Psalms 18
1 For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, I love you, LORD, my strength.
To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said, I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.
4 The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called on the LORD, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.
In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.
He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.
16 He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
18 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.
The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me. I did not put away his statutes from me.
For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
23 I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
24 Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.
27 For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
28 For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.
You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.
By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect. The LORD’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him.
31 For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.
He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.
You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I will not turn away until they are consumed.
I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
39 For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
41 They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority.
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
48 He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.
He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.
Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
