Psalms 18

¹I love thee, O LORD, my strength!

²Jehovah is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I trust; My shield, my strong defence, and my high tower.

³I called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And was delivered from my enemies.

⁴The snares of death encompassed me; The floods of destruction filled me with dismay;

⁵The snares of the underworld surrounded me, And the nets of death seized upon me.

⁶In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried unto my God; He heard my voice from his palace, And my cry came before him into his ears.

⁷Then the earth quaked and trembled; The foundations of the mountains rocked and were shaken, Because his wrath was kindled.

⁸A smoke went up from his nostrils, And fire from his mouth devoured; Burning coals shot forth from him.

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

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

¹¹And he made darkness his covering; His pavilion round about him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

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

¹³The LORD also thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered his voice, Amid hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴He sent forth his arrows, and scattered them; Continual lightnings, and discomfited them.

¹⁵Then the channels of the deep were seen, And the foundations of the earth were laid bare At thy rebuke, O LORD! At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

¹⁶He stretched forth his hand from above; he took me, And drew me out of deep waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy; From my adversaries, who were too powerful for me.

¹⁸They fell upon me in the day of my calamity; But the LORD was my stay.

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

²⁰The LORD hath rewarded me according to my righteous; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

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

²²For all his laws were in my sight; I did not put away his statutes from me.

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

²⁴Therefore hath the LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.

²⁵To the merciful thou showest thyself merciful; To the upright thou showest thyself upright;

²⁶To the pure thou showest thyself pure, And to the perverse thou showest thyself perverse.

²⁷For thou savest the afflicted people, But the haughty countenance thou bringest down.

²⁸Thou causest my lamp to shine; Jehovah, my God, enlighteneth my darkness.

²⁹For through thee I have broken through troops; Through my God I have leaped over walls.

³⁰The ways of God are just and true; His word is pure, tried in the fire; He is a shield to all who put their trust in him.

³¹Who, then, is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God?

³²It is God that girded me with strength, And made my way plain.

³³He made my feet like the hind’s, And set me in my high places;

³⁴He taught my hands to war, So that my arm bent the bow of brass.

³⁵Thou gavest me the shield of thy protection; Thy right hand held me up, And thy goodness made me great.

³⁶Thou didst make a wide path for my steps, So that my feet did not stumble.

³⁷I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And turned not back till I had destroyed them.

³⁸I smote them, so that they could not rise; They fell under my feet.

³⁹Thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; Thou didst cast down my adversaries under me.

⁴⁰Thou didst cause my enemies to turn their backs, So that I destroyed them that hated me.

⁴¹They cried, but there was none to help; To Jehovah, but he answered them not.

⁴²I beat them small, like dust before the wind; I cast them out as the dirt of the streets.

⁴³Thou hast delivered me from the assaults of the nations; Thou hast made me the head of the kingdoms. Nations whom I knew not serve me;

⁴⁴They who have only heard of me obey me; Yea, men of a strange land submit themselves to me;

⁴⁵Men of a strange land fade away, like a leaf, And come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶Jehovah is the living God; blessed be my rock; Exalted be the God of my salvation!

⁴⁷It is God who hath given me vengeance, And subdued the nations under me;

⁴⁸He delivered me from my enemies; Yea, thou hast lifted me up above my adversaries; Thou hast saved me from the violent man!

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to thee, O LORD! among the nations, And sing praises to thy name.

⁵⁰Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth mercy to his anointed,—To David and to his posterity for ever.

Psalms 18

¹I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

²The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

³I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

⁴The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

⁵The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

⁶In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

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

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

¹⁰And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

¹²At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

¹³The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

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

¹⁵Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

¹⁶He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

¹⁸They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

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

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

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

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

²³I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

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

²⁵With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

²⁶With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

²⁷For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

²⁸For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

²⁹For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

³¹For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

³²It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

³³He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

³⁴He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

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

³⁶Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

³⁷I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

³⁸I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

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

⁴⁰Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

⁴¹They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.

⁴²Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

⁴³Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

⁴⁵The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

⁴⁶The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

⁴⁷It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

⁴⁸He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

⁵⁰Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.