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.
Unto the end, for David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. I will love thee, 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 firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
Praising I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.
The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented 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 affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God: And he heard my voice from his holy temple: and my cry before him came 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.
The earth shook and trembled: the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were moved, because he was angry with them.
8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
There went up a smoke in his wrath: and a fire flamed from his face: coals were kindled by it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10 He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew; he flew upon the wings of the winds.
11 He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.
12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire.
14 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them.
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 fountains of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were discovered: At thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the spirit of thy wrath.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
He delivered me from my strongest enemies, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They prevented me in the day of my affliction: and the Lord became my protector.
19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
And he brought me forth into a large place: he saved me, because he was well pleased with me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands:
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Because I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not done wickedly against my God.
22 For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
For till his judgments are in my sight: and his justices I have not put away from me.
23 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
And I shall be spotless with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.
24 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
With the holy, thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent.
26 to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
And with the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.
27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
For thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes of the proud.
28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
For thou lightest my lamp, O Lord: O my God enlighten my darkness.
29 For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
For by thee I shall be delivered from temptation; and through my God I shall go 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 my God, his way is undefiled: the words of the Lord are fire tried: he is the protector of all that trust 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 God but our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
God who hath girt me with strength; and made my way blameless.
33 He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
Who hath made my feet like the feet of harts: and who setteth me upon high places.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Who teacheth my hands to war: and thou hast made my arms like a brazen bow.
35 You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.
And thou hast given me the protection of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up: And thy discipline hath corrected me unto the end: and thy discipline, the same shall teach me.
36 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; and my feet are not weakened.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
I will pursue after my enemies, and overtake them: and I will not turn again till they are consumed.
38 I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I will break them, and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
39 You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
And thou hast girded me with strength unto battle; and hast subdued under me them that rose up against me.
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
And thou hast made my enemies turn their back upon me, and hast destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.
They cried, but there was none to save them, to the Lord: but he heard them not.
42 I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
And I shall beat them as small as the dust before the wind; I shall bring them to nought, like the dirt in 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.
Thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people: thou wilt make me head of the Gentiles.
44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
A people, which I knew not, hath served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.
45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
The children that are strangers have lied to me, strange children have faded away, and have halted from their paths.
46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
The Lord liveth, and blessed be my God, and let the God of my salvation be exalted:
47 the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
O God, who avengest me, and subduest the people under me, my deliverer from my enemies.
48 who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
And thou wilt lift me up above them that rise up against me: from the unjust man thou wilt deliver me.
49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
Therefore will I give glory to thee, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing a psalm to thy name.
50 Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
Giving great deliverance to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed: and to his seed for ever.
