Psalms · Bible in Basic English
Psalm 68 Bible in Basic English
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Greek and Latin Bibles number most Psalms one lower than Hebrew and English Bibles.
1 To the chief music-maker. Of David. A Psalm. A Song. Let God be seen, and let his haters be put to flight; let those who are against him be turned back before him.
1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. A song. Let God arise! Let his enemies be scattered! Let them who hate him also flee before him.
2 Let them be like smoke before the driving wind; as wax turning soft before the fire, so let them come to an end before the power of God.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the upright be glad; let them have delight before God; let them be full of joy.
3 But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice before God. Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
4 Make songs to God, make songs of praise to his name; make a way for him who comes through the waste lands; his name is Jah; be glad before him.
4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name! Extol him who rides on the clouds: to Yah, his name! Rejoice before him!
5 A father to those who have no father, a judge of the widows, is God in his holy place.
5 A father of the fatherless, and a defender of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
6 Those who are without friends, God puts in families; he makes free those who are in chains; but those who are turned away from him are given a dry land.
6 God sets the lonely in families. He brings out the prisoners with singing, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people, wandering through the waste land; (Selah.)
7 God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness... Selah.
8 The earth was shaking and the heavens were streaming, because God was present; even Sinai itself was moved before God, the God of Israel.
8 The earth trembled. The sky also poured down rain at the presence of the God of Sinai— at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 You, O God, did freely send the rain, giving strength to the weariness of your heritage.
9 You, God, sent a plentiful rain. You confirmed your inheritance when it was weary.
10 Those whose resting-place was there, even the poor, were comforted by your good things, O God.
10 Your congregation lived therein. You, God, prepared your goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gives the word; great is the number of the women who make it public.
11 The Lord announced the word. The ones who proclaim it are a great company.
12 Kings of armies quickly go in flight: and the women in the houses make a division of their goods.
12 “Kings of armies flee! They flee!” She who waits at home divides the plunder,
13 Will you take your rest among the flocks? like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and its feathers with yellow gold.
13 while you sleep among the camp fires, the wings of a dove sheathed with silver, her feathers with shining gold.
14 When the Most High put the kings to flight, it was as white as snow in Salmon.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in her, it snowed on Zalmon.
15 A hill of God is the hill of Bashan; a hill with high tops is the hill of Bashan.
15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains. The mountains of Bashan are rugged.
16 Why are you looking with envy, you high hills, on the hill desired by God as his resting-place? truly, God will make it his house for ever.
16 Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, Yahweh will dwell there forever.
17 The war-carriage of God is among Israel's thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai to the holy place.
17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary.
18 You have gone up on high, taking your prisoners with you; you have taken offerings from men; the Lord God has taken his place on the seat of his power.
18 You have ascended on high. You have led away captives. You have received gifts among people, yes, among the rebellious also, that Yah God might dwell there.
19 Praise be to the Lord, who is our support day by day, even the God of our salvation. (Selah.)
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burdens, even the God who is our salvation. Selah.
20 Our God is for us a God of salvation; his are the ways out of death.
20 God is to us a God of deliverance. To Yahweh, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
21 The heads of the haters of God will be crushed; even the head of him who still goes on in his evil ways.
21 But God will strike through the head of his enemies, the hairy scalp of such a one as still continues in his guiltiness.
22 The Lord said, I will make them come back from Bashan, and from the deep parts of the sea;
22 The Lord said, “I will bring you again from Bashan, I will bring you again from the depths of the sea,
23 So that your foot may be red with blood, and the tongues of your dogs with the same.
23 that you may crush them, dipping your foot in blood, that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
24 We see your going, O God: even the going of my God, my King, into the holy place.
24 They have seen your processions, God, even the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary.
25 The makers of songs go before, the players of music come after, among the young girls playing on brass instruments.
25 The singers went before, the minstrels followed after, among the ladies playing with tambourines,
26 Give praise to God in the great meeting; even the Lord, you who come from the fountain of Israel.
26 “Bless God in the congregations, even the Lord in the assembly of Israel!”
27 There is little Benjamin ruling them, the chiefs of Judah and their army, the rulers of Zebulun and the rulers of Naphtali.
27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler, the princes of Judah, their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.
28 O God, send out your strength; the strength, O God, with which you have done great things for us,
28 Your God has commanded your strength. Strengthen, God, that which you have done for us.
29 Out of your Temple in Jerusalem.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem, kings shall bring presents to you.
30 Say sharp words to the beast among the water-plants, the band of strong ones, with the lords of the peoples, put an end to the people whose delight is in war.
30 Rebuke the wild animal of the reeds, the multitude of the bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot the bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.
31 Kings will give you offerings, they will come out of Egypt; from Pathros will come offerings of silver; Ethiopia will be stretching out her hands to God.
31 Princes shall come out of Egypt. Ethiopia shall hurry to stretch out her hands to God.
32 Make songs to God, you kingdoms of the earth; O make songs of praise to the Lord; (Selah.)
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth! Sing praises to the Lord— Selah—
33 To him who goes or the clouds of heaven, the heaven which was from earliest times; he sends out his voice of power.
33 to him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice.
34 Make clear that strength is God's: he is lifted up over Israel, and his power is in the clouds.
34 Ascribe strength to God! His excellency is over Israel, his strength is in the skies.
35 O God, you are to be feared in your holy place: the God of Israel gives strength and power to his people. Praise be to God.
35 You are awesome, God, in your sanctuaries. The God of Israel gives strength and power to his people. Praise be to God!
