Amahubo 18
1 Ngizakuthanda, Nkosi, mandla ami.
Unto the end. For David, the servant of the Lord, who spoke the words of this canticle to the Lord, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: I will love you, O Lord my strength.
2 INkosi ilidwala lami, lenqaba yami, lomkhululi wami; uNkulunkulu wami, idwala lami, engizaphephela kulo, isihlangu sami, lophondo losindiso lwami, inqaba yami ephakemeyo.
The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my liberator. My God is my helper, and I hope in him: my protector, and the horn of my salvation, and my support.
3 Ngizabiza iNkosi edumisekayo, ngakho ngizasindiswa ezitheni zami.
Praising, I will call upon the Lord. And I will be saved from my enemies.
4 Izibopho zokufa zangizingelezela, lezikhukhula zobubi zangethusa.
The sorrows of death surrounded me, and the torrents of iniquity dismayed me.
The sorrows of Hell encompassed me, and the snares of death intercepted me. (Sheol h7585)
6 Ekuhluphekeni kwami ngayibiza iNkosi, ngakhala kuNkulunkulu wami; walizwa ilizwi lami esethempelini lakhe, lokukhala kwami kweza phambi kwakhe, endlebeni zakhe.
In my tribulation, I called upon the Lord, and I cried out to my God. And he listened to my voice from his holy temple. And my cry in his presence entered into his ears.
7 Khona umhlaba wazamazama, wanyikinyeka, lezisekelo zezintaba zaqhaqhazela, zazamazama, ngoba wayethukuthele.
The earth was shaken, and it trembled. The foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and they were shaken, because he was angry with them.
8 Kwenyuka intuthu emakhaleni akhe, lomlilo ophuma emlonyeni wakhe waqothula; amalahle avuthiswa yiwo.
A smoke ascended by his wrath, and a fire flared up from his face: coals were kindled by it.
9 Wasekhothamisa amazulu, wehlela phansi, lomnyama onzima wawungaphansi kwenyawo zakhe.
He bent the heavens, and they descended. And darkness was under his feet.
10 Wasegada ikherubhi, waphapha, wandiza phezu kwempiko zomoya.
And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew: he flew upon the feathers of the winds.
11 Wamisa umnyama waba yindawo yakhe yensitha, idumba lakhe inhlangothi zonke zakhe, amanzi amnyama, amayezi amnyama omkhathi.
And he set darkness as his hiding place, with his tabernacle all around him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.
12 Ekukhazimuleni okuphambi kwakhe amayezi akhe amnyama edlula, isiqhotho lamalahle omlilo.
At the brightness that was before his sight, the clouds crossed by, with hail and coals of fire.
13 INkosi yasiduma emazulwini, oPhezukonke wazwakalisa ilizwi lakhe, isiqhotho lamalahle omlilo.
And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice: hail and coals of fire.
14 Yasithuma imitshoko yayo, yabachitha; lemibane eminengi, yabaphaphathekisa.
And he sent forth his arrows and scattered them. He multiplied lightnings, and he set them in disarray.
15 Khona kwabonakala imisele yamanzi, kwembulwa izisekelo zomhlaba ekusoleni kwakho, Nkosi, ekuvutheleni komoya wamakhala akho.
Then the fountains of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were revealed, by your rebuke, O Lord, by the inspiration of the Spirit of your wrath.
16 Yathuma iphezulu, yangibamba, yangenyula emanzini amanengi.
He sent from on high, and he accepted me. And he took me up, out of many waters.
17 Yangophula esitheni sami esilamandla, lakibo abangizondayo, ngoba babelamandla kulami.
He rescued me from my strongest enemies, and from those who hated me. For they had been too strong for me.
18 Babephambi kwami osukwini lwenhlupheko yami, kodwa iNkosi yaba yisisekelo sami.
They intercepted me in the day of my affliction, and the Lord became my protector.
19 Yangikhuphela endaweni ebanzi, yangikhulula ngoba yayithokoza ngami.
And he led me out, into a wide place. He accomplished my salvation, because he willed me.
20 INkosi yangivuza njengokulunga kwami; yangibuyisela njengokuhlanzeka kwezandla zami.
And the Lord will reward me according to my justice, and he will repay me according to the purity of my hands.
21 Ngoba ngizilondolozile indlela zeNkosi, kangisukanga kuNkulunkulu wami ngenkohlakalo.
For I have preserved the ways of the Lord, and I have not behaved impiously before my God.
22 Ngoba zonke izahlulelo zayo zaziphambi kwami, lezimiso zayo kangiziphambulanga kimi.
For all his judgments are in my sight, and his justice, I have not pushed away from me.
23 Njalo ngangiqondile kuyo, ngizinqandile ebubini bami.
And I will be immaculate together with him, and I will keep myself from my iniquity.
24 Ngakho iNkosi ingibuyisele njengokulunga kwami, njengokuhlanzeka kwezandla zami phambi kwamehlo ayo.
And the Lord will reward me according to my justice and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
25 Kolesihawu uzaziveza ulesihawu; koqotho uzaziveza uqotho;
With the holy, you will be holy, and with the innocent, you will be innocent,
26 kohlanzekileyo uzaziveza uhlanzekile; lakophambukileyo uzaziveza uphambukile.
and with the elect, you will be elect, and with the perverse, you will be perverse.
