Psalms 18

¹I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength.

²The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

³I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.

⁴The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.

⁵The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.

⁶In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even into his ears.

⁷Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.

⁸There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.

⁹The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.

¹⁰And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

¹²Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.

¹³The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.

¹⁴He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.

¹⁵Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.

¹⁶He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.

¹⁷He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.

¹⁸They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.

¹⁹He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.

²⁰The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.

²²For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.

²³And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.

²⁴Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.

²⁵On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;

²⁶He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.

²⁷For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.

²⁸You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.

²⁹By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him.

³¹For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?

³²God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.

³³He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.

³⁴He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.

³⁵You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.

³⁶You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.

³⁷I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.

³⁸I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.

³⁹For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.

⁴⁰By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.

⁴¹They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.

⁴²Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.

⁴³You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.

⁴⁴From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority.

⁴⁵They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.

⁴⁶The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.

⁴⁷It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.

⁴⁸He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.

⁴⁹Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.

⁵⁰Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.

Psalms 18

¹I love you, Lord, my strength.

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

³I call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on me.

⁶In my distress I called on the Lord, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.

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

⁸Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.

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

¹⁰He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

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

¹³The Lord also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.

¹⁵Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, 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 delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁸They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.

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

²⁰The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

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

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

²³I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁴Therefore the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

²⁵With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.

²⁶With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

²⁷For you will save the afflicted people, but the haughty eyes you will bring down.

²⁸For you will light my lamp, Lord. My God will light up my darkness.

²⁹For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God, except the Lord? Who is a rock, besides our God,

³²the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?

³³He makes my feet like deer's feet, and sets me on my high places.

³⁴He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁶You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.

³⁷I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. Neither will I turn again until they are consumed.

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

³⁹For you have girded me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴⁰You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

⁴¹They cried, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

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

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

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

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

⁴⁶The Lord lives; and blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,

⁴⁷even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.

⁴⁸He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.

⁵⁰He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, forevermore.