Psalm 68-72

Holman Christian Standard Bible

⁴ Sing to God! Sing praises to His name.
Exalt Him who rides on the clouds^[a] —
His name is Yahweh^[b]—and rejoice before Him.^(D)
5 God in His holy dwelling is
a father of the fatherless
and a champion of widows.^(E)
6 God provides homes for those who are deserted.
He leads out the prisoners to prosperity,^[c]
but the rebellious live in a scorched land.^(F)

⁷ God, when You went out before Your people,
when You marched through the desert,Selah
⁸ the earth trembled and the skies poured down rain
before God, the God of Sinai,^[d]
before God, the God of Israel.^(G)
9 You, God, showered abundant rain;
You revived Your inheritance when it languished.^(H)
10 Your people settled in it;
God, You provided for the poor by Your goodness.^(I)

¹¹ The Lord gave the command;
a great company of women brought the good news:^(J)
12 “The kings of the armies flee—they flee!”
She who stays at home divides the spoil.^(K)
13 While^[e] you lie among the sheepfolds,^[f]
the wings of a dove are covered with silver,
and its feathers with glistening gold.^(L)
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in the land,
it snowed on Zalmon.^[g](M)

¹⁵ Mount Bashan is God’s towering mountain;
Mount Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.^(N)
16 Why gaze with envy, you mountain peaks,
at the mountain^[h] God desired for His dwelling?
The Lord will live there forever!^(O)
17 God’s chariots are tens of thousands,
thousands and thousands;^(P)
the Lord is among them in the sanctuary^[i]
as He was at Sinai.^(Q)
18 You ascended to the heights, taking away captives;
You received gifts from^[j] people,
even from the rebellious,
so that the Lord God might live there.^[k](R)

¹⁹ May the Lord be praised!
Day after day He bears our burdens;
God is our salvation.^(S)Selah
²⁰ Our God is a God of salvation,
and escape from death belongs to the Lord God.^(T)
21 Surely God crushes the heads of His enemies,
the hairy head of one who goes on in his guilty acts.^(U)
22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan;
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea^(V)
23 so that your foot may wade^[l] in blood
and your dogs’ tongues may have their share
from the enemies.”^(W)
24 People have seen Your procession, God,
the procession of my God,
my King, in the sanctuary.^[m](X)
25 Singers^[n] lead the way,
with musicians following;
among them are young women
playing tambourines.^(Y)
26 Praise God in the assemblies;
praise the Lord from the fountain of Israel.^(Z)
27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, leading them,
the rulers of Judah in their assembly,^[o]
the rulers of Zebulun, the rulers of Naphtali.^(AA)

²⁸ Your God has decreed your strength.
Show Your strength, God,
You who have acted on our behalf.^(AB)
29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem,
kings will bring tribute to You.^(AC)
30 Rebuke the beast^[p] in the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.^(AD)
Trample underfoot those with bars of silver.^[q]
Scatter the peoples who take pleasure in war.^(AE)
31 Ambassadors will come^[r] from Egypt;
Cush will stretch out its hands^[s] to God.^(AF)

³² Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
sing praise to the Lord,^(AG)Selah
³³ to Him who rides in the ancient, highest heavens.^(AH)
Look, He thunders with His powerful voice!^(AI)
34 Ascribe power to God.
His majesty is over Israel,
His power among the clouds.^(AJ)
35 God, You are awe-inspiring in Your sanctuaries.
The God of Israel gives power and strength to His people.
May God be praised!^(AK)

⁵ God, You know my foolishness,
and my guilty acts are not hidden from You.^(AQ)
6 Do not let those who put their hope in You
be disgraced because of me,
Lord God of Hosts;
do not let those who seek You
be humiliated because of me,
God of Israel.^(AR)
7 For I have endured insults because of You,
and shame has covered my face.^(AS)
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers
and a foreigner to my mother’s sons^(AT)
9 because zeal for Your house has consumed me,^(AU)
and the insults of those who insult You
have fallen on me.^(AV)
10 I mourned and fasted,
but it brought me insults.^(AW)
11 I wore sackcloth as my clothing,
and I was a joke to them.
¹² Those who sit at the city gate talk about me,
and drunkards make up songs about me.^(AX)

¹³ But as for me, Lord,
my prayer to You is for a time of favor.
In Your abundant, faithful love, God,
answer me with Your sure salvation.^(AY)
14 Rescue me from the miry mud; don’t let me sink.
Let me be rescued from those who hate me
and from the deep waters.^(AZ)
15 Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me
or the deep swallow me up;
don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me.^(BA)
16 Answer me, Lord,
for Your faithful love is good;
in keeping with Your great compassion,
turn to me.^(BB)
17 Don’t hide Your face from Your servant,
for I am in distress.
Answer me quickly!^(BC)
18 Draw near to me and redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies.^(BD)

¹⁹ You know the insults I endure—
my shame and disgrace.
You are aware of all my adversaries.^(BE)
20 Insults have broken my heart,
and I am in despair.
I waited for sympathy,
but there was none;
for comforters, but found no one.^(BF)
21 Instead, they gave me gall^[u] for my food,
and for my thirst
they gave me vinegar to drink.^(BG)

