Psalms 18:6-36

In my distress [when I seemed surrounded] I called upon the LORD And cried to my God for help; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry for help came before Him, into His very ears. ¶Then the earth shook and quaked, The foundations of the mountains trembled; They were shaken because He was indignant and angry. Smoke went up from His nostrils, And fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also and came down; And thick darkness was under His feet. And He rode upon a cherub (storm) and flew; And He sped on the wings of the wind. He made darkness His hiding place (covering); His pavilion (canopy) around Him, The darkness of the waters, the thick clouds of the skies. Out of the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds, Hailstones and coals of fire. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered His voice, Hailstones and coals of fire. He sent out His arrows and scattered them; And He sent an abundance of lightning flashes and confused and routed them [in defeat]. Then the stream beds of the waters appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare At Your rebuke, O LORD, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. ¶He reached from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy, And from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, But the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; He rescued me because He was pleased with me and delighted in me. ¶The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity); According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His ordinances were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was blameless before Him, And I kept myself free from my sin. Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity), According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. ¶With the kind (merciful, faithful, loyal) You show Yourself kind, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless, With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the crooked You show Yourself astute. For You save an afflicted and humble people, But bring down those [arrogant fools] with haughty eyes. For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; The LORD my God illumines my darkness. For by You I can crush a troop, And by my God I can leap over a wall. ¶As for God, His way is blameless. The word of the LORD is tested [it is perfect, it is faultless]; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? Or who is a rock, except our God, The God who encircles me with strength And makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble]; He sets me [securely] upon my high places. He trains my hands for war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds and sustains me; Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great. You enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure, So that my feet will not slip.