Psalm 18

1 For the choir director; by David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord when the Lord rescued him from all his enemies, especially from Saul. He said, I love you, O Lord, my strength.2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my Savior,my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,my shield, and the strength of my salvation,my stronghold.3 The Lord should be praised.I called on him, and I was saved from my enemies.4 The ropes of death had become tangled around me.The torrents of destruction had overwhelmed me.5 The ropes of the grave had surrounded me.The clutches of death had confronted me.6 I called on the Lord in my distress.I cried to my God for help.He heard my voice from his temple,and my cry for help reached his ears.7 Then the earth shook and quaked.Even the foundations of the mountains trembled.They shook violently because he was angry.8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,and a raging fire came out of his mouth.Glowing coals flared up from it.9 He spread apart the heavensand came down with a dark cloud under his feet.10 He rode on one of the angelst as he flew,and he soared on the wings of the wind.11 He made the darkness his hiding place,the dark rain clouds his covering.12 Out of the brightness in front of him,those rain clouds passed by with hailstones and lightning.13 The Lord thundered in the heavens.The Most High made his voice heard with hailstones and lightning.14 He shot his arrows and scattered them.He flashed streaks of lightning and threw them into confusion.15 Then the ocean floor could be seen.The foundations of the earth were laid bareat your stern warning, O Lord,at the blast of the breath from your nostrils.16 He reached down from high above and took hold of me.He pulled me out of the raging water.17 He rescued me from my strong enemyand from those who hated me,because they were too strong for me.18 On the day when I faced disaster, they confronted me,but the Lord came to my defense.19 He brought me out to a wide-open place.He rescued me because he was pleased with me.20 The Lord rewarded mebecause of my righteousness,because my hands are clean.He paid me back21 because I have kept the ways of the Lordand I have not wickedly turned away from my God,22 because all his judgments are in front of meand I have not turned away from his laws.23 I was innocent as far as he was concerned.I have kept myself from guilt.24 The Lord paid me backbecause of my righteousness,because he can see that my hands are clean.25 In dealing with faithful people you are faithful,with innocent people you are innocent,26 with pure people you are pure.In dealing with devious people you are clever.27 You save humble people,but you bring down a conceited look.28 O Lord, you light my lamp.My God turns my darkness into light.29 With you I can attack a line of soldiers.With my God I can break through barricades.30 God’s way is perfect!The promise of the Lord has proven to be true.He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.31 Who is God but the Lord?Who is a rock except our God?32 God arms me with strengthand makes my way perfect.33 He makes my feet like those of a deerand gives me sure footing on high places.34 He trains my hands for battleso that my arms can bend an archer’s bow of bronze.35 You have given me the shield of your salvation.Your right hand supports me.Your gentleness makes me great.36 You make a wide path for me to walk onso that my feet do not slip.37 I chased my enemies and caught up with them.I did not return until I had ended their lives.38 I wounded them so badly that they were unable to get up.They fell under my feet.39 You armed me with strength for battle.You made my opponents bow at my feet.40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,and I destroyed those who hated me.41 They cried out for help, but there was no one to save them.They cried out to the Lord, but he did not answer them.42 I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust blown by the wind.I threw them out as though they were dirt on the streets.43 You rescued me from my conflicts with the people.You made me the leader of nations.A people I did not know will serve me:44 As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me.Foreigners will cringe in front of me.45 Foreigners will lose heart,and they will tremble when they come out of their fortifications.46 The Lord lives!Thanks be to my rock!May God my Savior be honored.47 God gives me vengeance!He brings people under my authority.48 He saves me from my enemies.You lift me up above my opponents.You rescue me from violent people.49 That is why I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nationsand make music to praise your name.50 He gives great victories to his king.He shows mercy to his anointed,to David, and to his descendantt 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.