1 For the leader. By David the servant
of ADONAI, who addressed the words of this song to ADONAI on the day when
ADONAI delivered him from the power of all his enemies, including from the
power of Sha'ul. He said: "I love you, ADONAI, my strength!
2 "ADONAI is my Rock, my fortress
and deliverer, my God, my Rock, in whom I find shelter, my shield, the power
that saves me, my stronghold.
3 I call on ADONAI, who is worthy of
praise; and I am saved from my enemies.
4 "For the cords of death
surrounded me, the floods of B'liya'al terrified me,
5 the ropes of Sh'ol were wrapped
around me, the snares of death lay there before me.
6 In my distress I called to ADONAI; I
cried out to my God. Out of his temple he heard my voice; my cry reached his
ears.
7 "Then the earth quaked and
shook, the foundations of the mountains trembled. They were shaken because he
was angry.
8 Smoke arose in his nostrils; out of
his mouth came devouring fire; sparks blazed forth from him.
9 He lowered heaven and came down with
thick darkness under his feet.
10 He rode on a keruv; he flew,
swooping down on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding-place,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
12 From the brightness before him,
there broke through his thick clouds hailstones and fiery coals.
13 "ADONAI also thundered in
heaven, Ha'Elyon sounded his voice -hailstones and fiery coals.
14 He sent out arrows and scattered
them, shot out lightning and routed them.
15 The channels of water appeared, the
foundations of the world were exposed at your rebuke, ADONAI, at the blast of
breath from your nostrils.
16 "He sent from on high, he took
me and pulled me out of deep water;
17 he rescued me from my powerful
enemy, from those who hated me, for they were stronger than I.
18 They came against me on my day of
disaster, but ADONAI was my support.
19 He brought me out to an open place;
he rescued me, because he took pleasure in me.
20 ADONAI rewarded me for my
uprightness, he repaid me because my hands were clean.
21 "For I have kept the ways of
ADONAI, I have not done evil by leaving my God;
22 for all his rulings were before me,
I did not distance his regulations from me.
23 I was pure-hearted with him and kept
myself from my sin.
24 "Hence ADONAI repaid me for my
uprightness, according to the purity of my hands in his view.
25 With the merciful, you are merciful;
with a man who is sincere, you are sincere;
26 with the pure, you are pure; but
with the crooked you are cunning.
27 People afflicted, you save; but
haughty eyes, you humble.
28 "For you, ADONAI, light my
lamp; ADONAI, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 With you I can run through a whole
troop of men, with my God I can leap a wall.
30 "As for God, his way is
perfect, the word of ADONAI has been tested by fire; he shields all who take
refuge in him.
31 "For who is God but ADONAI? Who
is a Rock but our God?
32 "It is God who girds me with
strength; he makes my way go straight.
33 He makes me swift, sure-footed as a
deer, and enables me to stand on my high places.
34 He trains my hands for war until my
arms can bend a bow of bronze;
35 "You give me your shield, which
is salvation, your right hand holds me up, your humility makes me great.
36 You lengthen the steps I can take,
yet my ankles do not turn.
37 "I pursued my enemies and
overtook them, without turning back until they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them, so that they can't
get up; they have fallen under my feet.
39 "For you braced me with
strength for the battle and bent down my adversaries beneath me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs
in flight, and I destroyed those who hated me.
41 "They cried out, but there was
no one to help, even to ADONAI, but he didn't answer.
42 I pulverized them like dust in the
wind, threw them out like mud in the streets.
43 "You also freed me from the
quarrels of my people. You made me head of the nations; a people I did not
know now serve me
44 the moment they hear of me, they
obey me, foreigners come cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lose heart as they come
trembling from their fortresses.
46 "ADONAI is alive! Blessed is my
Rock! Exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 the God who avenges me and subdues
peoples under me.
48 He delivers me from my enemies. You
lift me high above my enemies, you rescue me from violent men.
49 "So I give thanks to you,
ADONAI, among the nations; I sing praises to your name.
50 Great salvation he gives to his
king; he displays grace to his anointed, to David and his descendants
forever."
