I will hand them over to trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth

The Lord God repeats to Jeremiah that He will not reconsider His judgment to bring destruction to His people in the form of death, sword (violence), famine and captivity. He singled out King Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, for his actions. The main reason for God's anger is that the people have forsaken Him and gone backwards, and still do not change their ways.

Jeremiah describes his situation to God. Since he has been prophesying for God, He has been an outcast, shunted by his people. God reassures Jeremiah that He will always protect him from his wicked enemies. To stand with the Lord as Jeremiah would have found, is guaranteed, protection, salvation and redemption.



Jeremiah 15
The Lord Will Not Relent

1 Then the Lord said to me, “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me, My mind would not be favorable toward this people. Cast them out of My sight, and let them go forth. 2 And it shall be, if they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you shall tell them, ‘Thus says the Lord:

“Such as are for death, to death;
And such as are for the sword, to the sword;
And such as are for the famine, to the famine;
And such as are for the captivity, to the captivity.”’
3 “And I will appoint over them four forms of destruction,” says the Lord: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag, the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. 4 I will hand them over to trouble, to all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.

5 “For who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem?
Or who will bemoan you?
Or who will turn aside to ask how you are doing?
6 You have forsaken Me,” says the Lord,
“You have gone backward.
Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am weary of relenting!
7 And I will winnow them with a winnowing fan in the gates of the land;
I will bereave them of children;
I will destroy My people,
Since they do not return from their ways.
8 Their widows will be increased to Me more than the sand of the seas;
I will bring against them,
Against the mother of the young men,
A plunderer at noonday;
I will cause anguish and terror to fall on them suddenly.
9 “She languishes who has borne seven;
She has breathed her last;
Her sun has gone down
While it was yet day;
She has been ashamed and confounded.
And the remnant of them I will deliver to the sword
Before their enemies,” says the Lord.


Jeremiah’s Dejection

10 Woe is me, my mother,
That you have borne me,
A man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth!
I have neither lent for interest,
Nor have men lent to me for interest.
Every one of them curses me.
11 The Lord said:

“Surely it will be well with your remnant;
Surely I will cause the enemy to intercede with you
In the time of adversity and in the time of affliction.
12 Can anyone break iron,
The northern iron and the bronze?
13 Your wealth and your treasures
I will give as plunder without price,
Because of all your sins,
Throughout your territories.
14 And I will make you cross over with[a] your enemies
Into a land which you do not know;
For a fire is kindled in My anger,
Which shall burn upon you.”
15 O Lord, You know;
Remember me and visit me,
And take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In Your enduring patience, do not take me away.
Know that for Your sake I have suffered rebuke.
16 Your words were found, and I ate them,
And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart;
For I am called by Your name,
O Lord God of hosts.
17 I did not sit in the assembly of the mockers,
Nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone because of Your hand,
For You have filled me with indignation.
18 Why is my pain perpetual
And my wound incurable,
Which refuses to be healed?
Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream,
As waters that fail?


The Lord Reassures Jeremiah

19 Therefore thus says the Lord:

“If you return,
Then I will bring you back;
You shall stand before Me;
If you take out the precious from the vile,
You shall be as My mouth.
Let them return to you,
But you must not return to them.
20 And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall;
And they will fight against you,
But they shall not prevail against you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you,” says the Lord.
21 “I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grip of the terrible.”

For The Enemy Has Persecuted My Soul

The psalmist, David, was most likely in a time of great persecution by his enemies. His appeal to God is based on knowing God is faithful and righteoues. He knows he is not perfect but asks to be delivered from his current situation where he describes "my spirit is overwhelmed within me,
my heart within me is distressed".

He remembers the past, before the time of persecution, where he enjoyed walking with God. And these memories comfort him and remind him that he can trust God. He knows about God's lovingkindness, uprightnessm, mercy and that God's Spirit is good. He invites God to teach him, lead him and revive him and to destroy his enemies



Psalm 143
An Earnest Appeal for Guidance and Deliverance
A Psalm of David.

1 Hear my prayer, O Lord,
Give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me,
And in Your righteousness.

2 Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
For in Your sight no one living is righteous.

3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul;
He has crushed my life to the ground;
He has made me dwell in darkness,
Like those who have long been dead.

4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me;
My heart within me is distressed.

5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.

6 I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah

7 Answer me speedily, O Lord;
My spirit fails!
Do not hide Your face from me,
Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.

8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.

