Psalm 68-72

Contemporary English Version

⁴ Our God, you are the one
who rides on the clouds,^[a]
    and we praise you.
Your name is the Lord,
and we celebrate
    as we worship you.

⁵ Our God, from your sacred home
you take care of orphans
    and protect widows.
⁶ You find families
    for those who are lonely.
You set prisoners free
    and let them prosper,^[b]
but all who rebel will live
    in a scorching desert.

⁷ You set your people free,
and you led them
    through the desert.
^8 (A) God of Israel,
the earth trembled,
    and rain poured down.
You alone are the God
    who rules from Mount Sinai.
⁹ When your land was thirsty,
you sent showers
    to refresh it.
¹⁰ Your people settled there,
and you were generous
    to everyone in need.

¹¹ You gave the command, Lord,
and a chorus of women told
    what had happened:
¹² “Kings and their armies
    retreated and ran,
and everything they left
    is now being divided.
¹³ And for those who stayed back
    to guard the sheep,
there are metal doves
with silver-coated wings
    and shiny gold feathers.”

¹⁴ God All-Powerful, you scattered
the kings like snow falling
    on Mount Zalmon.^[c]

¹⁵ Our Lord and our God,
Bashan is a mighty mountain
    covered with peaks.
¹⁶ Why is it jealous of Zion,
the mountain you chose
    as your home forever?

¹⁷ When you, Lord God, appeared
    to your people^[d] at Sinai,
you came with thousands
    of mighty chariots.
^18 (B) When you climbed
    the high mountain,
you took prisoners with you
    and were given gifts.
Your enemies didn't want you
to live there,
    but they gave you gifts.

¹⁹ We praise you, Lord God!
You treat us with kindness
    day after day,
    and you rescue us.
²⁰ You always protect us
    and save us from death.

²¹ Our Lord and our God,
your terrible enemies
    are ready for war,^[e]
but you will crush
    their skulls.
²² You promised to bring them
from Bashan
    and from the deepest sea.
²³ Then we could wash our feet
    in their blood,
and our dogs could chew
    on their bones.

²⁴ We have seen crowds marching
to your place of worship,
    our God and King.
²⁵ Singers come first,
    and then the musicians,
surrounded by young women
    playing tambourines.
²⁶ They come shouting,
“People of Israel,
    praise the Lord God!”
²⁷ The small tribe of Benjamin
    leads the way,
followed by the leaders
    from Judah.
Then come the leaders
    from Zebulun and Naphtali.

²⁸ Our God, show your strength!
    Show us once again.
²⁹ Then kings will bring gifts
to your temple
    in Jerusalem.^[f]

³⁰ Punish that animal
    that lives in the swamp!^[g]
Punish that nation
whose leaders and people
    are like wild bulls.
Make them come crawling
    with gifts of silver.
Scatter those nations
    that enjoy making war.^[h]
31 Force the Egyptians to bring
    gifts of bronze;
make the Ethiopians^[i] hurry
    to offer presents.^[j]

³² Now sing praises to God!
Every kingdom on earth,
    sing to the Lord!
³³ Praise the one who rides
    across the ancient skies;
listen as he speaks
    with a mighty voice.

³⁴ Tell about God's power!
He is honored in Israel,
    and he rules the skies.
³⁵ The God of Israel is fearsome
    in his temple,
and he makes us strong.
    Let's praise our God!

^4 (C) There are more people
    who hate me for no reason
than there are hairs
    on my head.
Many terrible enemies
    want to destroy me, God.
Am I supposed to give back
    something I didn't steal?
⁵ You know my foolish sins.
    Not one is hidden from you.

⁶ Lord God All-Powerful,
    ruler of Israel,
don't let me embarrass anyone
    who trusts and worships you.
⁷ It is for your sake alone
that I am insulted
    and blush with shame.
⁸ I am like a stranger
    to my relatives
and like a foreigner
    to my own family.

^9 (D) My love for your house
    burns in me like a fire,
and when others insult you,
    they insulted me as well.
¹⁰ I cried and went without food,^[k]
    but they still insulted me.
¹¹ They sneered at me
for wearing sackcloth^[l]
    to show my sorrow.
¹² Rulers and judges gossip
    about me,
and drunkards make up songs
    to mock me.

¹³ But I pray to you, Lord.
    So when the time is right,
answer me and help me
    with your wonderful love.
¹⁴ Don't let me sink in the mud,
but save me from my enemies
    and from the deep water.
¹⁵ Don't let me be
    swept away by a flood
    or drowned in the ocean
    or swallowed by death.

¹⁶ Answer me, Lord!
    You are kind and good.
Pay attention to me!
    You are truly merciful.
¹⁷ Don't turn away from me.
I am your servant,
    and I am in trouble.
Please hurry and help!
¹⁸ Come and save me
    from my enemies.

