Chapter 18

 To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said,
I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength. 

 The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. 

 I 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. 

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

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

 In 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. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 Then 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. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 By 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. 

 As 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. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet. 

 For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me. 

 By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off. 

 They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer. 

 Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets. 

 You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants. 

 From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority. 

 They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear. 

 The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured. 

 It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule. 

 He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man. 

 Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name. 

 Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.