Psalm 18

The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

18:1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. ²The Lord 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. ³I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

⁴The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;^[1]⁵the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

⁶In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.

⁷Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. ⁸Smoke went up from his nostrils,[2] and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. ⁹He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. ¹⁰He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. ¹¹He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. ¹²Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

¹³The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire. ¹⁴And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them. ¹⁵Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, 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 rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. ¹⁸They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. ¹⁹He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. ²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. ²²For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me. ²³I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt. ²⁴So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; ²⁶with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. ²⁷For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. ²⁸For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness. ²⁹For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. ³⁰This God—his way is perfect;[3] the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?— ³²the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. ³³He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. ³⁴He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. ³⁵You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. ³⁶You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. ³⁷I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed. ³⁸I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet. ³⁹For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. ⁴⁰You made my enemies turn their backs to me,[4] and those who hated me I destroyed. ⁴¹They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them. ⁴²I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

⁴³You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. ⁴⁴As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me. ⁴⁵Foreigners lost heart and came trembling out of their fortresses.

⁴⁶The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation— ⁴⁷the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, ⁴⁸who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.

⁴⁹For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name. ⁵⁰Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

[1] Or terrified me [2] Or in his wrath [3] Or blameless [4] Or You gave me my enemies’ necks

Psalm 19

The Law of the Lord Is Perfect

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above[5] proclaims his handiwork. ²Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. ³There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. ⁴Their measuring line^[6]goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, ⁵ which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. ⁶Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

⁷The law of the Lord is perfect,[7] reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; ⁸the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; ⁹the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. ¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. ¹¹Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

¹²Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. ¹³Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

[5] Hebrew expanse; see Genesis 1:6-8 [6] Hebrew; Septuagint, Jerome (compare Syriac) Their voice [7] Or blameless

Psalm 20

Trust in the Name of the Lord Our God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

20:1 May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! ²May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! ³May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

⁴May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans! ⁵May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

⁶Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. ⁷Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. ⁸They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.

⁹O Lord, save the king! May he answer us when we call.

Psalm 21

The King Rejoices in the Lord’s Strength

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

21:1 O Lord, in your strength the king rejoices, and in your salvation how greatly he exults! ²You have given him his heart’s desire and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

³For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold upon his head. ⁴He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever. ⁵His glory is great through your salvation; splendor and majesty you bestow on him. ⁶For you make him most blessed forever;[8] you make him glad with the joy of your presence. ⁷For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.

⁸Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you. ⁹You will make them as a blazing oven when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them. ¹⁰You will destroy their descendants from the earth, and their offspring from among the children of man. ¹¹Though they plan evil against you, though they devise mischief, they will not succeed. ¹²For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.

¹³Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.

[8] Or make him a source of blessing forever