Psalms 64-68

Psalm 64

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Hear, O God, my voice of complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy.

²Hide me from the scheming of the wicked, from the mob of workers of iniquity,

³who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,

⁴ambushing the innocent in seclusion, shooting suddenly, without fear.

⁵They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say.

⁶They devise injustice and say, “We have perfected a secret plan.” For the inner man and the heart are mysterious.

⁷But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be wounded.

⁸They will be made to stumble, their own tongues turned against them. All who see will shake their heads.

⁹Then all mankind will fear and proclaim the work of God; so they will ponder what He has done.

¹⁰Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart exult.

Psalm 65

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled.

²O You who listen to prayer, all people will come to You.

³When iniquities prevail against me, You atone for our transgressions.

⁴Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts! We are filled with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.

⁵With awesome deeds of righteousness You answer us, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.

⁶You formed the mountains by Your power, having girded Yourself with might.

⁷You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.

⁸Those who live far away fear Your wonders; You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.

⁹You attend to the earth and water it; with abundance You enrich it. The streams of God are full of water, for You prepare our grain by providing for the earth.

¹⁰You soak its furrows and level its ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its growth.

¹¹You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your paths overflow with plenty.

¹²The pastures of the wilderness overflow; the hills are robed with joy.

¹³The pastures are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are decked with grain. They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.

Psalm 66

¹For the choirmaster. A song. A Psalm. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

²Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious.

³Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cower before You.

⁴All the earth bows down to You; they sing praise to You; they sing praise to Your name.” Selah

⁵Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind.

⁶He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the waters on foot; there we rejoiced in Him.

⁷He rules forever by His power; His eyes watch the nations. Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

⁸Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard.

⁹He preserves our lives and keeps our feet from slipping.

¹⁰For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver.

¹¹You led us into the net; You laid burdens on our backs.

¹²You let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but You brought us into abundance.

¹³I will enter Your house with burnt offerings; I will fulfill my vows to You—

¹⁴the vows that my lips promised and my mouth spoke in my distress.

¹⁵I will offer You fatlings as burnt offerings, with the fragrant smoke of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. Selah

¹⁶Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me.

¹⁷I cried out to Him with my mouth and praised Him with my tongue.

¹⁸If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

¹⁹But God has surely heard; He has attended to the sound of my prayer.

²⁰Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld from me His loving devotion!

Psalm 67

¹For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song. May God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah

²that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.

³Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples justly and lead the nations of the earth. Selah

⁵Let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You.

⁶The earth has yielded its harvest; God, our God, blesses us.

⁷God blesses us, that all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.

Psalm 68

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence.

²As smoke is blown away, You will drive them out; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will perish in the presence of God.

³But the righteous will be glad and rejoice before God; they will celebrate with joy.

⁴Sing to God! Sing praises to His name. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds — His name is the LORD— and rejoice before Him.

⁵A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in His holy habitation.

⁶God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

⁷O God, when You went out before Your people, when You marched through the wasteland, Selah

⁸the earth shook and the heavens poured down rain before God, the One on Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.

⁹You sent abundant rain, O God; You refreshed Your weary inheritance.

¹⁰Your flock settled therein; O God, from Your bounty You provided for the poor.

¹¹The Lord gives the command; a great company of women proclaim it:

¹²“Kings and their armies flee in haste; she who waits at home divides the plunder.

¹³Though you lie down among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her feathers with shimmering gold.”

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.

¹⁵A mountain of God is Mount Bashan; a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.

¹⁶Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks? This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling, where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

¹⁷The chariots of God are tens of thousands— thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai.

¹⁸You have ascended on high; You have led captives away. You have received gifts from men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God may dwell there.

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

²⁰Our God is a God of deliverance; the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.

²¹Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies, the hairy crowns of those who persist in guilty ways.

²²The Lord said, “I will retrieve them from Bashan, I will bring them up from the depths of the sea,

²³that your foot may be dipped in the blood of your foes— the tongues of your dogs in the same.”

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

²⁵The singers lead the way, the musicians follow after, among the maidens playing tambourines.

²⁶Bless God in the great congregation; bless the LORD from the fountain of Israel.

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

²⁸Summon Your power, O God; show Your strength, O God, which You have exerted on our behalf.

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

³⁰Rebuke the beast in the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations, until it submits, bringing bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.

³¹Envoys will arrive from Egypt; Cush will stretch out her hands to God.

³²Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord— Selah

³³to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old; behold, His mighty voice resounds.

³⁴Ascribe the power to God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose strength is in the skies.

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