‏ 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.