OEBcth - Psalms - 18

18:1  I love you, O Lord, my strength.

18:2  The Lord is my rock, my fortress, deliverer, my God, my rock, where I take refuge, my shield, my defender, my tower.

18:3  Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on, he rescues me from all my foes.

18:4  The waves of death broke about me, fearful floods of chaos.

18:5  Sheol threw cords around me, snares of death came to meet me.

18:6  In 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.

18:7  Then the earth shook and quaked, mountains trembled to their foundations, and quaked because of his wrath.

18:8  Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.

18:9  Then he bent the sky and came down, thick darkness was under his feet.

18:10  He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,

18:11  with his screen of darkness about him, in thick dark clouds of water.

18:12  At the radiance before him there passed hailstones and coals of fire.

18:13  The Lord thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.

18:14  He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed lightnings, and routed them.

18:15  The 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.

18:16  He stretched from on high, he seized me, drew me up from the mighty waters,

18:17  and saved me from those who hated me --- fierce foes, too mighty for me.

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

18:19  To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.

18:20  The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.

18:21  For I kept the ways of the Lord, nor have wickedly strayed from my God.

18:22  His commandments were all before me, his statutes I put not away.

18:23  And I was blameless before him, guarding myself from sin.

18:24  So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.

18:25  With the loyal you are loyal, and with the blameless blameless.

18:26  With the pure you show yourself pure, but shrewd with the devious.

18:27  For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.

18:28  You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.

18:29  With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can leap a wall.

18:30  As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is shield to all who take refuge in him.

18:31  For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock but our God?

18:32  The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.

18:33  He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me up on the heights.

18:34  He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.

18:35  The shield of your help you gave me, your right hand supports me, you stoop down to make me great.

18:36  In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.

18:37  So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.

18:38  I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.

18:39  You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.

18:40  You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.

18:41  They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, but he answered them not.

18:42  I beat them like dust of the market-place, stamped them like mud of the streets.

18:43  From the strife of the peoples you saved me, you made me head of the nations, peoples I knew not did serve me.

18:44  On the instant they hear, they obey me, foreigners come to me cringing.

18:45  Foreigners lose courage, and come out of their strongholds trembling.

18:46  The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock! Exalted be God, my protector!

18:47  The God who gave me revenge, and brought down nations beneath me,

18:48  who saved me from angry foes, and set me above my assailants, safe from the violent.

18:49  For this I will praise you among the nations, making music, O Lord, to your name:

18:50  for great triumphs he grants to his king, and faithful love he shows his anointed, to David and his seed evermore.