Psalms 18

The Lord is my rock

I love you, Lord; you are my strength.a ²The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.b ³I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.c

⁴The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me. ⁵The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. ⁶But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I prayed to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry to him reached his ears.d

⁷Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the mountains shook; they quaked because of his anger. ⁸Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him. ⁹He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.

¹⁰Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. ¹¹He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dark rain clouds. ¹²Thick clouds shielded the brightness around him and rained down hail and burning coals.

¹³The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded amid the hail and burning coals. ¹⁴He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; great bolts of lightning flashed, and they were confused. ¹⁵Then at your command, O Lord, at the blast of your breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.

¹⁶He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.e ¹⁷He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. ¹⁸They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me.

¹⁹He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.f ²⁰The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence.g ²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.

²²I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. ²³I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. ²⁴The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.

²⁵To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.h ²⁶To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.i ²⁷You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud.

²⁸You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.j ²⁹In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.k ³⁰God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.l

³¹For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? ³²God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect.m ³³He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.n

³⁴He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.o ³⁵You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great.p ³⁶You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.

³⁷I chased my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until they were conquered. ³⁸I struck them down so they could not get up; they fell beneath my feet. ³⁹You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.q

⁴⁰You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me. ⁴¹They called for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer. ⁴²I ground them as fine as dust in the wind. I swept them into the gutter like dirt.

⁴³You gave me victory over my accusers. You appointed me ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me.r ⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me, they submit; foreign nations cringe before me. ⁴⁵They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May the God of my salvation be exalted! ⁴⁷He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he subdues the nations under me ⁴⁸and rescues me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.

⁴⁹For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.s ⁵⁰You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever.