Psalms 18
1 I 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 take refuge, 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 worthy to be praised. So I shall be saved from my enemies.
I called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And was delivered from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me, and the floods of lawlessness 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 cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry before him came 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 trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken because he was angry.
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 were kindled by it.
A smoke went up from his nostrils, And fire from his mouth devoured; Burning coals shot forth from him.
9 He also bowed the heavens, and came down, and thick 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 flew. Yea, he soared 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 hiding-place, his pavilion 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 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him, his thick clouds passed away; Then came hailstones 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 Most High uttered his voice, Amid hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them, Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.
He sent forth his arrows, and scattered them; Continual lightnings, and discomfited 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.
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 sent from on high, he took me, he drew me out of many 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 those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
He delivered me from my strong enemy; From my adversaries, who were too powerful for me.
18 They came upon 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 He also 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 has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands he has 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 put not away his statutes from me.
For all his laws were in my sight; I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 I was also perfect with him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
I was upright before him, And kept myself from iniquity.
24 Therefore Jehovah has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
Therefore hath the LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the merciful thou will show thyself merciful. With the perfect man thou will show thyself perfect.
To the merciful thou showest thyself merciful; To the upright thou showest thyself upright;
26 With the pure thou will show thyself pure. And with the perverse thou will show thyself contrary.
To the pure thou showest thyself pure, And to the perverse thou showest thyself perverse.
27 For thou will save the afflicted people, but the haughty eyes thou will bring down.
For thou savest the afflicted people, But the haughty countenance thou bringest down.
28 For thou will light my lamp. Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.
Thou causest my lamp to shine; Jehovah, my God, enlighteneth my darkness.
29 For by thee I run upon a troop, and by my God I leap 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 those who take refuge 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, except Jehovah? And who is a rock, besides our God,
Who, then, is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God?
32 the God who girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
It is God that girded me with strength, And made my way plain.
33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
He made my feet like the hind's, And set me in my high places;
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of brass.
He taught my hands to war, So that my arm bent the bow of brass.
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.
Thou gavest me the shield of thy protection; Thy right hand held me up, And thy goodness made me great.
36 Thou have enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
Thou didst make a wide path for my steps, So that my feet did not stumble.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And turned not back till I had destroyed them.
38 I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
I smote them, so that they could not rise; They fell 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.
Thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; Thou didst cast down my adversaries under me.
40 Thou have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
Thou didst cause my enemies to turn their backs, So that I 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 none to help; To Jehovah, but he answered them not.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I 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 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.
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 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
They who have only heard of me obey me; Yea, men of a strange land submit themselves to me;
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places.
Men of a strange land fade away, like a leaf, And come trembling from their strongholds.
46 Jehovah lives, 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 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
It is God who hath given me vengeance, And 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.
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 I will give thanks to thee, O Jehovah, among the Gentiles, and will sing praises to thy name.
Therefore I will give thanks to thee, O LORD! among the nations, And sing praises to thy name.
50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows 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.
