Psalm 68

The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.

1 Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate Him flee before Him.

2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish before God.

3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God;
Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.

4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,
Whose name is the LORD, and exult before Him.

5 A father of the fatherless and a judge tfor the widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.

6 God makes a home for the lonely;
He leads out the prisoners into prosperity,
Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

7 O God, when You went forth before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.

8 The earth quaked;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9 You shed abroad a plentiful rain, O God;
You confirmed Your inheritance when it was parched.

10 Your creatures settled in it;
You provided in Your goodness for the poor, O God.

11 The Lord gives the command;
The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:

12 "Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!"

13 tWhen you lie down among the tsheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.

14 When the Almighty scattered the kings there,
It was snowing in Zalmon.

15 A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan;
A mountain of many peaks is the mountain of Bashan.

16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,
At the mountain which God has desired for His abode?
Surely the LORD will dwell there forever.

17 The chariots of God are tmyriads, thousands upon thousands;
The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.

18 You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even among the rebellious also, that the LORD God may dwell there.

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,
The God who is our salvation. Selah.

20 God is to us a God of deliverances;
And to GOD the Lord belong escapes from death.

21 Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies,
The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.

22 The Lord said, "I will bring them back from Bashan.
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea;

23 That your foot may shatter them in blood,
The tongue of your dogs may have its portion from your enemies."

24 They have seen Your procession, O God,
The procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.

25 The singers went on, the musicians after them,
In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines.

26 Bless God in the congregations,
Even the LORD, you who are of the fountain of Israel.

27 There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,
The princes of Judah in their throng,
The princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 Your God has commanded your strength;
Show Yourself strong, O God, who have acted on our behalf.

29 Because of Your temple at Jerusalem
Kings will bring gifts to You.

30 Rebuke the beasts in the reeds,
The herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples,
Trampling under foot the pieces of silver;
He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

31 Envoys will come out of Egypt;
Ethiopia will quickly stretch out her hands to God.

32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
Sing praises to the Lord, Selah.

33 To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times;
Behold, He speaks forth with His voice, a mighty voice.

34 Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel
And His strength is in the skies.

35 O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary.
The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people.
Blessed be God!

Psalm 69

A Cry of Distress and Imprecation on Adversaries.

For the choir director; according to Shoshannim. A Psalm of David.

1 Save me, O God,
For the waters have threatened my life.

2 I have sunk in deep mire, and there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters, and a flood overflows me.

3 I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
What I did not steal, I then have to restore.

5 O God, it is You who knows my folly,
And my wrongs are not hidden from You.

6 May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord GOD of hosts;
May those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel,

7 Because for Your sake I have borne reproach;
Dishonor has covered my face.

8 I have become estranged from my brothers
And an alien to my mother's sons.

9 For zeal for Your house has consumed me,
And the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me.

10 When I wept in my soul with fasting,
It became my reproach.

11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.

12 Those who sit in the gate talk about me,
And I am the song of the drunkards.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at an acceptable time;
O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness,
Answer me with Your saving truth.

14 Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink;
May I be delivered from my foes and from the deep waters.

15 May the flood of water not overflow me
Nor the deep swallow me up,
Nor the pit shut its mouth on me.

16 Answer me, O LORD, for Your lovingkindness is good;
According to the greatness of Your compassion, turn to me,

17 And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in distress; answer me quickly.

18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it;
Ransom me because of my enemies!

19 You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor;
All my adversaries are tbefore You.

20 Reproach has broken my heart and I am so sick.
And I looked for sympathy, but there was none,
And for comforters, but I found none.

21 They also gave me tgall for my food
And for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

22 May their table before them become a snare;
And when they are in peace, may it become a trap.

23 May their eyes grow dim so that they cannot see,
And make their loins shake continually.

24 Pour out Your indignation on them,
And may Your burning anger overtake them.

25 May their camp be desolate;
May none dwell in their tents.

26 For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself have smitten,
And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded.

27 Add iniquity to their iniquity,
And may they not come into Your righteousness.

28 May they be blotted out of the book of life
And may they not be recorded with the righteous.

29 But I am afflicted and in pain;
May Your salvation, O God, set me securely on high.

30 I will praise the name of God with song
And magnify Him with thanksgiving.

31 And it will please the LORD better than an ox
Or a young bull with horns and hoofs.

32 The humble have seen it and are glad;
You who seek God, let your heart revive.

33 For the LORD hears the needy
And does not despise His who are prisoners.

34 Let heaven and earth praise Him,
The seas and everything that moves in them.

35 For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah,
That they may dwell there and possess it.

36 The descendants of His servants will inherit it,
And those who love His name will dwell in it.

Psalm 70

Prayer for Help against Persecutors.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David; for a memorial.

1 O God, hasten to deliver me;
O LORD, hasten to my help!

2 Let those be ashamed and humiliated
Who seek my life;
Let those be turned back and dishonored
Who delight in my hurt.

3 Let those be turned back because of their shame
Who say, "Aha, aha!"

4 Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You;
And let those who love Your salvation say continually,
"Let God be magnified."

5 But I am afflicted and needy;
Hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay.