Psalm 18-21

Holman Christian Standard Bible

⁴ The ropes of death were wrapped around me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.^(G)
5 The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.^(H)
6 I called to the Lord in my distress,
and I cried to my God for help.
From His temple He heard my voice,^(I)
and my cry to Him reached His ears.^(J)

⁷ Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;^(K)
they shook because He burned with anger.
⁸ Smoke rose from His nostrils,
and consuming fire came from His mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.^[a](L)
9 He parted the heavens and came down,^(M)
a dark cloud beneath His feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.^(N)
11 He made darkness His hiding place,
dark storm clouds His canopy around Him.^(O)
12 From the radiance of His presence,^(P)
His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.
¹³ The Lord thundered from^[b] heaven;
the Most High projected His voice.^[c](Q)
14 He shot His arrows and scattered them;
He hurled^[d] lightning bolts and routed them.^(R)
15 The 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.^(S)

¹⁶ He reached down from heaven
and took hold of me;
He pulled me out of deep waters.^(T)
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.^(U)
18 They confronted me in the day of my distress,
but the Lord was my support.^(V)
19 He brought me out to a spacious place;^(W)
He rescued me because He delighted in me.^(X)

²⁰ The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness;^(Y)
He repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.^(Z)
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.^(AA)
22 Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind^[e]
and have not disregarded His statutes.^(AB)
23 I was blameless toward Him^(AC)
and kept myself from sinning.
²⁴ So the Lord repaid me
according to my righteousness,^(AD)
according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.^(AE)

²⁵ With the faithful
You prove Yourself faithful;
with the blameless man
You prove Yourself blameless;
²⁶ with the pure
You prove Yourself pure,
but with the crooked
You prove Yourself shrewd.^(AF)
27 For You rescue an afflicted people,^(AG)
but You humble those with haughty eyes.^(AH)
28 Lord, You light my lamp;
my God illuminates my darkness.^(AI)
29 With You I can attack a barrier,^[f]
and with my God I can leap over a wall.^(AJ)

³⁰ God—His way is perfect;^(AK)
the word of the Lord is pure.^(AL)
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.^(AM)
31 For who is God besides Yahweh?^(AN)
And who is a rock? Only our God.^(AO)
32 God—He clothes me with strength^(AP)
and makes my way perfect.
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer^(AQ)
and sets me securely on the heights.^[g](AR)
34 He trains my hands for war;^(AS)
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.^(AT)
35 You have given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand upholds me,^(AU)
and Your humility exalts me.
³⁶ You widen a place beneath me for my steps,^(AV)
and my ankles do not give way.^(AW)

³⁷ I pursue my enemies and overtake them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.^(AX)
38 I crush them, and they cannot get up;
they fall beneath my feet.^(AY)
39 You have clothed me with strength for battle;^(AZ)
You subdue my adversaries beneath me.^(BA)
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me;^[h](BB)
I annihilate those who hate me.^(BC)
41 They cry for help, but there is no one to save them^(BD)—
they cry to the Lord, but He does not answer them.^(BE)
42 I pulverize them like dust before the wind;^(BF)
I trample them^[i] like mud in the streets.^(BG)

⁴³ You have freed me from the feuds among the people;
You have appointed me the head of nations;^(BH)
a people I had not known serve me.^(BI)
44 Foreigners submit to me grudgingly;
as soon as they hear,^[j] they obey me.^(BJ)
45 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.^(BK)

⁴⁶ The Lord lives—may my rock be praised!
The God of my salvation is exalted.^(BL)
47 God—He gives me vengeance^(BM)
and subdues peoples under me.^(BN)
48 He frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my adversaries;
You rescue me from violent men.^(BO)
49 Therefore I will praise You, Yahweh, among the nations;
I will sing about Your name.^(BP)
50 He gives great victories to His king;^(BQ)
He shows loyalty to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.^(BR)

In the heavens^[n] He has pitched a tent for the sun.^(BU)
5 It is like a groom coming from the^[o] bridal chamber;
it rejoices like an athlete running a course.
⁶ It rises from one end of the heavens
and circles^[p] to their other end;^(BV)
nothing is hidden from its heat.

⁷ The instruction of the Lord is perfect,
renewing one’s life;^(BW)
the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy,
making the inexperienced wise.^(BX)
8 The precepts of the Lord are right,
making the heart glad;^(BY)
the command of the Lord is radiant,
making the eyes light up.^(BZ)
9 The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever;^(CA)
the ordinances of the Lord are reliable
and altogether righteous.^(CB)
10 They are more desirable than gold—
than an abundance of pure gold;^(CC)
and sweeter than honey,
which comes from the honeycomb.^(CD)
11 In addition, Your servant is warned by them;
there is great reward in keeping them.^(CE)

¹² Who perceives his unintentional sins?
Cleanse me from my hidden faults.^(CF)
13 Moreover, keep Your servant from willful sins;^(CG)
do not let them rule over me.^(CH)
Then I will be innocent
and cleansed from blatant rebellion.^(CI)
14 May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable to You,^(CJ)
Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.^(CK)

⁴ May He give you what your heart desires^(CP)
and fulfill your whole purpose.^(CQ)
5 Let us shout for joy at your victory^(CR)
and lift the banner in the name of our God.^(CS)
May Yahweh fulfill all your requests.^(CT)

⁶ Now I know that the Lord gives victory to His anointed;^(CU)
He will answer him from His holy heaven
with mighty victories from^[q] His right hand.^(CV)
7 Some take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but we take pride in the name of Yahweh our God.^(CW)
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand firm.^(CX)
9 Lord, give victory to the king!^(CY)
May He^[r] answer us on the day that we call.

⁸ Your hand will capture all your enemies;
your right hand will seize those who hate you.^(DI)
9 You will make them burn
like a fiery furnace when you appear;
the Lord will engulf them in His wrath,
and fire will devour them.^(DJ)
10 You will wipe their descendants from the earth
and their offspring from the human race.^(DK)
11 Though they intend to harm^[s] you
and devise a wicked plan, they will not prevail.^(DL)
12 Instead, you will put them to flight
when you aim your bow^[t] at their faces.^(DM)

¹³ Be exalted, Lord, in Your strength;
we will sing and praise Your might.^(DN)