you sleep among the camp fires, the wings of a dove sheathed with silver, her feathers with shining 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 her, it snowed on 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 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains. The mountains of Bashan are rugged.
There is a very high mountain in the Bashan [region], a mountain which has many peaks.
16 Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, Yahweh will dwell there forever.
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 tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary.
[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 You have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts among people, yes, among the rebellious also, that Yah God might dwell there.
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, who daily bears our burdens, even 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 God is to us a God of deliverance. To Yahweh, the Lord, belongs escape 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 will strike through the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp of such a one as still continues in his guiltiness.
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 you again from Bashan, I will bring you again from 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 you may crush them, dipping your foot in blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your 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 your processions, God, even the processions of my God, my King, into 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 minstrels followed after, among the ladies playing with tambourines,
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 “Bless God in the congregations, even the Lord in the assembly 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 council, the princes of Zebulun, and 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 Your God has commanded your strength. Strengthen, God, that which you have done for us.
God, show people that you are very powerful; show people the power with which you have helped us previously.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem, kings shall bring presents to you.
Show that power from your temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to you.
30 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.
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 Princes shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall hurry to stretch out her hands 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, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing praises to the Lord— (Selah)
[You people who are citizens of] kingdoms/countries all over the world, sing to God! Sing praises to the Lord!
33 to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters 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 strength to God! His excellency is over Israel, his strength is in the skies.
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 You are awesome, God, in your sanctuaries. The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people. Praise be to 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!
