Psalms 68
1 God, arise and scatter your enemies, and cause those who hate you to run away from you.
For the music director. A psalm of David. A song. Stand up, God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate him run away from 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).
Blow them away as if they were smoke; melt them like beeswax in a fire. Let the wicked die in God's presence.
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 those who are right with God are happy, and they celebrate in God's presence, full of 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 praises to God! Sing praises to his wonderful reputation! Praise the rider of the clouds—his name is the Lord! Be happy 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.
He is a father to the orphans, a protector of widows. This is who God is, who lives in his holy place.
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 gives those who are abandoned a family to live with. He sets prisoners free with celebration. But those who rebel live in a desert wasteland.
7 God, you led your people out [of Egypt], and then you marched with them through the desert.
God, when you led your people out, when you marched 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.
the earth quaked, and the heavens shook before God, the one of Sinai; before 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 sent plenty of rain to water the promised land; refreshing it when it was dry.
10 Your people built homes there; and because you were good to them, you provided [food] for those who were poor.
Your people settled there, and because of your kindness, God, you looked after the poor. (Selah)
11 The Lord gave a message, and many women took that message to other places.
The Lord gives the command, and a great army of women spread the good news.
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].
The kings of the foreign armies are quick to run away, and the women who stayed at home divide 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.
Why are you staying at home? There are ornaments in the shape of a dove with wings of silver and feathers of fine gold to be taken.
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].
The Almighty scattered the foreign kings like a snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.
15 There is a very high mountain in the Bashan [region], a mountain which has many peaks.
“Mountain of God,” Mount Bashan, with your many high peaks, Mount 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!
why do you look enviously, mountain with many peaks, at the mountain God chose as his home, where 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].
God's chariots can't be counted; there are thousands and thousands of them. He comes among them from Sinai into his Temple.
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.
As you ascended to your high throne you led a procession of prisoners. You received gifts from the people, even from those who had rebelled against the home of the Lord God.
19 Praise the Lord, who [helps us] carry our heavy loads every day; he is the one who saves/rescues us.
May the Lord be blessed, for every day he carries our burdens. God 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].
For us, God is a God who saves. The Lord God provides our 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 crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy heads of those who continue to sin.
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 says, “I will drag them down from Bashan; I will drag them up 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.”
so that you may walk in their blood. Even your dogs will have their share of 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.
People watch your processions, God—the processions of my God and King as they go into the Temple.
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 are at the front, the musicians at the back, and in the middle girls playing tambourines.
26 [They are all singing], “You Israeli people, praise God when you gather together; praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!”
Praise God, everyone who has come to worship; praise the Lord, everyone who belongs to 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 the little tribe of Benjamin, followed by the many leaders from Judah; then come the leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali.
28 God, show people that you are very powerful; show people the power with which you have helped us previously.
Display your power, God! Reveal your strength, Lord, as you have done for us in the past.
29 Show that power from your temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to you.
Because of your Temple in Jerusalem, kings 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.
Condemn the beasts of the reeds, the bulls and calves! May they be humbled and bring bars of silver in tribute! Scatter the war-loving nations!
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].
Let Egypt come with bronze gifts; let Ethiopia come quickly and hand over their tributes 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, 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.
Sing to the rider of the ancient heavens, his strong voice sounding like thunder!
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.
Let everyone know of God's power: how his majesty extends over Israel, how his strength is revealed in the heavens.
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!
How awesome is God in his Temple! The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people! Praise God!
