18  I love you, O Lord, my strength.

2  The Lord is my ⁱrock and my ^jfortress and my deliverer,

my God, my ⁱrock, in ^kwhom I take refuge,

my ^lshield, and ^mthe horn of my salvation, my ⁿstronghold.

3  I call upon the Lord, who is ^oworthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

4  ^pThe cords of death encompassed me;

^qthe torrents of destruction assailed me;¹

5  ^pthe cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

6  ^rIn my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I cried for help.

From his ^stemple he heard my voice,

and my cry to him reached his ears.

7  Then the earth ^treeled and rocked;

the foundations also of the mountains trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

8  Smoke went up from his nostrils,²

and devouring ^ufire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9  He ^vbowed the heavens and ^wcame down;

^xthick darkness was under his feet.

10  He rode on a cherub and flew;

he came swiftly on ^zthe wings of the wind.

11  He made darkness his covering, his ^acanopy around him,

thick clouds ^bdark with water.

12  Out of the brightness before him

^chailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13  The Lord also ^dthundered in the heavens,

and the Most High uttered his ^evoice,

hailstones and coals of fire.

14  And he sent out his ^farrows and scattered them;

he flashed forth lightnings and ^grouted them.

15  Then ^hthe channels of the sea were seen,

and the foundations of the world were laid bare

at your ⁱrebuke, O Lord,

at the blast of ^jthe breath of your nostrils.

16  He ^ksent from on high, he took me;

he ^ldrew me out of ^mmany waters.

17  He rescued me from my strong enemy

and from those who hated me,

for they were ⁿtoo mighty for me.

18  They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the Lord was my support.

19  He brought me out into ^oa broad place;

he rescued me, because he ^pdelighted in me.

20  The Lord dealt with me ^qaccording to my righteousness;

according to ^rthe cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

21  For I have ^skept the ways of the Lord,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22  For ^tall his rules³ were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23  I was ^ublameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

24  So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25  With ^vthe merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

26  with the purified you show yourself pure;

and with ^wthe crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

27  For you save ^xa humble people,

but ^ythe haughty eyes you bring down.

28  For it is you who light my ^zlamp;

the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

29  For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can ^aleap over ^ba wall.

30  This God—his way is ^cperfect;⁴

the word of the Lord ^dproves true;

he is ^ea shield for all those who ^ftake refuge in him.

31  For ^gwho is God, but the Lord?

And who is ^ha rock, except our God?—

32  the God who ⁱequipped me with strength

and made my way ^jblameless.

33  He made my feet like the feet of a ^kdeer

and set me secure on ^lthe heights.

34  He ^mtrains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35  You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand ⁿsupported me,

and your ^ogentleness made me great.

36  You ^pgave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip.

37  I pursued my enemies and overtook them,

and did not turn back till they were consumed.

38  I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;

they fell under my feet.

39  For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

40  You made my enemies ^qturn their backs to me,⁵

and those who hated me I destroyed.

41  ^rThey cried for help, but there was none to save;

they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

42  I beat them fine as ^sdust before the wind;

I cast them out like ^tthe mire of the streets.

43  You delivered me from ^ustrife with the people;

you made me ^vthe head of the nations;

^wpeople whom I had not known served me.

44  As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;

^xforeigners ^ycame cringing to me.

45  ^xForeigners lost heart

and ^zcame trembling out of their fortresses.

46  The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be the God of my salvation—

47  the God who gave me vengeance

and ^asubdued peoples under me,

48  who rescued me from my enemies;

yes, you ^bexalted me above those who rose against me;

you delivered me from ^cthe man of violence.

49  ^dFor this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,

and ^esing to your name.

50  Great ^fsalvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his ^ganointed,

to ^hDavid and his offspring forever.

19  ⁱThe heavens declare the glory of God,

and the sky above¹ proclaims his handiwork.

2  Day to day pours out speech,

and night to night reveals knowledge.

3  There is no speech, nor are there words,

whose voice is not heard.

4  ^jTheir ^kvoice² goes out through all the earth,

and their words to the end of the world.

In them he has set a tent for ^lthe sun,

5  ^mwhich comes out like ⁿa bridegroom leaving his chamber,

and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy.

6  Its rising is from the end of the heavens,

and its circuit to the end of them,

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7  ^oThe law of the Lord is perfect,³

^previving the soul;

^qthe testimony of the Lord is ^rsure,

^smaking wise ^tthe simple;

8  ^uthe precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is ^vpure,

^wenlightening the eyes;

9  the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules⁴ of the Lord are ^xtrue,

and righteous altogether.

10  More to be desired are they than ^ygold,

even much ^zfine gold;

^asweeter also than honey

and drippings of ^bthe honeycomb.

11  Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

^cin keeping them there is great reward.

12  ^dWho can discern his errors?

^eDeclare me innocent from ^fhidden faults.

13  ^gKeep back your servant also from ^hpresumptuous sins;

let them not have ⁱdominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless,

and innocent of great transgression.

