Psalm 18:1–50

¹I love you, Lord, my strength.^m

²The Lord is my rock,ⁿ my fortress^o and my deliverer;^p

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

my shield^br and the horn^c of my salvation,^s my stronghold.

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

and I have been saved from my enemies.^u

⁴The cords of death^v entangled me;

the torrents^w of destruction overwhelmed me.

⁵The cords of the grave coiled around me;

the snares of death^x confronted me.

⁶In my distress^y I called to the Lord;^z

I cried to my God for help.

From his temple he heard my voice;^a

my cry came^b before him, into his ears.

⁷The earth trembled^c and quaked,^d

and the foundations of the mountains shook;^e

they trembled because he was angry.^f

⁸Smoke rose from his nostrils;^g

consuming fire^h came from his mouth,

burning coalsⁱ blazed out of it.

⁹He parted the heavens and came down;^j

dark clouds^k were under his feet.

¹⁰He mounted the cherubim^l and flew;

he soared^m on the wings of the wind.ⁿ

¹¹He made darkness his covering,^o his canopy^p around him—

the dark rain clouds of the sky.

¹²Out of the brightness of his presence^q clouds advanced,

with hailstones^r and bolts of lightning.^s

¹³The Lord thundered^t from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded.^d

¹⁴He shot his arrows^u and scattered the enemy,

with great bolts of lightning^v he routed them.^w

¹⁵The valleys of the sea were exposed

and the foundations^x of the earth laid bare

at your rebuke,^y Lord,

at the blast of breath from your nostrils.^z

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

he drew me out of deep waters.^a

¹⁷He rescued me from my powerful enemy,^b

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

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

but the Lord was my support.^e

¹⁹He brought me out into a spacious place;^f

he rescued me because he delighted in me.^g

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

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

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

I am not guilty of turning^l from my God.

²²All his laws are before me;^m

I have not turned away from his decrees.

²³I have been blamelessⁿ before him

and have kept myself from sin.

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

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵To the faithful^p you show yourself faithful,^q

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

²⁶to the pure^r you show yourself pure,

but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^s

²⁷You save the humble^t

but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.^u

²⁸You, Lord, keep my lamp^v burning;

my God turns my darkness into light.^w

²⁹With your help^x I can advance against a troop^e;

with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect:^y

The Lord’s word is flawless;^z

he shields^a all who take refuge^b in him.

³¹For who is God besides the Lord?^c

And who is the Rock^d except our God?

³²It is God who arms me with strength^e

and keeps my way secure.^f

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

he causes me to stand on the heights.^h

³⁴He trains my hands for battle;ⁱ

my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁵You make your saving help my shield,

and your right hand sustains^j me;

your help has made me great.

³⁶You provide a broad path^k for my feet,

so that my ankles do not give way.^l

³⁷I pursued my enemies^m and overtook them;

I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

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

they fell beneath my feet.^p

³⁹You armed me with strength^q for battle;

you humbled my adversaries^r before me.

⁴⁰You made my enemies turn their backs^s in flight,

and I destroyed^t my foes.

⁴¹They cried for help, but there was no one to save them^u—

to the Lord, but he did not answer.^v

⁴²I beat them as fine as windblown dust;^w

I trampled them^f like mud in the streets.

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

you have made me the head of nations.^x

People I did not know^y now serve me,

⁴⁴foreigners^z cower before me;

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

⁴⁵They all lose heart;^a

they come trembling^b from their strongholds.^c

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

Exalted be God^f my Savior!^g

⁴⁷He is the God who avenges^h me,

who subdues nationsⁱ under me,

⁴⁸who saves^j me from my enemies.^k

You exalted me above my foes;

from a violent man^l you rescued me.

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

I will singⁿ the praises of your name.^o

⁵⁰He gives his king great victories;

he shows unfailing love to his anointed,^p

to David^q and to his descendants forever.^r