22
David’s Song of Deliverance
(Psalm 18:1–50)
1 David sang this song to the Lord when the Lord rescued him from all his enemies, especially from Saul. 2 He said,
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my Savior,
3 my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield,
the strength of my salvation, my stronghold,
my refuge, and my Savior who saved me from violence.
4 The Lord should be praised.
I called on him, and I was saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death had surrounded me.
The torrents of destruction had overwhelmed me.
6 The ropes of the grave had surrounded me.
The clutches of death had confronted me.
7 I called on the Lord in my distress.
I called to my God for help.
He heard my voice from his temple,
and my cry for help reached his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and quaked.
Even the foundations of the heavens trembled.
They shook violently because he was angry.
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and a raging fire came out of his mouth.
Glowing coals flared up from it.
10 He spread apart the heavens
and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.
11 He rode on one of the angels * Or “cherubim.” as he flew,
and he soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He surrounded himself with darkness.
He made the dark rain clouds his covering.
13 Out of the brightness in front of him, he made lightning.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven.
The Most High made his voice heard.
15 He shot arrows and scattered them.
He flashed streaks of lightning and threw them into confusion.
16 Then the ocean floor could be seen.
The foundations of the earth were laid bare
at the Lord’s stern warning,
at the blast of the breath from his nostrils.
17 He reached down from high above and took hold of me.
He pulled me out of the raging water.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
because they were too strong for me.
19 On the day when I faced disaster, they confronted me,
but the Lord became my defense.
20 He brought me out to a wide-open place.
He rescued me because he was pleased with me.
21 The Lord rewarded me
because of my righteousness,
because my hands are clean.
He paid me back
22 because I have kept the ways of the Lord
and I have not wickedly turned away from my God,
23 because all his judgments are in front of me
and I have not turned away from his laws.
24 I was innocent as far as he was concerned.
I have kept myself from guilt.
25 The Lord paid me back
because of my righteousness,
because he can see that I am clean.
26 ⌞In dealing⌟ with faithful people you are faithful,
with innocent warriors you are innocent,
27 with pure people you are pure.
⌞In dealing⌟ with devious people you are clever.
28 You save humble people,
but your eyes bring down arrogant people.
29 O Lord, you are my lamp.
The Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With you I can attack a line of soldiers.
With my God I can break through barricades.
31 God’s way is perfect!
The promise of the Lord has proven to be true.
He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
32 Who is God but the Lord?
Who is a rock other than our God?
33 God arms me with strength.† Dead Sea Scrolls, Psalm 18:33, Greek, Syriac, Latin; Masoretic Text “my refuge is strength.”
His perfect way sets me free.
34 He makes my feet like those of a deer
and gives me sure footing on high places.
35 He trains my hands for battle
so that my arms can bend an ⌞archer’s⌟ bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation.
Your help makes me great.
37 You make a wide path for me to walk on
so that my feet do not slip.
38 I chased my enemies and destroyed them.
I did not return until I had ended their lives.
39 I ended their lives by shattering them.
They were unable to get up.
They fell under my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle.
You made my opponents bow at my feet.
41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them.
They looked to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
43 I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust on the ground.
I crushed them and stomped on them like the dirt on the streets.
44 You rescued me from my conflicts with my people.
You kept me as the leader of nations.
A people I did not know will serve me.
45 Foreigners will cringe in front of me.
As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me.
46 Foreigners will lose heart,
although they are armed in their fortifications.
47 The Lord lives!
Thanks be to my rock!
May God, the rock of my salvation, be glorified.
48 God gives me vengeance!
He brings people under my authority.
49 He frees me from my enemies.
You lift me up above my opponents.
You rescue me from violent people.
50 That is why I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nations
and make music to praise your name.
51 He gives great victories to his king.
He shows mercy to his anointed,
to David, and to his descendant ‡ Or “to his descendants.” forever.