(For the music leader. A psalm by David, the Lord's servant. David sang this to the Lord after the Lord had rescued him from his enemies, but especially from Saul.)
David's Song of Thanks
1 I love you, Lord God,
and you make me strong.
2 You are my mighty rock,
my fortress, my protector,
the rock where I am safe,
my shield, my powerful weapon,
and my place of shelter.
3 I praise you, Lord!
I prayed, and you rescued me
from my enemies.
4 Death had wrapped
its ropes around me,
and I was almost swallowed
by its flooding waters.
5 Ropes from the world
of the dead
had coiled around me,
and death had set a trap
in my path.
6 I was in terrible trouble
when I called out to you,
but from your temple
you heard me
and answered my prayer.
7 The earth shook and shivered,
and the mountains trembled
down to their roots.
You were angry
8 and breathed out smoke.
Scorching heat and fiery flames
spewed from your mouth.
9 You opened the heavens
like curtains,
and you came down
with storm clouds
under your feet.
10 You rode on the backs
of flying creatures
and swooped down
with the wind as wings.
11 Darkness was your robe;
thunderclouds filled the sky,
hiding you from sight.
12 Hailstones and fiery coals
lit up the sky
in front of you.
13 Lord Most High, your voice
thundered from the heavens,
as hailstones and fiery coals
poured down like rain.
14 You scattered your enemies
with arrows of lightning.
15 You roared at the sea,
and its deepest channels
could be seen.
You snorted,
and the earth shook
to its foundations.
16 You reached down from heaven,
and you lifted me
from deep in the ocean.
17 You rescued me from enemies,
who were hateful
and too powerful for me.
18 On the day disaster struck,
they came and attacked,
but you defended me.
19 When I was fenced in,
you freed and rescued me
because you love me.
20 You are good to me, Lord,
because I do right,
and you reward me
because I am innocent.
21 I do what you want
and never turn to do evil.
22 I keep your laws in mind
and never look away
from your teachings.
23 I obey you completely
and guard against sin.
24 You have been good to me
because I do right;
you have rewarded me
for being innocent
by your standards.
25 You are always loyal
to your loyal people,
and you are faithful
to the faithful.
26 With all who are sincere,
you are sincere,
but you treat the unfaithful
as their deeds deserve.
27 You rescue the humble,
but you put down all
who are proud.
28 You, the Lord God,
keep my lamp burning
and turn darkness to light.
29 You help me defeat armies
and capture cities.
30 Your way is perfect, Lord,
and your word is correct.
You are a shield for those
who run to you for help.
31 You alone are God!
Only you are a mighty rock.
32 You give me strength
and guide me right.
33 You make my feet run as fast
as those of a deer,
and you help me stand
on the mountains.
34 You teach my hands to fight
and my arms to use
a bow of bronze.
35 You alone are my shield.
Your right hand supports me,
and by coming to help me,
you have made me famous.
36 You clear the way for me,
and now I won't stumble.
37 I kept chasing my enemies,
until I caught them
and destroyed them.
38 I stuck my sword
through my enemies,
and they were crushed
under my feet.
39 You helped me win victories,
and you forced my attackers
to fall victim to me.
40 You made my enemies run,
and I killed them.
41 They cried out for help,
but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
but there was no answer.
42 I ground them to dust
blown by the wind,
and I poured them out
like mud in the streets.
43 You rescued me
from stubborn people,
and you made me the leader
of foreign nations,
who are now my slaves.
44 They obey and come crawling.
45 They have lost all courage,
and from their fortresses,
they come trembling.
46 You are the living Lord!
I will praise you.
You are a mighty rock.
I will honor you
for keeping me safe.
47 You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
in my power.
48 You protected me
from violent enemies
and made me much greater
than all of them.
49 I will praise you, Lord,
and I will honor you
among the nations.
50 You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.
Lumbo gwa Dafite gwe kushathila kukunda
(2 Samuele 22:1-51)1 Ndomuda Yahwe, imwi masimba angu.
2 Yahwe ndibo simba langu,
ndibo dizhilo langu.
Ndzimu wangu,
ndibo dizhilo langu landinotizhila kulili,
tjivikili tjangu, simba le jidzo langu, bhakasa langu.
3 Ndodana Yahwe, ibo bakafanigwa ngokudziwa,
ngono ndatjidziwa mu zwita zwangu.
4 Misungo ye lufu yakandipomba,
maphatjaphatja e golomodzo akandikulila.
5 Mitjili ye ikumbu yakandipomba,
mapuzhu e lufu ambeli kwangu.
6 Mu kudziyidzika kwangu ndakadana Yahwe;
Ndakalilila ku Ndzimu wangu kuti undibhatshe.
Mu Ng'umba yawo kahwa hwi langu.
Tjililo tjangu tjikaswika mu zebe dzidze.
7 Ndizo shango yakazunguzika ikatengenyeka,
thiwabo dze matombo dzikazunguzika,
ngoti Ndzimu wakabe wagwadzamoyo.
8 Busi gukathungayila mu zwimilo zwawo,
moto unopisa ukadwa mu nlomo wawo,
masimbe anothuta kadwa muuli.
9 Ukapalula zhuzhugwi ukadelukila pasi,
makole matema alikusi kwe makumbo awo.
