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Psalm 18

Royal Thanksgiving for Victory

To the leader. 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 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
² The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
   my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
   my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³ I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
   so I shall be saved from my enemies.

⁴ The cords of death encompassed me;
   the torrents of perdition assailed me;
⁵ the cords of Sheol entangled me;
   the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In 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.

⁷ Then the earth reeled and rocked;
   the foundations also of the mountains trembled
   and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke went up from his nostrils,
   and devouring fire from his mouth;
   glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹ He bowed the heavens, and came down;
   thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub, and flew;
   he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering around him,
   his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
¹² Out of the brightness before him
   there broke through his clouds
   hailstones and coals of fire.
¹³ The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
   and the Most High uttered his voice.^*
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
   he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.
¹⁵ Then the channels of the sea were seen,
   and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
   at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high, he took me;
   he drew me out of mighty waters.
¹⁷ He delivered me from my strong enemy,
   and from those who hated me;
   for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity;
   but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a broad place;
   he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
   according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

The Song of Moses

15Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:
‘I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
   horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
² The Lord is my strength and my might,^*
   and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
   my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
³ The Lord is a warrior;
   the Lord is his name.

⁴ ‘Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
   his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.^*
5 The floods covered them;
   they went down into the depths like a stone.
⁶ Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—
   your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.
⁷ In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
   you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.
⁸ At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up,
   the floods stood up in a heap;
   the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
⁹ The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will overtake,
   I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
   I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.”
¹⁰ You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;
   they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹ ‘Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
   Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
   awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
¹² You stretched out your right hand,
   the earth swallowed them.

¹³ ‘In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;
   you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
¹⁴ The peoples heard, they trembled;
   pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
   trembling seized the leaders of Moab;
   all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
¹⁶ Terror and dread fell upon them;
   by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone
until your people, O Lord, passed by,
   until the people whom you acquired passed by.
¹⁷ You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,
   the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,
   the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
¹⁸ The Lord will reign for ever and ever.’

19 When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.

The Song of Miriam

20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. ²¹And Miriam sang to them:
‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.’

Bitter Water Made Sweet

22 Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea,^* and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went for three days in the wilderness and found no water. ²³When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah.^{* 24}And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ ²⁵He cried out to the Lord; and the Lord showed him a piece of wood;^* he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

There the Lord ^* made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he put them to the test. ²⁶He said, ‘If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.’

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there by the water.

The Transfiguration

17Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. ²And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. ⁴Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I^* will make three dwellings^* here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ ⁵While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved;^* with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’ ⁶When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. ⁷But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Get up and do not be afraid.’ ⁸And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’ ¹⁰And the disciples asked him, ‘Why, then, do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?’ ¹¹He replied, ‘Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; ¹²but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.’ ¹³Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.

Jesus Cures a Boy with a Demon

14 When they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, ¹⁵and said, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; he often falls into the fire and often into the water. ¹⁶And I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ ¹⁷Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him here to me.’ ¹⁸And Jesus rebuked the demon,^* and it^* came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. ¹⁹Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ ²⁰He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a^* mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’^*

Jesus Again Foretells His Death and Resurrection

22 As they were gathering^* in Galilee, Jesus said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, ²³and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.’ And they were greatly distressed.

²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
   and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²² For all his ordinances were before me,
   and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²³ I was blameless before him,
   and I kept myself from guilt.
²⁴ Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
   according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
   with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
²⁶ with the pure you show yourself pure;
   and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
²⁷ For you deliver a humble people,
   but the haughty eyes you bring down.
²⁸ It is you who light my lamp;
   the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
²⁹ By you I can crush a troop,
   and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³⁰ This God—his way is perfect;
   the promise of the Lord proves true;
   he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

