Psalms 18
1 I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.
For the end, [a Psalm] of David, the servant of the Lord; [the words] which he spoke to the Lord, [even] the words of this Song, in the day in which the Lord delivered him out the hand of all his enemies, and out the hand of Saul: and he said: I will love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
The Lord is my firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; [he is] my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper.
3 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised. So I shall be saved from my enemies.
I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me, and the floods of lawlessness made me afraid.
The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly.
The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry before him came into his ears.
And when I was afflicted I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of this holy temple, and my cry shall enter before him, [even] into his ears.
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, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it.
9 He also bowed the heavens, and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and flew. Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.
And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
11 He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
13 Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice.
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them, Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.
And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at thy rebuke, O Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
And the springs of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of your wrath.
16 He sent from on high, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I.
18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity, but Jehovah was my stay.
They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them].
19 He also brought me forth into a large place. He delivered me because he delighted in me.
And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me.
20 Jehovah has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands he has recompensed me.
And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me.
21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me, and I put not away his statutes from me.
For all his judgements were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me.
23 I was also perfect with him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore Jehovah has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the merciful thou will show thyself merciful. With the perfect man thou will show thyself perfect.
With the holy you will be holy; and with the innocent man you will be innocent.
26 With the pure thou will show thyself pure. And with the perverse thou will show thyself contrary.
And with the excellent [man] you will be excellent; and with the perverse you will show frowardness.
27 For thou will save the afflicted people, but the haughty eyes thou will bring down.
For you will save the lowly people, and will humble the eyes of the proud.
28 For thou will light my lamp. Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.
For you, O Lord, will light my lamp: my God, you will lighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I run upon a troop, and by my God I leap over a wall.
For by you shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect. The word of Jehovah is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
[As for] my God, his way is perfect: the oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a protector of all them that hope in him.
31 For who is God, except Jehovah? And who is a rock, besides our God,
For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God?
32 the God who girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
[It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless:
33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places.
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of brass.
He instructs my hands for war: and you have made my arms [as] a brazen bow.
35 Thou have also given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand has held me up, and thy gentleness has made me great.
And you have made me secure in my salvation: and your right hand has helped me, and your correction has upheld me to the end; yes, your correction itself shall instruct me.
36 Thou have enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
You has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed.
38 I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
39 For thou have girded me with strength to the battle. Thou have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
For you have girded me with strength for war: you have beaten down under me all that rose up against me.
40 Thou have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
And you has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and you have destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save, even to Jehovah, but he answered them not.
They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he listened not to them.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind.
43 Thou have delivered me from the strivings of the people. Thou have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
Deliver me from the gain sayings of the people: you shall make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me,
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me.
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places.
The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.
46 Jehovah lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,
The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
[It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me;
48 He rescues me from my enemies. Yea, thou lift me up above those who rise up against me. Thou deliver me from the violent man.
my deliverer from angry enemies: you shall set me on high above them that rise up against me: you shall deliver me from the unrighteous man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to thee, O Jehovah, among the Gentiles, and will sing praises to thy name.
Therefore will I confess to you, O Lord, amongst the Gentiles, and sing to your name.
50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
[God] magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
