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 OVERSEER. BY A SERVANT OF YHWH, BY DAVID, WHO HAS SPOKEN TO YHWH THE WORDS OF THIS SONG IN THE DAY YHWH DELIVERED HIM FROM THE HAND OF ALL HIS ENEMIES, AND FROM THE HAND OF SAUL, AND HE SAYS: I love You, O YHWH, 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.
YHWH [is] my rock, and my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God [is] my rock, I trust in Him: My shield, and the horn of my salvation, My high tower.
3 I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
I call on YHWH, the Praised One, And I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
Cords of death have surrounded me, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
Cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Snares of death have been before 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 adversity I call YHWH, And I cry to my God. He hears my voice from His temple, And My cry comes into His ears before Him.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
And the earth shakes and trembles, And foundations of hills are troubled, And they shake—because He has wrath.
8 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
Smoke has gone up from His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumes, Coals have been kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
And He inclines the heavens, and comes down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
And He rides on a cherub, and flies, And He flies on wings of wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
He makes darkness His secret place, Around Him His dwelling place, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
From the brightness before Him His thick clouds have passed on, Hail and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.
And YHWH thunders in the heavens, And the Most High gives forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.
And He sends His arrows and scatters them, And much lightning, and crushes 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 streams of waters are seen, And foundations of the earth are revealed, From Your rebuke, O YHWH, From the breath of the wind of Your anger.
16 He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
He sends from above—He takes me, He draws me 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 delivers me from my strong enemy, And from those hating me, For they have been stronger than I.
18 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They go before me in a day of my calamity And YHWH is for a support to me.
19 He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
And He brings me forth to a large place, He draws me out, because He delighted in me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.
YHWH repays me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He returns to me.
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 YHWH, And have not done wickedly against my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me. I did not put away his statutes from me.
For all His judgments [are] before me, And I do not turn His statutes from me.
23 I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
And I am perfect with Him, And I keep myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
And YHWH returns to me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness 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 kind You show Yourself kind, With a perfect man You show Yourself perfect.
26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the perverse You show Yourself a wrestler,
27 For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
For You save a poor people, And cause the eyes of the high to fall.
28 For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.
For You light my lamp, My God YHWH enlightens my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.
For by You I run [against] a troop! And by my God I leap 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.
God—perfect [is] His way, The saying of YHWH is tried, He [is] a shield to all those trusting in Him.
31 For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
For who [is] God besides YHWH? And who [is] a rock except our God?
32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
God—who is girding me [with] strength, And He makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.
Making my feet like does, And on my high places causes me to stand.
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
Teaching my hands for battle, And a bow of bronze was brought down 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.
And You give to me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand supports me, And Your lowliness makes me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
You enlarge my step under me, And my ankles have not slipped.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I will not turn away until they are consumed.
I pursue my enemies, and overtake them, And do 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 strike them, and they are not able to rise, They 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.
And You gird me [with] strength for battle, You cause my withstanders to bow under me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
As for my enemies—You have given to me the neck, As for those hating me—I cut them off.
41 They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
They cry, and there is no savior, On YHWH, and He does not answer them.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
And I beat them as dust before wind, I empty them out as mire 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 deliver me From the strivings of the people, You place me for a head of nations, A people I have not known serve 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 listen to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
YHWH lives—and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
God—who is giving vengeance to me, And He subdues peoples 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 my enemies, You raise me above my withstanders, Deliver me from a man of violence.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
Therefore I confess You among nations, O YHWH, And I sing 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.
Magnifying the salvation of His king, And doing kindness to His anointed, To David, and to his seed—for all time!
