Psalm 68-72

English Standard Version

⁴ Sing to God, ^(F)sing praises to his name;
    ^(G)lift up a song to him who ^(H)rides through ^(I)the deserts;
his name is ^(J)the Lord;
    exult before him!
^5 (K)Father of the fatherless and ^(L)protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
⁶ God ^(M)settles the solitary in a home;
    he ^(N)leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
    but ^(O)the rebellious dwell in ^(P)a parched land.

⁷ O God, when you ^(Q)went out before your people,
    ^(R)when you marched through ^(S)the wilderness, Selah
^8 (T)the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
    before God, the One of Sinai,
    before God,^[a] the God of Israel.
^9 (U)Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
    you restored your inheritance as it languished;
¹⁰ your flock^[b] found a dwelling in it;
    in your goodness, O God, you ^(V)provided for the needy.

¹¹ The Lord gives ^(W)the word;
    ^(X)the women who announce the news are a great host:
^{12     (Y)}“The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home ^(Z)divide the spoil—
¹³     though you men lie among ^(AA)the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
    its pinions with shimmering gold.
¹⁴ When the Almighty scatters kings there,
    let snow fall on ^(AB)Zalmon.

¹⁵ O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
    O many-peaked^[c] mountain, mountain of Bashan!
¹⁶ Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
    at the mount that God ^(AC)desired for his abode,
    yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
^17 (AD)The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
    thousands upon thousands;
    the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
^18 (AE)You ascended on high,
    ^(AF)leading a host of captives in your train
    and ^(AG)receiving gifts among men,
even among ^(AH)the rebellious, ^(AI)that the Lord God may dwell there.

¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord,
    who daily ^(AJ)bears us up;
    God is our salvation. Selah
²⁰ Our God is a God of salvation,
    ^(AK)and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
^21 (AL)But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
    the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
²² The Lord said,
    “I will bring them back ^(AM)from Bashan,
^(AN)I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
²³ that you may ^(AO)strike your feet in their blood,
    that ^(AP)the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

²⁴ Your procession is^[d] seen, O God,
    the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
^25 (AQ)the singers in front, ^(AR)the musicians last,
    between them ^(AS)virgins playing tambourines:
^26 (AT)“Bless God in the great congregation,
    the Lord, O you^[e] who are of ^(AU)Israel's fountain!”
²⁷ There is ^(AV)Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
    the princes of Judah in their throng,
    the princes of ^(AW)Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

^28 (AX)Summon your power, O God,^[f]
    the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
²⁹ Because of your temple at Jerusalem
    kings shall ^(AY)bear gifts to you.
³⁰ Rebuke ^(AZ)the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
    the herd of ^(BA)bulls with the calves of the peoples.
^(BB)Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
    scatter the peoples who delight in war.^[g]
31 Nobles shall come from ^(BC)Egypt;
    ^(BD)Cush shall hasten to ^(BE)stretch out her hands to God.

^32 (BF)O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
    sing praises to the Lord, Selah
³³ to him ^(BG)who rides in ^(BH)the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    behold, he ^(BI)sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
^34 (BJ)Ascribe power to God,
    whose majesty is over Israel,
    and whose ^(BK)power is in ^(BL)the skies.
^35 (BM)Awesome is God from his^{[h] (BN)}sanctuary;
    the God of Israel—he is the one who gives ^(BO)power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

^4 (BX)More in number than the hairs of my head
    are ^(BY)those who hate me ^(BZ)without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
    ^(CA)those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
    must I now restore?
⁵ O God, you know my folly;
    the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

⁶ Let not those who hope in you ^(CB)be put to shame through me,
    O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
    O God of Israel.
⁷ For it is ^(CC)for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that dishonor has covered my face.
⁸ I have become ^(CD)a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother's sons.

⁹ For ^(CE)zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and ^(CF)the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
¹⁰ When I wept and humbled^[j] my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.
¹¹ When I made ^(CG)sackcloth my clothing,
    I became ^(CH)a byword to them.
¹² I am the talk of those who ^(CI)sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make ^(CJ)songs about me.

¹³ But as for me, my ^(CK)prayer is to you, O Lord.
    At ^(CL)an acceptable time, O God,
    in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
¹⁴ Deliver me
    from sinking in ^(CM)the mire;
^(CN)let me be delivered from my enemies
    and from ^(CO)the deep waters.
¹⁵ Let not the flood sweep over me,
    or the deep swallow me up,
    or ^(CP)the pit close ^(CQ)its mouth over me.

¹⁶ Answer me, O Lord, for your ^(CR)steadfast love is good;
    according to your abundant ^(CS)mercy, ^(CT)turn to me.
^17 (CU)Hide not your face from your servant,
    ^(CV)for I am in distress; ^(CW)make haste to answer me.
¹⁸ Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
    ransom me because of my enemies!

¹⁹ You know my ^(CX)reproach,
    and my shame and my dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.
^20 (CY)Reproaches have broken my heart,
    so that I am in ^(CZ)despair.
I ^(DA)looked for ^(DB)pity, but there was none,
    and for ^(DC)comforters, but I found none.
²¹ They gave me ^(DD)poison for food,
    and for my thirst they gave me ^(DE)sour wine to drink.

^22 (DF)Let their own ^(DG)table before them become a snare;
    ^(DH)and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.^[k]
23 (DI)Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
    ^(DJ)and make their loins tremble continually.
²⁴ Pour out your indignation upon them,
    and let your burning anger overtake them.
^25 (DK)May their camp be a desolation;
    let no one dwell in their tents.
²⁶ For they ^(DL)persecute him whom ^(DM)you have struck down,
    and they recount the pain of ^(DN)those you have wounded.
^27 (DO)Add to them punishment upon punishment;
    may they have no acquittal from you.^[l]
28 Let them be ^(DP)blotted out of the book of the living;
    let them not be ^(DQ)enrolled among the righteous.

²⁹ But I am afflicted and in pain;
    let your salvation, O God, ^(DR)set me on high!

³⁰ I will ^(DS)praise the name of God with a song;
    I will ^(DT)magnify him with ^(DU)thanksgiving.
³¹ This will ^(DV)please the Lord more than an ox
    or a bull ^(DW)with horns and hoofs.
³² When ^(DX)the humble see it they will be glad;
    you who seek God, ^(DY)let your hearts revive.
³³ For the Lord hears the needy
    and ^(DZ)does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

³⁴ Let ^(EA)heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and everything that moves in them.
³⁵ For ^(EB)God will save Zion
    and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
^{36     (EC)}the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

⁴ May all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
    say evermore, “God is great!”
⁵ But I am poor and needy;
    ^(EF)hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
    O Lord, do not delay!

^4 (EK)Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked,
    from the grasp of the unjust and cruel man.
⁵ For you, O Lord, are my ^(EL)hope,
    my trust, O Lord, from my youth.
⁶ Upon you I have leaned ^(EM)from before my birth;
    you are he who ^(EN)took me from my mother's womb.
My praise is continually of you.

⁷ I have been as ^(EO)a portent to many,
    but you are my strong refuge.
⁸ My ^(EP)mouth is filled with your praise,
    and with your glory all the day.
^9 (EQ)Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
    forsake me not when my strength is spent.
¹⁰ For my enemies speak concerning me;
    those who ^(ER)watch for my life ^(ES)consult together
¹¹ and say, “God has forsaken him;
    pursue and seize him,
    for there is none to deliver him.”

¹² O God, be not ^(ET)far from me;
    O my God, ^(EU)make haste to help me!
¹³ May my accusers be ^(EV)put to shame and consumed;
    ^(EW)with scorn and disgrace may they be covered
    who ^(EX)seek my hurt.
¹⁴ But I will ^(EY)hope continually
    and will ^(EZ)praise you yet more and more.
¹⁵ My ^(FA)mouth will tell of your righteous acts,
    of your deeds of salvation all the day,
    for ^(FB)their number is past my knowledge.
¹⁶ With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come;
    I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.

¹⁷ O God, from my youth you have taught me,
    and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
¹⁸ So even to ^(FC)old age and gray hairs,
    O God, ^(FD)do not forsake me,
until I proclaim your might to another generation,
    your power to all those to come.
¹⁹ Your ^(FE)righteousness, O God,
    reaches the high heavens.
You who have done ^(FF)great things,
    O God, ^(FG)who is like you?
²⁰ You who have ^(FH)made me see many troubles and calamities
    will ^(FI)revive me again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will bring me up again.
²¹ You will increase my greatness
    and comfort me again.

²² I will also praise you with ^(FJ)the harp
    for your faithfulness, O my God;
I will sing praises to you with the lyre,
    O ^(FK)Holy One of Israel.
²³ My lips will shout for joy,
    when I sing praises to you;
    my soul also, which you have ^(FL)redeemed.
²⁴ And my ^(FM)tongue will talk of your righteous help all the day long,
for they have been ^(FN)put to shame and disappointed
    who sought to do me hurt.

⁵ May they fear you^[m] while ^(FS)the sun endures,
    and as long as the moon, ^(FT)throughout all generations!
⁶ May he be like ^(FU)rain that falls on ^(FV)the mown grass,
    like ^(FW)showers that water the earth!
⁷ In his days may ^(FX)the righteous flourish,
    and ^(FY)peace abound, till the moon be no more!

⁸ May he have dominion from ^(FZ)sea to sea,
    and from ^(GA)the River^[n] to the ^(GB)ends of the earth!
⁹ May desert tribes ^(GC)bow down before him,
    and his enemies ^(GD)lick the dust!
¹⁰ May the kings of ^(GE)Tarshish and of ^(GF)the coastlands
    render him ^(GG)tribute;
may the kings of ^(GH)Sheba and ^(GI)Seba
    bring gifts!
¹¹ May all kings ^(GJ)fall down before him,
    all nations serve him!

¹² For he delivers ^(GK)the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
¹³ He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.
¹⁴ From oppression and violence he redeems their life,
    and ^(GL)precious is their blood in his sight.

¹⁵ Long may he live;
    may ^(GM)gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made ^(GN)for him continually,
    and blessings invoked for him all the day!
¹⁶ May there be abundance of grain in the land;
    on the tops of the mountains may it wave;
    may its fruit be like Lebanon;
and may people ^(GO)blossom in the cities
    like the ^(GP)grass of the field!
^17 (GQ)May his name endure forever,
    his fame continue as long as the sun!
^(GR)May people be blessed in him,
    ^(GS)all nations call him blessed!

^18 (GT)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    who alone does ^(GU)wondrous things.
¹⁹ Blessed be his ^(GV)glorious name forever;
    may ^(GW)the whole earth be filled with his glory!
^(GX)Amen and Amen!

^20 (GY)The prayers of ^(GZ)David, the son of Jesse, are ended.