Psalm 18 (New American Standard)

The LORD Praised for Giving Deliverance.

1 "I love You, O LORD, my strength." 2 The LORD is ¹my ^arock and ²my fortress and my ³deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge ; My ⁴shield and the ⁵horn of my salvation, my ⁶stronghold. 3 I call upon the LORD, who is ⁷worthy to be praised, And I am ⁸saved from my enemies. 4 The ⁹cords of death encompassed me, And the ¹⁰torrents of ^bungodliness ^cterrified me. 5 The ¹¹cords of ^dSheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 6 In my ¹²distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God for help ; He heard my voice ¹³out of His temple, And my ¹⁴cry for help before Him came into His ears. 7 Then the ¹⁵earth shook and quaked ; And the ¹⁶foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry. 8 Smoke went up ^eout of His nostrils, And ¹⁷fire from His mouth devoured ; Coals were kindled by it. 9 He ¹⁸bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick ¹⁹darkness under His feet. 10 He rode upon a ²⁰cherub and flew ; And He sped upon the ²¹wings of the wind. 11 He made ²²darkness His hiding place, ²³His ^fcanopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. 12 From the ²⁴brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, Hailstones and ²⁵coals of fire. 13 The LORD also ²⁶thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. 14 He ²⁷sent out His arrows, and scattered them, And lightning flashes in abundance, and ^grouted them. 15 Then the ²⁸channels of water appeared, And the foundations of the world were ^hlaid bare At Your ²⁹rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the ³⁰breath of Your nostrils. 16 He ³¹sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of ³²many waters. 17 He ³³delivered me from my strong enemy, And from those who hated me, for they were ³⁴too mighty for me. 18 They confronted me in ³⁵the day of my calamity, But ³⁶the LORD was my stay. 19 He brought me forth also into a ³⁷broad place ; He rescued me, because ³⁸He delighted in me. 20 The LORD has ³⁹rewarded me according to my righteousness ; According to the ⁴⁰cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 21 For I have ⁴¹kept the ways of the LORD, And have ⁴²not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all ⁴³His ordinances were before me, And I did not put away His ⁴⁴statutes from me. 23 I was also ⁱ⁴⁵blameless with Him, And I ⁴⁶kept myself from my iniquity. 24 Therefore the LORD has ⁴⁷recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes. 25 With ⁴⁸the kind You show Yourself kind ; With the ^jblameless ⁴⁹You show Yourself blameless ; 26 With the pure You show Yourself ⁵⁰pure, And with the crooked ⁵¹You show Yourself ^kastute. 27 For You ⁵²save an afflicted people, But ⁵³haughty eyes You abase. 28 For You ⁵⁴light my lamp ; The LORD my God ⁵⁵illumines my darkness. 29 For by You I can ^l56run upon a troop ; And by my God I can ⁵⁷leap over a wall. 30 As for God, His way is ^m58blameless ; The ⁵⁹word of the LORD is tried ; He is a ⁶⁰shield to all who take refuge in Him. 31 For ⁶¹who is God, but the LORD ? And who is a ⁶²rock, except our God, 32 The God who ⁶³girds me with strength And ⁿmakes my way ^o64blameless ? 33 He ⁶⁵makes my feet like hinds' feet, And ⁶⁶sets me upon my high places. 34 He ⁶⁷trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can ⁶⁸bend a bow of bronze. 35 You have also given me ⁶⁹the shield of Your salvation, And Your ⁷⁰right hand upholds me; And ⁷¹Your ^pgentleness makes me great. 36 You ⁷²enlarge my steps under me, And my ^q73feet have not slipped. 37 I ⁷⁴pursued my enemies and overtook them, And I did not turn back ⁷⁵until they were consumed. 38 I shattered them, so that they were ⁷⁶not able to rise ; They fell ⁷⁷under my feet. 39 For You have ⁷⁸girded me with strength for battle ; You have ^r79subdued under me those who rose up against me. 40 You have also made my enemies ⁸⁰turn their backs to me, And I ^s81destroyed those who hated me. 41 They cried for help, but there was ⁸²none to save, Even to the LORD, but ⁸³He did not answer them. 42 Then I beat them fine as the ⁸⁴dust before the wind ; I emptied them out as the mire of the streets. 43 You have delivered me from the ⁸⁵contentions of the people ; You have placed me as ⁸⁶head of the nations ; A ⁸⁷people whom I have not known serve me. 44 As soon as they hear , they obey me; Foreigners ^t88submit to me. 45 Foreigners ⁸⁹fade away, And ⁹⁰come trembling out of their ^ufortresses. 46 The LORD ⁹¹lives, and blessed be ⁹²my rock ; And exalted be ⁹³the God of my salvation, 47 The God who ⁹⁴executes vengeance for me, And ⁹⁵subdues peoples under me. 48 He ⁹⁶delivers me from my enemies ; Surely You ⁹⁷lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the ⁹⁸violent man. 49 Therefore I will ⁹⁹give thanks to You among the nations, O LORD, And I will ¹⁰⁰sing praises to Your name. 50 He gives great ^v101deliverance to His king, And shows lovingkindness to ¹⁰²His anointed, To David and ¹⁰³his ^wdescendants forever .