David's Song of Victory
(Psalm 18)1 When the Lord saved David from Saul and his other enemies, David sang this song to the Lord:
2 The Lord is my protector;
he is my strong fortress.
3 My God is my protection,
and with him I am safe.
He protects me like a shield;
he defends me and keeps me safe.
He is my savior;
he protects me and saves me from violence.
4 I call to the Lord,
and he saves me from my enemies.
Praise the Lord!
5 The waves of death were all around me;
the waves of destruction rolled over me.
6 The danger of death was around me,
and the grave set its trap for me.
7 In my trouble I called to the Lord;
I called to my God for help.
In his temple he heard my voice;
he listened to my cry for help.
8 Then the earth trembled and shook;
the foundations of the sky rocked and quivered
because God was angry!
9 Smoke poured out of his nostrils,
a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.
10 He tore the sky open and came down,
with a dark cloud under his feet.
11 He flew swiftly on his winged creature;
he traveled on the wings of the wind.
12 He covered himself with darkness;
thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him;
13 burning coals flamed up from the lightning before him.
14 Then the Lord thundered from the sky,
and the voice of Almighty God was heard.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;
with flashes of lightning he sent them running.
16 The floor of the ocean was laid bare,
and the foundations of the earth were uncovered
when the Lord rebuked his enemies
and roared at them in anger.
17 The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me;
he pulled me out of the deep waters.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemies
and from all those who hate me—
they were too strong for me.
19 When I was in trouble, they attacked me,
but the Lord protected me.
20 He helped me out of danger;
he saved me because he was pleased with me.
21 The Lord rewards me because I do what is right;
he blesses me because I am innocent.
22 I have obeyed the law of the Lord;
I have not turned away from my God.
23 I have observed all his laws;
I have not disobeyed his commands.
24 He knows that I am faultless,
that I have kept myself from doing wrong.
25 And so he rewards me because I do what is right,
because he knows that I am innocent.
26 O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you,
and completely good to those who are perfect.
27 You are pure to those who are pure,
but hostile to those who are wicked.
28 You save those who are humble,
but you humble those who are proud.
29 You, Lord, are my light;
you dispel my darkness.
30 You give me strength to attack my enemies
and power to overcome their defenses.
31 This God—how perfect are his deeds,
how dependable his words!
He is like a shield
for all who seek his protection.
32 The Lord alone is God;
God alone is our defense.
33 This God is my strong refuge;
he makes my pathway safe.
34 He makes me sure-footed as a deer;
he keeps me safe on the mountains.
35 He trains me for battle,
so that I can use the strongest bow.
36 O Lord, you protect me and save me;
your help has made me great.
37 You have kept me from being captured,
and I have never fallen.
38 I pursue my enemies and defeat them;
I do not stop until I destroy them.
39 I strike them down, and they cannot rise;
they lie defeated before me.
40 You give me strength for the battle
and victory over my enemies.
41 You make my enemies run from me;
I destroy those who hate me.
42 They look for help, but no one saves them;
they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.
43 I crush them, and they become like dust;
I trample on them like mud in the streets.
44 You saved me from my rebellious people
and maintained my rule over the nations;
people I did not know have now become my subjects.
45 Foreigners bow before me;
when they hear me, they obey.
46 They lose their courage
and come trembling from their fortresses.
47 The Lord lives! Praise my defender!
Proclaim the greatness of the strong God who saves me!
48 He gives me victory over my enemies;
he subdues the nations under me
49 and saves me from my foes.
O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies
and protect me from violent men.
50 And so I praise you among the nations;
I sing praises to you.
51 God gives great victories to his king;
he shows constant love to the one he has chosen,
to David and his descendants forever.
Lumbo gwa Dafite gwe kukunda
(Njimbo 18)1 Dafite wakambila Yahwe lumbo igogu, mu zhuba Yahwe labakan'angula mu zwita zwizwe zose ne mu luboko gwa Saulo.
2 Ngono wakalebeleka eti, “Yahwe ndibo shongwe yangu,
ndibo dizhilo langu lakasima, kakale n'angulili wangu.
3 Ndzimu wangu, shongwe yangu,
ndibo dizhilo langu,
tjivikili tjangu kakale simba le jidzo langu,
ndibo dizhilo langu lakasima kakale ndibo mabgwatilo angu,
Ndibo ntjidzi wangu, unonditjidza mu ngwa.
4 Ndodana Yahwe, ibo bakafanila kudziwa,
bakandiangula mu zwita zwangu.
5 Lufu gwakandikomba se mapundu e vula ye gungwa,
maphatjaphatja e golomodzo akandikulila.
6 Misungo ye bugalo gwe bafi yakabe yakandipomba,
mapuzhu e lufu a mbeli kwangu.
7 Mukudziyidzika kwangu ndakadana Yahwe;
Ndakalilila ku Ndzimu wangu kuti undibhatshe.
Mu Ng'umba yawo ukahwa hwi langu.
Tjililo tjangu tjikaswika mu zebe dzawo.
8 “Ndizo shango ikazhekazheka ikatengenyeka,
thiwa dze mazhuzhugwi dzikatengenyeka,
ngobe Ndzimu wakabe wazhala bushongola!
9 Busi gukathungayila mu zwimilo zwawo,
moto unopisa ukadwa mu nlomo wawo,
masimbe anothuta kadwa muuli.
