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David's Song of Victory[a] (A)

18 How I love you, Lord!
    You are my defender.

The Lord is my protector;
    he is my strong fortress.
My God is my protection,
    and with him I am safe.
He protects me like a shield;
    he defends me and keeps me safe.
I call to the Lord,
    and he saves me from my enemies.
Praise the Lord!

The danger of death was all around me;
    the waves of destruction rolled over me.
The danger of death was around me,
    and the grave set its trap for me.
In my trouble I called to the Lord;
    I called to my God for help.
In his temple he heard my voice;
    he listened to my cry for help.

Then the earth trembled and shook;
    the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered,
    because God was angry.
Smoke poured out of his nostrils,
    a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.
He tore the sky open and came down
    with a dark cloud under his feet.
10 He flew swiftly on his winged creature;[b]
    he traveled on the wings of the wind.
11 He covered himself with darkness;
    thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.
12 Hailstones and flashes of fire
    came from the lightning before him
    and broke through the dark clouds.

13 Then the Lord thundered from the sky;
    and the voice of the Most High was heard.[c]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies;
    with flashes of lightning he sent them running.
15 The floor of the ocean was laid bare,
    and the foundations of the earth were uncovered,
when you rebuked your enemies, Lord,
    and roared at them in anger.

16 The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me;
    he pulled me out of the deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemies
    and from all those who hate me—
    they were too strong for me.
18 When I was in trouble, they attacked me,
    but the Lord protected me.
19 He helped me out of danger;
    he saved me because he was pleased with me.

20 The Lord rewards me because I do what is right;
    he blesses me because I am innocent.
21 I have obeyed the law of the Lord;
    I have not turned away from my God.
22 I have observed all his laws;
    I have not disobeyed his commands.
23 He knows that I am faultless,
    that I have kept myself from doing wrong.
24 And so he rewards me because I do what is right,
    because he knows that I am innocent.

25 O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you;
    completely good to those who are perfect.
26 You are pure to those who are pure,
    but hostile to those who are wicked.
27 You save those who are humble,
    but you humble those who are proud.

28 O Lord, you give me light;
    you dispel my darkness.
29 You give me strength to attack my enemies
    and power to overcome their defenses.

30 This God—how perfect are his deeds!
    How dependable his words!
He is like a shield
    for all who seek his protection.
31 The Lord alone is God;
    God alone is our defense.
32 He is the God who makes me strong,
    who makes my pathway safe.
33 (B)He makes me sure-footed as a deer;
    he keeps me safe on the mountains.
34 He trains me for battle,
    so that I can use the strongest bow.

35 O Lord, you protect me and save me;
    your care has made me great,
    and your power has kept me safe.
36 You have kept me from being captured,
    and I have never fallen.
37 I pursue my enemies and catch them;
    I do not stop until I destroy them.
38 I strike them down, and they cannot rise;
    they lie defeated before me.
39 You give me strength for the battle
    and victory over my enemies.
40 You make my enemies run from me;
    I destroy those who hate me.
41 They cry for help, but no one saves them;
    they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.
42 I crush them, so that they become like dust
    which the wind blows away.
I trample on them like mud in the streets.

43 You saved me from a rebellious people
    and made me ruler over the nations;
    people I did not know have now become my subjects.
44 Foreigners bow before me;
    when they hear me, they obey.
45 They lose their courage
    and come trembling from their fortresses.

46 The Lord lives! Praise my defender!
    Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.
47 He gives me victory over my enemies;
    he subdues the nations under me
48     and saves me from my foes.

O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies
    and protect me from violent people.
49 (C)And so I praise you among the nations;
    I sing praises to you.

50 God gives great victories to his king;
    he shows constant love to the one he has chosen,
    to David and his descendants forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 18:1 HEBREW TITLE: The words that David, the Lord's servant, sang to the Lord on the day the Lord saved him from Saul and all his other enemies.
  2. Psalm 18:10 See Word List.
  3. Psalm 18:13 One ancient translation (and see 2 S 22.14) was heard; Hebrew was heard hailstones and flashes of fire.

God's Glory in Creation[a]

19 How clearly the sky reveals God's glory!
    How plainly it shows what he has done!
Each day announces it to the following day;
    each night repeats it to the next.
No speech or words are used,
    no sound is heard;
(A)yet their message[b] goes out to all the world
    and is heard to the ends of the earth.
God made a home in the sky for the sun;
    it comes out in the morning like a happy bridegroom,
    like an athlete eager to run a race.
It starts at one end of the sky
    and goes across to the other.
    Nothing can hide from its heat.

The Law of the Lord

The law of the Lord is perfect;
    it gives new strength.
The commands of the Lord are trustworthy,
    giving wisdom to those who lack it.
The laws of the Lord are right,
    and those who obey them are happy.
The commands of the Lord are just
    and give understanding to the mind.
Reverence for the Lord is good;
    it will continue forever.
The judgments of the Lord are just;
    they are always fair.
10 They are more desirable than the finest gold;
    they are sweeter than the purest honey.
11 They give knowledge to me, your servant;
    I am rewarded for obeying them.

12 None of us can see our own errors;
    deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults!
13 Keep me safe, also, from willful sins;
    don't let them rule over me.
Then I shall be perfect
    and free from the evil of sin.

14 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you,
    O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 19:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David.
  2. Psalm 19:4 Some ancient translations message; Hebrew line.

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm[a]

29 (A)Praise the Lord, you heavenly beings;
    praise his glory and power.
Praise the Lord's glorious name;
    bow down before the Holy One when he appears.[b]

The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas;
    the glorious God thunders,
    and his voice echoes over the ocean.
The voice of the Lord is heard
    in all its might and majesty.

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars,
    even the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes the mountains of Lebanon jump like calves
    and makes Mount Hermon leap like a young bull.

The voice of the Lord makes the lightning flash.
His voice makes the desert shake;
    he shakes the desert of Kadesh.
The Lord's voice shakes the oaks[c]
    and strips the leaves from the trees
    while everyone in his Temple shouts, “Glory to God!”

10 The Lord rules over the deep waters;
    he rules as king forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people
    and blesses them with peace.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 29:1 HEBREW TITLE: A psalm by David.
  2. Psalm 29:2 when he appears; or in garments of worship; or in his beautiful Temple.
  3. Psalm 29:9 Probable text shakes the oaks; Hebrew makes the deer give birth.

God the Supreme Ruler

97 The Lord is king! Earth, be glad!
    Rejoice, you islands of the seas!
Clouds and darkness surround him;
    he rules with righteousness and justice.
Fire goes in front of him
    and burns up his enemies around him.
His lightning lights up the world;
    the earth sees it and trembles.
The hills melt like wax before the Lord,
    before the Lord of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
    and all the nations see his glory.

Everyone who worships idols is put to shame;
    all the gods bow down[a] before the Lord.
The people of Zion are glad,
    and the cities of Judah rejoice
    because of your judgments, O Lord.
Lord Almighty, you are ruler of all the earth;
    you are much greater than all the gods.

10 The Lord loves those who hate evil;[b]
    he protects the lives of his people;
    he rescues them from the power of the wicked.
11 Light shines on the righteous,
    and gladness on the good.
12 All you that are righteous be glad
    because of what the Lord has done!
Remember what the holy God has done,
    and give thanks to him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 97:7 all the gods bow down; or bow down, all gods.
  2. Psalm 97:10 Probable text The Lord loves those who hate evil; Hebrew Hate evil, you who love the Lord.

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