Psalm 68

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
    lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds^[a]—
his name is the Lord—
    be exultant before him.

⁵ Father of orphans and protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
⁶ God gives the desolate a home to live in;
    he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
    but the rebellious live in a parched land.

⁷ O God, when you went out before your people,
    when you marched through the wilderness,Selah
⁸ the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain
    at the presence of God, the God of Sinai,
    at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
⁹ Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad;
    you restored your heritage when it languished;
¹⁰ your flock found a dwelling in it;
    in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

¹¹ The Lord gives the command;
    great is the company of those^[b] who bore the tidings:
¹²     “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil,
¹³     though they stay among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
    its pinions with green gold.
¹⁴ When the Almighty^[c] scattered kings there,
    snow fell on Zalmon.

¹⁵ O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan;
    O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
¹⁶ Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain,
    at the mount that God desired for his abode,
    where the Lord will reside forever?

¹⁷ With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand,
    thousands upon thousands,
    the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.^[d]
18 You ascended the high mount,
    leading captives in your train
    and receiving gifts from people,
even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there.
¹⁹ Blessed be the Lord,
    who daily bears us up;
    God is our salvation.Selah
²⁰ Our God is a God of salvation,
    and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death.

²¹ But God will shatter the heads of his enemies,
    the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.
²² The Lord said,
    “I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
²³ so that you may bathe^[e] your feet in blood,
    so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.”

²⁴ Your solemn processions are seen,^[f] O God,
    the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
²⁵ the singers in front, the musicians last,
    between them girls playing tambourines:
²⁶ “Bless God in the great congregation,
    the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!”
²⁷ There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
    the princes of Judah in a body,
    the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

²⁸ Summon your might, O God;
    show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before.
²⁹ Because of your temple at Jerusalem
    kings bear gifts to you.
³⁰ Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds,
    the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample^[g] under foot those who lust after tribute;
    scatter the peoples who delight in war.^[h]
31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt;
    let Ethiopia^[i] hasten to stretch out its hands to God.

³² Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;
    sing praises to the Lord,Selah
³³ O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
    listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
³⁴ Ascribe power to God,
    whose majesty is over Israel;
    and whose power is in the skies.
³⁵ Awesome is God in his^[j] sanctuary,
    the God of Israel;
    he gives power and strength to his people.

Blessed be God!