1I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

2Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who brings me to safety; he is my God, my rock; I take refuge in him.
He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold.

3I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.

4The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.

5The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death trapped me.

6In my distress I called to Yahweh; I called for help to my God. He heard my voice from his temple;
my call for help went into his presence; it went into his ears.

7Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled
and were shaken because God was angry.

8Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.

9He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.

10He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.

11He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.

12Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.

13Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted. ¹

14He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.

15Then the water channels appeared;
the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, Yahweh,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.

17He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

18They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!

19He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.

20Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.

21For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.

22For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.

23I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.

24Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.

25To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.

26To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.

27For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!

28For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.

29For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.

30As for God—his way is perfect! The word of Yahweh is pure!
He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.

31For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?

32It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.

33He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!

34He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

35You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.

36You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.

37I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.

38I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.

39For you put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.

40You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.

41They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.

42I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.

43You rescued me from the disputes of people. You have made me the head over nations. People that I have not known serve me.

44As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.

45The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.

46Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.

47He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.

48I am set free from my enemies! Indeed, you lifted me above the ones who rose against me! You rescued me from violent men.

49Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!

50God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.