Psalm 18

₁I love you, O Lord, my strength.

₂The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

₃I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

₄The cords of death encompassed me;

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

₅the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

₆In my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I cried for help.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

₇Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

₈Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

₉He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

₁₀He rode on a cherub and flew;

he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

₁₁He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,

thick clouds dark with water.

₁₂Out of the brightness before him

hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

₁₃The Lord also thundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his voice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

₁₄And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

₁₅Then the channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your rebuke, O Lord,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

₁₆He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

₁₇He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

₁₈They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the Lord was my support.

₁₉He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

₂₀The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

₂₁For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

₂₂For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

₂₃I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

₂₄So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

₂₅With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

₂₆with the purified you show yourself pure;

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

₂₇For you save a humble people,

but the haughty eyes you bring down.

₂₈For it is you who light my lamp;

the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

₂₉For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

₃₀This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

₃₁For who is God, but the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?—

₃₂the God who equipped me with strength

and made my way blameless.

₃₃He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

₃₄He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

₃₅You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great.

₃₆You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

₃₇I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

₃₈I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.

₃₉For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

₄₀You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

and those who hated me I destroyed.

₄₁They cried for help, but there was none to save;

they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

₄₂I beat them fine as dust before the wind;

I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

₄₃You delivered me from strife with the people;

you made me the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.

₄₄As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;

foreigners came cringing to me.

₄₅Foreigners lost heart

and came trembling out of their fortresses.

₄₆The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be the God of my salvation—

₄₇the God who gave me vengeance

and subdued peoples under me,

₄₈who delivered me from my enemies;

yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;

you rescued me from the man of violence.

₄₉For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,

and sing to your name.

₅₀Great salvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his anointed,

to David and his offspring forever.