68:2 As smoke is driven away by the wind, so you drive them away. 1
As wax melts before fire,
so the wicked are destroyed before God.
68:3 But the godly 2 are happy;
they rejoice before God
and are overcome with joy. 3
1 tn Heb “as smoke is scattered, you scatter [them].”
2 tn By placing the subject first the psalmist highlights the contrast between God’s ecstatic people and his defeated enemies (vv. 1-2).
3 tn Heb “and they are happy with joy” (cf. NEB). Some translate the prefixed verbal forms of v. 3 as jussives, “Let the godly be happy, let them rejoice before God, and let them be happy with joy!” (Cf. NASB, NIV, NRSV; note the call to praise in v. 4.)