Psalms 18:3-37

³I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.

⁴The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.

⁵The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.

⁶In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even into his ears.

⁷Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.

⁸There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.

⁹The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.

¹⁰And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

¹²Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.

¹³The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.

¹⁴He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.

¹⁵Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.

¹⁶He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.

¹⁷He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.

¹⁸They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.

¹⁹He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.

²⁰The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.

²²For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.

²³And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.

²⁴Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.

²⁵On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;

²⁶He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.

²⁷For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.

²⁸You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.

²⁹By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him.

³¹For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?

³²God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.

³³He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.

³⁴He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.

³⁵You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.

³⁶You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.

³⁷I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.