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Psalm 17 (18)

Thanksgiving for salvation and victory
“A great earthquake took place at that time” (Apoc 11, 13)

I love you, Lord, my strength,                                                               I
  my rock, my fortress, my saviour.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
  my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise,
  when I call I am saved from my foes.

The waves of death rose about me;
  the torrents of destruction assailed me;
the snares of the grave entangled me;
  the traps of death confronted me.

In my anguish I called to the Lord;
  I cried to God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
  my cry came to his ears.

Then the earth reeled and rocked;                                                         II
  the mountains were shaken to their base:
they reeled at his terrible anger.
  Smoke came forth from his nostrils
and scorching fire from his mouth:
  coals were set ablaze by its heat.

He lowered the heavens and came down,
  a black cloud under his feet.
He came enthroned on the cherubim,
  he flew on the wings of the wind.

He made the darkness his covering,
  the dark waters of the clouds, his tent.
A brightness shone out before him
  with hailstones and flashes of fire.

The Lord thundered in the heavens;
  the Most High let his voice be heard.
He shot his arrows, scattered the foe,
  flashed his lightnings and put them to flight.

The bed of the ocean was revealed;
  the foundations of the world were laid bare
at the thunder of your threat, O Lord,
  at the blast of the breath of your anger.

From on high he reached down and seized me;
  he drew me forth from the mighty waters.
He snatched me from my powerful foe,
  from my enemies whose strength I could not match.

They assailed me in the day of my misfortune,
  but the Lord was my support.
He brought me forth into freedom,
  he saved me because he loved me.

He rewarded me because I was just,                                                         III
  repaid me, for my hands were clean,
for I have kept the way of the Lord,
  and have not fallen away from my God.

For his judgements are all before me:
  I have never neglected his commands.
I have always been upright before him;
  I have kept myself from guilt.

He repaid me because I was just
  and my hands were clean in his eyes.
You are loving with those who love you:
  you show yourself perfect with the perfect.

With the sincere you show yourself sincere,
  but the cunning you outdo in cunning.
For you save a humble people
  but humble the eyes that are proud.

You, O Lord, are my lamp,
  my God who lightens my darkness.
With you I can break through any barrier,
  with my God I can scale any wall.

As for God, his ways are perfect;                                                            IV
  the word of the Lord, purest gold.
He indeed is the shield
  of all who make him their refuge.

For who is God but the Lord?
  Who is a rock but our God?
the God who girds me with strength
  and makes the path safe before me.

My feet you made swift as the deer’s;
  you have made me stand firm on the heights.
You have trained my hands for battle
  and my arms to bend the heavy bow.

You gave me your saving shield;                                                            V
  you upheld me, trained me with care.
You gave me freedom for my steps;
  my feet have never slipped.

I pursued and overtook my foes,
  never turning back till they were slain.
I smote them so they could not rise;
  they fell beneath my feet.

You girded me with strength for battle;
  you made my enemies fall beneath me,
you made my foes take flight;
  those who hated me I destroyed.

They cried, but there was no one to save them;
  they cried to the Lord, but in vain.
I crushed them fine as dust before the wind;
  trod them down like dirt in the streets.

You saved me from the feuds of the people
  and put me at the head of the nations.
People unknown to me served me:
  when they heard of me they obeyed me.

Foreign nations came to me cringing:
  foreign nations faded away.
  They came trembling out of their strongholds.

Long life to the Lord, my rock!                                                          VI
  Praised be the God who saves me,
the God who gives me redress
  and subdues people under me.

You saved me from my furious foes.
  You set me above my assailants.
You saved me from violent men,
  so I will praise you, Lord, among the nations:
  I will sing a psalm to your name.

He has given great victories to his king
  and shown his love for his anointed,
  for David and his sons for ever.