Psalms 18-20

Psalm 18

¹To 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.

²The 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.

³I 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.

⁴The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.

⁵The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.

⁶In 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.

⁷Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.

⁸There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.

⁹The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.

¹⁰And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

¹²Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.

¹³The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.

¹⁴He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.

¹⁵Then 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.

¹⁶He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.

¹⁷He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.

¹⁸They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.

¹⁹He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.

²⁰The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.

²²For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.

²³And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.

²⁴Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.

²⁵On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;

²⁶He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.

²⁷For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.

²⁸You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.

²⁹By 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.

³⁰As 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.

³¹For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?

³²God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.

³³He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.

³⁴He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.

³⁵You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.

³⁶You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.

³⁷I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.

³⁸I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.

³⁹For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.

⁴⁰By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.

⁴¹They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.

⁴²Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.

⁴³You 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.

⁴⁴From 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.

⁴⁵They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.

⁴⁶The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.

⁴⁷It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.

⁴⁸He 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.

⁴⁹Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.

⁵⁰Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.

Psalm 19

¹To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David. The heavens are sounding the glory of God; the arch of the sky makes clear the work of his hands.

²Day after day it sends out its word, and night after night it gives knowledge.

³There are no words or language; their voice makes no sound.

⁴Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them has he put a tent for the sun,

⁵Who is like a newly married man coming from his bride-tent, and is glad like a strong runner starting on his way.

⁶His going out is from the end of the heaven, and his circle to the ends of it; there is nothing which is not open to his heat.

⁷The law of the Lord is good, giving new life to the soul: the witness of the Lord is certain, giving wisdom to the foolish.

⁸The orders of the Lord are right, making glad the heart: the rule of the Lord is holy, giving light to the eyes.

⁹The fear of the Lord is clean, and has no end; the decisions of the Lord are true and full of righteousness.

¹⁰More to be desired are they than gold, even than much shining gold; sweeter than the dropping honey.

¹¹By them is your servant made conscious of danger, and in keeping them there is great reward.

¹²Who has full knowledge of his errors? make me clean from secret evil.

¹³Keep your servant back from sins of pride; let them not have rule over me: then will I be upright and free from great sin.

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in your eyes, O Lord, my strength and my salvation.

Psalm 20

¹To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David. May the Lord give ear to you in the day of trouble; may you be placed on high by the name of the God of Jacob;

²May he send you help from the holy place, and give you strength from Zion;

³May he keep all your offerings in mind, and be pleased with the fat of your burned offerings; (Selah.)

⁴May he give you your heart's desire, and put all your purposes into effect.

⁵We will be glad in your salvation, and in the name of our God we will put up our flags: may the Lord give you all your requests.

⁶Now am I certain that the Lord gives salvation to his king; he will give him an answer from his holy heaven with the strength of salvation in his right hand.

⁷Some put their faith in carriages and some in horses; but we will be strong in the name of the Lord our God.

⁸They are bent down and made low; but we have been lifted up.

⁹Come to our help, Lord: let the king give ear to our cry.