Psalm 19

                                                                                                                   

    The heavens declare the glory of God;

 the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge. 
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice^[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world. 
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 
⁵     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, 
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens 
    and makes its circuit to the other; 
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, 
    refreshing the soul. 
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, 
    making wise the simple. 
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right, 
    giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the Lord are radiant,
    giving light to the eyes. 
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever.
The decrees of the Lord are firm,
    and all of them are righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold, 
    than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey, 
    than honey from the honeycomb. 
¹¹ By them your servant is warned;
    in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² But who can discern their own errors?
    Forgive my hidden faults. 
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins; 
    may they not rule over me. 
Then I will be blameless, 
    innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Psalm 18

I love you, Lord, my strength.

² The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, 
    my shield^[b] and the horn^[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.

³ I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, 
    and I have been saved from my enemies. 
⁴ The cords of death entangled me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁵ The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁶ In my distress I called to the Lord; 
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice; 
    my cry came before him, into his ears.
⁷ The earth trembled and quaked, 
    and the foundations of the mountains shook; 
    they trembled because he was angry. 
⁸ Smoke rose from his nostrils; 
    consuming fire came from his mouth,
    burning coals blazed out of it.
⁹ He parted the heavens and came down; 
    dark clouds were under his feet.
¹⁰ He mounted the cherubim and flew;
    he soared on the wings of the wind. 
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him—
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
¹² Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced,
    with hailstones and bolts of lightning. 
¹³ The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.^[d]
14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them. 
¹⁵ The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke, Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters. 
¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy, 
    from my foes, who were too strong for me. 
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my disaster, 
    but the Lord was my support. 
¹⁹ He brought me out into a spacious place; 
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.

²⁰ The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness; 
    according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. 
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord; 
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²² All his laws are before me; 
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
²³ I have been blameless before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁴ The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, 
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

²⁵ To the faithful you show yourself faithful, 
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁶ to the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. 
²⁷ You save the humble 
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. 
²⁸ You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light. 
²⁹ With your help I can advance against a troop^[e];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³⁰ As for God, his way is perfect: 
    The Lord’s word is flawless; 
    he shields all who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God besides the Lord? 
    And who is the Rock except our God?
³² It is God who arms me with strength 
    and keeps my way secure. 
³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; 
    he causes me to stand on the heights. 
³⁴ He trains my hands for battle; 
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.
³⁶ You provide a broad path for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁸ I crushed them so that they could not rise; 
    they fell beneath my feet. 
³⁹ You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was no one to save them —
    to the Lord, but he did not answer. 
⁴² I beat them as fine as windblown dust; 
    I trampled them^[f] like mud in the streets.
⁴³ You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations. 
People I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁴     foreigners cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
⁴⁵ They all lose heart; 
    they come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁶ The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! 
    Exalted be God my Savior! 
⁴⁷ He is the God who avenges me,
    who subdues nations under me,
⁴⁸     who saves me from my enemies. 
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; 
    I will sing the praises of your name.

⁵⁰ He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed, 
    to David and to his descendants forever.