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 leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord, who recited the words of this song to the Lord after the Lord had saved him from the power of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, 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 fortress, deliverer, my God, my rock, where I take refuge, my shield, my defender, my tower.
3 I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on, he rescues me from all my foes.
4 The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The waves of death broke about me, fearful floods of chaos.
Sheol threw cords around me, snares of death came to meet 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 distress I cried to the Lord, and shouted for help to my God; in his temple he heard my voice, into his ears came my cry.
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, mountains trembled to their foundations, and quaked because of his wrath.
8 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
Then he bent the sky and came down, thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
with his screen of darkness about him, in thick dark clouds of water.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
At the radiance before him there passed hailstones 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 thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.
He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed 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.
The channels of the sea were revealed, the world was laid bare to its base, at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
He stretched from on high, he seized me, drew me up from the mighty waters,
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
and saved me from those who hated me – fierce foes, too mighty for me.
18 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
In my day of distress they assailed me, but the Lord proved my support.
19 He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.
The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I kept the ways of the Lord, nor have wickedly strayed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me. I did not put away his statutes from me.
His commandments were all before me, his statutes I put not away.
23 I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
And I was blameless before him, guarding myself from sin.
24 Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.
25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
With the loyal you are loyal, and with the blameless blameless.
26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
With the pure you show yourself pure, but shrewd with the devious.
27 For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.
28 For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.
You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.
With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can 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.
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is shield to all who take refuge 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 rock but our God?
32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.
33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.
He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me up on the heights.
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.
The shield of your help you gave me, your right hand supports me, you stoop down to make me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I will not turn away until they are consumed.
So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.
38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.
39 For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.
41 They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, but he answered them not.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
I beat them like dust of the market-place, stamped them like mud 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.
From the strife of the peoples you saved me, you made me head of the nations, peoples I knew not did serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
On the instant they hear, they obey me, foreigners come to me cringing.
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
Foreigners lose courage, and come out of their strongholds trembling.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock! Exalted be God, my protector!
47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
The God who gave me revenge, and brought down nations beneath 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.
who saved me from angry foes, and set me above my assailants, safe from the violent.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
For this I will praise you among the nations, making music, O Lord, 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.
for great triumphs he grants to his king, and faithful love he shows his anointed, to David and his seed evermore.