10 Ukapalula zhuzhugwi ukadelukila pasi.
Makole matema tema ali kusi kwe makumbo awo.
11 Ukatatha dzikherubhu ukawuluka,
ukazha nge lubilo mu mapapilo e phepo.
12 Ukazwizwimba nge zhalima,
makole akamandana matema e vula akaupoteleka.
13 Masimbe e moto akathuta edwa mu lupenyo mbeli kwawo.
14 Yahwe bakadadamula bali zhuzhugwi,
Upezhugwizhugwi kadusa hwi lile.
15 Bakaposa misebe bakapaladza zwita,
bakapenyesa lupenyo gwe vula bakazwipaladza.
16 Ngolo dze gungwa dzikaboneka,
thiwa dze shango dzikabe patjena,
Yahwe pabakatjemela zwita zwabo,
betjemela nge bushongola.
17 Bakaabilila kudwa zhuzhugwi bakanditola,
bakandidubula mu vula yakangina.
18 Bakandiangula mu tjita tjangu tjakasima,
ne muna ibabo banondibenga,
ngoti bakabe bendikulila.
19 Ndakati ndakasimigwa, bakandigwisa
koga Yahwe bakandiangula.
20 Bakandiyisa mu magalo akatalabuka,
Bakandiangula, ngoti bakandishathila.
21 Yahwe banondilipa kuyenda nge ndulamo yangu,
banondibuzila kuyendidzana ne kushaya nlandu kwangu.
22 Ngobe ndakalondolodza milayo ya Yahwe,
andizoshandukila Ndzimu wangu.
23 Ngobe ndayo dzabo dzose dzakanditungamila,
ne ndaulo dzabo dzose andizodzikupila kutjena.
24 Ndakasibe ne nlandu mbeli kwabo,
ndakazwidziba mu jinyo.
25 Ndizo Yahwe bakandibuzila kuyendidzana ne ndulamo yangu,
ne kuyendidzana ne kushaya nlandu kwangu mu mesho abo.
26 Kuna banogalikabgwe mobalakidza kugalikabgwe.
Kuna basina nlandu mobalakidza kusheta nlandu.
27 Kuna bakatjenapala mozwilakidza makatjenapala,
kuna bakakombama muzwilakidza muna bushongola.
28 Motjidza banozwiyisa pasi,
koga mobhatisa shoni banozwikudza.
29 Imwi, ndimwi luvone gwangu Yahwe,
Yahwe ndibo tjedza tjangu mu zhalima.
30 Nge simba lenyu ndonginilila babhayani,
ha ndina Ndzimu wangu ndotjuluka guma.
31 Ndzimu uwoyu zila dzawo dzakalulwama seni,
kugadzabgwe kwa Yahwe ku malebeswa,
tjivikili tja bose banotizhila ku bali.
32 Dumbu Ndzimu ndiani ha isi Yahwe,
kakale Shongwe ndiani kuzhe kwe Ndzimu wedu?
33 Ndzimu ndiwo dizhilo langu lakasima,
ndiwo unothama zila dzangu dzikasibe ne mbatsha.
34 Unothama makumbo angu akanga e phala,
wakandibiga pakatjengeteka pezhugwi.
35 Unodiya zwiazha zwangu kugwa,
kuti ndizo maboko angu atubule peta dati le phangula.
36 Mondipa tjivikili tje jidzo lenyu,
bhatsho yenyu yakandithama nkulu.
37 Makatalabudza pamile makumbo angu,
kuti ndizo makumbo angu asitongo sodzoloka.
38 Ndakatatana ne zwita zwangu azwilobesa
andizoshanduka kudzina zwipela.
39 Ndakazwitemelela zwikawila pasi, kuti ndizo zwisi muke,
zwakawila pasi kwe makumbo angu.
40 Makandiambadza nge simba le ngwa,
mukathama kuti zwita zwangu zwindithigamile.
41 Makathama kuti zwita zwangu zwinditizhe,
ibabo banondibenga, ndakabalobesa.
42 Bakashaka bhatsho, koga bakashaya unobabhatsha,
bakalilila kuna Yahwe, koga bakasibadabile.
43 Ndakabaloba abakwiya bakasala benga hwuluba,
ndakabakanyangila pasi bakasala benga dope le zila.
44 Makandiangula mu bathu be bapanduki,
makandithama adwilila ndili ntungamile we zwitjaba,
bathu bandakabe ndisingazibe bakandishingila.
45 Bataya bakandithigamila,
ndakati ndilebeleka bakandihwa.
46 Bakatemeka mafupa,
bakazha betetema bebhuda mu matizhilo abo.
47 Yahwe banotjila ngakukudziwe shongwe yangu,
ngakukudziwe Ndzimu wangu, shongwe ye jidzo langu,
48 iwo Ndzimu wakandibgwilizila,
ukayisa zwitjaba pasi kwangu.
49 Ukandiangula mu zwita zwangu,
wakandikudza kupinda banyanyaidzi bangu,
ukandiangula mu bathu banopanduka.
50 Ndizo ndowomukudza pakati kwe zwitjaba,
amba njimbo dzinokudza zina lenyu.
51 Ndzimu unopa mambo uwe kukunda kukulu,
unolakidza ludo gusingazunguzike mu nzhodziwa wawo
muna Dafite ne ludzi gugwe nge kusingapele.”