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18
1 I love thee, O LORD, my strength! 2 Jehovah is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I trust; My shield, my strong defence, and my high tower. 3 I called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And was delivered from my enemies. 4 The snares of death encompassed me; The floods of destruction filled me with dismay; 5 The snares of the underworld surrounded me, And the nets of death seized upon me. 6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried unto my God; He heard my voice from his palace, And my cry came before him into his ears. 7 Then the earth quaked and trembled; The foundations of the mountains rocked and were shaken, Because his wrath was kindled. 8 A smoke went up from his nostrils, And fire from his mouth devoured; Burning coals shot forth from him. 9 He bowed the heavens, and came down; And darkness was under his feet; 10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. 11 And he made darkness his covering; His pavilion round about him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. 12 At the brightness before him, his thick clouds passed away; Then came hailstones and coals of fire. 13 The LORD also thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered his voice, Amid hailstones and coals of fire. 14 He sent forth his arrows, and scattered them; Continual lightnings, and discomfited them. 15 Then the channels of the deep were seen, And the foundations of the earth were laid bare At thy rebuke, O LORD! At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. 16 He stretched forth his hand from above; he took me, And drew me out of deep waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy; From my adversaries, who were too powerful for me. 18 They fell upon me in the day of my calamity; But the LORD was my stay. 19 He brought me forth into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me. 20 The LORD hath rewarded me according to my righteous; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his laws were in my sight; I did not put away his statutes from me. 23 I was upright before him, And kept myself from iniquity. 24 Therefore hath the LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes. 25 To the merciful thou showest thyself merciful; To the upright thou showest thyself upright; 26 To the pure thou showest thyself pure, And to the perverse thou showest thyself perverse. 27 For thou savest the afflicted people, But the haughty countenance thou bringest down. 28 Thou causest my lamp to shine; Jehovah, my God, enlighteneth my darkness. 29 For through thee I have broken through troops; Through my God I have leaped over walls. 30 The ways of God are just and true; His word is pure, tried in the fire; He is a shield to all who put their trust in him. 31 Who, then, is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God? 32 It is God that girded me with strength, And made my way plain. 33 He made my feet like the hind's, And set me in my high places; 34 He taught my hands to war, So that my arm bent the bow of brass. 35 Thou gavest me the shield of thy protection; Thy right hand held me up, And thy goodness made me great. 36 Thou didst make a wide path for my steps, So that my feet did not stumble. 37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And turned not back till I had destroyed them. 38 I smote them, so that they could not rise; They fell under my feet. 39 Thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; Thou didst cast down my adversaries under me. 40 Thou didst cause my enemies to turn their backs, So that I destroyed them that hated me. 41 They cried, but there was none to help; To Jehovah, but he answered them not. 42 I beat them small, like dust before the wind; I cast them out as the dirt of the streets. 43 Thou hast delivered me from the assaults of the nations; Thou hast made me the head of the kingdoms. Nations whom I knew not serve me; 44 They who have only heard of me obey me; Yea, men of a strange land submit themselves to me; 45 Men of a strange land fade away, like a leaf, And come trembling from their strongholds. 46 Jehovah is the living God; blessed be my rock; Exalted be the God of my salvation! 47 It is God who hath given me vengeance, And subdued the nations under me; 48 He delivered me from my enemies; Yea, thou hast lifted me up above my adversaries; Thou hast saved me from the violent man! 49 Therefore I will give thanks to thee, O LORD! among the nations, And sing praises to thy name. 50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth mercy to his anointed,—To David and to his posterity for ever.

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