June 17 – Psalms 68 and 69 from the New Testament

Psalms 68 and 69 – Psalm 68

For the music director; by David, a psalm, a song.

68:1 God springs into action!

His enemies scatter;

his adversaries run from him.

68:2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away.

As wax melts before fire,

so the wicked are destroyed before God.

68:3 But the godly are happy;

they rejoice before God

and are overcome with joy.

68:4 Sing to God! Sing praises to his name!

Exalt the one who rides on the clouds!

For the Lord is his name!

Rejoice before him!

68:5 He is a father to the fatherless

and an advocate for widows.

God rules from his holy palace.

68:6 God settles those who have been deserted in their own homes;

he frees prisoners and grants them prosperity.

But sinful rebels live in the desert.

68:7 O God, when you lead your people into battle,

when you march through the desert, (Selah)

68:8 the earth shakes,

yes, the heavens pour down rain

before God, the God of Sinai,

before God, the God of Israel.

68:9 O God, you cause abundant showers to fall on your chosen people.

When they are tired, you sustain them,

68:10 for you live among them.

You sustain the oppressed with your good blessings, O God.

68:11 The Lord speaks;

many, many women spread the good news.

68:12 Kings leading armies run away – they run away!

The lovely lady of the house divides up the loot.

68:13 When you lie down among the sheepfolds,

the wings of the dove are covered with silver

and with glittering gold.

68:14 When the sovereign judge scatters kings,

let it snow on Zalmon!

68:15 The mountain of Bashan is a towering mountain;

the mountain of Bashan is a mountain with many peaks.

68:16 Why do you look with envy, O mountains with many peaks,

at the mountain where God has decided to live?

Indeed the Lord will live there permanently!

68:17 God has countless chariots;

they number in the thousands.

The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor.

68:18 You ascend on high,

you have taken many captives.

You receive tribute from men,

including even sinful rebels.

Indeed the Lord God lives there!

68:19 The Lord deserves praise!

Day after day he carries our burden,

the God who delivers us. (Selah)

68:20 Our God is a God who delivers;

the Lord, the sovereign Lord, can rescue from death.

68:21 Indeed God strikes the heads of his enemies,

the hairy foreheads of those who persist in rebellion.

68:22 The Lord says,

“I will retrieve them from Bashan,

I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,

68:23 so that your feet may stomp in their blood,

and your dogs may eat their portion of the enemies’ corpses.”

68:24 They see your processions, O God –

the processions of my God, my king, who marches along in holy splendor.

68:25 Singers walk in front;

musicians follow playing their stringed instruments,

in the midst of young women playing tambourines.

68:26 In your large assemblies praise God,

the Lord, in the assemblies of Israel!

68:27 There is little Benjamin, their ruler,

and the princes of Judah in their robes,

along with the princes of Zebulun and the princes of Naphtali.

68:28 God has decreed that you will be powerful.

O God, you who have acted on our behalf, demonstrate your power,

68:29 as you come out of your temple in Jerusalem!

Kings bring tribute to you.

68:30 Sound your battle cry against the wild beast of the reeds,

and the nations that assemble like a herd of calves led by bulls!

They humble themselves and offer gold and silver as tribute.

God scatters the nations that like to do battle.

68:31 They come with red cloth from Egypt,

Ethiopia voluntarily offers tribute to God.

68:32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God!

Sing praises to the Lord, (Selah)

68:33 to the one who rides through the sky from ancient times!

Look! He thunders loudly.

68:34 Acknowledge God’s power,

his sovereignty over Israel,

and the power he reveals in the skies!

68:35 You are awe-inspiring, O God, as you emerge from your holy temple!

It is the God of Israel who gives the people power and strength.

God deserves praise!

Psalm 69

For the music director; according to the tune of “Lilies;” by David.

69:1 Deliver me, O God,

for the water has reached my neck.

69:2 I sink into the deep mire

where there is no solid ground;

I am in deep water,

and the current overpowers me.

69:3 I am exhausted from shouting for help;

my throat is sore;

my eyes grow tired of looking for my God.

69:4 Those who hate me without cause are more numerous than the hairs of my head.

Those who want to destroy me, my enemies for no reason, outnumber me.

They make me repay what I did not steal!

69:5 O God, you are aware of my foolish sins;

my guilt is not hidden from you.

69:6 Let none who rely on you be disgraced because of me,

O sovereign Lord and king!

Let none who seek you be ashamed because of me,

O God of Israel!

69:7 For I suffer humiliation for your sake

and am thoroughly disgraced.

69:8 My own brothers treat me like a stranger;

they act as if I were a foreigner.

69:9 Certainly zeal for your house consumes me;

I endure the insults of those who insult you.

69:10 I weep and refrain from eating food,

which causes others to insult me.

69:11 I wear sackcloth

and they ridicule me.

69:12 Those who sit at the city gate gossip about me;

drunkards mock me in their songs.

69:13 O Lord, may you hear my prayer and be favorably disposed to me!

O God, because of your great loyal love,

answer me with your faithful deliverance!

69:14 Rescue me from the mud! Don’t let me sink!

Deliver me from those who hate me,

from the deep water!

69:15 Don’t let the current overpower me!

Don’t let the deep swallow me up!

Don’t let the pit devour me!

69:16 Answer me, O Lord, for your loyal love is good!

Because of your great compassion, turn toward me!

69:17 Do not ignore your servant,

for I am in trouble! Answer me right away!

69:18 Come near me and redeem me!

Because of my enemies, rescue me!

69:19 You know how I am insulted, humiliated and disgraced;

you can see all my enemies.

69:20 Their insults are painful and make me lose heart;

I look for sympathy, but receive none,

for comforters, but find none.

69:21 They put bitter poison into my food,

and to quench my thirst they give me vinegar to drink.

69:22 May their dining table become a trap before them!

May it be a snare for that group of friends!

69:23 May their eyes be blinded!

Make them shake violently!

69:24 Pour out your judgment on them!

May your raging anger overtake them!

69:25 May their camp become desolate,

their tents uninhabited!

69:26 For they harass the one whom you discipline;

they spread the news about the suffering of those whom you punish.

69:27 Hold them accountable for all their sins!

Do not vindicate them!

69:28 May their names be deleted from the scroll of the living!

Do not let their names be listed with the godly!

69:29 I am oppressed and suffering!

O God, deliver and protect me!

69:30 I will sing praises to God’s name!

I will magnify him as I give him thanks!

69:31 That will please the Lord more than an ox or a bull

with horns and hooves.

69:32 The oppressed look on – let them rejoice!

You who seek God, may you be encouraged!

69:33 For the Lord listens to the needy;

he does not despise his captive people.

69:34 Let the heavens and the earth praise him,

along with the seas and everything that swims in them!

69:35 For God will deliver Zion

and rebuild the cities of Judah,

and his people will again live in them and possess Zion.

69:36 The descendants of his servants will inherit it,

and those who are loyal to him will live in it.