1 PSALM 68 The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song. Let God arise, and His enemies be scattered;Let those who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drivethemaway;As wax melts before the fire,So let the wickedandguilty perish before [the presence of] God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them be in good spirits before God,Yes, let them rejoice with delight.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;Lift upa songfor Him who rides through the desert—His name is the L—be in good spirits before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless and a judgeandprotector of the widows,Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God makes a home for the lonely;He leads the prisoners into prosperity,Only the stubbornandrebellious dwell in a parched land.
7 O God, when You went out before Your people,When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.
8 The earth trembled;The heavens also poured downrainat the presence of God;Sinai itself trembled at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You, O God, sent abroad plentiful rain;You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parchedandweary.
10 Your flock found a dwelling place in it;O God, in Your goodness You provided for the poor.
11 The Lord gives the command [to take Canaan];The women who proclaim the good news are a great host (army);
12 “The kings of the [enemies’] armies flee, they flee,And the beautiful woman who remains at home divides the spoil [left behind].”
13 When you lie down [to rest] among theOr cooking stones or saddlebags.sheepfolds,You [Israel] are like the wings of a dove [of victory] overlaid with silver,Its feathers glistening with gold [trophies taken from the enemy].
14 When the Almighty scattered [the Canaanite] kings in the land of Canaan,It was snowing onI.e. a dark, wooded hill near Shechem.Zalmon.
15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;A [high] mountain of many summits is Mount Bashan [rising east of the Jordan].
16 Why do you look with envy, mountains with many peaks,At the mountain [of the city of Zion] which God has desired for His dwelling place?Yes, the Lwill dwellthereforever.
17 The chariots of God areLit multiples of ten thousand.myriads, thousands upon thousands;The Lord is among them as He was at Sinai, in holiness.
18 You have ascended on high, You have led away captiveYourcaptives;You have received gifts among men,Even from the rebellious also, that the LGod may dwell there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who bears our burden day by day,The God who is our salvation! Selah.
20 God is to us a God of acts of salvation;And toHeb YHWH (Yahweh), usually rendered Lord.Gthe Lord belong escapes from death [setting us free].
21 Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies,The hairy scalp of one who goes on in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said, “I will bring your enemies back from Bashan;I will bring them back from the depths of the [Red] Sea,
23 That your foot may crush them in blood,That the tongue of your dogsmay haveits share from your enemies.”
24 They have seen Your [solemn]A reference to the procession bringing the ark of the covenant to Mt. Zion.procession, O God,The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary [in holiness].
25 The singers go in front, the players of instruments last;Between them the maidens playing on tambourines.
26 Bless God in the congregations, [give thanks, gratefully praise Him],The L,you who arefrom [Jacob] the fountain of Israel.
27 The youngest is there, Benjamin, ruling them,The princes of Judah and their company [the southern tribes],The princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali [the northern tribes].
28 Your God has commanded your strength [your power in His service and your resistance to temptation];Show Yourself strong, O God, who acted on our behalf.
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem[Pagan] kings will bring gifts to You [out of respect].
30 Rebuke the beasts [living] among the reeds [in Egypt],The herd of bulls (the leaders) with the calves of the peoples;Trampling underfoot the pieces of silver;He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.
31 Princesandenvoys shall come from Egypt;Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands [with the offerings of submission] to God.
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,Sing praises to the Lord! Selah.
33 To Him who rides in the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,Behold, He sends out His voice, a mightyandmajestic voice.
34 Ascribe strength to God;His majesty is over IsraelAnd His strength is in the skies.
35 O God,You areawesomeandprofoundly majestic from Your sanctuary;The God of Israel gives strength and power to His people.Blessed be God!