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.
I will love thee, O YHWH, 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.
YHWH is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my El, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, 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 call upon YHWH, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of destruction made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: 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 distress I called upon YHWH, and cried unto my Elohim: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry 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 the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
He bowed the heavens also, 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 rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
YHWH also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited 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 channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O YHWH, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which 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 calamity: but YHWH was my stay.
19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
YHWH rewarded me according to my righteousness; 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 YHWH, and have not wickedly departed from my Elohim.
22 For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
Therefore hath YHWH recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;
26 to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.
27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
For thou wilt light my candle: YHWH my Elohim will 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 have run through a troop; and by my Elohim have I leaped 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 El, his way is perfect: the word of YHWH is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
For who is Eloah save YHWH? or who is a rock save our Elohim?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
It is El that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35 You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38 I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
39 You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate 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: even unto YHWH, but he answered them not.
42 I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as 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 hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
YHWH liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the Elohim of my salvation be exalted.
47 the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
It is El that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48 who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O YHWH, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.
50 Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
