Psalms 18
1 For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength.
To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said, I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.
In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.
Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
10 He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.
14 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
15 The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
18 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
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; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
22 For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
23 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
24 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
26 to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.
27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
29 For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.
30 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
33 He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
35 You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.
You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
38 I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
39 You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.
They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
42 I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the strife of the people; You have made me the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.
You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.
44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority.
45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
47 the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
48 who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
50 Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
