Unto the end, for David, the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. (2 Kings 22.)

Diligam te, Domine, fortitudo mea.

I will love thee, O Lord, my strength:

Shall I not love thee, Lord, my only defender?

Dominus firmamentum meum, et refugium meum, et liberator meus. Deus meus adjutor meus, et sperabo in eum; protector meus, et cornu salutis meæ, et susceptor meus.

The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support.

The Lord is my rock-fastness, my stronghold, my rescuer; to God, my hiding-place, I flee for safety; he is my shield, my weapon of deliverance, my refuge.

Laudans invocabo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.

Praising I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies.

Praised be the Lord! When I invoke his name, I am secure from my enemies.

Circumdederunt me dolores mortis, et torrentes iniquitatis conturbaverunt me.

The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.

All about me surged the waves of death, deep flowed the perilous tide, to daunt me;

Dolores inferni circumdederunt me; præoccupaverunt me laquei mortis.

The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me.

the grave had caught me in its toils, deadly snares had trapped my feet.

In tribulatione mea invocavi Dominum, et ad Deum meum clamavi: et exaudivit de templo sancto suo vocem meam; et clamor meus in conspectu ejus introivit in aures ejus.

In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God: And he heard my voice from his holy temple: and my cry before him came into his ears.

One cry to the Lord, in my affliction, one word of summons to my God, and he, from his sanctuary, listened to my voice; the complaint I made before him found a hearing.

Commota est, et contremuit terra; fundamenta montium conturbata sunt, et commota sunt: quoniam iratus est eis.

The earth shook and trembled: the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were moved, because he was angry with them.

Earth thereupon shivered and shook, the very foundations of the hills quailed and quaked at his anger;

Ascendit fumus in ira ejus, et ignis a facie ejus exarsit; carbones succensi sunt ab eo.

There went up a smoke in his wrath: and a fire flamed from his face: coals were kindled by it.

at the fiery smoke that breathed from his mouth and nostrils, kindling coals to flame.

Inclinavit cælos, et descendit, et caligo sub pedibus ejus.

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

He bade heaven stoop, and came down to earth, with a dark cloud at his feet;

Et ascendit super cherubim, et volavit; volavit super pennas ventorum.

And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew; he flew upon the wings of the winds.

he came, cherub-mounted, borne up on the wings of the wind,

Et posuit tenebras latibulum suum; in circuitu ejus tabernaculum ejus, tenebrosa aqua in nubibus aëris.

And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.

shrouded in darkness, canopied with black rain-storm and deep mist.

Præ fulgore in conspectu ejus nubes transierunt; grando et carbones ignis.

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

Then, while coals were kindled at the brightness as he came,

Et intonuit de cælo Dominus, et Altissimus dedit vocem suam: grando et carbones ignis.

And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire.

the Lord sent his thunder from heaven, the most High let his voice be heard.

Et misit sagittas suas, et dissipavit eos; fulgura multiplicavit, et conturbavit eos.

And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them.

How they scattered when he rained down his arrows on them, how they fled in confusion before the volleys of his lightning!

Et apparuerunt fontes aquarum, et revelata sunt fundamenta orbis terrarum, ab increpatione tua, Domine, ab inspiratione spiritus iræ tuæ.

Then the fountains of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were discovered: At thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the spirit of thy wrath.

The sea’s bed came to light, the very foundations of the world were laid bare, when thou didst threaten them, Lord, when thou didst blow upon them with the breath of thy anger.

Misit de summo, et accepit me; et assumpsit me de aquis multis.

He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters.

Then he reached down from heaven, caught hold of me, rescued me from that flood,

Eripuit me de inimicis meis fortissimis, et ab his qui oderunt me. Quoniam confortati sunt super me;

He delivered me from my strongest enemies, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

saved me from triumphant malice, from the enemies that held me at their mercy.

prævenerunt me in die afflictionis meæ: et factus est Dominus protector meus.

They prevented me in the day of my affliction: and the Lord became my protector.

Evil days, when they faced me at every turn! Yet the Lord stood by me,

Et eduxit me in latitudinem; salvum me fecit, quoniam voluit me,

And he brought me forth into a large place: he saved me, because he was well pleased with me.

and brought me out into freedom again; his great love befriended me.

et retribuet mihi Dominus secundum justitiam meam, et secundum puritatem manuum mearum retribuet mihi:

And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands:

So, for my faithfulness, the Lord would requite me, as he sees me guiltless in act, he would make return.

quia custodivi vias Domini, nec impie gessi a Deo meo;

Because I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not done wickedly against my God.

Have I not kept true to the Lord’s paths? Have I not been ever loyal to my God?

quoniam omnia judicia ejus in conspectu meo, et justitias ejus non repuli a me.

For all his judgments are in my sight: and his justices I have not put away from me.

No law of his, but I have kept it before my eyes; no task he laid upon me have I refused;

Et ero immaculatus cum eo; et observabo me ab iniquitate mea.

And I shall be spotless with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.

ever stainless in his presence, ever watchful to keep myself clear of guilt,

Et retribuet mihi Dominus secundum justitiam meam, et secundum puritatem manuum mearum in conspectu oculorum ejus.

And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.

ever faithful, ever guiltless in act, the Lord has requited me.

Cum sancto sanctus eris, et cum viro innocente innocens eris,

With the holy, thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent.

Lovingly wilt thou treat those who love thee, with the loyal keep troth;

et cum electo electus eris, et cum perverso perverteris.

And with the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.

pure of heart the pure of heart shall find thee, the cunning thou wilt overreach.

Quoniam tu populum humilem salvum facies, et oculos superborum humiliabis.

For thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes of the proud.

To humble folk thou wilt bring deliverance; the proud, with their haughty looks, thou wilt bring down to earth.

Quoniam tu illuminas lucernam meam, Domine; Deus meus, illumina tenebras meas.

For thou lightest my lamp, O Lord: O my God enlighten my darkness.

It is thou, Lord, that keepest the lamp of my hopes still burning; shinest on the darkness about me, O my God.

Quoniam in te eripiar a tentatione; et in Deo meo transgrediar murum.

For by thee I shall be delivered from temptation; and through my God I shall go over a wall.

In thy strength I will engage a host of the enemy, in my God’s strength I shall leap over all their defences.

Deus meus, impolluta via ejus; eloquia Domini igne examinata: protector est omnium sperantium in se.

As for my God, his way is undefiled: the words of the Lord are fire tried: he is the protector of all that trust in him.

Such is my God, unsullied in his dealings; his promises are like metal tested in the fire; he is the sure defence of all who trust in him.

Quoniam quis deus præter Dominum? aut quis deus præter Deum nostrum?

For who is God but the Lord? or who is God but our God?

Who but the Lord is God? What other refuge can there be, except our God?

Deus qui præcinxit me virtute, et posuit immaculatam viam meam;

God, who hath girt me with strength; and made my way blameless.

It is he that girds me with strength, bids me go on my way untroubled.

qui perfecit pedes meos tamquam cervorum, et super excelsa statuens me;

Who hath made my feet like the feet of harts: and who setteth me upon high places.

He makes me sure-footed as the deer, and gives me the freedom of the hills;

qui docet manus meas ad prælium. Et posuisti, ut arcum æreum, brachia mea,

Who teacheth my hands to war: and thou hast made my arms like a brazen bow.

these hands, through him, are skilled in battle, these arms are a match for any bow of bronze.

et dedisti mihi protectionem salutis tuæ: et dextera tua suscepit me, et disciplina tua correxit me in finem, et disciplina tua ipsa me docebit.

And thou hast given me the protection of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up: And thy discipline hath corrected me unto the end: and thy discipline, the same shall teach me.

Thy saving power, Lord, is my defence, thy right hand supports me; thy tender care fosters me.

Dilatasti gressus meos subtus me, et non sunt infirmata vestigia mea.

Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; and my feet are not weakened.

Through thee, my steps are untrammelled as I go, my tread never falters;

Persequar inimicos meos, et comprehendam illos; et non convertar donec deficiant.

I will pursue after my enemies, and overtake them: and I will not turn again till they are consumed.

I can overtake the enemies I pursue, and never turn home till I have made an end of them;

Confringam illos, nec poterunt stare; cadent subtus pedes meos.

I will break them, and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.

I can beat them to their knees, and hurl them down at my feet.

Et præcinxisti me virtute ad bellum, et supplantasti insurgentes in me subtus me.

And thou hast girded me with strength unto battle; and hast subdued under me them that rose up against me.

Thou girdest me about with a warrior’s strength; whatever power challenges me, thou dost subdue before me,

Et inimicos meos dedisti mihi dorsum, et odientes me disperdidisti.

And thou hast made my enemies turn their back upon me, and hast destroyed them that hated me.

putting my enemies to flight, and throwing all their malice into confusion.

Clamaverunt, nec erat qui salvos faceret; ad Dominum, nec exaudivit eos.

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

Loudly they cry out to the Lord, bereft of aid, but he makes no answer to their cries.

Et comminuam eos ut pulverem ante faciem venti; ut lutum platearum delebo eos.

And I shall beat them as small as the dust before the wind; I shall bring them to nought, like the dirt in the streets.

I can crush them to pieces, like the dust which the wind blows along; I can trample them down like mire from the streets.

Eripies me de contradictionibus populi; constitues me in caput gentium.

Thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people: thou wilt make me head of the Gentiles.

Nor was it enough, of domestic broils to rid me; a world should be my vassal;

Populus quem non cognovi servivit mihi; in auditu auris obedivit mihi.

A people, which I knew not, hath served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.

new realms should pay me homage, quick to do my bidding.

Filii alieni mentiti sunt mihi, filii alieni inveterati sunt, et claudicaverunt a semitis suis.

The children that are strangers have lied to me, strange children have faded away, and have halted from their paths.

See where they come, the alien born, come slinking out of their strongholds, pale of cheek, to cringe before me.

Vivit Dominus, et benedictus Deus meus, et exaltetur Deus salutis meæ.

The Lord liveth, and blessed be my God, and let the God of my salvation be exalted:

Blessed be the living Lord who is my refuge, praised be the God who delivers me!

Deus qui das vindictas mihi, et subdis populos sub me; liberator meus de inimicis meis iracundis.

O God, who avengest me, and subduest the people under me, my deliverer from my enemies.

It is thou, my God, that bringest me redress, that bendest peoples to my will, that savest me from the spite of my enemies:

Et ab insurgentibus in me exaltabis me; a viro iniquo eripies me.

And thou wilt lift me up above them that rise up against me: from the unjust man thou wilt deliver me.

so that I am high above the reach of their assaults, proof against their violence.

Propterea confitebor tibi in nationibus, Domine, et nomini tuo psalmum dicam;

Therefore will I give glory to thee, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing a psalm to thy name.

Then, Lord, I will give thee thanks in the hearing of all the nations, singing in praise of thy name;

magnificans salutes regis ejus, et faciens misericordiam christo suo David, et semini ejus usque in sæculum.

Giving great deliverance to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed: and to his seed for ever.

victory thy mercy grants to the King thou hast anointed, to David, and David’s line for ever.