Psalms 68

¹ Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, let those who hate him flee before him!

² As smoke disperses, they disperse; as wax melts when near the fire, so the wicked perish when God approaches.

³ But at God’s approach, the virtuous rejoice, exulting and singing for joy.

⁴ Sing to Yahweh, play music to his name, build a road for the Rider of the Clouds, rejoice in Yahweh, exult at his coming!

⁵ Father of orphans, defender of widows, such is God in his holy dwelling;

⁶ God gives the lonely a permanent home, makes prisoners happy by setting them free, but rebels must live in an arid land.

⁷ God, when you set out at the head of your people, and marched across the desert,

⁸ the earth rocked, (pause) the heavens deluged at God’s coming, at the coming of God, the God of Israel.

⁹ God, you rained a downpour of blessings, when your heritage was faint you gave it strength;

¹⁰ your family found a home, where you in your goodness, God, provided for the needy.

¹² Kings are in flight, armies in flight, the women at home take their pick of the loot.

¹³ Meanwhile you others were lolling in the sheepfolds. There were dove-wings covered with silver, on their pinions the sheen of green gold;

¹⁵ That peak of Bashan, a mountain of God? Rather, a mountain of pride, that peak of Bashan!

¹⁶ Peaks of pride, have you the right to look down on a mountain where God has chosen to live, where Yahweh is going to live for ever?

¹⁷ With thousands of myriads of divine chariots the Lord has left Sinai for his sanctuary.

¹⁸ God, you have ascended to the height, and captured prisoners, you have taken men as tribute, yes, taken rebels to your dwelling, Yahweh!

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord day after day, the God who saves us and bears our burdens!

²⁰ This God of ours is a God who saves, to the Lord Yahweh belong the ways of escape from death;

²¹ but God will smash the heads of his enemies, the hairy skull of the man who parades his guilt.

²² The Lord has promised, ‘I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the bottom of the sea,

²³ for your feet to wade in blood, for the tongues of your dogs to lap their share of the enemy’.

²⁴ God, your procession can be seen, my God’s, my king’s procession to the sanctuary,

²⁵ with cantors marching in front, musicians behind, and between them maidens playing tambourines.

²⁶ Bless God in your choirs, bless the Lord, you who spring from Israel!

²⁷ Benjamin, the youngest, is there in the lead, the princes of Judah in brocaded robes, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

²⁸ Take command, God, as befits your power, that power, God, you have wielded on our behalf

²⁹ from your Temple high above Jerusalem! Kings will come to you, bringing presents.

³⁰ Rebuke the Beast of the Reeds,[*a] that herd of bulls, those calves, that people, until, humbled, they bring gold and silver. Scatter those warmongering pagans!

³¹ Ambassadors will come from Egypt, Ethiopia will stretch out her hands to God.

³² Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth, play for

³³ the Rider of the Heavens, the ancient heavens! (pause) Listen to him shouting, to his thundering,

³⁴ and acknowledge the power of God! Over Israel his splendour, in the clouds his power,

³⁵ God in his sanctuary is greatly to be feared. He, the God of Israel, gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God.