Cross references (35)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Numbers 10:35; Isaiah 51:9–10; Isaiah 42:13–14; Psalm 44:26; Psalm 89:10
- 2 Micah 1:4; Hosea 13:3; Psalm 37:20; Revelation 6:16–17; Isaiah 9:18
- 3 Psalm 64:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:16; Psalm 100:1–2; Revelation 18:20; Psalm 95:1–2
- 4 Deuteronomy 33:26; Isaiah 12:4–6; Psalm 66:4; Psalm 104:3; Psalm 68:33
- 5 Psalm 10:14; Jeremiah 49:11; Deuteronomy 10:18; Psalm 82:3–4; Psalm 146:9
- 6 Psalm 113:9; Psalm 69:33; Psalm 107:10; Isaiah 61:1; Psalm 107:14
- 7 Exodus 13:21; Judges 5:4; Judges 4:14; Habakkuk 3:12–13; Micah 2:13
- 8 Exodus 19:18; Exodus 19:16; Judges 5:4–5; Deuteronomy 5:23–25; Hebrews 12:26
- 9 Deuteronomy 11:14; Ezekiel 34:26; Psalm 65:9–13; Psalm 78:24–27; Deuteronomy 11:10–12
- 10 Deuteronomy 26:9–10; Psalm 74:19; Matthew 11:5; 1 Samuel 2:8; Luke 1:53
- 11 Exodus 15:20; Psalm 40:3; Psalm 68:25; Exodus 17:9–16; Judges 4:6–5:31
- 12 Joshua 10:16; Judges 5:19; Revelation 19:17–20; Joshua 12:7–24; 1 Samuel 30:24
- 13 Genesis 49:14; Psalm 105:37; Judges 5:16; Titus 3:3; Revelation 1:5–6
- 14 Isaiah 1:18; Revelation 19:14–21; Judges 2:7; Judges 9:48; Joshua 10:10–43
- 15 Psalm 87:1–2; Psalm 2:6; Psalm 78:68–69; Micah 7:14; Deuteronomy 3:10
- 16 Deuteronomy 12:5; Psalm 132:13–14; Revelation 21:2–3; Hebrews 12:22–23; 1 Kings 9:3
- 17 Deuteronomy 33:2; Daniel 7:10; Revelation 5:11; Revelation 9:16; Habakkuk 3:8
- 18 Ephesians 4:8–10; Revelation 21:3; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 1 Peter 3:22; Psalm 110:1
- 19 Isaiah 46:4; Lamentations 3:23; Ephesians 1:3; Psalm 55:22; Psalm 103:1–22
- 20 Deuteronomy 32:39; Revelation 1:18; Isaiah 12:2; John 5:21; 1 Samuel 2:6
- 21 Habakkuk 3:13; Psalm 7:12; Luke 13:5; Psalm 110:6; Revelation 2:14–16
- 22 Numbers 21:33; Ezekiel 36:24; Exodus 14:22; Isaiah 51:10–11; Amos 9:2–3
- 23 1 Kings 21:19; Psalm 58:10; 1 Kings 22:38; Revelation 19:17–21; 2 Kings 9:33–37
- 24 Psalm 47:5–7; 1 Chronicles 15:16–24; 2 Samuel 6:12–17; 1 Chronicles 13:8; Psalm 24:7–10
- 25 1 Chronicles 13:8; Judges 11:34; Exodus 15:20; Revelation 14:2–3; Revelation 15:2–3
- 26 Isaiah 48:1; Deuteronomy 33:28; Psalm 111:1; Proverbs 5:16; Psalm 26:12
- 27 1 Samuel 9:21; 1 Chronicles 12:16; Psalm 60:7; Isaiah 11:13; Judges 21:6–25
- 28 Psalm 138:8; Psalm 71:3; Philippians 1:6; Isaiah 40:31; 2 Corinthians 12:9–10
- 29 1 Kings 10:10; Psalm 76:11; 1 Chronicles 29:3; Isaiah 60:6–11; Isaiah 18:7
- 30 Psalm 22:12–13; Romans 7:22; Psalm 89:10; Psalm 18:44; Isaiah 37:1–38
- 31 Isaiah 45:14; Zephaniah 3:10; Acts 8:27–40; Isaiah 19:18–25; Psalm 44:20
- 32 Deuteronomy 32:43; Romans 15:10–11; Psalm 67:2–5; Psalm 117:1–2; Revelation 15:4
- 33 Psalm 18:10; Psalm 104:3; Psalm 68:4; 1 Kings 8:27; Revelation 11:19
- 34 Revelation 19:6; 1 Chronicles 16:28–29; 2 Peter 1:17; Psalm 150:1; Psalm 96:6–8
- 35 Psalm 29:11; Colossians 1:11; Philippians 4:13; Isaiah 40:29; Psalm 65:5
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Your Love remembereth, that in two Psalms, which have been already treated of, we have stirred up our soul to bless the Lord, and with godly chant have said, "Bless thou, O my soul, the Lord." If therefore we have stirred up our soul in those Psalms to bless the Lord, in this Psalm is well said, "May God have …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 8 (1888)
For the Lord, through means of suffering, "ascending into the lofty place, led captivity captive, gave gifts to men," and conferred on those that believe in Him the power "to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of the enemy," that is, of the leader of apostasy.
Lo, this also I confess unto Thy mercy, "Father of the fatherless," that I bathed, and felt the same as before I had done so.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
For one saith, "Thou hast gone up on high, Thou hast led captivity captive, and hast received gifts amongst men." And, "The Lord strong and mighty in battle." And another saith, "He shall divide the spoils of the strong." For indeed to this purpose He came, that He might "preach deliverance to captives, and recovery of sight to the blind." …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
And if the Psalmist says, Let them be troubled from His countenance, the Father of the fatherless, and Judge of the widows, is it not manifest to all, that when God is called the Father of orphans who have lately lost their own fathers, He is so named not as begetting them of Himself, but as caring for them …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)