Psalms 18
1 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.
To victorie, the word of the Lord to Dauid; which spak the wordis of this song, in the dai in which the Lord delyuerede hym fro the hond of alle hise enemyes, and fro the hond of Saul; and he seide: Lord, my strengthe, Y schal loue thee; the Lord is my stidfastnesse, and my refuyt, and mi deliuerere.
2 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.
Mi God is myn helpere; and Y schal hope in to hym. My defendere, and the horn of myn helthe; and myn vptakere.
3 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.
I schal preise, and ynwardli clepe the Lord; and Y schal be saaf fro myn enemyes.
4 The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The sorewis of deth cumpassiden me; and the strondis of wickidnesse disturbliden me.
The sorewis of helle cumpassiden me; the snaris of deeth `bifor ocupieden me. (Sheol h7585)
6 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.
In my tribulacioun Y inwardli clepide the Lord; and Y criede to my God. And he herde my vois fro his hooli temple; and my cry in his siyt entride in to hise eeris.
7 Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
The erthe was mouede togidere, and tremblede togidere; the foundementis of hillis weren troblid togidere, and weren moued togidere; for he was wrooth to hem.
8 There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
Smoke stiede in the ire of hym, and fier brente out fro his face; coolis weren kyndlid of hym.
9 The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
He bowide doun heuenes, and cam doun; and derknesse was vndur hise feet.
10 And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
And he stiede on cherubym, and flei; he fley ouer the pennes of wyndis.
11 He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
And he settide derknesses his hidyng place, his tabernacle `in his cumpas; derk water was in the cloudes of the lowere eir.
12 Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
Ful cleer cloudis passiden in his siyt; hail and the coolis of fier.
13 The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.
And the Lord thundrid fro heuene; and the hiyeste yaf his vois, hail and the coolis of fier `camen doun.
14 He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
And he sente hise arowis, and distriede tho men; he multipliede leytis, and disturblide tho men.
15 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.
And the wellis of watris apperiden; and the foundementis of the erthe weren schewid. Lord, of thi blamyng; of the brething of the spirit of thin ire.
16 He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
He sente fro the hiyeste place, and took me; and he took me fro many watris.
17 He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
He delyuerede me fro my strongeste enemyes; and fro hem that hatiden me, fro thei weren coumfortid on me.
18 They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
Thei camen bifor me in the dai of my turment; and the Lord was maad my defendere.
19 He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
And he ledde out me in to breede; he maad me saaf, for he wolde me.
20 The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
And the Lord schal yelde to me bi my riytfulnesse; and he schal yelde to me bi the clennesse of myn hondis.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
For Y kepte the weies of the Lord; and Y dide not vnfeithfuli fro my God.
22 For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
For alle hise domes ben in my siyt; and Y puttide not awei fro me hise riytfulnessis.
23 And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
And Y schal be vnwemmed with hym; and Y schal kepe me fro my wickidnesse.
24 Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
And the Lord schal yelde to me bi my riytfulnesse; and bi the clennesse of myn hondis in the siyt of hise iyen.
25 On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
With the hooli, thou schalt be hooli; and with `a man innocent, thou schalt be innocent.
26 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.
And with a chosun man, thou schalt be chosun; and with a weiward man, thou schalt be weiward.
27 For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
For thou schalt make saaf a meke puple; and thou schalt make meke the iyen of proude men.
28 You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
For thou, Lord, liytnest my lanterne; my God, liytne thou my derknessis.
29 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.
For bi thee Y schal be delyuered fro temptacioun; and in my God Y schal `go ouer the wal.
30 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.
Mi God, his weie is vndefoulid, the speches of the Lord ben examyned bi fier; he is defendere of alle men hopynge in hym.
31 For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
For whi, who is God out takun the Lord? ethir who is God outakun oure God?
32 God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
God that hath gird me with vertu; and hath set my weie vnwemmed.
33 He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
Which made perfit my feet as of hertis; and ordeynynge me on hiye thingis.
34 He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
Which techith myn hondis to batel; and thou hast set myn armys as a brasun bouwe.
35 You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
And thou hast youe to me the kyueryng of thin helthe; and thi riythond hath vptake me. And thi chastisyng amendide me in to the ende; and thilke chastisyng of thee schal teche me.
36 You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
Thou alargidist my paaces vndur me; and my steppis ben not maad vnstidefast.
37 I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
Y schal pursue myn enemyes, and Y schal take hem; and Y schal not turne til thei failen.
38 I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
I schal al to-breke hem, and thei schulen not mowe stonde; thei schulen falle vndur my feet.
39 For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.
And thou hast gird me with vertu to batel; and thou hast `supplauntid, ether disseyued, vndur me men risynge ayens me.
40 By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
And thou hast youe myn enemyes abac to me; and thou hast distried `men hatynge me.
41 They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
Thei crieden, and noon was that maad hem saaf; `thei crieden to the Lord, and he herde not hem.
42 Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.
And Y schal al to-breke hem, as dust bifor the face of wynd; Y schal do hem awei, as the cley of stretis.
43 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.
Thou schalt delyuere me fro ayenseiyngis of the puple; thou schalt sette me in to the heed of folkis.
44 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.
The puple, which Y knewe not, seruede me; in the herynge of eere it obeiede to me.
45 They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
Alien sones lieden to me, alien sones wexiden elde; and crokiden fro thi pathis.
46 The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
The Lord lyueth, and my God be blessid; and the God of myn helthe be enhaunsid.
47 It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
God, that yauest veniaunces to me, and makist suget puplis vndur me; my delyuerere fro my wrathful enemyes.
48 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.
And thou schalt enhaunse me fro hem, that risen ayens me; thou schalt delyuere me fro a wickid man.
49 Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
Therfor, Lord, Y schal knouleche to thee among naciouns; and Y schal seie salm to thi name.
50 Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
Magnyfiynge the helthis of his kyng; and doynge merci to his crist Dauid, and to his seed til in to the world.
