Psalms 68:8-31

⁸After you did that, because when you, the God worshiped by us Israeli people, appeared to us at Sinai Mountain,, the earth shook, and rain poured down from the sky.

⁹You caused plenty of rain to fall on your land*, and so you enabled good crops to grow again on the land that you gave to us Israelis.

¹⁰Your people built homes there; and because you were good to them, you provided food for those who were poor.

¹¹The Lord gave a message, and many women took that message to other places.

¹²They proclaimed, “Many kings and their armies are running away from our army!” When our army brought back to their homes the things that they captured, the women who were at home divided up those things among themselves and among their families.

¹³Even those women who were in the pens taking care of the sheep received some of those things; they got statues of doves whose wings were covered with silver and whose feathers were covered with pure yellow gold.

¹⁴When Almighty God scattered the enemy kings and their armies, the number of weapons that they abandoned there seemed like there had been a snowstorm on Zalmon (OR, a black) Mountain.

¹⁵There is a very high mountain in the Bashan region, a mountain which has many peaks.

¹⁶But the people who live near that mountain should not RHQ envy those who live near Zion, the mountain on which God chose to live! Yahweh will live there forever!

¹⁷After we defeated all our enemies, it was as though the Lord, surrounded by many thousands of strong chariots, descended from Sinai Mountain and came into the sacred temple in Jerusalem.

¹⁸He ascended the sacred mountain where his temple is, and took with him many people who had been captured in battles; and received gifts from the enemies whom he had defeated. He received gifts even from those who had rebelled against him, and Yahweh our God will live there in his sacred temple forever.

¹⁹Praise the Lord, who helps us carry our heavy loads every day; he is the one who saves/rescues us.

²⁰Our God is the God who saves us; He is Yahweh, our Lord, the one who ◄allows us to escape/prevents us► from being killed in battles.

²¹But God will smash the heads of his enemies, the skulls of those who continue to behave sinfully.

²²The Lord said, “I will bring back the corpses of those who were killed in Bashan, and I will bring back those who sank deep in the ocean and drowned.

²³I will do that in order that you may wash your feet in their blood, and your dogs can also lap up some of your enemies' blood.”

²⁴God, many people see you march triumphantly into your sacred temple, celebrating that you have defeated your enemies. You march like a king does, and a large crowd walks with you.

²⁵The singers are in front, and the people who play stringed instruments are at the rear, and young women who are beating their tambourines are between them.

²⁶They are all singing, “You Israeli people, praise God when you gather together; praise Yahweh, all you who are descendants of Jacob!”

²⁷First come the people of the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe, and following them come the leaders of the tribe of Judah and their group, and following them come the leaders of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali.

²⁸God, show people that you are very powerful; show people the power with which you have helped us previously.

²⁹Show that power from your temple in Jerusalem, where kings bring gifts to you.

³⁰Rebuke your enemies, such as those in Egypt who are like wild hippopotamuses/animals that live in the reeds; and powerful nations that are like bulls that are among their calves MET; rebuke/trample them until they bow down and give you gifts of silver. Scatter the people who enjoy making wars.

³¹Then people will bring gifts of bronze (OR, of cloth) to you from Egypt; the people in Ethiopia will lift up their hands to praise you.