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.
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, 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 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 call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness 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 on the LORD, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came 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 mountains quaked 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 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. 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. Thick darkness was under his feet.
And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, 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 before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.
And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them.
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.
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 on high. 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, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I.
18 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them].
19 He brought me out 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 has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has 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 ordinances were before me. 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 blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore the LORD has rewarded 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 the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
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. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
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 the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
For thou wilt save the lowly people, and wilt humble the eyes of the proud.
28 For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.
For thou, O Lord, wilt light my lamp: my God, thou wilt lighten my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap 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 LORD’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge 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, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God?
32 the God who arms 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 deer’s feet, and sets me on 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 my arms bend a bow of bronze.
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. Your right hand sustains me. 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, My feet have not slipped.
Thou has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I will not turn away until they are consumed.
I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed.
38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall 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 armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who 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 made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who 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 no one to save; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he hearkened not to them.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of 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. You have made me the head of the nations. 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 foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me.
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
[It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me;
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.
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 I will give thanks to you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name.
50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.
[God] magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
