Psalms 18
1 To the chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David, the servant of Jehovah, who spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul. And he said, I will love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.
I love thee, O LORD, my strength!
2 Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
Jehovah is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I trust; My shield, my strong defence, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon Jehovah, who is to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
I called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And was delivered from my enemies.
4 The bands of death encompassed me, and torrents of Belial made me afraid.
The snares of death encompassed me; The floods of destruction filled me with dismay;
The snares of the underworld surrounded me, And the nets of death seized upon me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah, and I cried out to my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, into his ears.
In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried unto my God; He heard my voice from his palace, And my cry came before him into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and shook, because he was wroth.
Then the earth quaked and trembled; The foundations of the mountains rocked and were shaken, Because his wrath was kindled.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals burned forth from it.
A smoke went up from his nostrils, And fire from his mouth devoured; Burning coals shot forth from him.
9 And he bowed the heavens, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
He bowed the heavens, and came down; And darkness was under his feet;
10 And he rode upon a cherub and did fly; yea, he flew fast upon the wings of the wind.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place, his tent round about him: darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
And he made darkness his covering; His pavilion round about him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed forth: hail and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him, his thick clouds passed away; Then came hailstones and coals of fire.
13 And Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice: hail and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered his voice, Amid hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent his arrows, and scattered [mine enemies]; and he shot forth lightnings, and discomfited them.
He sent forth his arrows, and scattered them; Continual lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 And the beds of the waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered at thy rebuke, Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
Then the channels of the deep were seen, And the foundations of the earth were laid bare At thy rebuke, O LORD! At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He reached forth from above, he took me, he drew me out of great waters:
He stretched forth his hand from above; he took me, And drew me out of deep waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me; for they were mightier than I.
He delivered me from my strong enemy; From my adversaries, who were too powerful for me.
18 They encountered me in the day of my calamity, but Jehovah was my stay.
They fell upon me in the day of my calamity; But the LORD was my stay.
19 And he brought me forth into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
He brought me forth into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
The LORD hath rewarded me according to my righteous; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me;
For all his laws were in my sight; I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 And I was upright with him, and kept myself from mine iniquity.
I was upright before him, And kept myself from iniquity.
24 And Jehovah hath recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
Therefore hath the LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the gracious thou dost shew thyself gracious; with the upright man thou dost shew thyself upright;
To the merciful thou showest thyself merciful; To the upright thou showest thyself upright;
26 With the pure thou dost shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou dost shew thyself contrary.
To the pure thou showest thyself pure, And to the perverse thou showest thyself perverse.
27 For it is thou that savest the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes wilt thou bring down.
For thou savest the afflicted people, But the haughty countenance thou bringest down.
28 For it is thou that makest my lamp to shine: Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
Thou causest my lamp to shine; Jehovah, my God, enlighteneth my darkness.
29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
For through thee I have broken through troops; Through my God I have leaped over walls.
30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of Jehovah is tried: he is a shield to all that trust in him.
The ways of God are just and true; His word is pure, tried in the fire; He is a shield to all who put their trust in him.
31 For who is God save Jehovah? and who is a rock if not our God?
Who, then, is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God?
32 The God who girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect,
It is God that girded me with strength, And made my way plain.
33 Who maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], and setteth me upon my high places;
He made my feet like the hind's, And set me in my high places;
34 Who teacheth my hands to war, and mine arms bend a bow of brass;
He taught my hands to war, So that my arm bent the bow of brass.
35 And thou didst give me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand held me up; and thy condescending gentleness hath made me great.
Thou gavest me the shield of thy protection; Thy right hand held me up, And thy goodness made me great.
36 Thou didst enlarge my steps under me, and mine ankles have not wavered.
Thou didst make a wide path for my steps, So that my feet did not stumble.
37 I pursued mine enemies, and overtook them; and I turned not again till they were consumed.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And turned not back till I had destroyed them.
38 I crushed them, and they were not able to rise: they fell under my feet.
I smote them, so that they could not rise; They fell under my feet.
39 And thou girdedst me with strength to battle; thou didst subdue under me those that rose up against me.
Thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; Thou didst cast down my adversaries under me.
40 And mine enemies didst thou make to turn their backs unto me, and those that hated me I destroyed.
Thou didst cause my enemies to turn their backs, So that I destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cried, and there was none to save; — unto Jehovah, and he answered them not.
They cried, but there was none to help; To Jehovah, but he answered them not.
42 And I did beat them small as dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.
I beat them small, like dust before the wind; I cast them out as the dirt of the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast made me the head of the nations: a people I knew not doth serve me.
Thou hast delivered me from the assaults of the nations; Thou hast made me the head of the kingdoms. Nations whom I knew not serve me;
44 At the hearing of the ear, they obey me: strangers come cringing unto me.
They who have only heard of me obey me; Yea, men of a strange land submit themselves to me;
45 Strangers have faded away, and they come trembling forth from their close places.
Men of a strange land fade away, like a leaf, And come trembling from their strongholds.
46 Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation,
Jehovah is the living God; blessed be my rock; Exalted be the God of my salvation!
47 The God who hath avenged me, and hath subjected the peoples to me;
It is God who hath given me vengeance, And subdued the nations under me;
48 Who hath delivered me from mine enemies: yea, thou hast lifted me up above them that rose up against me; from the man of violence hast thou delivered me.
He delivered me from my enemies; Yea, thou hast lifted me up above my adversaries; Thou hast saved me from the violent man!
49 Therefore will I give thanks to thee, Jehovah, among the nations, and will sing psalms to thy name.
Therefore I will give thanks to thee, O LORD! among the nations, And sing praises to thy name.
50 [It is he] who giveth great deliverances to his king, and sheweth loving-kindness to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth mercy to his anointed, —To David and to his posterity for ever.
