Psalm 18
I love you, O Lord my strength
: O Lord my crag, my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, the rock to which I come for refuge
: my shield, my mighty saviour, and my high defence.
I called to the Lord with loud lamentation
: and I was rescued from my enemies.
The waves of death encompassed me
: and the floods of chaos overwhelmed me;
The cords of the grave tightened about me
: and the snares of death lay in my path.
In my anguish I called to the Lord
: I cried for help to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice
: and my cry came even to his ears.
The earth heaved and quaked,
the foundations of the hills were shaken
: they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke went out from his nostrils
: and a consuming fire from his mouth.
He parted the heavens and came down
: and there was darkness under his feet.
He rode upon the cherubim and flew
: he came swooping upon the wings of the wind.
He made the darkness his covering
: and his canopy was thick cloud and watery darkness.
Out of his clouds, from the brightness before him
: broke hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord thundered in the heavens
: the Most High uttered his voice.
He let loose his arrows, he scattered them on every side
: he hurled down lightnings with the roar of the thunderbolt.
The springs of the sea were uncovered
: and the foundations of the world laid bare,
At your rebuke, O Lord
: at the blast of the breath of your displeasure.
He reached down from on high and took me
: he drew me out of the great waters.
He delivered me from my strongest enemy
: from my foes that were mightier than I.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity
: but the Lord was my upholder.
He brought me out into a place of liberty
: and rescued me because I delighted his heart.
The Lord rewarded me for my righteous dealing
: he recompensed me according to the cleanness of my hands,
Because I had kept to the ways of the Lord
: and had not turned from my God to do evil.
For I had an eye to all his laws
: and did not put his commandments from me.
I was also blameless before him
: and I kept myself from wrongdoing.
Therefore the Lord rewarded my innocence
: because my hands were undefiled in his sight.
With the faithful you show yourself faithful
: with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
With the pure you are pure
: but with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
For you will save a humble people
: but you bring down the high looks of the proud.
You light my lamp, O Lord my God
: you make my darkness to be bright.
For with your help I can charge a troop of men
: with the help of my God I can leap a city wall.
The way of our God is perfect,
the word of the Lord has been tried in the fire
: he is a shield to all that trust in him.
For who is God but the Lord
: or who is our rock but our God?
It is God that girded me with strength
: that made my way perfect.
He made my feet like the feet of a hind
: and set me surefooted upon the mountains.
He taught my hands to fight
: and my arms to aim an arrow of bronze.
You gave me the shield of your salvation
: your right hand upheld me,
and your swift response has made me great.
You lengthened my stride beneath me
: and my ankles did not slip.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them
: nor did I turn again till I had made an end of them.
I smote them, till they could rise no more
: and they fell beneath my feet.
You girded me with strength for the battle
: you threw down my adversaries under me.
You caused my enemies to show their backs
: and I destroyed those that hated me.
They cried for help, but there was none to save them
: they cried to the Lord, but he would not answer.
I pounded them fine as dust before the wind
: I trod them under like the mire of the streets.
You delivered me from the strife of the peoples,
you made me the head of the nations
: a people that I had not known became my servants.
As soon as they heard me they obeyed me
: and aliens humbled themselves before me.
The strength of the aliens withered away
: they came faltering from their strongholds.
The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock
: exalted be the God of my salvation,
The God who sees to it that I am avenged
: who subdues the peoples under me.
You set me free from my enemies,
you put me out of reach of my attackers
: you delivered me from violent men.
For this will I give you thanks among the nations, O Lord
: and sing praises to your name,
To him that gives great triumphs to his king
: that deals so faithfully with his anointed;
with David and with his seed for ever.