Part I.

M Y heart on Thee is fix'd, my Strength, my Pow'r,
My stedfast Rock, my Fortress, my high Tow'r,
My God, my Safety, and my Confidence,
The Horn of my salvation, my Defence.
My songs shall Thy deserved praise resound;
For at my pray'rs Thou wilt my foes confound.
Sorrows of death on ev'ry side assail'd,
And dreadful floods of impious men prevail'd;
Sorrows of hell my compass'd soul dismay'd,
And to entrap me deadly snares were laid.
In this distress I cried, and call'd upon
The Lord, Who heard me from His holy throne.
He trembling earth in His fierce anger strook;
Th' unfixed roots of airy mountains shook;
Smoke from His nostrils flew, devouring fire
Brake from His mouth, coals kindled by His ire.
In His descent bow'd heaven with earth did meet
And gloomy darkness roll'd beneath His feet,
A golden-winged cherubin bestrid,
And on the swiftly flying tempest rid.

Part II.

He darkness made His secret cabinet,
Thick fogs and dropping clouds about Him set;
The beams of His bright presence these expell,
Whence show'rs of burning coals and hailstones fell.
From troubled skies loud claps of thunder brake,
In hail and darting flames th' Almighty spake;
Whose arrows my amazed foes subdue,
And at their scatter'd troops His lightning threw.
The ocean could not his deep bottom hide,
The world's conceal'd foundations were descri'd
At Thy rebuke, Jehovah; at the blast
Ev'n of the breath which through Thy nostrils past.
He with extended arms His servant saves,
And drew me sinking from th' enraged waves;
From my proud foes by His assistance freed,
Who swoln with hate no less in strength exceed.
Without His aid I in that stormy day
Of my affliction had become their prey;
Who from those straits of danger by His might
Enlarg'd my soul, for I was His delight.

Part III.

The Lord, according to my innocence
And justice, did His saving grace dispense;
The narrow path by Him prescrib'd I took,
Nor like the wicked my great God forsook.
For all His judgments were before mine eyes,
I with His statutes daily did advise,
And ever walk'd before Him, void of guile;
No act or purpose did my soul defile.
For this He recompens'd my righteousness
And crown'd my innocence with fair success.
The merciful shall flourish in Thy grace,
Thy righteousness the righteous shall embrace;
Thou to the pure Thy purity wilt show,
And the perverse shall Thy averseness know.
For Thou wilt Thy afflicted people save,
The proud cast down, down to the greedy grave.
Thou, Lord, wilt make my taper to shine bright,
And clear my darkness with celestial light.
Through Thee I have against a host prevail'd,
And by Thy aid a lofty bulwark scal'd.

Part IV.

God's path is perfect, all His words are just;
A shield to those that in His promise trust.
What God is there in heav'n or earth but ours?
What rock but He against assailing pow'rs?
He breath'd new strength and courage in the day
Of battle, and securely clear'd my way.
He makes my feet outstrip the nimble hind,
Up to the mountains where I safety find.
'Tis He that teacheth my weak hands to fight,
A bow of steel is broken by their might.
Thou didst Thy ample shield before me set,
Thy arm upheld, Thy favour made me great.
The passage of my steps on ev'ry side,
Thou hast enlarged, lest my feet should slide.
I follow'd, overtook, nor made retreat,
Until victorious in my foes' defeat;
So charg'd with wounds that they no longer stood,
But at my feet lay bathed in their blood.
Thou arm'st me with prevailing fortitude,
And all that rose against me hast subdued;
Their stubborn necks subjected to my will,
That I their blood, who hate my soul, might spill.
They cried aloud, but found no succour near;
To Thee, Jehovah, but Thou wouldst not hear.

Part V.

I pounded them like dust, which whirlwinds raise;
Trod under-foot as dirt in beaten ways;
From popular fury Thou hast set me free,
Among the heathen hast exalted me,
Whom unknown nations serve; as soon obey
As hear of me, and yield unto my sway.
The stranger-born, beset with horror, fled,
And in their close retreats betray their dread.
O praise the living Lord, the Rock whereon
I build, the God of my salvation!
'Tis He who rights my wrongs; the people bends
To my subjection; from my foe defends.
Thou raisest me above their proud control,
And from the violent man hast freed my soul;
The heathen shall admire my thankfulness,
My songs shall Thy immortal praise express.
A great and manifold deliverance
God gives His king; His mercy doth advance
In His Anointed, and will show'r His grace
Eternally on David and his race.