Psalm 18

Revised Standard Version

⁴ The cords of death encompassed me,
    the torrents of perdition assailed me;
⁵ the cords of Sheol entangled me,
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.

⁷ Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke went up from his nostrils,
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹ He bowed the heavens, and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub, and flew;
    he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering around him,
    his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
¹² Out of the brightness before him
    there broke through his clouds
    hailstones and coals of fire.
¹³ The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his voice,
    hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴ And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
¹⁵ Then the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare,
at thy rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached from on high, he took me,
    he drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷ He delivered me from my strong enemy,
    and from those who hated me;
    for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁸ They came upon me in the day of my calamity;
    but the Lord was my stay.
¹⁹ He brought me forth into a broad place;
    he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
    according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²² For all his ordinances were before me,
    and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²³ I was blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from guilt.
²⁴ Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ With the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal;
    with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless;
²⁶ with the pure thou dost show thyself pure;
    and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse.
²⁷ For thou dost deliver a humble people;
    but the haughty eyes thou dost bring down.
²⁸ Yea, thou dost light my lamp;
    the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
²⁹ Yea, by thee I can crush a troop;
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³⁰ This God—his way is perfect;
    the promise of the Lord proves true;
    he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

³¹ For who is God, but the Lord?
    And who is a rock, except our God?—
³² the God who girded me with strength,
    and made my way safe.
³³ He made my feet like hinds’ feet,
    and set me secure on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation,
    and thy right hand supported me,
    and thy help^[a] made me great.
³⁶ Thou didst give 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 thou didst gird me with strength for the battle;
    thou didst make my assailants sink under me.
⁴⁰ Thou didst make my enemies turn their backs to me,
    and those who hated me I destroyed.
⁴¹ 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 dust before the wind;
    I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

⁴³ Thou didst deliver me from strife with the peoples;^[b]
    thou didst make me the head of the nations;
    people whom I had not known served me.
⁴⁴ As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
    foreigners came cringing to me.
⁴⁵ Foreigners lost heart,
    and came trembling out of their fastnesses.

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 subdued peoples under me;
⁴⁸ who delivered me from my enemies;
    yea, thou didst exalt me above my adversaries;
    thou didst deliver me from men of violence.

⁴⁹ For this I will extol thee, O Lord, among the nations,
    and sing praises to thy name.
⁵⁰ Great triumphs he gives to his king,
    and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
    to David and his descendants for ever.