Psalms 68

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

Unto the end. A Canticle Psalm of David himself. May God rise up, and may his enemies be scattered, and may those who hate him flee from before his face.

2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

Just as smoke vanishes, so may they vanish. Just as wax flows away before the face of fire, so may sinners pass away before the face of God.

3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.

And so, let the just feast, and let them exult in the sight of God and be delighted in gladness.

4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.

Sing to God, sing a psalm to his name. Make a path for him, who ascends over the west. The Lord is his name. Exult in his sight; they will be stirred up before his face,

5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.

the father of orphans and the judge of widows. God is in his holy place.

6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those who are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

It is God who makes men dwell in a house under one custom. He leads out those who are strongly bound, and similarly, those who exasperate, who dwell in sepulchers.

7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; (Selah)

O God, when you departed in the sight of your people, when you passed through the desert,

8 The earth shook, the heavens also rained at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

the earth was moved, for the heavens rained down before the face of the God of Sinai, before the face of the God of Israel.

9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, by which thou didst confirm thy inheritance, when it was weary.

You will set aside for your inheritance, O God, a willing rain. And though it was weak, truly, you have made it perfect.

10 Thy congregation hath dwelt in it: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

Your animals will dwell in it. O God, in your sweetness, you have provided for the poor.

11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that proclaimed it.

The Lord will give the word to evangelizers, along with great virtue.

12 Kings of armies fled apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.

The King of virtue is beloved among the beloved. And the beauty of the house will divide spoils.

13 Though ye lie among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

If you take your rest in the midst of the clergy, you will be like a dove whose wings are covered with fine silver and edged with pale gold.

14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.

When heaven discerns kings to be over her, they will be whitened with the snows of Zalmon.

15 The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.

The mountain of God is a fat mountain, a dense mountain, a thick mountain.

16 Why leap ye, ye lofty hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.

So then, why are you distrustful of dense mountains? The mountain on which God is well pleased to dwell, even there, the Lord will dwell until the end.

17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

The chariot of God is ten thousand fold: thousands rejoice. The Lord is with them in Sinai, in the holy place.

18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.

You have ascended on high; you have taken captivity captive. You have accepted gifts among men. For even those who do not believe dwell with the Lord God.

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. (Selah)

Blessed is the Lord, day after day. The God of our salvation will make our journey prosper for us.

20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and to GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

Our God is the God who will bring about our salvation, and our Lord is the Lord who has brought an end to death.

21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

So then, truly, God will break the heads of his enemies, the hairy skull of those who wander around in their offenses.

22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:

The Lord said: I will turn them away from Bashan, I will turn them into the depths of the sea,

23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thy enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.

so that your feet may be soaked in the blood of your enemies, so that the tongue of your dogs may be soaked with the same.

24 They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.

O God, they have seen your arrival, the arrival of my God, of my king who is in a holy place.

25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

The leaders went ahead, united with the singers of psalms, in the midst of girls playing on timbrels.

26 Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.

In the churches, bless the Lord God from the fountains of Israel.

27 There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their counsel, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.

In that place, Benjamin is a youth in ecstasy of mind. The leaders of Judah are their governors: the leaders of Zebulun, the leaders of Naphtali.

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

Command by your virtue, O God. Confirm in this place, O God, what you have wrought in us.

29 Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents to thee.

Before your temple in Jerusalem, kings will offer gifts to you.

30 Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one shall submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.

Rebuke the wild beasts of the reeds, a congregation of bulls with the cows of the people, for they seek to exclude those who have been tested like silver. Scatter the nations that are pleased by wars.

31 Princes shall come out of Egypt; Cush shall soon stretch out her hands to God.

Ambassadors will come out of Egypt. Ethiopia will offer in advance her hands to God.

32 Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises to the Lord; (Selah)

Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth. Sing psalms to the Lord. Sing psalms to God.

33 To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.

He ascends, up to the heaven of the heavens, toward the east. Behold, he will utter his voice, the voice of virtue.

34 Ascribe ye strength to God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.

Give glory to God beyond Israel. His magnificence and his virtue is in the clouds.

35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power to his people. Blessed be God.

God is wonderful in his saints. The God of Israel himself will give virtue and strength to his people. Blessed is God.