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18:1 "I love You, O Lord, my strength." 18:2 The 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. 18:3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies. 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me, And the torrents of ungodliness terrified me. 18:5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 18:6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of His temple, And my cry for help before Him came into His ears. 18:7 Then the earth shook and quaked; And the foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry. 18:8 Smoke went up out of His nostrils, And fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it. 18:9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet. 18:10 He rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon the wings of the wind. 18:11 He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. 18:12 From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, Hailstones and coals of fire. 18:13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. 18:14 He sent out His arrows, and scattered them, And lightning flashes in abundance, and routed them. 18:15 Then the channels of water appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare At Your rebuke, O Lord, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. 18:16 He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my stay. 18:19 He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me. 18:20 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 18:22 For all His ordinances were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. 18:23 I was also blameless with Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. 18:24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes. 18:25 With the kind You show Yourself kind; With the blameless You show Yourself blameless; 18:26 With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the crooked You show Yourself astute. 18:27 For You save an afflicted people, But haughty eyes You abase. 18:28 For You light my lamp; The Lord my God illumines my darkness. 18:29 For by You I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall. 18:30 As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the Lord is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. 18:31 For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God, 18:32 The God who girds me with strength And makes my way blameless? 18:33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me upon my high places. 18:34 He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 18:35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. 18:36 You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. 18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed. 18:38 I shattered them, so that they were not able to rise; They fell under my feet. 18:39 For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. 18:40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me. 18:41 They cried for help, but there was none to save, Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them. 18:42 Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind; I emptied them out as the mire of the streets. 18:43 You have delivered me from the contentions of the people; You have placed me as head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me. 18:44 As soon as they hear, they obey me; Foreigners submit to me. 18:45 Foreigners fade away, And come trembling out of their fortresses. 18:46 The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation, 18:47 The God who executes vengeance for me, And subdues peoples under me. 18:48 He delivers me from my enemies; Surely You lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent man. 18:49 Therefore I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord, And I will sing praises to Your name. 18:50 He gives great deliverance to His king, And shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his descendants forever. 18:51