Psalms 68 – Let God Arise, Let His Enemies Be Scattered
A triumphant march from Sinai to the sanctuary at Jerusalem.
This chapter of the Psalms overview begins with a battle cry, God arising to scatter His enemies, then widens into praise of Him as a father of the fatherless and a judge of widows. It builds on the short blessing of Psalms 67 with a far grander procession.
The title of the eiyte and sixtithe salm. `In Ebreu thus, To the victorie, on the roosis of Dauid. `In Jerom thus, To the ouercomer, for the sones of Dauid.
God, make thou me saaf; for watris `entriden til to my soule.
I am set in the sliym of the depthe; and `substaunce is not. I cam in to the depthe of the see; and the tempest drenchide me.
I traueilide criynge, my cheekis weren maad hoose; myn iyen failiden, the while Y hope in to my God.
Thei that hatiden me with out cause; weren multiplied aboue the heeris of myn heed. Myn enemyes that pursueden me vniustli weren coumfortid; Y paiede thanne tho thingis, whiche Y rauischide not.
God, thou knowist myn vnkunnyng; and my trespassis ben not hid fro thee.
Lord, Lord of vertues; thei, that abiden thee, be not aschamed in me. God of Israel; thei, that seken thee, be not schent on me.
For Y suffride schenschipe for thee; schame hilide my face.
I am maad a straunger to my britheren; and a pilgryme to the sones of my modir.
For the feruent loue of thin hous eet me; and the schenschipis of men seiynge schenschipis to thee fellen on me.
And Y hilide my soule with fastyng; and it was maad in to schenschip to me.
And Y puttide my cloth an heire; and Y am maad to hem in to a parable.
Thei, that saten in the yate, spaken ayens me; and thei, that drunken wien, sungen of me.
But Lord, Y dresse my preier to thee; God, Y abide the tyme of good plesaunce. Here thou me in the multitude of thi mercy; in the treuthe of thin heelthe.
Delyuer thou me fro the cley, that Y be not faste set in; delyuere thou me fro hem that haten me, and fro depthe of watris.
The tempest of watir drenche not me, nethir the depthe swolowe me; nethir the pit make streit his mouth on me.
Lord, here thou me, for thi merci is benygne; vp the multitude of thi merciful doyngis biholde thou in to me.
And turne not awei thi face fro thi child; for Y am in tribulacioun, here thou me swiftli.
Yyue thou tente to my soule, and delyuer thou it; for myn enemyes delyuere thou me.
Thou knowist my schenschip, and my dispysyng; and my schame.
Alle that troblen me ben in thi siyt; myn herte abood schendschipe, and wretchidnesse. And Y abood hym, that was sory togidere, and noon was; and that schulde coumforte, and Y foond not.
And thei yauen galle in to my meete; and in my thirst thei yauen `to me drinke with vynegre.
The boord of hem be maad bifore hem in to a snare; and in to yeldyngis, and in to sclaundir.
Her iyen be maad derk, that thei se not; and euere bouwe doun the bak of hem.
Schede out thin ire on hem; and the strong veniaunce of thin ire take hem.
The habitacioun of hem be maad forsakun; and `noon be that dwelle in the tabernaclis of hem.
For thei pursueden hym, whom thou hast smyte; and thei addiden on the sorewe of my woundis.
Adde thou wickidnesse on the wickidnesse of hem; and entre thei not in to thi riytwisnesse.
Be thei don awei fro the book of lyuynge men; and be thei not writun with iust men.
I am pore and sorewful; God, thin heelthe took me vp.
I schal herye the name of God with song; and Y schal magnefye hym in heriyng.
And it schal plese God more than a newe calf; bryngynge forth hornes and clees.
Pore men se, and be glad; seke ye God, and youre soule schal lyue.
For the Lord herde pore men; and dispiside not hise boundun men.
Heuenes and erthe, herye hym; the se, and alle crepynge bestis in tho, herye hym.
For God schal make saaf Syon; and the citees of Juda schulen be bildid. And thei schulen dwelle there; and thei schulen gete it bi eritage.
And the seed of hise seruauntis schal haue it in possessioun; and thei that louen his name, schulen dwelle ther ynne.