18 I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
² Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;
    my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
³ I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised;
    and I am saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death surrounded me.
    The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
⁵ The cords of Sheol^[a] were around me.
    The snares of death came on me.
⁶ In my distress I called on Yahweh,
    and cried to my God.
He heard my voice out of his temple.
    My cry before him came into his ears.
⁷ Then the earth shook and trembled.
    The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken,
    because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke went out of his nostrils.
    Consuming fire came out of his mouth.
    Coals were kindled by it.
⁹ He bowed the heavens also, and came down.
    Thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub, and flew.
    Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him,
    darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
¹² At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,
    hailstones and coals of fire.
¹³ Yahweh also thundered in the sky.
    The Most High uttered his voice:
    hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴ He sent out his arrows, and scattered them.
    He routed them with great lightning bolts.
¹⁵ Then the channels of waters appeared.
    The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh,
    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
¹⁶ He sent from on high.
    He took me.
    He drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷ He delivered me from my strong enemy,
    from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁸ They came on me in the day of my calamity,
    but Yahweh was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out also into a large place.
    He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
²⁰ Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness.
    According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²² For all his ordinances were before me.
    I didn’t put away his statutes from me.
²³ I was also blameless with him.
    I kept myself from my iniquity.
²⁴ Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
²⁵ With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.
    With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
²⁶ With the pure, you will show yourself pure.
    With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
²⁷ For you will save the afflicted people,
    but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
²⁸ For you will light my lamp, Yahweh.
    My God will light up my darkness.
²⁹ For by you, I advance through a troop.
    By my God, I leap over a wall.
³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect.
    Yahweh’s word is tried.
    He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God, except Yahweh?
    Who is a rock, besides our God,
³²     the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
³³ He makes my feet like deer’s feet,
    and sets me on my high places.
³⁴ He teaches my hands to war,
    so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
    Your right hand sustains me.
    Your gentleness has made me great.
³⁶ You have enlarged my steps under me,
    My feet have not slipped.
³⁷ I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them.
    I won’t turn away until they are consumed.
³⁸ I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise.
    They shall fall under my feet.
³⁹ For you have armed me with strength to the battle.
    You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
⁴⁰ You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
    that I might cut off those who hate me.
⁴¹ They cried, but there was no one to save;
    even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.
⁴² Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind.
    I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
⁴³ You have delivered me from the strivings of the people.
    You have made me the head of the nations.
A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
⁴⁴     As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me.
    The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
⁴⁵ The foreigners shall fade away,
    and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
⁴⁶ Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock.
    Exalted be the God of my salvation,
⁴⁷ even the God who executes vengeance for me,
    and subdues peoples under me.
⁴⁸ He rescues me from my enemies.
    Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.
    You deliver me from the violent man.
⁴⁹ Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,
    and will sing praises to your name.
⁵⁰ He gives great deliverance to his king,
    and shows loving kindness to his anointed,
    to David and to his offspring,^[b] forever more.