Psalm 66-69

Praise for God's Mighty Deeds

66¹ Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! ² Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is. ³ Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! Your enemies cringe before your mighty power. ⁴ Everything on earth will worship you; they will sing your praises, shouting your name in glorious songs." Interlude ⁵ Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! ⁶ He made a dry path through the Red Sea, and his people went across on foot. There we rejoiced in him. ⁷ For by his great power he rules forever. He watches every movement of the nations; let no rebel rise in defiance. Interlude

⁸ Let the whole world bless our God and loudly sing his praises. ⁹ Our lives are in his hands, and he keeps our feet from stumbling. ¹⁰ You have tested us, O God; you have purified us like silver. ¹¹ You captured us in your net and laid the burden of slavery on our backs. ¹² Then you put a leader over us. We went through fire and flood, but you brought us to a place of great abundance.

¹³ Now I come to your Temple with burnt offerings to fulfill the vows I made to you- ¹⁴ yes, the sacred vows that I made when I was in deep trouble. ¹⁵ That is why I am sacrificing burnt offerings to you- the best of my rams as a pleasing aroma, and a sacrifice of bulls and male goats. Interlude ¹⁶ Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell you what he did for me. ¹⁷ For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. ¹⁸ If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. ¹⁹ But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. ²⁰ Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

The Nations Exhorted to Praise God

67¹ May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude ² May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. ³ May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. ⁴ Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude ⁵ May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. ⁶ Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. ⁷ Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.

The God of Sinai and of the Sanctuary

68¹ Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives. ² Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God. ³ But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy. ⁴ Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord - rejoice in his presence! ⁵ Father to the fatherless, defender of widows- this is God, whose dwelling is holy. ⁶ God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

⁷ O God, when you led your people out from Egypt, when you marched through the dry wasteland, Interlude ⁸ the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain before you, the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. ⁹ You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary land. ¹⁰ There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people. ¹¹ The Lord gives the word, and a great army brings the good news. ¹² Enemy kings and their armies flee, while the women of Israel divide the plunder. ¹³ Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures- doves with wings of silver and feathers of gold. ¹⁴ The Almighty scattered the enemy kings like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.

¹⁵ The mountains of Bashan are majestic, with many peaks stretching high into the sky. ¹⁶ Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the Lord himself will live forever? ¹⁷ Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary. ¹⁸ When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there. ¹⁹ Praise the Lord; praise God our savior! For each day he carries us in his arms. Interlude ²⁰ Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death. ²¹ But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.

²² The Lord says, "I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea. ²³ You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!" ²⁴ Your procession has come into view, O God- the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary. ²⁵ Singers are in front, musicians behind; between them are young women playing tambourines. ²⁶ Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the Lord, the source of Israel's life. ²⁷ Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali. ²⁸ Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past. ²⁹ The kings of the earth are bringing tribute to your Temple in Jerusalem. ³⁰ Rebuke these enemy nations- these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves. Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute. Scatter the nations that delight in war. ³¹ Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals ; let Ethiopia bring tribute to God.

³² Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord. Interlude ³³ Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky. ³⁴ Tell everyone about God's power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens. ³⁵ God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

A Cry of Distress

69¹ Save me, O God, for the floodwaters are up to my neck. ² Deeper and deeper I sink into the mire; I can't find a foothold. I am in deep water, and the floods overwhelm me. ³ I am exhausted from crying for help; my throat is parched. My eyes are swollen with weeping, waiting for my God to help me. ⁴ Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs on my head. Many enemies try to destroy me with lies, demanding that I give back what I didn't steal. ⁵ O God, you know how foolish I am; my sins cannot be hidden from you. ⁶ Don't let those who trust in you be ashamed because of me, O Sovereign Lord of Heaven's Armies. Don't let me cause them to be humiliated, O God of Israel. ⁷ For I endure insults for your sake; humiliation is written all over my face. ⁸ Even my own brothers pretend they don't know me; they treat me like a stranger. ⁹ Passion for your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me. ¹⁰ When I weep and fast, they scoff at me. ¹¹ When I dress in burlap to show sorrow, they make fun of me. ¹² I am the favorite topic of town gossip, and all the drunks sing about me.

¹³ But I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation. ¹⁴ Rescue me from the mud; don't let me sink any deeper! Save me from those who hate me, and pull me from these deep waters. ¹⁵ Don't let the floods overwhelm me, or the deep waters swallow me, or the pit of death devour me. ¹⁶ Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. ¹⁷ Don't hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble! ¹⁸ Come and redeem me; free me from my enemies. ¹⁹ You know of my shame, scorn, and disgrace. You see all that my enemies are doing. ²⁰ Their insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. If only one person would show some pity; if only one would turn and comfort me. ²¹ But instead, they give me poison for food; they offer me sour wine for my thirst.

²² Let the bountiful table set before them become a snare and their prosperity become a trap. ²³ Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and make their bodies shake continually. ²⁴ Pour out your fury on them; consume them with your burning anger. ²⁵ Let their homes become desolate and their tents be deserted. ²⁶ To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt. ²⁷ Pile their sins up high, and don't let them go free. ²⁸ Erase their names from the Book of Life; don't let them be counted among the righteous. ²⁹ I am suffering and in pain. Rescue me, O God, by your saving power.

³⁰ Then I will praise God's name with singing, and I will honor him with thanksgiving. ³¹ For this will please the Lord more than sacrificing cattle, more than presenting a bull with its horns and hooves. ³² The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God's help be encouraged. ³³ For the Lord hears the cries of the needy; he does not despise his imprisoned people. ³⁴ Praise him, O heaven and earth, the seas and all that move in them. ³⁵ For God will save Jerusalem and rebuild the towns of Judah. His people will live there and settle in their own land. ³⁶ The descendants of those who obey him will inherit the land, and those who love him will live there in safety.