Psalm 18–19

Psalm 18^a

For the choir director; by David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord when the Lord rescued him from all his enemies, especially from Saul. He said, 

¹I love you, O Lord, my strength. 

²The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my Savior, 

my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, 

my shield, and the strength of my salvation, 

my stronghold. 

³The Lord should be praised. 

I called on him, and I was saved from my enemies. 

⁴The ropes of death had become tangled around me. 

The torrents of destruction had overwhelmed me. 

⁵The ropes of the grave had surrounded me. 

The clutches of death had confronted me. 

⁶I called on the Lord in my distress. 

I cried to my God for help. 

He heard my voice from his temple, 

and my cry for help reached his ears. 

⁷Then the earth shook and quaked. 

Even the foundations of the mountains trembled. 

They shook violently because he was angry. 

⁸Smoke went up from his nostrils, 

and a raging fire came out of his mouth. 

Glowing coals flared up from it. 

⁹He spread apart the heavens 

and came down with a dark cloud under his feet. 

¹⁰He rode on one of the angels^bas he flew, 

and he soared on the wings of the wind. 

¹¹He made the darkness his hiding place, 

the dark rain clouds his covering. 

¹²Out of the brightness in front of him, 

those rain clouds passed by with hailstones and lightning. 

¹³The Lord thundered in the heavens. 

The Most High made his voice heard with hailstones and lightning. 

¹⁴He shot his arrows and scattered them. 

He flashed streaks of lightning and threw them into confusion. 

¹⁵Then the ocean floor could be seen. 

The foundations of the earth were laid bare 

at your stern warning, O Lord, 

at the blast of the breath from your nostrils. 

¹⁶He reached down from high above and took hold of me. 

He pulled me out of the raging water. 

¹⁷He rescued me from my strong enemy 

and from those who hated me, 

because they were too strong for me. 

¹⁸On the day when I faced disaster, they confronted me, 

but the Lord came to my defense. 

¹⁹He brought me out to a wide-open place. 

He rescued me because he was pleased with me. 

²⁰The Lord rewarded me 

because of my righteousness, 

because my hands are clean. 

He paid me back 

²¹because I have kept the ways of the Lord 

and I have not wickedly turned away from my God, 

²²because all his judgments are in front of me 

and I have not turned away from his laws. 

²³I was innocent as far as he was concerned. 

I have kept myself from guilt. 

²⁴The Lord paid me back 

because of my righteousness, 

because he can see that my hands are clean. 

²⁵⸤In dealing⸥ with faithful people you are faithful, 

with innocent people you are innocent, 

²⁶with pure people you are pure. 

⸤In dealing⸥ with devious people you are clever. 

²⁷You save humble people, 

but you bring down a conceited look. 

²⁸O Lord, you light my lamp. 

My God turns my darkness into light. 

²⁹With you I can attack a line of soldiers. 

With my God I can break through barricades. 

³⁰God’s way is perfect! 

The promise of the Lord has proven to be true. 

He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. 

³¹Who is God but the Lord? 

Who is a rock except our God? 

³²God arms me with strength 

and makes my way perfect. 

³³He makes my feet like those of a deer 

and gives me sure footing on high places. 

³⁴He trains my hands for battle 

so that my arms can bend an ⸤archer’s⸥ bow of bronze. 

³⁵You have given me the shield of your salvation. 

Your right hand supports me. 

Your gentleness makes me great. 

³⁶You make a wide path for me to walk on 

so that my feet do not slip. 

³⁷I chased my enemies and caught up with them. 

I did not return until I had ended their lives. 

³⁸I wounded them so badly that they were unable to get up. 

They fell under my feet. 

³⁹You armed me with strength for battle. 

You made my opponents bow at my feet. 

⁴⁰You made my enemies turn their backs to me, 

and I destroyed those who hated me. 

⁴¹They cried out for help, but there was no one to save them. 

They cried out to the Lord, but he did not answer them. 

⁴²I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust blown by the wind. 

I threw them out as though they were dirt on the streets. 

⁴³You rescued me from my conflicts with the people. 

You made me the leader of nations. 

A people I did not know will serve me: 

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me. 

Foreigners will cringe in front of me. 

⁴⁵Foreigners will lose heart, 

and they will tremble when they come out of their fortifications. 

⁴⁶The Lord lives! 

Thanks be to my rock! 

May God my Savior be honored. 

⁴⁷God gives me vengeance! 

He brings people under my authority. 

⁴⁸He saves me from my enemies. 

You lift me up above my opponents. 

You rescue me from violent people. 

⁴⁹That is why I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nations 

and make music to praise your name. 

⁵⁰He gives great victories to his king. 

He shows mercy to his anointed, 

to David, and to his descendant^cforever. 

Psalm 19

For the choir director; a psalm by David. 

¹The heavens declare the glory of God, 

and the sky displays what his hands have made. 

²One day tells a story to the next. 

One night shares knowledge with the next 

³without talking, 

without words, 

without their voices being heard. 

⁴⸤Yet,⸥ their sound has gone out into the entire world, 

their message to the ends of the earth. 

He has set up a tent in the heavens for the sun, 

⁵which comes out of its chamber like a bridegroom. 

Like a champion, it is eager to run its course. 

⁶It rises from one end of the heavens. 

It circles around to the other. 

Nothing is hidden from its heat. 

⁷The teachings of the Lord are perfect. 

They renew the soul. 

The testimony of the Lord is dependable. 

It makes gullible people wise. 

⁸The instructions of the Lord are correct. 

They make the heart rejoice. 

The command of the Lord is radiant. 

It makes the eyes shine. 

⁹The fear of the Lord is pure. 

It endures forever. 

The decisions of the Lord are true. 

They are completely fair. 

¹⁰They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. 

They are sweeter than honey, even the drippings from a honeycomb. 

¹¹As your servant I am warned by them. 

There is a great reward in following them. 

¹²Who can notice every mistake? 

Forgive my hidden faults. 

¹³Keep me from sinning. 

Do not let anyone gain control over me. 

Then I will be blameless, 

and I will be free from any great offense. 

¹⁴May the words from my mouth and the thoughts from my heart 

be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my defender.