10 Ukatatha tjerubhu ukawuluka,
ukazha nge lubilo mu mapapilo e phepo.
11 Ukazwizwimba nge zhalima;
makole matema e vula
akamandana akaupoteleka.
12 Mu lupenyo gwakabe guli mbeli kwawo,
tjivulamabgwe ne masimbe
e moto zwikapubulidza makole.
13 Yahwe kakale bakadadamula bali kuzhuzhugwi,
Upezhugwi zhugwi kadusa hwi lile
ne tjivulamabgwe ne moto.
14 Bakaposa misebe yabo bakapaladza zwita zwabo,
bakapenyesa lupenyo gwe vula bakazwipaladza.
15 Ludondo gwe gungwa gukaboneka,
ne thiwa dze shango dzikabe patjena,
Yahwe ha mutjemela,
nge bushongola gwenyu.
16 Bakaabilila kudwa zhuzhugwi bakanditola,
bakandidubula mu vula yakangina.
17 Bakandiangula mu tjita tjangu tjakasima,
ne muna ibabo banondibenga,
ngoti bakabe bakandikunda.
18 Ndakati ndakasimigwa, bakandigwisa,
koga Yahwe bakandiangula.
19 Bakandiyisa mu magalo akatalabuka,
bakandiangula ngoti bakandishathila.
20 Yahwe banondipa mbhayilo
kuyendidzana nge ndulamo yangu,
banondibuzila kuyendidzana nge mishingo yangu.
21 Ndakalondolodza zila dza Yahwe,
andizothama mbipo ngofupatila Ndzimu.
22 Ndayo dzabo dzose dzakanditungamila,
ne ndaulo dzabo andizodzikupila kutjena.
23 Ndakasibe ne nlandu mbeli kwabo,
ndakazwidziba mu jinyo.
24 Yahwe bakandipa mbhayilo
kuyendidzana nge ndulamo yangu
kuyendidzana ngekusabe nge nlandu kwangu.
25 Kuna banogalikabgwe molakidza kugalikabgwe,
kuna basina nlandu molakidza kusheta nlandu,
26 kuna bakatjenapala mozwilakidza makatjenapala,
kuna bakakombama muna bushongola.
27 Motjidza banozwiyisa pasi,
koga banozwikudza mobabhatisa shoni.
28 Imwi Yahwe ndimwi munothutisa luvone gwangu.
Ndzimu wangu unoshandula zhalima langu kube tjedza.
29 Nge simba lenyu ndothasela babhayani,
ha ndina Ndzimu wangu ndotjuluka guma.
30 Ndzimu iwoyu zila dzawo dzakalulwama seni,
kugadzabgwe kwa Yahwe ku malebeswa,
tjivikili tja bose banotizhila ku bali.
31 Ndzimu ndiyani ha isi Yahwe?
Shongwe ndiyani ha isi Ndzimu wedu.
32 Ndzimu ndiwo unondipa masimba,
ndiwo unothama zila yangu ikasibe ne mbatsha.
33 Wakathama makumbo angu kanga makumbo e zilawa,
wakandibiga pakagadzikana pezhugwi.
34 Unodiya zwiazha zwangu kugwa,
kuti ndizo maboko angu angapeta dati le phangula.
35 Mondipa tjivikili tje jidzo lenyu,
ne luboko gwenyu gwe luji gwakanditjengeta,
bhatsho yenyu yakandithama nkulu.
36 Makatalabudza pamile makumbo angu,
kuti ndizo makumbo angu asitongosodzoloka.
37 Ndakatatana ne zwita zwangu azwibhata;
Andizoshanduka kuswikila zwapela.
38 Ndakabatemela pasi bakasitjatubule kumuka,
bakawila pasi kwe makumbo angu.
39 Makandipa masimba e kugwa,
mukathama kuti zwita zwangu zwindithigamile.
40 Mothama kuti zwita zwangu zwinditizhe,
na ibabo banondibenga ndobalobesa.
41 Bakalila beshaka bhatsho,
koga akuna wakababhatsha.
Bakanodana Yahwe koga abazobadabila.
42 Ndobakwiya bakasala benga hwuluba
inowulusiwa nge phepo.
Ndobatebula se dope le zila.
43 Makandigwila mu bathu be bapanduki.
Makandithama ntungamili we zwitjaba;
bathu bandakabe ndisingazibe banondishingila.
44 Tjinyolotjo ha ndilebeleka banondihwa.
Bataya banondithigamila.
45 Bataya bakatemeka mafupa,
banozha betetema bebhuda mu matizhilo abo.
46 Yahwe banotjila! Ngakukudziwe shongwe yangu,
ngakulumbidziwe Ndzimu we jidzo langu,
47 iwo Ndzimu wakandibgwilizilila
ukaisa tjaba pasi kwangu,
48 ukandigwila mu zwita zwangu.
Wakandikudza kupinda zwita zwangu,
ukandidusa mu phipiti
ukandiangula mu bathu banoda phipiti.
49 Ndizo wali ndowomukudza
pakati kwe zwitjaba imwi Yahwe,
amba njimbo dzinokudza zina lenyu.
50 Yahwe unopa mambo uwe kukunda,
bakalakidza nzhodziwa wabo ludo gusingapele,
iye Dafite ne ludzi gugwe.