9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.[a]

10 Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.

11 Revive me, O Lord, for Your name’s sake!
For Your righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.

12 In Your mercy cut off my enemies,
And destroy all those who afflict my soul;
For I am Your servant.

Deliver Me, O Lord, From Evil Men

A plea from the psalmist who seems to be in danger from his enemies. So the psalmist calls upon God to protect him against his wicked enemies. He even calls upon God to heap burning coals on them and cast them to fire. In his view the enemies are truly wicked and he asks God to stop them before they get exalted or established themselves.

Although this may sound harsh, but the psalmist acknowledges that God is on the side of the afflicted and the poor. Also that the righteous and upright will dwell with God.


Psalm 140
Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men;
Preserve me from violent men,

2 Who plan evil things in their hearts;
They continually gather together for war.

3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent;
The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
Preserve me from violent men,
Who have purposed to make my steps stumble.

5 The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords;
They have spread a net by the wayside;
They have set traps for me. Selah

6 I said to the Lord: “You are my God;
Hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord.

7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation,
You have covered my head in the day of battle.

8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked;
Do not further his wicked scheme,
Lest they be exalted. Selah

9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
Let the evil of their lips cover them;

10 Let burning coals fall upon them;
Let them be cast into the fire,
Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

11 Let not a slanderer be established in the earth;
Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.”

12 I know that the Lord will maintain
The cause of the afflicted,
And justice for the poor.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name;
The upright shall dwell in Your presence.

O God, My Heart Is Steadfast

A short psalm call for the praise of God for His mercy and truth. It recognizes God as the  LORD who saves and delivers. A reminder also that God has given them the lands as part of His covenant. It is God who led them to victory in the conquests and also defend them against the armies of the enemies.


Psalm 108
–A Song. A Psalm of David.

 1 O God, my heart is steadfast;
         I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.
 2 Awake, lute and harp!
         I will awaken the dawn.
 3 I will praise You, O LORD, among the peoples,
         And I will sing praises to You among the nations.
 4 For Your mercy is great above the heavens,
         And Your truth reaches to the clouds.
       
 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,
         And Your glory above all the earth;
 6 That Your beloved may be delivered,
         Save with Your right hand, and hear me.
       
 7 God has spoken in His holiness:
         “I will rejoice;
         I will divide Shechem
         And measure out the Valley of Succoth.
 8 Gilead is Mine; Manasseh is Mine;
         Ephraim also is the helmet for My head;
         Judah is My lawgiver.
 9 Moab is My washpot;
         Over Edom I will cast My shoe;
         Over Philistia I will triumph.”
       
 10 Who will bring me into the strong city?
         Who will lead me to Edom?
 11 Is it not You, O God, who cast us off?
         And You, O God, who did not go out with our armies?
 12 Give us help from trouble,
         For the help of man is useless.
 13 Through God we will do valiantly,
         For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.[a]

Do Not Hide Your Face From Me In The Day Of My Trouble

The psalmist calls upon the LORD to listen to his petition. He seems to be weary by trials and trodden by his enemies. He feels that at times, he has been brought up but then brought down again. But he remembers God and his mercy. He knows about God's glory and the promises to rebuild Zion. He forsees that the nations on Earth will one day acknowledge God and serve Him. He understands that God is the Creator and even when the heavens and Earth are gone, God will be there.


Psalm 102
A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the LORD.

 1 Hear my prayer, O LORD,
         And let my cry come to You.
 2 Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my trouble;
         Incline Your ear to me;
         In the day that I call, answer me speedily.
       
 3 For my days are consumed like smoke,
         And my bones are burned like a hearth.
 4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass,
         So that I forget to eat my bread.
 5 Because of the sound of my groaning
         My bones cling to my skin.
 6 I am like a pelican of the wilderness;
         I am like an owl of the desert.
 7 I lie awake,
         And am like a sparrow alone on the housetop.
       
 8 My enemies reproach me all day long;
         Those who deride me swear an oath against me.
 9 For I have eaten ashes like bread,
         And mingled my drink with weeping,
 10 Because of Your indignation and Your wrath;
         For You have lifted me up and cast me away.
 11 My days are like a shadow that lengthens,
         And I wither away like grass.
       
