Psalm 18

The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1  I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2  The 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.
3  I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4  The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;t
5  the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6  In 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.

7  Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8  Smoke went up from his nostrils,t
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9  He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10  He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11  He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12  Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13  The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14  And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15  Then 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.

16  He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17  He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18  They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19  He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20  The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21  For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22  For all his rulest were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23  I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24  So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25  With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26  with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27  For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28  For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29  For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30  This God—his way is perfect;t
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31  For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32  the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
33  He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
34  He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35  You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
36  You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37  I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38  I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39  For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40  You made my enemies turn their backs to me,t
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41  They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42  I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43  You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44  As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45  Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

46  The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47  the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48  who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.

49  For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50  Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Psalm 18

1 I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.

2 Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

3 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

4 The cords of death compassed me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5 The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me.

6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah, And cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry before him came into his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations also of the mountains quaked And were shaken, because he was wroth.

8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And thick darkness was under his feet.

10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, Hailstones and coals of fire.

13 Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered his voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.

14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.

15 Then the channels of waters appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare, At thy rebuke, O Jehovah, At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me; He drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay.

19 He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20 Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all his ordinances were before me, And I put not away his statutes from me.

23 I was also perfect with him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity.

24 Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

25 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;

26 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.

27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.

28 For thou wilt light my lamp: Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.

29 For by thee I run upon a troop; And by my God do I leap over a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.

31 For who is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, besides our God,

32 The God that girdeth me with strength, And maketh my way perfect?

33 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: And setteth me upon my high places.

34 He teacheth my hands to war; So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.

35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; And thy right hand hath holden me up, And thy gentleness hath made me great.

36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.

37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.

38 I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise: They shall fall under my feet.

39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, That I might cut off them that hate me.

41 They cried, but there was none to save; Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.

42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; Thou hast made me the head of the nations: A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me; The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me.

45 The foreigners shall fade away, And shall come trembling out of their close places.

46 Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation,

47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, And subdueth peoples under me.

48 He rescueth me from mine enemies; Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me from the violent man.

49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations, And will sing praises unto thy name.

50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed, To David and to his seed, for evermore.