Through the Bible – Day 115

₂Our LORD and our God,

you are my mighty rock,

my fortress, my protector.

₃You are the rock

where I am safe.

You are my shield,

my powerful weapon,

and my place of shelter.

You rescue me and keep me

from being hurt.

₄I praise you, our LORD!

I prayed to you,

and you rescued me

from my enemies.

₅Death, like ocean waves,

surrounded me,

and I was almost swallowed

by its flooding waters.

₆Ropes from the world

of the dead

had coiled around me,

and death had set a trap

in my path.

₇I was in terrible trouble

when I called out to you,

but from your temple

you heard me

and answered my prayer.

₈Earth shook and shivered!

The columns supporting the sky

rocked back and forth.

You were angry

₉and breathed out smoke.

Scorching heat and fiery flames

spewed from your mouth.

₁₀You opened the heavens

like curtains,

and you came down

with storm clouds

under your feet.

₁₁You rode on the backs

of flying creatures.

You appeared

with the wind as wings.

₁₂Darkness was your tent!

Thunderclouds filled the sky,

hiding you from sight.

₁₃Fiery coals lit up the sky

in front of you.

₁₄LORD Most High, your voice

thundered from the heavens.

₁₅You scattered your enemies

with arrows of lightning.

₁₆You roared at the sea,

and its deepest channels

could be seen.

You snorted,

and the earth shook

to its foundations.

₁₇You reached down from heaven,

and you lifted me

from deep in the ocean.

₁₈You rescued me from enemies

who were hateful

and too powerful for me.

₁₉On the day disaster struck,

they came and attacked,

but you defended me.

₂₀When I was fenced in,

you freed and rescued me

because you love me.

₂₁You are good to me, LORD,

because I do right,

and you reward me

because I am innocent.

₂₂I do what you want

and never turn to do evil.

₂₃I keep your laws in mind

and never turn away

from your teachings.

₂₄I obey you completely

and guard against sin.

₂₅You have been good to me

because I do right;

you have rewarded me

for being innocent

by your standards.

₂₆You are always loyal

to your loyal people,

and you are faithful

to the faithful.

₂₇With all who are sincere

you are sincere,

but you treat the unfaithful

as their deeds deserve.

₂₈You rescue the humble,

but you look for ways

to put down the proud.

₂₉Our LORD and God,

you are my lamp.

You turn darkness to light.

₃₀You help me defeat armies

and capture cities.

₃₁Your way is perfect, LORD,

and your word is correct.

You are a shield for those

who run to you for help.

₃₂You alone are God!

Only you are a mighty rock.

₃₃You are my strong fortress,

and you set me free.

₃₄You make my feet run as fast

as those of a deer,

and you help me stand

on the mountains.

₃₅You teach my hands to fight

and my arms to use

a bow of bronze.

₃₆You alone are my shield,

and by coming to help me,

you have made me famous.

₃₇You clear the way for me,

and now I won't stumble.

₃₈I kept chasing my enemies

until I caught them

and destroyed them.

₃₉I destroyed them!

I stuck my sword

through my enemies,

and they were crushed

under my feet.

₄₀You helped me win victories

and forced my attackers

to fall victim to me.

₄₁You made my enemies run,

and I killed them.

₄₂They cried out for help,

but no one saved them;

they called out to you,

but there was no answer.

₄₃I ground them to dust,

and I squashed them

like mud in the streets.

₄₄You rescued me

from my stubborn people

and made me the leader

of foreign nations,

who are now my slaves.

₄₅They obey and come crawling.

₄₆They have lost all courage

and from their fortresses

they come trembling.

₄₇You are the living LORD!

I will praise you!

You are a mighty rock.

I will honour you

for keeping me safe.

₄₈You took revenge for me,

and you put nations

in my power.

₄₉You protected me

from violent enemies,

and you made me much greater

than all of them.

₅₀I will praise you, LORD,

and I will honour you

among the nations.

₅₁You give glorious victories

to your chosen king.

Your faithful love for David

and for his descendants

will never end.

₁These are the last words

of David the son of Jesse.

The God of Jacob chose David

and made him a great king.

The Mighty God of Israel

loved him.

When God told him to speak,

David said:

₂The Spirit of the LORD

has told me what to say.

₃Our Mighty Rock,

the God of Jacob, told me,

“A ruler who obeys God

and does right

₄is like the sunrise

on a cloudless day,

or like rain that sparkles

on the grass.”

₅I have ruled this way,

and God will never break

his promise to me.

God's promise is complete

and unchanging;

he will always help me

and give me what I hope for.

₆But evil people are pulled up

like thorn bushes.

They are not dug up by hand,

₇but with a sharp spear

and are burnt on the spot.