Psalms 18
18
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1 #
2 Sam 22.2-51. I love thee, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4The cords of death encompassed me,
the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5the cords of Sheol entangled me,
the snares of death confronted me.
6In 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.
7Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He bowed the heavens, and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub, and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.
13The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
15Then 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.
16He reached from on high, he took me,
he drew me out of many waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me;
for they were too mighty for me.
18They came upon me in the day of my calamity;
but the Lord was my stay.
19He brought me forth into a broad place;
he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all his ordinances were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25With the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal;
with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless;
26with the pure thou dost show thyself pure;
and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse.
27For thou dost deliver a humble people;
but the haughty eyes thou dost bring down.
28Yea, thou dost light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29Yea, by thee I can crush a troop;
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
31For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?—
32the God who girded me with strength,
and made my way safe.
33He made my feet like hinds' feet,
and set me secure on the heights.
34He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation,
and thy right hand supported me,
and thy help#18.35 Or gentleness made me great.
36Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39For thou didst gird me with strength for the battle;
thou didst make my assailants sink under me.
40Thou didst make my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41They cried for help, but there was none to save,
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43Thou didst deliver me from strife with the peoples;#18.43 Gk Tg: Heb people
thou didst make me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45Foreigners lost heart,
and came trembling out of their fastnesses.
46The Lord lives; and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me;
48who delivered me from my enemies;
yea, thou didst exalt me above my adversaries;
thou didst deliver me from men of violence.
49 #
Rom 15.9. For this I will extol thee, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to thy name.
50Great triumphs he gives to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants for ever.
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Psalms 18: RSV
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Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America