| Chapter
18 |
| 1 | I will
love thee, O LORD, my strength. |
| 2
| The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my
strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and
my high tower. |
| 3 | I will
call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine
enemies. |
| 4 | The sorrows of
death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. |
| 5 | The sorrows of hell compassed me
about: the snares of death prevented me. |
| 6 | In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my
God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into
his ears. |
| 7 | Then the
earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were
shaken, because he was wroth. |
| 8
| There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth
devoured: coals were kindled by it. |
|
9 | He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under
his feet. |
| 10 | And he rode
upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. |
| 11 | He made darkness his
secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of
the skies. |
| 12 | At the
brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals
of fire. |
| 13 | The LORD
also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and
coals of fire. |
| 14 | Yea,
he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and
discomfited them. |
| 15 |
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were
discovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy
nostrils. |
| 16 | He sent
from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. |
| 17 | He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me. |
| 18 | They prevented me in the day of my
calamity: but the LORD was my stay. |
|
19 | He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me,
because he delighted in me. |
| 20
| The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the
cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. |
| 21 | For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not
wickedly departed from my God. |
| 22
| For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his
statutes from me. |
| 23 | I
was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity. |
| 24 | Therefore hath the LORD
recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my
hands in his eyesight. |
| 25 |
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou
wilt shew thyself upright; |
| 26
| With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou
wilt shew thyself froward. |
| 27
| For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high
looks. |
| 28 | For thou wilt
light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. |
| 29 | For by thee I have run through a
troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. |
|
30 | As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD
is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. |
| 31 | For who is God save the LORD? or who
is a rock save our God? |
| 32 |
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. |
| 33 | He maketh my feet like
hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places. |
|
34 | He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel
is broken by mine arms. |
| 35 |
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand
hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great. |
| 36 | Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,
that my feet did not slip. |
| 37
| I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn
again till they were consumed. |
| 38
| I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen
under my feet. |
| 39 | For
thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me
those that rose up against me. |
| 40
| Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might
destroy them that hate me. |
| 41
| They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but
he answered them not. |
| 42 |
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as
the dirt in the streets. |
| 43 |
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made
me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me. |
| 44 | As soon as they hear of
me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me. |
| 45 | The strangers shall fade away,
and be afraid out of their close places. |
| 46 | The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the
God of my salvation be exalted. |
|
47 | It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under
me. |
| 48 | He delivereth me
from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me:
thou hast delivered me from the violent man. |
| 49 |
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among
the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
Psa 18:49
|
| 50 | Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth
mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. |
