[18:1] How I love you, Lord! You are my defender.
[18:2] The Lord is my protector; he is my strong fortress. My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe.
[18:3] I call to the Lord, and he saves me from my enemies. Praise the Lord!
[18:4] The danger of death was all around me; the waves of destruction rolled over me.
[18:5] The danger of death was around me, and the grave set its trap for me.
[18:6] In my trouble I called to the Lord; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.
[18:7] Then the earth trembled and shook; the foundations of the mountains rocked and quivered, because God was angry.
[18:8] Smoke poured out of his nostrils, a consuming flame and burning coals from his mouth.
[18:9] He tore the sky open and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.
[18:10] He flew swiftly on his winged creature; he traveled on the wings of the wind.
[18:11] He covered himself with darkness; thick clouds, full of water, surrounded him.
[18:12] Hailstones and flashes of fire came from the lightning before him and broke through the dark clouds.
[18:13] Then the Lord thundered from the sky; and the voice of the Most High was heard.
[18:14] He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; with flashes of lightning he sent them running.
[18:15] The floor of the ocean was laid bare, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered, when you rebuked your enemies, Lord, and roared at them in anger.
[18:16] The Lord reached down from above and took hold of me; he pulled me out of the deep waters.
[18:17] He rescued me from my powerful enemies and from all those who hate me— they were too strong for me.
[18:18] When I was in trouble, they attacked me, but the Lord protected me.
[18:19] He helped me out of danger; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
[18:20] The Lord rewards me because I do what is right; he blesses me because I am innocent.
[18:21] I have obeyed the law of the Lord; I have not turned away from my God.
[18:22] I have observed all his laws; I have not disobeyed his commands.
[18:23] He knows that I am faultless, that I have kept myself from doing wrong.
[18:24] And so he rewards me because I do what is right, because he knows that I am innocent.
[18:25] O Lord, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you; completely good to those who are perfect.
[18:26] You are pure to those who are pure, but hostile to those who are wicked.
[18:27] You save those who are humble, but you humble those who are proud.
[18:28] O Lord, you give me light; you dispel my darkness.
[18:29] You give me strength to attack my enemies and power to overcome their defenses.
[18:30] This God—how perfect are his deeds! How dependable his words! He is like a shield for all who seek his protection.
[18:31] The Lord alone is God; God alone is our defense.
[18:32] He is the God who makes me strong, who makes my pathway safe.
[18:33] He makes me sure-footed as a deer; he keeps me safe on the mountains.
[18:34] He trains me for battle, so that I can use the strongest bow.
[18:35] O Lord, you protect me and save me; your care has made me great, and your power has kept me safe.
[18:36] You have kept me from being captured, and I have never fallen.
[18:37] I pursue my enemies and catch them; I do not stop until I destroy them.
[18:38] I strike them down, and they cannot rise; they lie defeated before me.
[18:39] You give me strength for the battle and victory over my enemies.
[18:40] You make my enemies run from me; I destroy those who hate me.
[18:41] They cry for help, but no one saves them; they call to the Lord, but he does not answer.
[18:42] I crush them, so that they become like dust which the wind blows away. I trample on them like mud in the streets.
[18:43] You saved me from a rebellious people and made me ruler over the nations; people I did not know have now become my subjects.
[18:44] Foreigners bow before me; when they hear me, they obey.
[18:45] They lose their courage and come trembling from their fortresses.
[18:46] The Lord lives! Praise my defender! Proclaim the greatness of the God who saves me.
[18:47] He gives me victory over my enemies; he subdues the nations under me
[18:48] and saves me from my foes. O Lord, you give me victory over my enemies and protect me from violent people.
[18:49] And so I praise you among the nations; I sing praises to you.
[18:50] God gives great victories to his king; he shows constant love to the one he has chosen, to David and his descendants forever.