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(For the music leader. A psalm by David, the Lord's servant. David sang this to the Lord after the Lord had rescued him from his enemies, but especially from Saul.)

David's Song of Thanks

I love you, Lord God,
    and you make me strong.
You are my mighty rock,[a]
    my fortress, my protector,
the rock where I am safe,
my shield, my powerful weapon,[b]
    and my place of shelter.

I praise you, Lord!
I prayed, and you rescued me
    from my enemies.
Death had wrapped
    its ropes around me,
and I was almost swallowed
    by its flooding waters.

Ropes from the world
of the dead
    had coiled around me,
and death had set a trap
    in my path.
I was in terrible trouble
    when I called out to you,
but from your temple
you heard me
    and answered my prayer.

The earth shook and shivered,
and the mountains trembled
    down to their roots.
You were angry
    and breathed out smoke.
Scorching heat and fiery flames
    spewed from your mouth.

You opened the heavens
    like curtains,
and you came down
with storm clouds
    under your feet.
10 You rode on the backs
    of flying creatures
and swooped down
    with the wind as wings.
11 Darkness was your robe;
thunderclouds filled the sky,
    hiding you from sight.
12 Hailstones and fiery coals
lit up the sky
    in front of you.

13 Lord Most High, your voice
    thundered from the heavens,
as hailstones and fiery coals
    poured down like rain.
14 You scattered your enemies
    with arrows of lightning.
15 You roared at the sea,
and its deepest channels
    could be seen.
You snorted,
and the earth shook
    to its foundations.

16 You reached down from heaven,
and you lifted me
    from deep in the ocean.
17 You rescued me from enemies,
who were hateful
    and too powerful for me.
18 On the day disaster struck,
they came and attacked,
    but you defended me.
19 When I was fenced in,
you freed and rescued me
    because you love me.

20 You are good to me, Lord,
    because I do right,
and you reward me
    because I am innocent.
21 I do what you want
    and never turn to do evil.
22 I keep your laws in mind
and never look away
    from your teachings.
23 I obey you completely
    and guard against sin.
24 You have been good to me
    because I do right;
you have rewarded me
for being innocent
    by your standards.

25 You are always loyal
    to your loyal people,
and you are faithful
    to the faithful.
26 With all who are sincere,
    you are sincere,
but you treat the unfaithful
    as their deeds deserve.
27 You rescue the humble,
but you put down all
    who are proud.

28 You, the Lord God,
keep my lamp burning
    and turn darkness to light.
29 You help me defeat armies
    and capture cities.

30 Your way is perfect, Lord,
    and your word is correct.
You are a shield for those
    who run to you for help.
31 You alone are God!
    Only you are a mighty rock.[c]
32 You give me strength
    and guide me right.
33 (A) You make my feet run as fast
    as those of a deer,
and you help me stand
    on the mountains.

34 You teach my hands to fight
and my arms to use
    a bow of bronze.
35 You alone are my shield.
    Your right hand supports me,
and by coming to help me,
    you have made me famous.
36 You clear the way for me,
    and now I won't stumble.

37 I kept chasing my enemies,
until I caught them
    and destroyed them.
38 I stuck my sword
    through my enemies,
and they were crushed
    under my feet.
39 You helped me win victories,
and you forced my attackers
    to fall victim to me.

40 You made my enemies run,
    and I killed them.
41 They cried out for help,
    but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
    but there was no answer.
42 I ground them to dust
    blown by the wind,
and I poured them out
    like mud in the streets.

43 You rescued me
    from stubborn people,
and you made me the leader
of foreign nations,
    who are now my slaves.
44 They obey and come crawling.
45     They have lost all courage,
and from their fortresses,
    they come trembling.

46 You are the living Lord!
    I will praise you.
You are a mighty rock.[d]
I will honor you
    for keeping me safe.
47 You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
    in my power.
48 You protected me
    from violent enemies
and made me much greater
    than all of them.

49 (B) I will praise you, Lord,
and I will honor you
    among the nations.
50 You give glorious victories
    to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
    will never end.

Footnotes

  1. 18.2 mighty rock: The Hebrew text has “rock,” which is sometimes used in poetry to compare the Lord to a mountain where his people can run for protection from their enemies.
  2. 18.2 my powerful weapon: The Hebrew text has “the horn,” which refers to the horn of a bull, one of the most powerful animals in ancient Palestine.
  3. 18.31 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.
  4. 18.46 mighty rock: See the note at 18.2.

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