Psalm 18

A Song of Victory

1 I love you, Lord. You are my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, my protection, my Savior. My God is my rock. I can run to him for safety. He is my shield and my saving strength, my defender.

3 I will call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I will be saved from my enemies.

4 The ropes of death came around me; the deadly rivers overwhelmed me.

5 The ropes of death wrapped around me. The traps of death were before me.

6 In my trouble I called to the Lord. I cried out to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; my call for help reached his ears.

7 The earth trembled and shook. The foundations of the mountains began to shake. They trembled because the Lord was angry.

8 Smoke came out of his nose, and burning fire came out of his mouth. Burning coals went before him.

9 He tore open the sky and came down with dark clouds under his feet.

10 He rode a creature with wings and flew. He raced on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his covering, his shelter around him, surrounded by fog and clouds.

12 Out of the brightness of his presence came clouds with hail and lightning.

13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the Most High raised his voice, and there was hail and lightning.

14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies. His many bolts of lightning confused them with fear.

15 Lord, you spoke strongly. The wind blew from your nose.
Then the valleys of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the earth were seen.

16 The Lord reached down from above and took me; he pulled me from the deep water.

17 He saved me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.

18 They attacked me at my time of trouble, but the Lord supported me.

19 He took me to a safe place. Because he delights in me, he saved me.

20 The Lord spared me because I did what was right. Because I have not done evil, he has rewarded me.

21 I have followed the ways of the Lord; I have not done evil by turning away from my God.

22 I remember all his laws and have not broken his rules.

23 I am innocent before him; I have kept myself from doing evil.

24 The Lord rewarded me because I did what was right, because I did what the Lord said was right.

25 Lord, you are loyal to those who are loyal, and you are good to those who are good.

26 You are pure to those who are pure, but you are against those who are bad.

27 You save the humble, but you bring down those who are proud.

28 Lord, you give light to my lamp. My God brightens the darkness around me.

29 With your help I can attack an army. With God’s help I can jump over a wall.

30 The ways of God are without fault. The Lord’s words are pure.
He is a shield to those who trust him.

31 Who is God? Only the Lord. Who is the Rock? Only our God.

32 God is my protection. He makes my way free from fault.

33 He makes me like a deer that does not stumble; he helps me stand on the steep mountains.

34 He trains my hands for battle so my arms can bend a bronze bow.

35 You protect me with your saving shield. You support me with your right hand. You have stooped to make me great.

36 You give me a better way to live, so I live as you want me to.

37 I chased my enemies and caught them. I did not quit until they were destroyed.

38 I crushed them so they couldn’t rise up again. They fell beneath my feet.

39 You gave me strength in battle. You made my enemies bow before me.

40 You made my enemies turn back, and I destroyed those who hated me.

41 They called for help, but no one came to save them.
They called to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

42 I beat my enemies into pieces, like dust in the wind. I poured them out like mud in the streets.

43 You saved me when the people attacked me. You made me the leader of nations. People I never knew serve me.

44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me. Foreigners obey me.

45 They all become afraid and tremble in their hiding places.

46 The Lord lives! May my Rock be praised. Praise the God who saves me!

47 God gives me victory over my enemies and brings people under my rule.

48 He saves me from my enemies.
You set me over those who hate me. You saved me from violent people.

49 So I will praise you, Lord, among the nations. I will sing praises to your name.
50 The Lord gives great victories to his king. He is loyal to his appointed king, to David and his descendants 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.