Listen to Psalm 18

¹I love you, Yahweh, my strength. ²Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. ³I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies. ⁴The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. ⁵The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on me. ⁶In my distress I called on Yahweh, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears. ⁷Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry. ⁸Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it. ⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet. ¹⁰He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind. ¹¹He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. ¹²At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire. ¹³Yahweh also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire. ¹⁴He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts. ¹⁵Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. ¹⁶He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters. ¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me. ¹⁸They came on me in the day of my calamity, but Yahweh was my support. ¹⁹He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me. ²⁰Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me. ²¹For I have kept the ways of Yahweh, and have not wickedly departed from my God. ²²For all his ordinances were before me. I didn't put away his statutes from me. ²³I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity. ²⁴Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. ²⁵With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect. ²⁶With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd. ²⁷For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down. ²⁸For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness. ²⁹For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall. ³⁰As for God, his way is perfect. Yahweh's word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him. ³¹For who is God, except Yahweh? Who is a rock, besides our God, ³²the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect? ³³He makes my feet like deer's feet, and sets me on my high places. ³⁴He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze. ³⁵You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great. ³⁶You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped. ³⁷I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I won't turn away until they are consumed. ³⁸I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet. ³⁹For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. ⁴⁰You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me. ⁴¹They cried, but there was no one to save; even to Yahweh, but he didn't answer them. ⁴²Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets. ⁴³You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me. ⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me. ⁴⁵The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds. ⁴⁶Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation, ⁴⁷even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me. ⁴⁸He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man. ⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name. ⁵⁰He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.