Psalm 68
God shall arise, and his enemies shall be scattered
: those that hate him shall flee before his face.
As smoke is dispersed, so shall they be dispersed
: as wax melts before a fire,
so shall the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But the righteous shall be glad and exult before God
: they shall rejoice with gladness.
O sing to God, sing praises to his name
: glorify him that rode through the deserts,
him whose name is the Lord, and exult before him.
He is the father of the fatherless,
he upholds the cause of the widow
: God in his holy dwelling place.
He gives the desolate a home to dwell in,
and brings the prisoners out into prosperity
: but rebels must dwell in a barren land.
O God, when you went out before your people
: when you marched through the wilderness,
The earth shook, the heavens poured down water
: before the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
You showered down a generous rain, O God
: you prepared the land of your possession when it was weary.
And there your people settled
: in the place that your goodness, O God,
had made ready for the poor.
The Lord spoke the word, and great was the company
of those that carried the tidings
: ‘Kings with their armies are fleeing, are fleeing away.
‘Even the women at home may share in the spoil
: and will you sit idly among the sheepfolds?
‘There are images of doves whose wings are covered with silver
: and their pinions with shining gold.’
When the Almighty scattered kings
: they were like snow falling upon Mount Zalmon.
The mountain of Bashan is a mighty mountain
: the mountain of Bashan is a mountain of many peaks.
O mountains of many peaks, why look so enviously
: at the mountain where God is pleased to dwell,
where the Lord will remain for ever?
The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
and thousands upon thousands
: the Lord came from Sinai into his holy place.
When you ascended the heights,
you led the enemy captive, you received tribute from men
: but rebels shall not dwell in the presence of God.
Blessed be the Lord day by day, who bears us as his burden
: he is the God of our deliverance.
God is to us a God who saves
: by God the Lord do we escape death.