²² Let their table set before them be a snare,
and let it be a trap for their allies.^(BH)
23 Let their eyes grow too dim to see,
and let their loins continually shake.^(BI)
24 Pour out Your rage on them,
and let Your burning anger overtake them.^(BJ)
25 Make their fortification desolate;
may no one live in their tents.^(BK)
26 For they persecute the one You struck
and talk about the pain of those You wounded.^(BL)
27 Add guilt to their guilt;
do not let them share in Your righteousness.^(BM)
28 Let them be erased from the book of life
and not be recorded with the righteous.^(BN)

²⁹ But as for me—poor and in pain—
let Your salvation protect me, God.^(BO)
30 I will praise God’s name with song
and exalt Him with thanksgiving.^(BP)
31 That will please Yahweh more than an ox,
more than a bull with horns and hooves.^(BQ)
32 The humble will see it and rejoice.
You who seek God, take heart!^(BR)
33 For the Lord listens to the needy
and does not despise
His own who are prisoners.^(BS)

³⁴ Let heaven and earth praise Him,
the seas and everything that moves in them,^(BT)
35 for God will save Zion
and build up^[v] the cities of Judah.
They will live there and possess it.^(BU)
36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
and those who love His name will live in it.^(BV)

² Let those who seek my life
be disgraced and confounded;
let those who wish me harm
be driven back and humiliated.
³ Let those who say, “Aha, aha!”
retreat because of their shame.^(BY)

⁴ Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
let those who love Your salvation
continually say, “God is great!”^(BZ)
5 I am afflicted and needy;
hurry to me, God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Lord, do not delay.^(CA)

⁹ Don’t discard me in my old age;
as my strength fails, do not abandon me.^(CK)
10 For my enemies talk about me,
and those who spy on me plot together,^(CL)
11 saying, “God has abandoned him;
chase him and catch him,
for there is no one to rescue him.”^(CM)
12 God, do not be far from me;
my God, hurry to help me.^(CN)
13 May my adversaries be disgraced and destroyed;
may those who seek my harm
be covered with disgrace and humiliation.^(CO)
14 But I will hope continually
and will praise You more and more.^(CP)
15 My mouth will tell about Your righteousness
and Your salvation all day long,
though I cannot sum them up.^(CQ)
16 I come because of the mighty acts of the Lord God;
I will proclaim Your righteousness, Yours alone.^(CR)

¹⁷ God, You have taught me from my youth,
and I still proclaim Your wonderful works.^(CS)
18 Even when I am old and gray,
God, do not abandon me.^(CT)
Then I will^[w] proclaim Your power
to another generation,
Your strength to all who are to come.^(CU)
19 Your righteousness reaches heaven, God,
You who have done great things;
God, who is like You?^(CV)
20 You caused me to experience
many troubles and misfortunes,^(CW)
but You will revive me again.^(CX)
You will bring me up again,
even from the depths of the earth.^(CY)
21 You will increase my honor
and comfort me once again.^(CZ)
22 Therefore, I will praise You with a harp
for Your faithfulness, my God;
I will sing to You with a lyre,
Holy One of Israel.^(DA)
23 My lips will shout for joy
when I sing praise to You
because You have redeemed me.^(DB)
24 Therefore, my tongue will proclaim
Your righteousness all day long,
for those who seek my harm
will be disgraced and confounded.^(DC)

⁵ May he continue^[y] while the sun endures
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.^(DI)
6 May he be like rain that falls on the cut grass,
like spring showers that water the earth.^(DJ)
7 May the righteous^[z] flourish in his days
and prosperity^[aa] abound
until the moon is no more.^(DK)

⁸ May he rule from sea to sea
and from the Euphrates
to the ends of the earth.^(DL)
9 May desert tribes kneel before him
and his enemies lick the dust.^(DM)
10 May the kings of Tarshish
and the coasts and islands bring tribute,
the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.^(DN)
11 Let all kings bow down to him,
all nations serve him.^(DO)

¹² For he will rescue the poor who cry out
and the afflicted who have no helper.^(DP)
13 He will have pity on the poor and helpless
and save the lives of the poor.^(DQ)
14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence,
for their lives are^[ab] precious^[ac] in his sight.^(DR)

¹⁵ May he live long!
May gold from Sheba be given to him.
May prayer be offered for him continually,
and may he be blessed all day long.^(DS)
16 May there be plenty of grain in the land;
may it wave on the tops of the mountains.
May its crops be like Lebanon.
May people flourish in the cities
like the grass of the field.^(DT)
17 May his name endure forever;
as long as the sun shines,
may his fame increase.
May all nations be blessed by him
and call him blessed.^(DU)

¹⁸ May the Lord God, the God of Israel,
who alone does wonders, be praised.^(DV)
19 May His glorious name be praised forever;
the whole earth is filled with His glory.^(DW)
Amen and amen.
²⁰ The prayers of David son of Jesse are concluded.^(DX)