Psalm 18

Yahweh Is My Rock and My Fortress

For the choir director. Of the servant of Yahweh, of David, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

He said, “I love You, O Yahweh, my strength.”

Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I call upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,

And I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me,

And the torrents of vileness terrified me.

The cords of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon Yahweh,

And cried to my God for help;

He heard my voice out of His temple,

And my cry for help before Him came into His ears.

Then the earth shook and quaked;

And the foundations of the mountains were trembling

And were shaken, because He was angry.

Smoke went up out of His nostrils,

And fire from His mouth devoured;

Coals were kindled by it.

He bowed the heavens and came down

With thick darkness under His feet.

He rode upon a cherub and flew;

And He sped upon the wings of the wind.

He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him,

Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

Yahweh also thundered in the heavens,

And the Most High gave forth His voice,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

He sent out His arrows, and scattered them,

And lightning flashes in abundance, and threw them into confusion.

Then the channels of water appeared,

And the foundations of the world were laid bare

At Your rebuke, O Yahweh,

At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

He sent from on high, He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

And from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

But Yahweh was my support.

He brought me forth also into a broad place;

He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

For all His judgments were before me,

And I did not put away His statutes from me.

I was also blameless with Him,

And I kept myself from my iniquity.

Therefore Yahweh has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to the cleanness of my hands before His eyes.

With the kind You show Yourself kind;

With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;

With the pure You show Yourself pure,

And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.

For You save an afflicted people,

But eyes which are lifted up, You bring down.

For You light my lamp;

Yahweh my God illumines my darkness.

For by You I can run upon a troop;

And by my God I can leap over a wall.

As for God, His way is blameless;

The word of Yahweh is tried;

He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

For who is God, but Yahweh?

And who is a rock, except our God,

The God who girds me with strength

And makes my way blameless?

He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,

And sets me upon my high places.

He trains my hands for battle,

So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,

And Your right hand upholds me;

And Your gentleness makes me great.

You enlarge my steps under me,

And my ankles have not given way.

I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

And I did not turn back until they were consumed.

I crushed them, so that they were not able to rise;

They fell under my feet.

For You have girded me with strength for battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,

And I destroyed those who hated me.

They cried for help, but there was none to save,

Even to Yahweh, but He did not answer them.

Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind;

I emptied them out as the mire of the streets.

You have delivered me from the contentions of the people;

You have placed me as head of the nations;

A people whom I have not known serve me.

As soon as they hear, they obey me;

Foreigners cower before me.

Foreigners fade away,

And come trembling out of their fortresses.

Yahweh lives, and blessed be my rock;

And let the God of my salvation be lifted high,

The God who executes vengeance for me,

And subdues peoples under me.

Who delivers me from my enemies;

Surely You lift me above those who rise up against me;

You rescue me from the violent man.

Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Yahweh,

And I will sing praises to Your name.

He gives great salvation to His king,

And shows lovingkindness to His anointed,

To David and his seed forever.

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