To the chief Musician, of David, the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Sha᾽ul:

For the conductor, [a psalm] of the servant of the L rd, of David, who spoke to the L rd the words of this song on the day that the L rd delivered him [(i.e., in his old age, when the L rd had delivered him)] from the hand of all his foes and [(especially)] from the hand of Saul.

and he said, I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength.

He said: I love You, O L rd of my strength.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

The L rd is my rock [(He saved me at the rock (sela), when I was surrounded by Saul and his men (viz. I Samuel 23:25-26)] and my fortress and my deliverer; my G d, my rock, in whom I trust; my shield, the horn of my salvation, my bastion.

He is worthy to be praised: I will call upon the Lord: so shall I be saved from my enemies.

With praises I call upon the L rd, [knowing that] from my foes I will be saved.

The bonds of death encircled me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

Bands of death [(the wicked)] have surrounded me; streams of infidels have affrighted me.

The cords of She᾽ol compassed me about: the snares of death took me by surprise.

Bands of sheol have surrounded me; the snares of death have confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, into his ears.

When I was [thus] afflicted, I called to the L rd and I cried out to G d. He heard my voice from His sanctuary, and my outcry before Him entered His ears.

Then the earth shook and trembled; and the foundations of the hills moved and were shaken, because of his anger.

The earth trembled and rumbled and the foundations of the mountains shook and shivered when His wrath burned [(in coming to take vengeance of Pharaoh for His people)].

There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

Smoke rose in His nostrils, and fire from His mouth consumed [His foes]; coals flamed from Him.

He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

And He moved the heavens [down to earth], and He descended [to pass through the land of Egypt], thick mist beneath His feet.

And he rode upon a keruv, and did fly: he soared on the wings of the wind.

And He rode on a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him was dark water and thick clouds of the skies.

He made darkness His concealment, His covert roundabout Him.

At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.

From the brightness before Him [i.e., which emanates from Him], His thick clouds [split and] passed down hail and coals of fire [upon the Egyptians at the Red Sea].

The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail and coals of fire.

And the L rd thundered in the heavens, and the exalted One sent forth His voice [producing] hail and coals of fire.

And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and confounded them.

And He sent forth His arrows and scattered them [(the Egyptians)]; and He darted lightnings and confounded them.

Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at Thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils.

And the river beds were bared and the world's foundations revealed [(all the world's waters splitting)] — at Your rebuke, O L rd, at the blowing of the breath of Your nostrils.

He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

He sent [His angels] from on high [to save Israel from the sea and from Egypt]. He drew me forth from many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me: for they were too strong for me.

He delivered me from my mighty foe, from my haters, when they grew stronger than I.

They surprised me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

...

He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

And He took me out to a broad place; He delivered me, for He desired me.

The Lord rewards me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompenses me.

The L rd recompensed me according to my righteousness [(of having followed Him in the desert)]. According to the purity of my hands did He return [recompense] to me.

For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

For I have kept the ways of the L rd, and I have not deviated from [the mitzvoth of] my G d.

For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

For all of His judgments are before me [(I have always kept them before my eyes)], and His statutes are not removed from me.

I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.

And I was whole-hearted with Him and kept myself from my [(purported)] transgression.

Therefore the Lord recompenses me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

And the L rd recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the purity of my hands before His eyes.

With the merciful Thou wilt show Thyself merciful; with an upright man Thou wilt show Thyself upright;

[(You recompense "measure for measure")]: With the saintly one [(Abraham)], You are saintly; with the whole-hearted man [(Isaac)], You are whole-hearted.

with the pure Thou wilt show Thyself pure; and with the perverse Thou wilt show Thyself subtle.

With the faithful one [(Jacob)], You are faithful — and with the devious one [(Pharaoh)], You are devious.

For Thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

For You help the humble people, and You lower the eyes of the haughty.

For Thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

For You light my lamp; the L rd my G d brightens my darkness.

For by Thee I run through a troop; and by my God I leap over a wall.

For by You [i.e., trusting in You] do I run upon a troop; by my G d do I scale the wall [(viz. Midrash Tehillim 18:24)].

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a shield to all those who trust in him.

The way of G d is whole. The word of the L rd is pure [(He promises and does)]. He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

For who is a god other than the L rd? And who is a rock beside our G d?

It is God that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect.

The G d who girds me for war and makes my way whole [(by removing all obstacles from it)].

He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me upon my heights.

He makes my feet like [those of] hinds and sets me on my heights.

He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of brass is bent in my arms.

He teaches my hands for war, and a copper bow is bent by my arms.

Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand has supported me and Thy condescension has made me great.

You have given me the shield of Your salvation. Your right hand has sustained me, and You have heightened Your humbleness for me [i.e., on my behalf].

Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

You have broadened my steps beneath me and my ankles have not slipped.

I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn back till they were consumed.

I shall pursue my foes and overtake them, and I shall not turn back until I have destroyed them.

I have crushed them so that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

I shall crush them so that they cannot rise; they shall fall under my feet.

For Thou hast girded me with strength to the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those who rose up against me.

You have girded me with valor for the war; You have subdued my adversaries beneath me.

Thou hast also made my enemies turn their backs on me; that I might destroy those who hate me.

You have given me the nape of my foes [(in flight)], and I shall crush my enemies.

They cried, but there was none to save them: to the Lord, but he answered them not.

They cry out [to their idols], to no avail; [and then] to the L rd, but He does not answer them.

Then did I beat them small like the dust before the wind: I did cast them out like the dirt in the streets.

And I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; as mud in the streets did I spill them out.

Thou deliverest me from the strivings of the people; Thou makest me the head of nations: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

Deliver me from the contentions of the people [(that I not be punished for miscarriage of justice and exploitation of Jews)]. Make me the head of nations [(where there is no such liability)]; let a people unknown to me serve me.

As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves to me.

At ear's report [i.e., by word of my emissaries alone] shall they submit to me; the sons of strangers shall prevaricate to me [in fear].

The strangers shall fade away, and come trembling out of their close places.

The sons of strangers shall wither and recoil [in fear] in their cells.

The Lord lives; and blessed is my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

The L rd lives [(who does all this for me)], and my Rock will be [forever] blessed. The G d of my salvation will [ever] be exalted.

It is God who avenges me, and has subdued peoples under me.

The G d who grants [me the power to take] vengeance [of my foes] and ravages peoples in my stead [i.e., instead of their ravaging me].

He delivers me from my enemies: indeed, thou liftest me up above those who rise up against me: Thou deliverest me from the violent man.

You deliver me from my foes. You raise me above those who rise against me. You rescue me from the man of violence.

Therefore will I give thanks to Thee, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to Thy name.

I shall, therefore, praise You among the nations, O L rd, and to Your name shall I sing.

Great deliverance he gives to his king; and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

He magnifies the salvation of His king and performs lovingkindness with His anointed one, with David and his seed, forever.