Psalms18

¹To 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 : I love you, O Lord, my strength .

²The 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 .

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

⁴The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;

⁵the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

⁶In 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 .

⁷Then the earth reeled and rocked ; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked , because he was angry .

⁸Smoke went up from his nostrils , and devouring fire from his mouth ; glowing coals flamed forth from him.

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

¹⁰He rode on a cherub and flew ; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind .

¹¹He made darkness his covering , his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water .

¹²Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds .

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

¹⁴And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

¹⁵Then 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 .

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

¹⁷He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for too mighty for me.

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

¹⁹He brought me out into a broad place ; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

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

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

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

²³I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt .

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

²⁵With the merciful you show yourself merciful ; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless ;

²⁶with the purified you show yourself pure ; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous .

²⁷For you save a humble people , but the haughty eyes you bring down .

²⁸For it is you who light my lamp ; the Lord my God lightens my darkness .

²⁹For by you I can run against a troop , and by my God I can leap over a wall .

³⁰This God —his way is perfect ; the word of the Lord proves true ; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God , but the Lord? And who is a rock , except our God ?—

³²the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless .

³³He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights .

³⁴He trains my hands for war , so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze .

³⁵You have given me the shield of your salvation , and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great .

³⁶You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip .

³⁷I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed .

³⁸I thrust them through , so that they were not able to rise ; they fell under my feet .

³⁹For you equipped me with strength for the battle ; you made those who rise against me sink under me.

⁴⁰You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed .

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

⁴²I beat them fine as dust before the wind ; I cast them out like the mire of the streets .

⁴³You delivered me from strife with the people ; you made me the head of the nations ; people whom I had not known served me.

⁴⁴As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.

⁴⁵Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses .

⁴⁶The Lord lives , and blessed be my rock , and exalted be the God of my salvation —

⁴⁷the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me,

⁴⁸who delivered me from my enemies ; yes , you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence .

⁴⁹For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations , and sing to your name .

⁵⁰Great salvation he brings to his king , and shows steadfast love to his anointed , to David and his offspring forever .