 12 But You, O LORD, shall endure forever,
         And the remembrance of Your name to all generations.
 13 You will arise and have mercy on Zion;
         For the time to favor her,
         Yes, the set time, has come.
 14 For Your servants take pleasure in her stones,
         And show favor to her dust.
 15 So the nations shall fear the name of the LORD,
         And all the kings of the earth Your glory.
 16 For the LORD shall build up Zion;
         He shall appear in His glory.
 17 He shall regard the prayer of the destitute,
         And shall not despise their prayer.
       
 18 This will be written for the generation to come,
         That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
 19 For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
         From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
 20 To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
         To release those appointed to death,
 21 To declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
         And His praise in Jerusalem,
 22 When the peoples are gathered together,
         And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
       
 23 He weakened my strength in the way;
         He shortened my days.
 24 I said, “O my God,
         Do not take me away in the midst of my days;
         Your years are throughout all generations.
 25 Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
         And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
 26 They will perish, but You will endure;
         Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
         Like a cloak You will change them,
         And they will be changed.
 27 But You are the same,
         And Your years will have no end.
 28 The children of Your servants will continue,
         And their descendants will be established before You.”

Deliver me from my Enemies, O my God

David calls upon God to save him from his enemies who were hunting him. He describes his enemies as bloodthirsty, workers of iniquity and mighty. They pursue David not because David did any wrong. So David called upon God to show them no mercy. David describes his enemies like dogs who keep on hunting him and return again in the evening not satisfied. He calls God to not destroy them but bring them down and scatter them.
David puts full confidence in God, singing of his power, calling him his strength and his defence.

Psalm 59
To the Chief Musician. Set to “Do Not Destroy.”[a] A Michtam of David when Saul sent men, and they watched the house in order to kill him.

 1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
         Defend me from those who rise up against me.
 2 Deliver me from the workers of iniquity,
         And save me from bloodthirsty men.
        
 3 For look, they lie in wait for my life;
         The mighty gather against me,
         Not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD.
 4 They run and prepare themselves through no fault of mine.
        
         Awake to help me, and behold!
 5 You therefore, O LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel,
         Awake to punish all the nations;
         Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors.  Selah 
        
 6 At evening they return,
         They growl like a dog,
         And go all around the city.
 7 Indeed, they belch with their mouth;
         Swords are in their lips;
         For they say, “Who hears?”
        
 8 But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them;
         You shall have all the nations in derision.
 9 I will wait for You, O You his Strength;[b]
         For God is my defense.
 10 My God of mercy[c] shall come to meet me;
         God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.
        
 11 Do not slay them, lest my people forget;
         Scatter them by Your power,
         And bring them down,
         O Lord our shield.
 12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips,
         Let them even be taken in their pride,
         And for the cursing and lying which they speak.
 13 Consume them in wrath, consume them,
         That they may not be;
         And let them know that God rules in Jacob
         To the ends of the earth.  Selah 
        
 14 And at evening they return,
         They growl like a dog,
         And go all around the city.
 15 They wander up and down for food,
         And howl[d] if they are not satisfied.
        
 16 But I will sing of Your power;
         Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning;
         For You have been my defense
         And refuge in the day of my trouble.
 17 To You, O my Strength, I will sing praises;
         For God is my defense,
         My God of mercy.

What Can Man Do To Me?

The psalmist describes his situation of being hounded by enemies and oppressed by them. A very terrible situation to be in. But he trusts in the LORD and continues to praise God in the midst of trouble. The most courageous thought here is "What can flesh (man) do to me?"
The enemies twist his words and plots against him, yet he trusts in God. He knows that with God on his side, the enemies will be turned back. So he will not be afraid, again reminding that "What can man do to me? "


Psalm 56
To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Silent Dove in Distant Lands.”[a] A Michtam of David when the Philistines captured him in Gath.

 1 Be merciful to me, O God, for man would swallow me up;
         Fighting all day he oppresses me.
 2 My enemies would hound me all day,
         For there are many who fight against me, O Most High.
        
 3 Whenever I am afraid,
         I will trust in You.
 4 In God (I will praise His word),
         In God I have put my trust;
         I will not fear.
         What can flesh do to me?
        
 5 All day they twist my words;
         All their thoughts are against me for evil.
 6 They gather together,
         They hide, they mark my steps,
         When they lie in wait for my life.
 7 Shall they escape by iniquity?
         In anger cast down the peoples, O God!
        
