Psalms 18
1 For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, I love you, LORD, my strength.
I love thee, O LORD, my strength!
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I 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 call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am 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 surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness 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 on the LORD, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. 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 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. 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 bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
He bowed the heavens, and came down; And darkness was under his feet;
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on 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 around 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 The LORD also thundered in the sky. 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 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.
He sent forth his arrows, and scattered them; Continual lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of your 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, 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 on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They fell upon me in the day of my calamity; But the LORD was my stay.
19 He brought me out also 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 The LORD 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 the LORD, 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. 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 I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
I was upright before him, And kept myself from iniquity.
24 Therefore the LORD has rewarded 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 you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
To the merciful thou showest thyself merciful; To the upright thou showest thyself upright;
26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
To the pure thou showest thyself pure, And to the perverse thou showest thyself perverse.
27 For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
For thou savest the afflicted people, But the haughty countenance thou bringest down.
28 For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.
Thou causest my lamp to shine; Jehovah, my God, enlighteneth my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop. 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 LORD’s word 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 the LORD? 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 arms 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 deer’s feet, and sets me on 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 bronze.
He taught my hands to war, So that my arm bent the bow of brass.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your 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 You have enlarged my steps under me, 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. I will not turn away until they are consumed.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And turned not back till I had destroyed them.
38 I will strike them through, so that they will 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 you have armed me with strength to the battle. You 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 You 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 no one to save; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
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 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You 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 strongholds.
Men of a strange land fade away, like a leaf, And come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. 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. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You 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 you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your 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 offspring, forever more.
Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth mercy to his anointed, —To David and to his posterity for ever.
