Psalm 18

The Voice

¹ I love You, Eternal One, source of my power.
² The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my salvation;
    He is my True God, the stronghold in which I hide,
    my strong shield, the horn that calls forth help, and my tall-walled tower.
³ I call out to the Eternal, who is worthy to be praised—
    that’s how I will be rescued from my enemies.

⁴ The bonds of death encircled me;
    the currents of destruction tugged at me;
⁵ The sorrows of the grave wrap around me;
    the traps of death lay in wait for me.

⁶ In my time of need, I called to the Eternal;
    I begged my True God for help.
He heard my voice echo up to His temple,
    and my cry came to His ears.

⁷ Because of His great anger, the earth shook and staggered;
    the roots of the mountains shifted.
⁸ Smoke poured out from His nose,
    and devouring fire burst from His mouth.
    Coals glowed from Him.
⁹ He bent the heavens and descended;
    inky darkness was beneath His feet.
¹⁰ He rode upon a heavenly creature,^[a] flying;
    He was carried quickly on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He took darkness as His hiding place—
    both the dark waters of the seas and the dark clouds of the sky.
¹² Out from His brilliance
    hailstones and burning coals
    broke through the clouds.
¹³ The Eternal thundered in the heavens;
    the Highest spoke; His voice rumbled [in the midst of hail and lightning].^[b]
14 He shot forth His arrows and scattered the wicked;
    He flung forth His lightning and struck them.
¹⁵ Then the deepest channels of the seas were visible,
    and the very foundations of the world were uncovered
At Your rebuke, O Eternal One,
    at the blast of wind from Your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down His hand from above me; He held me.
    He lifted me from the raging waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my strongest enemy,
    from all those who sought my death,
    for they were too strong.
¹⁸ They came for me in the day of my destruction,
    but the Eternal was the support of my life.
¹⁹ He set me down in a safe place;
    He saved me to His delight; He took joy in me.

²⁰ The Eternal One responded to me according to my goodness;
    I kept my hands clean, and He blessed me.
²¹ I kept the ways of the Eternal
    and have not walked away from my True God in wickedness.
²² All His laws were there before me,
    and I did not push His statutes away.
²³ I was blameless before Him;
    I kept myself from guilt and shame.
²⁴ That’s why the Eternal has rewarded me for my right living;
    He’s rewarded me because He saw my hands were clean.

²⁵ You are loyal to those who are loyal;
    with the innocent, You prove to be innocent;
²⁶ With the clean, You prove to be clean;
    and with the twisted, You make Yourself contrary.
²⁷ For You rescue humble people,
    but You bring the proud back in line.
²⁸ You are the lamp who lights my way;
    the Eternal, my God, lights up my darkness.
²⁹ With Your help, I can conquer an army;
    I can leap over walls with a helping hand from You.
³⁰ Everything God does is perfect;
    the promise of the Eternal rings true;
    He stands as a shield for all who hide in Him.

³¹ Who is the True God except the Eternal?
    Who stands like a rock except our God?
³² The True God who encircled me with strength
    and made my pathway straight.
³³ He made me sure-footed as a deer
    and placed me high up where I am safe.
³⁴ He teaches me to fight
    so that my arms can bend a bronze bow.
³⁵ You have shielded me with Your salvation,
    supporting me with Your strong right hand,
    and it makes me strong.
³⁶ You taught me how to walk with care
    so my feet will not slip.
³⁷ I chased my enemies and caught them
    and did not stop until they were destroyed.
³⁸ I broke them and threw them down beneath my feet,
    and they could not rise up again.
³⁹ For You equipped me for battle,
    and You made my enemies fall beneath me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn tail and run,
    and all who wanted my destruction, I destroyed.
⁴¹ They looked everywhere, but no one came to rescue them;
    they asked the Eternal, but He did not answer them.
⁴² I beat them to sand, to dust that blows in the wind;
    I flung them away like trash in the gutters.

⁴³ You rescued me from conflict with the peoples;
    You raised me up to rule over nations.
    People who did not know me have come to serve me.
⁴⁴ Strangers come to me, afraid.
    As soon as they hear about me, they serve me;
⁴⁵ Strangers who have lost heart
    come fearfully to me from behind their high walls.

⁴⁶ The Eternal is alive! My Rock is blessed,
    and exalted is the True God of my deliverance—
⁴⁷ The God who avenged me
    and placed the peoples under me,
⁴⁸ Who rescued me from all my foes.
    Truly, You raised me up above my enemies
    and saved me from the violent ones.

⁴⁹ For this I will praise You among the nations, O Eternal,
    and sing praises to Your name.
⁵⁰ He is a tower of salvation for His king
    and shows His enduring love to His anointed,
    to David and his descendants forever.