Psalms 18

The  Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, a the servant of the  Lord, b who addressed the words of this c song to the  Lord on the day when the  Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1  I love you, O  Lord, my strength.
 2 The  Lord is my d rock and my e fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my f rock, in g whom I take refuge,
my h shield, and i the horn of my salvation, my j stronghold.
 3 I call upon the  Lord, who is k worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
 4  l The cords of death encompassed me;
m the torrents of destruction assailed me; ▼
▼ Or terrified me

 5  o the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
 6  p In my distress I called upon the  Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his q temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
 7  Then the earth r reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
 8 Smoke went up from his nostrils ▼
▼ Or in his wrath

and devouring t fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
 9 He u bowed the heavens and v came down;
w thick darkness was under his feet.
 10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on x the wings of the wind.
 11 He made darkness his covering, his y canopy around him,
thick clouds z dark with water.
 12 Out of the brightness before him
aa hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
 13  The  Lord also ab thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his ac voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
 14 And he sent out his ad arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and ae routed them.
 15 Then af the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your ag rebuke, O  Lord,
at the blast of ah the breath of your nostrils.
 16  He ai sent from on high, he took me;
he aj drew me out of ak many waters.
 17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were al too mighty for me.
 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the  Lord was my support.
 19 He brought me out into am a broad place;
he rescued me, because he an delighted in me.
 20  The  Lord dealt with me ao according to my righteousness;
according to ap the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
 21 For I have aq kept the ways of the  Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
 22 For ar all his rules ▼
▼ Or just decrees
 were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
 23 I was at blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
 24 So the  Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
 25  With au the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
 26 with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with av the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
 27 For you save aw a humble people,
but ax the haughty eyes you bring down.
 28 For it is you who light my ay lamp;
the  Lord my God lightens my darkness.
 29 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can az leap over ba a wall.
 30 This God—his way is bb perfect; ▼
▼ Or blameless

the word of the  Lord bd proves true;
he is be a shield for all those who bf take refuge in him.
 31  For bg who is God, but the  Lord?
And who is bh a rock, except our God?—
 32 the God who bi equipped me with strength
and made my way bj blameless.
 33 He made my feet like the feet of a bk deer
and set me secure on bl the heights.
 34 He bm trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
 35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand bn supported me,
and your bo gentleness made me great.
 36 You bp gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
 37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
 38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
 39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
 40 You made my enemies bq turn their backs to me, ▼
▼ Or  You gave me my enemies’ necks

and those who hated me I destroyed.
 41  bs They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the  Lord, but he did not answer them.
 42 I beat them fine as bt dust before the wind;
I cast them out like bu the mire of the streets.
 43  You delivered me from bv strife with the people;
you made me bw the head of the nations;
bx people whom I had not known served me.
 44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
by foreigners bz came cringing to me.
 45  ca Foreigners lost heart
and cb came trembling out of their fortresses.
 46  The  Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
 47 the God who gave me vengeance
and cc subdued peoples under me,
 48 who delivered me from my enemies;
yes, you cd exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from ce the man of violence.
 49  cf For this I will praise you, O  Lord, among the nations,
and cg sing to your name.
 50 Great ch salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his ci anointed,
to cj David and his offspring forever.
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