Psalms 18
1 Yahweh, I love you, the one who enables me to be strong.
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 Yahweh is like an [overhanging] rock [DOU, MET] [under which I can hide from my enemies]; he is like a strong fortress, the one who protects me; he protects me like a shield [MET] [protects a soldier]; he is the one to whom I go (for refuge/to be protected/safe), and he defends me by his great power [IDM].
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 called out to Yahweh, who deserves to be praised, and he rescued me from my enemies.
I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
4 All around me were dangerous situations in which I might be killed [PRS]; it was as though there were huge waves [MET] that almost crashed on me and killed me.
The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
5 [It was as though] the place where dead people are had ropes that were wrapped around me, or [it was as though] there was a trap [MET] that would [seize and] kill me. (Sheol h7585)
The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death trapped me. (Sheol h7585)
6 But when I was very distressed, I called out to Yahweh, and from his temple he heard me. He listened to me when I cried out [for help].
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 quaked/shook strongly [DOU]; the mountains shook very strongly from their centers [DOU] because Yahweh was angry.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled and were shaken because God was angry.
8 [It was as though] smoke poured out from his nostrils, and [as though] burning coals came out of his mouth.
Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
9 He opened the sky and came down with a black cloud under his feet.
He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He flew, riding on the back of a creature that had wings, traveling [fast], blown along by the wind.
He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
11 Darkness was all around him [like a blanket] [MET]; dark clouds, full of moisture, covered him [MET].
He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
12 Hailstones and flashes of lightning were around him; hail and burning coals fell from the sky.
Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
13 Then Yahweh [spoke in a loud voice] from the sky, and [his enemies] heard his voice that sounded like thunder.
Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
14 He shot his arrows at them and caused them to scatter; His flashes of lightning caused them to become very confused (OR, to run away).
He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
15 The bottom of the ocean became visible, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered, when Yahweh rebuked his enemies when he snorted.
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 [It was as though] he reached down from heaven and grabbed me and pulled me up out of the deep ocean.
He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemies who hated me; they were very strong, with the result that I [could not defeat them].
He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
18 When I (was distressed/had troubles), they attacked me, but Yahweh defended/protected me.
They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
19 He led me to a place where I was safe; he rescued me because he was pleased with me.
He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
20 Yahweh has rewarded me because I do what is right; he has blessed me because I (am innocent/have not done things that are wrong).
Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.
21 I have obeyed Yahweh’s laws; I have not abandoned him.
For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.
22 My behavior was directed by his rules; I have not stopped obeying them.
For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
23 He knows that I have not done what is wrong; I have kept myself from sinning.
I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
24 So he rewards me because I do what is right; he knows that I [SYN] have not committed sins.
Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
25 Yahweh, you are faithful to those who faithfully [do what you tell them to do]; you always do what is good/right to those who do what you want them to do.
To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
26 You are kind to those who are kind to others, but you act wisely toward those who (act perversely/do bad things).
To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
27 You save those who are humble, but you cause those who are proud to be humiliated/ashamed.
For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
28 You give light to my [soul/spirit]; you take away the darkness of my soul.
For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
29 You enable me to be strong, with the result that I can run and attack a line of enemy soldiers; with your help I can (scale/climb up) the walls [that surround my enemies’ cities].
For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 Everything that Yahweh my God does is perfect. We can depend on him to do what he promises. He is like a shield [MET] to protect all those who go to him for refuge.
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 Yahweh is [RHQ] the only one who is God; only he is like an [overhanging] rock [under which we can be safe].
For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
32 God is the one who enables me to be strong and who keeps me safe on the roads that I walk on.
It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
33 He enables me to [walk swiftly without stumbling], like a deer walks/runs in the mountains.
He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
34 He teaches me how to use a strong/metal bow in order that I can use it to fight in battles.
He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
35 Yahweh, you protect and save me with your shield; you have made me safe by your power [MTY]. I have become (strong/a great [king]) because you have helped me.
You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.
36 You have cleared the road for me, with the result that now I do not slip/stumble.
You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
37 I have pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until I had defeated/killed them all.
I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
38 When I strike them, they are not able to get up again; they lie on the ground, defeated.
I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
39 You have enabled me to be strong in order that I can fight battles and defeat my enemies.
For you put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.
40 You caused my enemies to run away (OR, you enabled me to put my foot on my enemies’ necks [after I captured them and forced them to lie on the ground]); I have gotten rid of all those who hated me.
You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
41 They called out for someone to help them, but no one saved them.
They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
42 I pulverize them, with the result that they become like [MET] the dust that the wind [blows away]; I throw them out like [SIM] [people throw] dirt out into the streets.
I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.
43 You enabled me to defeat those who fought against me, and appointed me to be the ruler of [many]; people whom I did not know about previously are now slaves [in my kingdom].
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 When foreigners hear about me, they (cringe/bow low before me) and they obey me.
As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.
45 They are no longer courageous, and from their forts [where they were hiding] they come [to me] trembling.
The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 Yahweh is alive! Praise the one who is like an [overhanging] rock [MET] [under which I am safe] Exalt the God who saves me!
Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 He enables me to get revenge on my enemies; he causes me to defeat nations and to rule over them,
He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
48 and he rescues me from my enemies. He has lifted me up high so that violent men could not reach me [and harm me].
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 So I praise him [and I tell] the nations [the great things that he has done].
Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
50 He has enabled me, his king, to powerfully defeat my enemies; he faithfully loves me, David, the one he has chosen [to be king], and he will faithfully love my descendants forever.
God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.
