67:4 Let foreigners 1 rejoice and celebrate!
For you execute justice among the nations,
and govern the people living on earth. 2 (Selah)
67:5 Let the nations thank you, O God!
Let all the nations thank you! 3
67:6 The earth yields its crops.
May God, our God, bless us!
67:7 May God bless us! 4
Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves. 5
1 tn Or “peoples.”
2 tn Heb “for you judge nations fairly, and [as for the] peoples in the earth, you lead them.” The imperfects are translated with the present tense because the statement is understood as a generalization about God’s providential control of the world. Another option is to understand the statement as anticipating God’s future rule (“for you will rule…and govern”).
3 tn Heb “let the nations, all of them, thank you.” The prefixed verbal forms in v. 5 are understood as jussives in this call to praise.
4 tn The prefixed verb forms in vv. 6b-7a are understood as jussives.
5 tn Heb “will fear him.” After the jussive of the preceding line, the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) conjunctive is understood as indicating purpose/result. (Note how v. 3 anticipates the universal impact of God showing his people blessing.) Another option is to take the verb as a jussive and translate, “Let all the ends of the earth fear him.”