Psalms 18
1 I will love you, O LORD, my strength.
For the end, [a Psalm] of David, the servant of the Lord; [the words] which he spoke to the Lord, [even] the words of this Song, in the day in which the Lord delivered him out the hand of all his enemies, and out the hand of Saul: and he said: I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
The Lord is my firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; [he is] my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly.
The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
And when I was afflicted I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of this holy temple, and my cry shall enter before him, [even] into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was angry.
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick 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.
And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and humiliated them.
And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
And the springs of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of thy wrath.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them].
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
For all his judgments were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me.
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore has the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself upright;
With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent.
26 With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the perverse you will show yourself perverse.
And with the excellent [man] thou wilt be excellent; and with the perverse thou wilt shew frowardness.
27 For you will save the afflicted people; but will bring down high looks.
For thou wilt save the lowly people, and wilt humble the eyes of the proud.
28 For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
For thou, O Lord, wilt light my lamp: my God, thou wilt lighten my darkness.
29 For by you I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
For by thee shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
[As for] my God, his way is perfect: the oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a protector of all them that hope in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God?
32 It is God that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect.
[It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless:
33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places.
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
He instructs my hands for war: and thou hast made my arms [as] a brazen bow.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation: and your right hand has held me up, and your gentleness has made me great.
And thou hast made me secure in my salvation: and thy right hand has helped me, and thy correction has upheld me to the end; yea, thy correction itself shall instruct me.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
Thou has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I return till they were consumed.
I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed.
38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
39 For you have girded me with strength unto the battle: you have subdued under me those that rose up against me.
For thou hast girded me with strength for war: thou hast beaten down under me all that rose up against me.
40 You have also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
And thou has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and thou hast destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he hearkened not to them.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind.
43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; and you have made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
Deliver me from the gain sayings of the people: thou shalt make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me,
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.
46 The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God that avenges me, and subdues the people under me.
[It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me;
48 He delivers me from mine enemies: yea, you lift me up above those that rise up against me: you have delivered me from the violent man.
my deliverer from angry enemies: thou shalt set me on high above them that rise up against me: thou shalt deliver me from the unrighteous man.
49 Therefore will I give thanks unto you, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto your name.
Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name.
50 Great deliverance gives he to his king; and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
[God] magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