14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O Lord, my ^jrock and my ^kredeemer.

20  May the Lord ^lanswer you in the day of trouble!

May ^mthe name of the God of Jacob ⁿprotect you!

2  May he send you help from ^othe sanctuary

and give you support from ^pZion!

3  May he ^qremember all your offerings

and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

4  May he ^rgrant you your heart’s desire

and fulfill all your plans!

5  May we shout for joy over ^syour salvation,

and in the name of our God set up our ^tbanners!

May the Lord fulfill all your petitions!

6  Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with ^uthe saving might of his right hand.

7  Some trust in ^vchariots and some in ^whorses,

^xbut we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

8  They collapse and fall,

but we rise and stand upright.

9  O Lord, save ^ythe king!

May he answer us when we call.

21  O Lord, in your ^zstrength the king rejoices,

and in your ^asalvation how greatly he exults!

2  You have ^bgiven him his heart’s desire

and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah

3  For you ^cmeet him with rich blessings;

you set ^da crown of ^efine gold upon his head.

4  He asked life of you; you ^fgave it to him,

^glength of days forever and ever.

5  His ^hglory is great through your salvation;

ⁱsplendor and majesty you bestow on him.

6  For you make him most blessed forever;¹

you make him glad with the ^jjoy of your presence.

7  For the king trusts in the Lord,

and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be ^kmoved.

8  Your hand will ^lfind out all your enemies;

your right hand will find out those who hate you.

9  You will make them as ^ma blazing oven

when you appear.

The Lord will swallow them up in his ⁿwrath,

and ^ofire will consume them.

10  You ^pwill destroy their ^qdescendants from the earth,

and their offspring from among the children of man.

11  Though they plan evil against you,

though they ^rdevise mischief, they will not succeed.

12  For you will put them ^sto flight;

you will ^taim at their faces with your bows.

13  Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength!

We will sing and praise your power.

22  ^uMy God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so ^vfar from saving me, from the words of my ^wgroaning?

2  O my God, I cry by ^xday, but you do not answer,

and by night, but I find no rest.

3  Yet you are ^yholy,

^zenthroned on ^athe praises¹ of Israel.

4  In you our fathers trusted;

they trusted, and you delivered them.

5  To you they ^bcried and were rescued;

in you they ^ctrusted and were not put to shame.

6  But I am ^da worm and not a man,

^escorned by mankind and ^fdespised by the people.

7  All who see me ^gmock me;

they make mouths at me; they ^hwag their heads;

8  ⁱ“He trusts in the Lord; let him ^jdeliver him;

let him rescue him, for he ^kdelights in him!”

9  Yet you are he who ^ltook me from the womb;

you made me trust you at my mother’s breasts.

10  On you was I cast from my birth,

and from ^mmy mother’s womb you have been my God.

11  Be not ⁿfar from me,

for trouble is near,

and there is ^onone to help.

12  Many bulls encompass me;

^pstrong bulls of ^qBashan surround me;

13  they ^ropen wide their mouths at me,

like a ravening and roaring lion.

14  I am ^spoured out like water,

and all my bones are ^tout of joint;

my ^uheart is like ^vwax;

it is melted within my breast;

15  my strength is ^wdried up like a potsherd,

and my ^xtongue sticks to my jaws;

you lay me in the dust of death.

16  For ^ydogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers ^zencircles me;

they have ^apierced my hands and feet²—

17  I can count all my bones—

they ^bstare and gloat over me;

18  ^cthey divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

19  But you, O Lord, ⁿdo not be far off!

O you my help, ^dcome quickly to my aid!

20  Deliver my soul from the sword,

my precious life from the power of ^ethe dog!

21  Save me from ^fthe mouth of the lion!

You have rescued³ me from the horns of ^gthe wild oxen!

22  ^hI will tell of your name to my ⁱbrothers;

in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:

23  You who ^jfear the Lord, praise him!

All you offspring of Jacob, ^kglorify him,

and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!

24  For he has not despised or abhorred

the affliction of ^lthe afflicted,

and he has not ^mhidden his face from him,

but has heard, when he ⁿcried to him.

25  From you comes my praise in the great ^ocongregation;

my ^pvows I will ^qperform before those who fear him.

26  ^rThe afflicted⁴ shall ^seat and be satisfied;

those who seek him shall praise the Lord!

May your hearts ^tlive forever!

27  All ^uthe ends of the earth shall remember

and turn to the Lord,

and all ^vthe families of the nations

shall worship before you.

28  For ^wkingship belongs to the Lord,

and he rules over the nations.

29  All ^xthe prosperous of the earth eat and worship;

before him shall ^ybow all who go down to the dust,

even the one who could not ^zkeep himself alive.

30  Posterity shall serve him;

it shall be told of the Lord to the coming ^ageneration;

31  they shall ^bcome and proclaim his righteousness to a people yet ^cunborn,

that he has done it.