³¹ For who is God except the Lord?
   And who is a rock besides our God?—
³² the God who girded me with strength,
   and made my way safe.
³³ He made my feet like the feet of a deer,
   and set me secure on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for war,
   so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You have given me the shield of your salvation,
   and your right hand has supported me;
   your help^* has made me great.
³⁶ You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
   and my feet did not slip.
³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
   and did not turn back until they were consumed.
³⁸ I struck them down, so that they were not able to rise;
   they fell under my feet.
³⁹ For you girded me with strength for the battle;
   you made my assailants sink under me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
   and those who hated me I destroyed.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
   they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
⁴² I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;
   I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

⁴³ You delivered me from strife with the peoples;^*
   you made me head of the nations;
   people whom I had not known served me.
⁴⁴ As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
   foreigners came cringing to me.
⁴⁵ Foreigners lost heart,
   and came trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
   and exalted be the God of my salvation,
⁴⁷ the God who gave me vengeance
   and subdued peoples under me;
⁴⁸ who delivered me from my enemies;
   indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;
   you delivered me from the violent.

⁴⁹ For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,
   and sing praises to your name.
⁵⁰ Great triumphs he gives to his king,
   and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
   to David and his descendants for ever.

The False Attractions of Adultery

7My child, keep my words
   and store up my commandments with you;
² keep my commandments and live,
   keep my teachings as the apple of your eye;
³ bind them on your fingers,
   write them on the tablet of your heart.
⁴ Say to wisdom, ‘You are my sister’,
   and call insight your intimate friend,
⁵ that they may keep you from the loose^* woman,
   from the adulteress with her smooth words.

⁶ For at the window of my house
   I looked out through my lattice,
⁷ and I saw among the simple ones,
   I observed among the youths,
   a young man without sense,
⁸ passing along the street near her corner,
   taking the road to her house
⁹ in the twilight, in the evening,
   at the time of night and darkness.

¹⁰ Then a woman comes towards him,
   decked out like a prostitute, wily of heart.^*
11 She is loud and wayward;
   her feet do not stay at home;
¹² now in the street, now in the squares,
   and at every corner she lies in wait.
¹³ She seizes him and kisses him,
   and with impudent face she says to him:
¹⁴ ‘I had to offer sacrifices,
   and today I have paid my vows;
¹⁵ so now I have come out to meet you,
   to seek you eagerly, and I have found you!
¹⁶ I have decked my couch with coverings,
   coloured spreads of Egyptian linen;
¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
   aloes, and cinnamon.
¹⁸ Come, let us take our fill of love until morning;
   let us delight ourselves with love.
¹⁹ For my husband is not at home;
   he has gone on a long journey.
²⁰ He took a bag of money with him;
   he will not come home until full moon.’

²¹ With much seductive speech she persuades him;
   with her smooth talk she compels him.
²² Right away he follows her,
   and goes like an ox to the slaughter,
or bounds like a stag towards the trap^*
23   until an arrow pierces its entrails.
He is like a bird rushing into a snare,
   not knowing that it will cost him his life.

²⁴ And now, my children, listen to me,
   and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
²⁵ Do not let your hearts turn aside to her ways;
   do not stray into her paths.
²⁶ for many are those she has laid low,
   and numerous are her victims.
²⁷ Her house is the way to Sheol,
   going down to the chambers of death.

Shining as Lights in the World

12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

14 Do all things without murmuring and arguing, ¹⁵so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. ¹⁶It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labour in vain. ¹⁷But even if I am being poured out as a libation over the sacrifice and the offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you— ¹⁸and in the same way you also must be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I may be cheered by news of you. ²⁰I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. ²¹All of them are seeking their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. ²²But Timothy’s^* worth you know, how like a son with a father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. ²³I hope therefore to send him as soon as I see how things go with me; ²⁴and I trust in the Lord that I will also come soon.

25 Still, I think it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus—my brother and co-worker and fellow-soldier, your messenger^* and minister to my need; ²⁶for he has been longing for^* all of you, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. ²⁷He was indeed so ill that he nearly died. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, so that I would not have one sorrow after another. ²⁸I am the more eager to send him, therefore, in order that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. ²⁹Welcome him then in the Lord with all joy, and honour such people, ³⁰because he came close to death for the work of Christ,^* risking his life to make up for those services that you could not give me.