 8 You number my wanderings;
         Put my tears into Your bottle;
         Are they not in Your book?
 9 When I cry out to You,
         Then my enemies will turn back;
         This I know, because God is for me.
 10 In God (I will praise His word),
         In the LORD (I will praise His word),
 11 In God I have put my trust;
         I will not be afraid.
         What can man do to me?
        
 12 Vows made to You are binding upon me, O God;
         I will render praises to You,
 13 For You have delivered my soul from death.
         Have You not kept my feet from falling,
         That I may walk before God
         In the light of the living?

Blessed is he who considers the poor

David faced many enemies in his time, not only from foreign kings but those close to him who lied to him and those who have eaten from his own table. Despite all this, David has always trusted God to deliver him from trouble and from his enemies.

The LORD has delivered him, kept him alive, strengthened him, raised him up and most of all set him up before the face of God forever.


Psalm 41

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

 1 Blessed is he who considers the poor;
         The LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
 2 The LORD will preserve him and keep him alive,
         And he will be blessed on the earth;
         You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
 3 The LORD will strengthen him on his bed of illness;
         You will sustain him on his sickbed.
       
 4 I said, “LORD, be merciful to me;
         Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”
 5 My enemies speak evil of me:
         “When will he die, and his name perish?”
 6 And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies;
         His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
         When he goes out, he tells it.
       
 7 All who hate me whisper together against me;
         Against me they devise my hurt.
 8 “An evil disease,” they say, “clings to him.
         And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”
 9 Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
         Who ate my bread,
         Has lifted up his heel against me.
       
 10 But You, O LORD, be merciful to me, and raise me up,
         That I may repay them.
 11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me,
         Because my enemy does not triumph over me.
 12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
         And set me before Your face forever.
       
 13 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
         From everlasting to everlasting!
         Amen and Amen.

David Prays for Deliverance from Enemies

Several psalms like this one is where David pleads for God's help to save him from his enemies and also to bring justice to those who have tried to harm him unjustly. David describes the actions of his enemies as they: strive, fight, pursue, seek his life, plot to hurt him. David prays that God will help him by: fight against them, provide salvation, stop them, put to shame, turn them back, bring confusion, send angels to chase them, bring destruction for them.

It seems that at the time of writing, David was in the middle of such persecution. But despite asking God to save him and destroy his enemies, David also remembered to praise God and rejoice in Him.


Psalm 35

A Psalm of David.

 1 Plead my cause, O LORD, with those who strive with me;
         Fight against those who fight against me.
 2 Take hold of shield and buckler,
         And stand up for my help.
 3 Also draw out the spear,
         And stop those who pursue me.
         Say to my soul,
         “I am your salvation.”
       
 4 Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor
         Who seek after my life;
         Let those be turned back and brought to confusion
         Who plot my hurt.
 5 Let them be like chaff before the wind,
         And let the angel[a] of the LORD chase them.
 6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
         And let the angel of the LORD pursue them.
 7 For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit,
         Which they have dug without cause for my life.
 8 Let destruction come upon him unexpectedly,
         And let his net that he has hidden catch himself;
         Into that very destruction let him fall.
       
 9 And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD;
         It shall rejoice in His salvation.
 10 All my bones shall say,
         “LORD, who is like You,
         Delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him,
         Yes, the poor and the needy from him who plunders him?”
       
 11 Fierce witnesses rise up;
         They ask me things that I do not know.
 12 They reward me evil for good,
         To the sorrow of my soul.
 13 But as for me, when they were sick,
         My clothing was sackcloth;
         I humbled myself with fasting;
         And my prayer would return to my own heart.
 14 I paced about as though he were my friend or brother;
         I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.
       
 15 But in my adversity they rejoiced
         And gathered together;
         Attackers gathered against me,
         And I did not know it;
         They tore at me and did not cease;
 16 With ungodly mockers at feasts
         They gnashed at me with their teeth.
       
 17 Lord, how long will You look on?
         Rescue me from their destructions,
         My precious life from the lions.
 18 I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
         I will praise You among many people.
       
 19 Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies;
         Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.
 20 For they do not speak peace,
         But they devise deceitful matters
         Against the quiet ones in the land.
 21 They also opened their mouth wide against me,
         And said, “Aha, aha!
         Our eyes have seen it.”
       
 22 This You have seen, O LORD;
         Do not keep silence.
         O Lord, do not be far from me.
 23 Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication,
         To my cause, my God and my Lord.
 24 Vindicate me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness;
         And let them not rejoice over me.
 25 Let them not say in their hearts, “Ah, so we would have it!”
         Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up.”
       
