David's Song of Victory
(Psalm 18)1 When the Lord saved David from Saul and his other enemies, David sang this song to the Lord:
2 The Lord is my protector;
he is my strong fortress.
3 My God is my protection,
and with him I am safe.
He protects me like a shield;
he defends me and keeps me safe.
He is my savior;
he protects me and saves me from violence.
4 I call to the Lord,
and he saves me from my enemies.
Praise the Lord!
5 The waves of death were all around me;
the waves of destruction rolled over me.
6 The danger of death was around me,
and the grave set its trap for me.
7 In my trouble I called to the Lord;
I called to my God for help.
In his temple he heard my voice;
he listened to my cry for help.
8 Then the earth trembled and shook;
the foundations of the sky rocked and quivered
because God was angry!
9 Smoke poured out of his nostrils,
a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.
10 He tore the sky open and came down,
with a dark cloud under his feet.
11 He flew swiftly on his winged creature;
he traveled on the wings of the wind.
12 He covered himself with darkness;
thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him;
13 burning coals flamed up from the lightning before him.
14 Then the Lord thundered from the sky,
and the voice of Almighty God was heard.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;
with flashes of lightning he sent them running.
16 The floor of the ocean was laid bare,
and the foundations of the earth were uncovered
when the Lord rebuked his enemies
and roared at them in anger.
17 The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me;
he pulled me out of the deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemies
and from all those who hate me—
they were too strong for me.
19 When I was in trouble, they attacked me,
but the Lord protected me.
20 He helped me out of danger;
he saved me because he was pleased with me.
21 The Lord rewards me because I do what is right;
he blesses me because I am innocent.
22 I have obeyed the law of the Lord;
I have not turned away from my God.
23 I have observed all his laws;
I have not disobeyed his commands.
24 He knows that I am faultless,
that I have kept myself from doing wrong.
25 And so he rewards me because I do what is right,
because he knows that I am innocent.
26 O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you,
and completely good to those who are perfect.
27 You are pure to those who are pure,
but hostile to those who are wicked.
28 You save those who are humble,
but you humble those who are proud.
29 You, Lord, are my light;
you dispel my darkness.
30 You give me strength to attack my enemies
and power to overcome their defenses.
31 This God—how perfect are his deeds,
how dependable his words!
He is like a shield
for all who seek his protection.
32 The Lord alone is God;
God alone is our defense.
33 This God is my strong refuge;
he makes my pathway safe.
34 He makes me sure-footed as a deer;
he keeps me safe on the mountains.
35 He trains me for battle,
so that I can use the strongest bow.
36 O Lord, you protect me and save me;
your help has made me great.
37 You have kept me from being captured,
and I have never fallen.
38 I pursue my enemies and defeat them;
I do not stop until I destroy them.
39 I strike them down, and they cannot rise;
they lie defeated before me.
40 You give me strength for the battle
and victory over my enemies.
41 You make my enemies run from me;
I destroy those who hate me.
42 They look for help, but no one saves them;
they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.
43 I crush them, and they become like dust;
I trample on them like mud in the streets.
44 You saved me from my rebellious people
and maintained my rule over the nations;
people I did not know have now become my subjects.
45 Foreigners bow before me;
when they hear me, they obey.
46 They lose their courage
and come trembling from their fortresses.
47 The Lord lives! Praise my defender!
Proclaim the greatness of the strong God who saves me!
48 He gives me victory over my enemies;
he subdues the nations under me
49 and saves me from my foes.
O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies
and protect me from violent men.
50 And so I praise you among the nations;
I sing praises to you.
51 God gives great victories to his king;
he shows constant love to the one he has chosen,
to David and his descendants forever.
نشيد لداود
(مز 18)1 وأنشدَ داوُدُ الرّبَّ هذا النَّشيدَ يومَ أنقذَهُ مِنْ أعدائِهِ ومِنْ شاوُلَ، 2 فقالَ:
«الرّبُّ صخرتي وحِصني ومُنقِذي
3 إلهي صخرتي وبهِ أحتَمي
ودِرْعي ورُكنُ خلاصي.
هوَ حِصني وملجإي،
ومِنَ الظُّلمِ يُنَجِّيني.
4 أدعو الرّبَّ، لَه الحَمدُ،
فيُخَلِّصُني مِنْ أعدائي.
5 «أمواجُ الموتِ أحاطَت بـي،
وسُيولُ الهلاكِ جرفَتني.
6 حبالُ الهاويةِ زنَّرَتني،
وأشراكُ الموتِ أمامي،
7 فدَعوتُ الرّبَّ في ضيقي،
وإليهِ صرَختُ.
مِنْ هيكَلِهِ سمِعَ صوتي
وبلَغَ صُراخي أذُنَيهِ،
8 فارتَجَّتِ الأرضُ وتزلزَلَت
وارتجفت أسُسُ السَّماواتِ
واهتزَّت مِنْ شدَّةِ غضَبِه.
9 تصاعدَ دُخانٌ مِنْ أنفِهِ،
ومِنْ فمِهِ نارٌ آكِلَةٌ
وجَمرٌ مُتَّقِدٌ.
10 أحنى السَّماواتِ ومِنها نزَلَ
وتحتَ قدَميهِ الضَّبابُ الكثيفُ.
11 ركِبَ على كَروبٍ وطارَ،
وعلى أجنحةِ الرِّيحِ حلَّقَ.
