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Psalm 18

1  I love you, O Lord my strength. ♦︎
   The Lord is my crag, my fortress and my deliverer,
2  My God, my rock in whom I take refuge, ♦︎
   my shield, the horn of my salvation and my stronghold.
3  I cried to the Lord in my anguish ♦︎
   and I was saved from my enemies.
4  The cords of death entwined me ♦︎
   and the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5  The cords of the Pit fastened about me ♦︎
   and the snares of death entangled me.
6  In my distress I called upon the Lord ♦︎
   and cried out to my God for help.
7  He heard my voice in his temple ♦︎
   and my cry came to his ears.
8  The earth trembled and quaked; ♦︎
   the foundations of the mountains shook;
      they reeled because he was angry.
9  Smoke rose from his nostrils
      and a consuming fire went out of his mouth; ♦︎
   burning coals blazed forth from him.
10  He parted the heavens and came down ♦︎
   and thick darkness was under his feet.
11  He rode upon the cherubim and flew; ♦︎
   he came flying on the wings of the wind.
12  He made darkness his covering round about him, ♦︎
   dark waters and thick clouds his pavilion.
13  From the brightness of his presence, through the clouds ♦︎
   burst hailstones and coals of fire.
14  The Lord also thundered out of heaven; ♦︎
   the Most High uttered his voice
      with hailstones and coals of fire.
15  He sent out his arrows and scattered them; ♦︎
   he hurled down lightnings and put them to flight.
16  The springs of the ocean were seen,
      and the foundations of the world uncovered ♦︎
   at your rebuke, O Lord,
      at the blast of the breath of your displeasure.
17  He reached down from on high and took me; ♦︎
   he drew me out of the mighty waters.
18  He delivered me from my strong enemy, ♦︎
   from foes that were too mighty for me.
19  They came upon me in the day of my trouble; ♦︎
   but the Lord was my upholder.
20  He brought me out into a place of liberty; ♦︎
   he rescued me because he delighted in me.

17 By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He who had received the promises was ready to offer up his only son, ¹⁸of whom he had been told, ‘It is through Isaac that descendants shall be named after you.’ ¹⁹He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. ²⁰By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau. ²¹By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, ‘bowing in worship over the top of his staff.’ ²²By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave instructions about his burial.^*

The Faith of Moses

23 By faith Moses was hidden by his parents for three months after his birth, because they saw that the child was beautiful; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.^{* 24}By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, ²⁵choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. ²⁶He considered abuse suffered for the Christ^* to be greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to the reward. ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, unafraid of the king’s anger; for he persevered as though^* he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.^*