*David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord rescued him from the power of all his enemies, including Saul. He said: “The Lord is my high ridge, my stronghold, my deliverer.*My God is my rocky summit where I take shelter, my shield, the horn that saves me, my stronghold, my refuge, my savior. You save me from violence! *I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I was delivered from my enemies.*The waves of death engulfed me; the currents of chaos overwhelmed me. *The ropes of Sheol tightened around me; the snares of death trapped me. *In my distress I called to the Lord; I called to my God. From his heavenly temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help. *The earth heaved and shook; the foundations of the sky trembled. They heaved because he was angry.*Smoke ascended from his nose; fire devoured as it came from his mouth; he hurled down fiery coals. *He made the sky sink as he descended; a thick cloud was under his feet.*He mounted a winged angel and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind. *He shrouded himself in darkness, in thick rain clouds. *From the brightness in front of him came coals of fire. *The Lord thundered from the sky; the sovereign One shouted loudly. *He shot arrows and scattered them, lightning and routed them. *The depths of the sea were exposed; the inner regions of the world were uncovered by the Lord’s battle cry, by the powerful breath from his nose. *He reached down from above and grabbed me; he pulled me from the surging water. *He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hate me, for they were too strong for me.*They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the Lord helped me. *He brought me out into a wide open place; he delivered me because he was pleased with me. *The Lord repaid me for my godly deeds; he rewarded my blameless behavior. *For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; I have not rebelled against my God. *For I am aware of all his regulations, and I do not reject his rules. *I was blameless before him; I kept myself from sinning. *The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds; he took notice of my blameless behavior. *You prove to be loyal to one who is faithful; you prove to be trustworthy to one who is innocent. *You prove to be reliable to one who is blameless, but you prove to be deceptive to one who is perverse. *You deliver oppressed people, but you watch the proud and bring them down. *Indeed, you are my lamp, Lord. The Lord illumines the darkness around me. *Indeed, with your help I can charge against an army; by my God’s power I can jump over a wall. *The one true God acts in a faithful manner; the Lord’s promise is reliable; he is a shield to all who take shelter in him.*Indeed, who is God besides the Lord? Who is a protector besides our God? *The one true God is my mighty refuge; he removes the obstacles in my way. *He gives me the agility of a deer; he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain. *He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend even the strongest bow. *You give me your protective shield; your willingness to help enables me to prevail. *You widen my path; my feet do not slip.*I chase my enemies and destroy them; I do not turn back until I wipe them out.*I wipe them out and beat them to death; they cannot get up; they fall at my feet.*You give me strength for battle; you make my foes kneel before me. *You make my enemies retreat; I destroy those who hate me.*They cry out, but there is no one to help them; they cry out to the Lord, but he does not answer them.*I grind them as fine as the dust of the ground; I crush them and stomp on them like clay in the streets.*You rescue me from a hostile army; you preserve me as a leader of nations; people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects. *Foreigners are powerless before me; when they hear of my exploits, they submit to me. *Foreigners lose their courage; they shake with fear as they leave their strongholds. *The Lord is alive! My protector is praiseworthy! The God who delivers me is exalted as king! *The one true God completely vindicates me; he makes nations submit to me. *He delivers me from my enemies; you snatch me away from those who attack me; you rescue me from violent men.*So I will give you thanks, O Lord, before the nations! I will sing praises to you. *He gives his chosen king magnificent victories; he is faithful to his chosen ruler, to David and to his descendants forever!”
