1 And David made a song to the Lord in these words, on the day when the Lord made him free from the hands of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul:

2 And he said, The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour, even mine;

3 My God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my safe place; my saviour, who keeps me safe from the violent man.

4 I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.

5 For the waves of death came round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear;

6 The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.

7 In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came to his ears.

8 Then the earth was moved with a violent shock; the bases of heaven were moved and shaking, because he was angry.

9 There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: coals were lighted by it.

10 The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.

11 And he went through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.

12 And he made the dark his tent round him, a mass of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

13 Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and coals of fire.

14 The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out.

15 And he sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.

16 Then the deep beds of the sea were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of the Lord's wrath, because of the breath of his mouth.

17 He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.

18 He made me free from my strong hater, from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.

19 They came on me in the day of my trouble: but the Lord was my support.

20 He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.

21 The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.

22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.

23 For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.

24 And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.

25 Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.

26 On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;

27 He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.

28 For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but your eyes are on men of pride, to make them low.

29 For you are my light, O Lord; and the Lord will make the dark bright for me.

30 By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in: by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.

31 As for God, his way is all good: the word of the Lord is tested; he is a safe cover for all those who put their faith in him.

32 For who is God but the Lord? and who is a Rock but our God?

33 God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.

34 He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.

35 He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.

36 You have given me the breastplate of your salvation, and your mercy has made me great.

37 You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet make no slip.

38 I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.

39 I have sent destruction on them and given them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.

40 For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who came out against me.

41 By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.

42 They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.

43 Then they were crushed as small as the dust of the earth, stamped down under my feet like the waste of the streets.

44 You have made me free from the fightings of my people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.

45 Men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority: from the time when my name comes to their ears, they will be ruled by me.

46 They will be wasted away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.

47 The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured:

48 It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.

49 He makes me free from my haters: I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.

50 Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.

51 Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.

1 Davide rivolse all’Eterno le parole di questo cantico quando l’Eterno l’ebbe riscosso dalla mano di utti i suoi nemici e dalla mano di Saul. Egli disse:

2 "L’Eterno è la mia ròcca, la mia fortezza, il mio liberatore;

3 l’Iddio ch’è la mia rupe, in cui mi rifugio, il mio scudo, il mio potente salvatore, il mio alto ricetto, il mio asilo. O mio salvatore, tu mi salvi dalla violenza!

4 Io invocai l’Eterno ch’è degno d’ogni lode, e fui salvato dai miei nemici.

5 Le onde della morte m’avean circondato e i torrenti della distruzione m’aveano spaventato.

6 I legami del soggiorno de’ morti m’aveano attorniato, i lacci della morte m’aveano còlto.

7 Nella mia distretta invocai l’Eterno, e gridai al mio Dio. Egli udì la mia voce dal suo tempio, e il mio grido pervenne ai suoi orecchi.

8 Allora la terra fu scossa e tremò i fondamenti de’ cieli furono smossi e scrollati, perch’egli era acceso d’ira.

9 Un fumo saliva dalle sue nari; un fuoco consumante gli usciva dalla bocca, e ne procedevano carboni accesi.

10 Egli abbassò i cieli e discese, avendo sotto i piedi una densa caligine.

11 Cavalcava sopra un cherubino e volava ed appariva sulle ali del vento.

12 Avea posto intorno a sé, come un padiglione, le tenebre, le raccolte d’acque, le dense nubi de’ cieli.

13 Dallo splendore che lo precedeva, si sprigionavano carboni accesi.

14 L’Eterno tuonò dai cieli e l’Altissimo diè fuori la sua voce.

15 Avventò saette, e disperse i nemici; lanciò folgori, e li mise in rotta.

16 Allora apparve il letto del mare, e i fondamenti del mondo furono scoperti allo sgridare dell’Eterno, al soffio del vento delle sue nari.

17 Egli distese dall’alto la mano mi prese, mi trasse fuori dalle grandi acque.

18 Mi riscosse dal mio potente nemico, da quelli che mi odiavano; perch’eran più forti di me.

19 Essi m’eran piombati addosso nel dì della mia calamità, ma l’Eterno fu il mio sostegno.

20 Egli mi trasse fuori al largo, mi liberò perché mi gradisce.

21 L’Eterno mi ha retribuito secondo la mia giustizia, mi ha reso secondo la purità dello mie mani,

22 poiché ho osservato le vie dell’Eterno e non mi sono empiamente sviato dal mio Dio.

23 Poiché ho tenuto tutte le sue leggi davanti a me, e non mi sono allontanato dai suoi statuti.

24 E sono stato integro verso di lui, e mi son guardato dalla mia iniquità.

25 Ond’è che l’Eterno m’ha reso secondo la mia giustizia, secondo la mia purità nel suo cospetto.

26 Tu ti mostri pietoso verso il pio, integro verso l’uomo integro;

27 ti mostri puro col puro e ti mostri astuto col perverso;

28 tu salvi la gente afflitta, e il tuo sguardo si ferma sugli alteri, per abbassarli.

29 Sì, tu sei la mia lampada, o Eterno, e l’Eterno illumina le mie tenebre.

30 Con te io assalgo tutta una schiera, col mio Dio salgo sulle mura.

31 La via di Dio è perfetta, la parola dell’Eterno è purgata col fuoco. Egli è lo scudo di tutti quelli che sperano in lui.

32 Poiché chi è Dio fuor del l’Eterno? E chi è Ròcca fuor del nostro Dio?

33 Iddio è la mia potente fortezza, e rende la mia via perfetta.

34 Egli rende i miei piedi simili a quelli delle cerve e mi rende saldo sui miei alti luoghi.

35 Egli ammaestra le mie mani alla battaglia e le mie braccia tendono un arco di rame.

36 Tu m’hai anche dato lo scudo della tua salvezza, e la tua benignità m’ha fatto grande.

37 Tu hai allargato la via ai miei passi; e i miei piedi non hanno vacillato.

38 Io ho inseguito i miei nemici e li ho distrutti, e non son tornato addietro prima d’averli annientati.

39 Li ho annientati, schiacciati; e non son risorti; son caduti sotto i miei piedi.

40 Tu m’hai cinto di forza per la guerra, tu hai fatto piegare sotto di me i miei avversari;

41 hai fatto voltar le spalle davanti a me ai miei nemici, a quelli che m’odiavano, ed io li ho distrutti.

42 Hanno guardato, ma non vi fu chi li salvasse; han gridato all’Eterno, ma egli non rispose loro;

43 io li ho tritati come polvere della terra, li ho pestati, calpestati, come il fango delle strade.

44 Tu m’hai liberato dalle dissensioni del mio popolo, m’hai conservato capo di nazioni; un popolo che non conoscevo m’è stato sottoposto.

45 I figli degli stranieri m’hanno reso omaggio, al solo udir parlare di me, m’hanno prestato ubbidienza.

46 I figli degli stranieri son venuti meno, sono usciti tremanti dai loro ripari.

47 Viva l’Eterno! Sia benedetta la mia ròcca! E sia esaltato Iddio, la ròcca della mia salvezza!

48 l’Iddio che fa la mia vendetta, e mi sottomette i popoli,

49 che mi trae dalle mani dei miei nemici. Sì, tu mi sollevi sopra i miei avversari mi riscuoti dall’uomo violento.

50 Perciò, o Eterno, ti loderò fra le nazioni, e salmeggerò al tuo nome.

51 Grandi liberazioni egli accorda al suo re, ed usa benignità verso il suo unto, verso Davide e la sua progenie in perpetuo".