¹⁹ You know how I am insulted,
    mocked, and disgraced;
you know every one
    of my enemies.
²⁰ I am crushed by insults,
    and I feel sick.
I had hoped for mercy and pity,
    but there was none.
^21 (E) Enemies poisoned my food,
and when I was thirsty,
    they gave me vinegar.

^22 (F) Make their table a trap
    for them and their friends.
²³ Blind them with darkness
    and make them tremble.
²⁴ Show them how angry you are!
    Be furious and catch them.
^25 (G) Destroy their camp
and don't let anyone live
    in their tents.

²⁶ They cause trouble for people
    you have already punished;
their gossip hurts those
    you have wounded.
²⁷ Make them guiltier than ever
    and don't forgive them.
^28 (H) Wipe their names from the book
    of the living;
remove them from the list
    of the innocent.
²⁹ I am mistreated and in pain.
Protect me, God,
    and keep me safe!

³⁰ I will praise the Lord God
with a song
    and a thankful heart.
³¹ This will please the Lord
better than offering an ox
    or a full-grown bull.
³² When those in need see this,
    they will be happy,
and the Lord's worshipers
    will be encouraged.
³³ The Lord will listen
    when the homeless cry out,
and he will never forget
    his people in prison.

³⁴ Heaven and earth
    will praise our God,
and so will the oceans
    and everything in them.
³⁵ God will rescue Jerusalem,
and he will rebuild
    the towns of Judah.
His people will live there
    on their own land,
³⁶ and when the time comes,
their children will inherit
    the land.
Then everyone who loves God
    will also settle there.

⁴ Let your worshipers celebrate
    and be glad because of you.
They love your saving power,
so let them always say,
    “God is wonderful!”
⁵ I am poor and needy,
but you, the Lord God,
    care about me.

You are the one who saves me.
    Please hurry and help!

⁴ Come and save me, Lord God,
from vicious and cruel
    and brutal enemies!
⁵ I depend on you,
and I have trusted you
    since I was young.
⁶ I have relied on you^[n]
    from the day I was born.
You brought me safely
through birth,
    and I always praise you.

⁷ Many people think of me
    as something evil.
But you are my mighty protector,
⁸ and I praise and honor you
    all day long.
⁹ Don't throw me aside
    when I am old;
don't desert me
    when my strength is gone.
¹⁰ My enemies are plotting
    because they want me dead.
¹¹ They say, “Now we'll catch you!
God has deserted you,
    and no one can save you.”
¹² Come closer, God!
    Please hurry and help.
¹³ Embarrass and destroy
    all who want me dead;
disgrace and confuse
    all who want to hurt me.
¹⁴ I will never give up hope
    or stop praising you.
¹⁵ All day long I will tell
the wonderful things you do
    to save your people.
But you have done much more
    than I could possibly know.
¹⁶ I will praise you, Lord God,
for your mighty deeds
    and your power to save.

¹⁷ You have taught me
    since I was a child,
and I never stop telling about
    your marvelous deeds.
¹⁸ Don't leave me when I am old
    and my hair turns gray.
Let me tell future generations
    about your mighty power.
¹⁹ Your deeds of kindness
are known in the heavens.
    No one is like you!

²⁰ You made me suffer a lot,
    but you will bring me
back from this deep pit
    and give me new life.
²¹ You will make me truly great
    and take my sorrow away.

²² I will praise you, God,
the Holy One of Israel.
    You are faithful.
I will play the harp
    and sing your praises.
²³ You have rescued me!
    I will celebrate and shout,
singing praises to you
    with all my heart.
²⁴ All day long I will announce
    your power to save.
I will tell how you disgraced
and disappointed those
    who wanted to hurt me.

^8 (I) Let his kingdom reach
    from sea to sea,
from the Euphrates River
    across all the earth.
⁹ Force the desert tribes
    to accept his rule,
and make his enemies
    crawl in the dirt.
¹⁰ Force the rulers of Tarshish^[p]
and of the islands
    to pay taxes to him.
Make the kings of Sheba
    and of Seba^[q] bring gifts.
¹¹ Make other rulers bow down
    and all nations serve him.

¹² Do this because the king
rescues the homeless
    when they cry out,
and he helps everyone
    who is poor and in need.
¹³ The king has pity
on the weak and the helpless
    and protects those in need.
¹⁴ He cares when they hurt,
and he saves them from cruel
    and violent deaths.

¹⁵ Long live the king!
    Give him gold from Sheba.
Always pray for the king
    and praise him each day.
¹⁶ Let cities overflow with food
and hills be covered with grain,
    just like Mount Lebanon.
Let the people in the cities
    prosper like wild flowers.
¹⁷ May the glory of the king
shine brightly forever
    like the sun in the sky.
Let him make nations prosper
    and learn to praise him.

¹⁸ Lord God of Israel,
we praise you.
    Only you can work miracles.
¹⁹ We will always praise
    your glorious name.
Let your glory be seen
everywhere on earth.
    Amen and amen.

²⁰ This ends the prayers
    of David, the son of Jesse.