27 Ngoba wena uzabasindisa abantu abahlutshwayo; kodwa amehlo aphakemeyo uzawehlisela phansi.
For you will save the humble people, but you will bring down the eyes of the arrogant.
28 Ngoba wena uzalumathisa isibane sami; iNkosi, uNkulunkulu wami, izakhanyisa ubumnyama bami.
For you illuminate my lamp, O Lord. My God, enlighten my darkness.
29 Ngoba ngawe ngigijimile ngadabula phakathi kwebutho, langoNkulunkulu wami ngeqe umthangala.
For in you, I will be delivered from temptation; and with my God, I will climb over a wall.
30 UNkulunkulu, indlela yakhe iphelele; ilizwi leNkosi lihloliwe; uyisihlangu kubo bonke abaphephela kuye.
As for my God, his way is undefiled. The eloquence of the Lord has been examined by fire. He is the protector of all who hope in him.
31 Ngoba ngubani onguNkulunkulu ngaphandle kweNkosi? Njalo ngubani olidwala ngaphandle kukaNkulunkulu wethu?
For who is God, except the Lord? And who is God, except our God?
32 NguNkulunkulu ongibhincisa amandla, owenza indlela yami iphelele.
It is God who has wrapped me with virtue and made my way immaculate.
33 Owenza inyawo zami zibe njengezezimpala, wangimisa ezingqongeni zami.
It is he who has perfected my feet, like the feet of deer, and who stations me upon the heights.
34 Ofundisela izandla zami impi, ukuze idandili lethusi ligotshiswe zingalo zami.
It is he who trains my hands for battle. And you have set my arms like a bow of brass.
35 Unginikile lesihlangu sosindiso lwakho, lesandla sakho sokunene singisekele, lobumnene bakho bungikhulisile.
And you have given me the protection of your salvation. And your right hand sustains me. And your discipline has corrected me unto the end. And your discipline itself will teach me.
36 Wenze zaba banzi izinyathelo zami ngaphansi kwami, ukuze inyawo zami zingatsheleli.
You have expanded my footsteps under me, and my tracks have not been weakened.
37 Ngixotshene lezitha zami, ngazifica, kangibuyanga ngaze ngaziqeda.
I will pursue my enemies and apprehend them. And I will not turn back until they have failed.
38 Ngazigwaza, zaze zehluleka ukuvuka, zawa ngaphansi kwenyawo zami.
I will break them, and they will not be able to stand. They will fall under my feet.
39 Ngoba ungibhincise amandla kusenzelwa impi, wabakhothamisela phansi kwami abangivukelayo.
And you have wrapped me with virtue for the battle. And those rising up against me, you have subdued under me.
40 Unginike intamo yezitha zami, labo abangizondayo ngababhubhisa.
And you have given the back of my enemies to me, and you have destroyed those who hated me.
41 Bakhala, kodwa engekho umsindisi; eNkosini, kodwa kayibaphendulanga.
They cried out, but there was none to save them, to the Lord, but he did not heed them.
42 Ngasengibacholisisa njengothuli phambi komoya, ngabachitha njengodaka lwezitalada.
And I will crush them into dust before the face of the wind, so that I will obliterate them like the mud in the streets.
43 Wangikhulula ekuphikiseni kwabantu, wangimisa ngaba yinhloko yezizwe; abantu engangingabazi bangisebenzela.
You will rescue me from the contradictions of the people. You will set me at the head of the Gentiles.
44 Bangenela ukuzwa ngendlebe bazangilalela, abezizweni bazazithoba kimi ngokuzenzisa.
A people I did not know has served me. As soon as their ears heard, they were obedient to me.
45 Abezizweni bazabuna, baphume ezinqabeni zabo bethuthumela.
The sons of foreigners have been deceitful to me, the sons of foreigners have grown weak with time, and they have wavered from their paths.
46 INkosi iyaphila; njalo kalidunyiswe idwala lami, kaphakanyiswe uNkulunkulu wosindiso lwami.
The Lord lives, and blessed is my God, and may the God of my salvation be exalted:
47 UNkulunkulu onginika impindiselo, lowehlisela izizwe ngaphansi kwami;
O God, who vindicates me and who subdues the people under me, my liberator from my enraged enemies.
48 ongikhulula ezitheni zami; yebo, phezu kwabangivukelayo wangiphakamisa, emuntwini wodlakela wangikhulula.
And you will exalt me above those who rise up against me. From the iniquitous man, you will rescue me.
49 Ngenxa yalokhu ngizakudumisa, Nkosi, phakathi kwezizwe, ngihlabelele ibizo lakho indumiso.
Because of this, O Lord, I will confess to you among the nations, and I will compose a psalm to your name:
50 Iyanika inkosi yayo usindiso olukhulu, isenzela ogcotshiweyo wayo umusa, kuDavida, lenzalweni yakhe kuze kube nininini.
magnifying the salvation of his king, and showing mercy to David, his Christ, and to his offspring, even for all time.
