Psalms 18:2-42

²The Lord is my rock, my fortress, deliverer, my God, my rock, where I take refuge, my shield, my defender, my tower.

³Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on, he rescues me from all my foes.

⁴The waves of death broke about me, fearful floods of chaos.

⁵Sheol threw cords around me, snares of death came to meet me.

⁶In distress I cried to the Lord, and shouted for help to my God; in his temple he heard my voice, into his ears came my cry.

⁷Then the earth shook and quaked, mountains trembled to their foundations, and quaked because of his wrath.

⁸Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.

⁹Then he bent the sky and came down, thick darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,

¹¹with his screen of darkness about him, in thick dark clouds of water.

¹²At the radiance before him there passed hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³The Lord thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.

¹⁴He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed lightnings, and routed them.

¹⁵The channels of the sea were revealed, the world was laid bare to its base, at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶He stretched from on high, he seized me, drew me up from the mighty waters,

¹⁷and saved me from those who hated me — fierce foes, too mighty for me.

¹⁸In my day of distress they assailed me, but the Lord proved my support.

¹⁹To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.

²⁰The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.

²¹For I kept the ways of the Lord, nor have wickedly strayed from my God.

²²His commandments were all before me, his statutes I put not away.

²³And I was blameless before him, guarding myself from sin.

²⁴So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.

²⁵With the loyal you are loyal, and with the blameless blameless.

²⁶With the pure you show yourself pure, but shrewd with the devious.

²⁷For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.

²⁸You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.

²⁹With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can leap a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is shield to all who take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock but our God?

³²The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.

³³He made my feet like hinds' feet, and set me up on the heights.

³⁴He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.

³⁵The shield of your help you gave me, your right hand supports me, you stoop down to make me great.

³⁶In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.

³⁷So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.

³⁸I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.

³⁹You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.

⁴⁰You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.

⁴¹They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, but he answered them not.

⁴²I beat them like dust of the market-place, stamped them like mud of the streets.