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David Praises the LORD for Rescuing Him.

¹ "I love You fervently and devotedly, O LORD, ^(C1)my strength."

² The LORD is ^(C1)my rock, ^(C2)my fortress, and ^(C3)the One who rescues me;
My God, my rock and strength in whom I trust and take refuge;
My ^(C4)shield, and the ^(C5)horn of my salvation, my ^(C6)high tower—my stronghold. ^(VR1)

³ I call upon the LORD, who is ^(C1)worthy to be praised;
And I am ^(C2)saved from my enemies. ^(VR1)

⁴ The ^(C1)cords of death surrounded me,
And the ^(C2)streams of ungodliness and torrents of destruction terrified me.

⁵ The ^(C1)cords of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my ^(C1)distress when I seemed surrounded I called upon the LORD
And cried to my God for help;
He heard my voice ^(C2)from His temple,
And my ^(C3)cry for help came before Him, into His very ears.

⁷ Then the ^(C1)earth shook and quaked,
The ^(C2)foundations of the mountains trembled;
They were shaken because He was indignant and angry.

⁸ Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And ^(C1)fire from His mouth devoured;
Coals were kindled by it.

⁹ He ^(C1)bowed the heavens also and came down;
And thick ^(C2)darkness was under His feet.

¹⁰ And He rode upon a ^(C1)cherub (storm) and flew;
And He sped on the ^(C2)wings of the wind.

¹¹ He made ^(C1)darkness His hiding place (covering); ^(C2)His pavilion (canopy) around Him,
The darkness of the waters, the thick clouds of the skies.

¹² Out of the ^(C1)brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,
Hailstones and ^(C2)coals of fire.

¹³ The LORD also ^(C1)thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴ He ^(C1)sent out His arrows and scattered them;
And He sent an abundance of lightning flashes and confused and routed them in defeat.

¹⁵ Then the ^(C1)stream beds of the waters appeared,
And the foundations of the world were laid bare
At Your ^(C2)rebuke, O LORD,
At the blast of the ^(C3)breath of Your nostrils.

¹⁶ He ^(C1)reached from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of ^(C2)many waters.

¹⁷ He ^(C1)rescued me from my strong enemy,
And from those who hated me, for they were ^(C2)too strong for me.

¹⁸ They confronted me in ^(C1)the day of my disaster,
But ^(C2)the LORD was my support.

¹⁹ He brought me out into a ^(C1)broad place;
He rescued me because He was ^(C2)pleased with me and delighted in me.

²⁰ The LORD ^(C1)dealt with me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity);
According to the ^(C2)cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.

²¹ For I have ^(C1)kept the ways of the LORD,
And have ^(C2)not wickedly departed from my God.

²² For all ^(C1)His ordinances were before me,
And I did not put away His ^(C2)statutes from me.

²³ I was ^(F1)(C1)blameless before Him,
And I ^(C2)kept myself free from my sin.

²⁴ Therefore the LORD has ^(C1)rewarded me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity),
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

²⁵ With ^(C1)the kind (merciful, faithful, loyal) You show Yourself kind,
With the blameless ^(C2)You show Yourself blameless,

²⁶ With the pure You show Yourself ^(C1)pure,
And with the crooked ^(C2)You show Yourself astute.

²⁷ For You ^(C1)save an afflicted and humble people,
But bring down those arrogant fools with ^(C2)haughty eyes.

²⁸ For You cause my lamp to be ^(C1)lighted and to shine;
The LORD my God ^(C2)illumines my darkness.

²⁹ For by You I can ^(C1)crush a troop,
And by my God I can ^(C2)leap over a wall.

³⁰ As for God, His way is ^(F1)(C1)blameless.
The ^(C2)word of the LORD is tested it is perfect, it is faultless;
He is a ^(C3)shield to all who take refuge in Him.

³¹ For ^(C1)who is God, but the LORD?
Or who is a ^(C2)rock, except our God,

³² The God who ^(C1)encircles me with strength
And makes my way ^(C2)blameless?

³³ He ^(C1)makes my feet like ^(F1)hinds' feet able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble;
He ^(C2)sets me securely upon my high places.

³⁴ He ^(C1)trains my hands for war,
So that my arms can ^(C2)bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵ You have also given me ^(C1)the shield of Your salvation,
And Your ^(C2)right hand upholds and sustains me;
^(C3)Your gentleness Your gracious response when I pray makes me great.

³⁶ You ^(C1)enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure,
So that my ^(C2)feet will not slip.

³⁷ I ^(C1)pursued my enemies and overtook them;
And I did not turn back ^(C2)until they were consumed.

³⁸ I shattered them so that they were ^(C1)not able to rise;
They fell wounded ^(C2)under my feet.

³⁹ For You have ^(C1)encircled me with strength for the battle;
You have ^(C2)subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴⁰ You have also made my enemies ^(C1)turn their backs to me in defeat,
And I ^(C2)silenced and destroyed those who hated me.

⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was ^(C1)no one to save them—
Even to the LORD they cried, but ^(C2)He did not answer them.

⁴² Then I beat them fine as the ^(C1)dust before the wind;
I emptied them out as the dirt of the streets.

⁴³ You have rescued me from the ^(C1)contentions of the people;
You have placed me as the ^(C2)head of the nations;
A ^(C3)people whom I have not known serve me.

⁴⁴ As soon as they hear me, they respond and obey me;
Foreigners ^(C1)feign obedience to me.

⁴⁵ Foreigners ^(C1)lose heart,
And ^(C2)come trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The LORD ^(C1)lives, blessed be ^(C2)my rock;
And may ^(C3)the God of my salvation be exalted,

⁴⁷ The God who ^(C1)avenges me,
And ^(C2)subdues peoples (nations) under me.

⁴⁸ He ^(C1)rescues me from my enemies;
Yes, You ^(C2)lift me up above those who rise up against me;
You deliver me from the ^(C3)man of violence.

⁴⁹ Therefore will I ^(C1)give thanks and praise You, O LORD, among the nations,
And ^(C2)sing praises to Your name. ^(VR1)

⁵⁰ He gives great ^(C1)triumphs to His king,
And shows steadfast love and mercy to ^(C2)His anointed,
To David and ^(C3)his descendants forever. ^(VR1)