Psalm 18:6–26
6 I called to the Lord in my distress,
and I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,aa
and my cry to him reached his ears.ab
7 Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;ac
they shook because he burned with anger.
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils,
and consuming fire came from his mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.I,ad
9 He bent the heavens and came down,ae
total darkness beneath his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.af
11 He made darkness his hiding place,
dark storm clouds his canopy around him.ag
12 From the radiance of his presence,ah
his clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.
13 The Lord thundered fromJ heaven;
the Most High made his voice heard.K,ai
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them;
he hurledL lightning bolts and routed them.aj
15 The depths of the sea became visible,
the foundations of the world were exposed,
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.a
16 He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
he pulled me out of deep water.b
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.c
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.d
19 He brought me out to a spacious place;e
he rescued me because he delighted in me.f
according to my righteousness;g
he repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.h
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.i
22 Indeed, I let all his ordinances guide meA
and have not disregarded his statutes.j
23 I was blameless toward himk
and kept myself from my iniquity.
according to my righteousness,l
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.m
you prove yourself faithful,
with the blameless
you prove yourself blameless,
you prove yourself pure,
but with the crooked
you prove yourself shrewd.n