Psalms 18:4-28

4 aThe cords of death encompassed me;
bthe torrents of destruction assailed me;
Or terrified me

5 dthe cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 eIn my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his ftemple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth greeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils,
Or in his wrath

and devouring ifire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He jbowed the heavens and kcame down;
lthick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on mthe wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering, his ncanopy around him,
thick clouds odark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him
phailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13 The Lord also qthundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his rvoice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14And he sent out his sarrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and trouted them.
15Then uthe channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your vrebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of wthe breath of your nostrils.
16 He xsent from on high, he took me;
he ydrew me out of zmany waters.
17He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were aatoo mighty for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into aba broad place;
he rescued me, because he acdelighted in me.
20 The Lord dealt with me adaccording to my righteousness;
according to aethe cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21For I have afkept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For agall his rules
Or just decrees
were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23I was aiblameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 With ajthe merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with akthe crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27For you save ala humble people,
but amthe haughty eyes you bring down.
28For it is you who light my anlamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
Copyright information for ESV