Psalm 17–18

Psalm 17

A prayer of David.

1 Hear me,d Lord, my plea is just;

listen to my cry.e

Hearf my prayer—

it does not rise from deceitful lips.g

2 Let my vindicationh come from you;

may your eyes see what is right.i

3 Though you probe my heart,j

though you examine me at night and test me,k

you will find that I have planned no evil;l

my mouth has not transgressed.m

4 Though people tried to bribe me,

I have kept myself from the ways of the violent

through what your lips have commanded.

5 My steps have held to your paths;n

my feet have not stumbled.o

6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me;p

turn your ear to meq and hear my prayer.r

7 Show me the wonders of your great love,s

you who save by your right handt

those who take refugeu in you from their foes.

8 Keep mev as the apple of your eye;w

hide mex in the shadow of your wingsy

9 from the wicked who are out to destroy me,

from my mortal enemies who surround me.z

10 They close up their callous hearts,a

and their mouths speak with arrogance.b

11 They have tracked me down, they now surround me,c

with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground.

12 They are like a liond hungry for prey,e

like a fierce lion crouching in cover.

13 Rise up,f Lord, confront them, bring them down;g

with your sword rescue me from the wicked.

14 By your hand save me from such people, Lord,

from those of this worldh whose reward is in this life.i

May what you have stored up for the wicked fill their bellies;

may their children gorge themselves on it,

and may there be leftoversj for their little ones.

15 As for me, I will be vindicated and will see your face;

when I awake,k I will be satisfied with seeing your likeness.l

Psalm 18a

18:Title–50pp—2Sa 22:1–51

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1 I love you, Lord, my strength.m

2 The Lord is my rock,n my fortresso and my deliverer;p

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,q

my shieldb r and the hornc of my salvation,s my stronghold.

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

and I have been saved from my enemies.u

4 The cords of deathv entangled me;

the torrentsw of destruction overwhelmed me.

5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of deathx confronted me.

6 In my distressy I called to the Lord;z

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;a

my cry cameb before him, into his ears.

7 The earth trembledc and quaked,d

and the foundations of the mountains shook;e

they trembled because he was angry.f

8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;g

consuming fireh came from his mouth,

burning coalsi blazed out of it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down;j

dark cloudsk were under his feet.

10 He mounted the cherubiml and flew;

he soaredm on the wings of the wind.n

11 He made darkness his covering,o his canopyp around him—

the dark rain clouds of the sky.

12 Out of the brightness of his presenceq clouds advanced,

with hailstonesr and bolts of lightning.s

13 The Lord thunderedt from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded.d

14 He shot his arrowsu and scattered the enemy,

with great bolts of lightningv he routed them.w

15 The valleys of the sea were exposed

and the foundationsx of the earth laid bare

at your rebuke,y Lord,

at the blast of breath from your nostrils.z

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;

he drew me out of deep waters.a

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,b

from my foes, who were too strong for me.c

18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,d

but the Lord was my support.e

19 He brought me out into a spacious place;f

he rescued me because he delighted in me.g

20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;h

according to the cleanness of my handsi he has rewarded me.j

21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;k

I am not guilty of turningl from my God.

22 All his laws are before me;m

I have not turned away from his decrees.

23 I have been blamelessn before him

and have kept myself from sin.

24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,o

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithfulp you show yourself faithful,q

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

26 to the purer you show yourself pure,

but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.s

27 You save the humblet

but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.u

28 You, Lord, keep my lampv burning;

my God turns my darkness into light.w

29 With your helpx I can advance against a troope;

with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect:y

The Lord’s word is flawless;z

he shieldsa all who take refugeb in him.

31 For who is God besides the Lord?c

And who is the Rockd except our God?

32 It is God who arms me with strengthe

and keeps my way secure.f

33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;g

he causes me to stand on the heights.h

34 He trains my hands for battle;i

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35 You make your saving help my shield,

and your right hand sustainsj me;

your help has made me great.

36 You provide a broad pathk for my feet,

so that my ankles do not give way.l

37 I pursued my enemiesm and overtook them;

I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

38 I crushed themn so that they could not rise;o

they fell beneath my feet.p

39 You armed me with strengthq for battle;

you humbled my adversariesr before me.

40 You made my enemies turn their backss in flight,

and I destroyedt my foes.

41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save themu—

to the Lord, but he did not answer.v

42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;w

I trampled themf like mud in the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;

you have made me the head of nations.x

People I did not knowy now serve me,

44 foreignersz cower before me;

as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.

45 They all lose heart;a

they come tremblingb from their strongholds.c

46 The Lord lives!d Praise be to my Rock!e

Exalted be Godf my Savior!g

47 He is the God who avengesh me,

who subdues nationsi under me,

48 who savesj me from my enemies.k

You exalted me above my foes;

from a violent manl you rescued me.

49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;m

I will singn the praises of your name.o

50 He gives his king great victories;

he shows unfailing love to his anointed,p

to Davidq and to his descendants forever.r