12 جعَلَ الظُّلمَةَ مَظلَّةً حَولَه
والغيومَ الدَّاكنَةَ المُمطِرَةَ.
13 مِنَ البريقِ أمامَهُ
اشتعَلَ جمرُ نارٍ.
14 أرعَدَ الرّبُّ مِنَ السَّماءِ
وأسمَعَ العليُّ صوتَهُ.
15 أرسَلَ سِهاما فشتَّتَ الأعداءَ،
وبُروقا لمَعَت فهزمَهُم.
16 فظهَرَت أعماقُ البحارِ
وانكشَفَت أسُسُ الكونِ
حينَ هدَّدَ الرّبُّ أعداءَهُ،
وكشفَ غضبَهُ.
17 «أرسلَ مِنَ العَلاءِ فأخَذَني،
وانتَشَلني مِنَ المياهِ الغامِرةِ.
18 مِنْ عدُوِّي القويِّ أنقَذَني
ومِنْ مُبغضِيَّ الأقوى منِّـي.
19 هاجَموني يومَ بَليَّتي،
فكانَ الرّبُّ سندي.
20 إلى مكانٍ رحيـبٍ أخرجَني
وأنقَذَني لأنَّه رضيَ عنِّـي.
21 لِحُسنِ أعمالي كافأني
ولِطهارةِ يَدي جَزاني خيرا.
22 تُبتُ على طريقِ الرّبِّ
وما عصَيتُ إلهي.
23 أحكامُهُ كُلُّها أمامي
وفرائِضُهُ لم أحِدْ عَنها.
24 بلا لَومٍ عنِدَهُ كنتُ
وصُنتُ نفسي عنِ الإثْمِ،
25 فجَزاني لِحُسنِ أعمالي
ولِطهارتي أمامَ عينَيهِ.
26 «معَ الرُّحماءِ تكونُ رحوما،
ومعَ الكاملينَ كامِلا تكونُ.
27 معَ الطَّاهرينَ تكونُ طاهرا،
ومعَ المُلتَوينَ تُظهِرُ دهاءَكَ.
28 تُخلِّصُ المَساكينَ
وتُبصِرُ المُترَفِّعينَ فتُذِلُّهُم
29 سِراجي أنتَ يا ربُّ،
سِراجي الّذي يُنيرُ ظُلمَتي.
30 بكَ يا ربُّ أقتَحِمُ جيشا،
وبكَ يا إلهي أصعَدُ سُورا.
31 طريقُ اللهِ كاملٌ،
ما أصدقَ أقوالَهُ
ودِرعٌ هوَ للمُحتمينَ بهِ.
32 فلا إلهَ غيرُ الرّبِّ،
ولا صخرةَ سِواه.
33 «اللهُ ملجإي الحصينُ،
يجعَلُ طريقي آمِنا.
34 كأرجُلِ الظِّباءِ يجعَلُ رِجليَّ
وإلى الأعالي يرفعُني.
35 علَّمَ يَديَّ القِتالَ
فلَوَت ذِراعايَ قوسَ النُّحاسِ.
36 «خلاصُكَ دِرْعٌ لي،
وعونُكَ يُعظِّمُني.
37 وسَّعتَ أمامَ خُطُواتي
فما زَلَّت قدَماي.
38 أطارِدُ أعدائي فأسحَقُهُم
ولا أرتَدُّ حتّى أُفنِـيَهُم.
39 أصرَعُهُم فلا يَقومونَ،
ويَسقُطونَ تَحتَ قدمَيَّ.
40 تُشدِّدُ عَزمي على القِتالِ
وجعَلتَ القائمينَ عليَّ تحتي.
41 تهزِمُ أعدائي مِنْ أمامي،
والّذينَ يُبغِضونَني أُفنيهِم.
42 يتطلَّعونَ وما مِنْ مُخَلِّصٍ،
ويَدعونَ الرّبَّ فلا يَستجيـبُ.
43 أسحَقُهُم كغُبارٍ في الرِّيحِ،
وكوَحلِ الأسواقِ أدوسُهُم.
44 «نجَّيتَني مِنْ شعبـي المُتَمرِّدِ
وحَفِظتَني رئيسا للأُمَمِ،
وشعبٌ لم أكُنْ أعرِفُهُ
صارَ اليومَ يَخدِمُني.
45 الغُرباءُ يتَذلَّلونَ لي،
وعندَما يَسمعونَني يُطيعونَ.
46 الغُرباءُ تخورُ عزائِمُهُم
ومِنْ حُصونِهِم مُرتَعِدينَ يَخرُجونَ.
47 «حَيٌّ هوَ الرّبُّ ومبارَكٌ،
وتعالَى اللهُ خالقي ومُخَلِّصي.
48 اللهُ ينتقِمُ لي،
ويُخضِعُ الشُّعوبَ تَحتَ قدَميَّ.
49 مِنْ بَينِ أعدائي يُخرِجُني
ومِنْ بَينِ القائِمينَ عليَّ،
ومِنْ رجُلِ الظُّلمِ يُنقِذُني.
50 لذلِكَ أحمَدُكَ يا ربُّ،
وأرنِّمُ لاسمِكَ بـينَ الأُمَمِ.
51 نَصرا عظيما يمنَحُ مَلِكَهُ،
ويُظهِرُ رحمةً لمَنْ مسحَهُ،
لداوُدَ وذرِّيَّتِهِ إلى الأبدِ».