Psalm 18:2–50

²The Lord is my rock,

my fortress, and my deliverer, ^t

my God, my mountain where I seek refuge,

my shield ^uand the horn of my salvation, ^v

my stronghold.

³I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, ^w

and I was saved from my enemies. ^x

⁴The ropes of death were wrapped around me;

the torrents of destruction terrified me. ^y

⁵The ropes of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me. ^z

⁶I called to the Lord in my distress,

and I cried to my God for help.

From His temple He heard my voice, ^a

and my cry to Him reached His ears. ^b

⁷Then the earth shook and quaked;

the foundations of the mountains trembled; ^c

they shook because He burned with anger.

⁸Smoke rose from His nostrils,

and consuming fire came from His mouth;

coals were set ablaze by it. ^de

⁹He parted the heavens and came down, ^f

a dark cloud beneath His feet.

¹⁰He rode on a cherub and flew,

soaring on the wings of the wind. ^g

¹¹He made darkness His hiding place,

dark storm clouds His canopy around Him. ^h

¹²From the radiance of His presence, ⁱ

His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.

¹³The Lord thundered from ^jheaven;

the Most High projected His voice. ^kl

¹⁴He shot His arrows and scattered them;

He hurled ^mlightning bolts and routed them. ⁿ

¹⁵The 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. ^o

¹⁶He reached down from heaven

and took hold of me;

He pulled me out of deep waters. ^p

¹⁷He rescued me from my powerful enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were too strong for me. ^q

¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my distress,

but the Lord was my support. ^r

¹⁹He brought me out to a spacious place; ^s

He rescued me because He delighted in me. ^t

²⁰The Lord rewarded me

according to my righteousness; ^u

He repaid me

according to the cleanness of my hands. ^v

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord

and have not turned from my God to wickedness. ^w

²²Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind ^x

and have not disregarded His statutes. ^y

²³I was blameless toward Him ^z

and kept myself from sinning.

²⁴So the Lord repaid me

according to my righteousness, ^a

according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. ^b

²⁵With the faithful

You prove Yourself faithful;

with the blameless man

You prove Yourself blameless;

²⁶with the pure

You prove Yourself pure,

but with the crooked

You prove Yourself shrewd. ^c

²⁷For You rescue an afflicted people, ^d

but You humble those with haughty eyes. ^e

²⁸Lord, You light my lamp;

my God illuminates my darkness. ^f

²⁹With You I can attack a barrier, ^g

and with my God I can leap over a wall. ^h

³⁰God—His way is perfect; ⁱ

the word of the Lord is pure. ^j

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. ^k

³¹For who is God besides Yahweh? ^l

And who is a rock? Only our God. ^m

³²God—He clothes me with strength ⁿ

and makes my way perfect.

³³He makes my feet like the feet of a deer ^o

and sets me securely on the heights. ^pq

³⁴He trains my hands for war; ^r

my arms can bend a bow of bronze. ^s

³⁵You have given me the shield of Your salvation;

Your right hand upholds me, ^t

and Your humility exalts me.

³⁶You widen a place beneath me for my steps, ^u

and my ankles do not give way. ^v

³⁷I pursue my enemies and overtake them;

I do not turn back until they are wiped out. ^w

³⁸I crush them, and they cannot get up;

they fall beneath my feet. ^x

³⁹You have clothed me with strength for battle; ^y

You subdue my adversaries beneath me. ^z

⁴⁰You have made my enemies retreat before me; ^ab

I annihilate those who hate me. ^c

⁴¹They cry for help, but there is no one to save them ^d—

they cry to the Lord, but He does not answer them. ^e

⁴²I pulverize them like dust before the wind; ^f

I trample them ^glike mud in the streets. ^h

⁴³You have freed me from the feuds among the people;

You have appointed me the head of nations; ⁱ

a people I had not known serve me. ^j

⁴⁴Foreigners submit to me grudgingly;

as soon as they hear, ^kthey obey me. ^l

⁴⁵Foreigners lose heart

and come trembling from their fortifications. ^m

⁴⁶The Lord lives—may my rock be praised!

The God of my salvation is exalted. ⁿ

⁴⁷God—He gives me vengeance ^o

and subdues peoples under me. ^p

⁴⁸He frees me from my enemies.

You exalt me above my adversaries;

You rescue me from violent men. ^q

⁴⁹Therefore I will praise You, Yahweh, among the nations;

I will sing about Your name. ^r

⁵⁰He gives great victories to His king; ^s

He shows loyalty to His anointed,

to David and his descendants forever. ^t