Psalms 18
1 I will love thee, O YHWH, my strength.
For the chief musician. A psalm of David, the servant of Yahweh, when he sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He sang: I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
2 YHWH is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my El, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who brings me to safety; he is my God, my rock; I take refuge in him. He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold.
3 I will call upon YHWH, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of destruction made me afraid.
The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death trapped me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called upon YHWH, and cried unto my Elohim: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
In my distress I called to Yahweh; I called for help to my God. He heard my voice from his temple; my call for help went into his presence; it went into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled and were shaken because God was angry.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
13 YHWH also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O YHWH, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
Then the water channels appeared; the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but YHWH was my stay.
They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
20 YHWH rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.
21 For I have kept the ways of YHWH, and have not wickedly departed from my Elohim.
For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
24 Therefore hath YHWH recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
28 For thou wilt light my candle: YHWH my Elohim will enlighten my darkness.
For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my Elohim have I leaped over a wall.
For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 As for El, his way is perfect: the word of YHWH is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
As for God—his way is perfect! The word of Yahweh is pure! He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.
31 For who is Eloah save YHWH? or who is a rock save our Elohim?
For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
32 It is El that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
For you put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.
40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto YHWH, but he answered them not.
They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
You rescued me from the disputes of people. You have made me the head over nations. People that I have not known serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 YHWH liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the Elohim of my salvation be exalted.
Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is El that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
I am set free from my enemies! Indeed, you lifted me above the ones who rose against me! You rescued me from violent men.
49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O YHWH, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.
