Psalms 18:6-29

⁶In my distress I called to Yahweh; I called for help to my God. He heard my voice from his temple; my call for help went into his presence; it went into his ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled and were shaken because God was angry.

⁸Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.

⁹He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.

¹²Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.

¹³Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.

¹⁴He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.

¹⁵Then the water channels appeared; the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

¹⁶He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.

¹⁷He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

¹⁸They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!

¹⁹He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.

²⁰Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.

²¹For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.

²²For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.

²³I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.

²⁴Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.

²⁵To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.

²⁶To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.

²⁷For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!

²⁸For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.

²⁹For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.