 26 Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
         Who rejoice at my hurt;
         Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor
         Who exalt themselves against me.
       
 27 Let them shout for joy and be glad,
         Who favor my righteous cause;
         And let them say continually,
         “Let the LORD be magnified,
         Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.”
 28 And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness
         And of Your praise all the day long.

David's Song of Victory and Thanksgiving for Deliverance from Enemies

The first part of the Psalm says it all about who the LORD is to David: his strength, rock, fortress, deliverer, strength, shield, salvation, stronghold. David describes his hopeless condition of being surrounded by fierce enemies, then he described the awesomeness of God with the earth shaking and trembling as God came to save David.

David understands how to gain the favour of the LORD, which is by doing right in God's eyes, being blameless, staying away from wickedness, keeping His statutes. He understands that God will save the humble and bring down the proud. God is merciful to those who are merciful.

To David, God is his lamp and shield. David attributes all his being to God, including his strength, his agility, his war prowess. His success in avoiding Saul was attributed to God, so were all his victories against his enemies. From the victories of his conquest to his authority over a vast kingdom and empire of foreign nations - all these David attributed them to God's help. Whether as a leader of his band of misfits, or king over his empire, David had not dwell on his accumulated successes. Instead his continues to be grateful to God and depend on Him as his Rock and Salvation. David saw himself as God's king and God's anointed and no doubt lived for God's purpose.


Psalm 18

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:

 1 I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
 2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
         My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
         My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
 3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
         So shall I be saved from my enemies.
       
 4 The pangs of death surrounded me,
         And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
 5 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
         The snares of death confronted me.
 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD,
         And cried out to my God;
         He heard my voice from His temple,
         And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.
       
 7 Then the earth shook and trembled;
         The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,
         Because He was angry.
 8 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
         And devouring fire from His mouth;
         Coals were kindled by it.
 9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down
         With darkness under His feet.
 10 And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
         He flew upon the wings of the wind.
 11 He made darkness His secret place;
         His canopy around Him was dark waters
         And thick clouds of the skies.
 12 From the brightness before Him,
         His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.
       
 13 The LORD thundered from heaven,
         And the Most High uttered His voice,
         Hailstones and coals of fire.[a]
 14 He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe,
         Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
 15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
         The foundations of the world were uncovered
         At Your rebuke, O LORD,
         At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
       
 16 He sent from above, He took me;
         He drew me out of many waters.
 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
         From those who hated me,
         For they were too strong for me.
 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
         But the LORD was my support.
 19 He also brought me out into a broad place;
         He delivered me because He delighted in me.
       
 20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;
         According to the cleanness of my hands
         He has recompensed me.
 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
         And have not wickedly departed from my God.
 22 For all His judgments were before me,
         And I did not put away His statutes from me.
 23 I was also blameless before Him,
         And I kept myself from my iniquity.
 24 Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
         According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
       
 25 With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
         With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
 26 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
         And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
 27 For You will save the humble people,
         But will bring down haughty looks.
       
 28 For You will light my lamp;
         The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
 29 For by You I can run against a troop,
         By my God I can leap over a wall.
 30 As for God, His way is perfect;
         The word of the LORD is proven;
         He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
       
 31 For who is God, except the LORD?
         And who is a rock, except our God?
 32 It is God who arms me with strength,
         And makes my way perfect.
 33 He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
         And sets me on my high places.
 34 He teaches my hands to make war,
         So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
       
 35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;

         Your gentleness has made me great.
 36 You enlarged my path under me,
         So my feet did not slip.
       
 37 I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;
         Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
 38 I have wounded them,
         So that they could not rise;
         They have fallen under my feet.
 39 For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
         You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
 40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
         So that I destroyed those who hated me.
 41 They cried out, but there was none to save;
         Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.
 42 Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;
         I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
       
 43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
         You have made me the head of the nations;
         A people I have not known shall serve me.
 44 As soon as they hear of me they obey me;
         The foreigners submit to me.
 45 The foreigners fade away,
         And come frightened from their hideouts.
       
 46 The LORD lives!
         Blessed be my Rock!
         Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
 47 It is God who avenges me,
         And subdues the peoples under me;
 48 He delivers me from my enemies.
         You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
         You have delivered me from the violent man.
 49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles,
         And sing praises to Your name.
       
 50 Great deliverance He gives to His king,
         And shows mercy to His anointed,
         To David and his descendants forevermore.