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 musician, by the servant of the Lord, by David, who spoke unto the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the power of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; And he said,” I ever 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 rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I trust; my shield, 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.
Praised, I cried, be the Lord, and from my enemies was I saved.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The bonds of death encompassed me, and the floods of destruction made me afraid.
The bonds of hell encircled me: the snares of death seized 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.
[When] in my distress I called upon the Lord, and unto my God I cried: he heard from his temple my voice, and my complaint 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 shook and trembled the earth; and the foundations of the mountains were moved; and they were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
Smoke went up in his anger and consuming fire out of his mouth: coals flamed forth from him.
9 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
And he bent the heavens, and came down: and thick 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 flew along, and he flitted by upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
He made darkness his hiding-place, round about him as his pavilion, dark waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed away, [with] hail-stones 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 in the heavens, and the Most High uttered forth his voice, [with] hail-stones and coals of fire.
14 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot forth 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.
And then were seen the channels of the waters, and there were laid open the foundations of the world, through thy rebuke, O Lord, through 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 stretched out from above [his hand], he took me; he drew me out from mighty waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
He delivered me from my enemy, the strong, and from those that hated me, when they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They overcame me on the day of my calamity; but the Lord became my stay.
19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
And he brought me forth into a large space; he delivered me, 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 rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the purity of my hands did he recompense 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 are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes had I not put away from me.
23 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
I was also upright with him, and I guarded myself against my iniquity.
24 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
Therefore did the Lord recompense me according to my righteousness, according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
With the kind thou wilt show thyself kind; with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;
26 to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt wage a contest.
27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
For thou wilt indeed save the afflicted people; but haughty eyes wilt thou bring down.
28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
For thou wilt cause my light to shine: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
For [aided] by thee I run through a troop; and [helped] by my God I leap 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 perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a shield 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 God save the Lord? or who is a rock beside our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
He is the God that girdeth me with strength, and rendereth my way unobstructed.
33 He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
He maketh my feet like those of the hinds, and upon my high-places he causeth me to stand.
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
He teacheth my hands for the war, so that a brazen bow is bent by my arms.
35 You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.
And thou gavest me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand supported me: and thy meekness hath made me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
Thou enlargest my steps under me, so that my joints do not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
I pursue my enemies, and overtake them; and I return not again till I have made an end of them.
38 I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I crush them that they are not able to rise: they fall 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 for the war: thou subduest my opponents under me.
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
And my enemies thou causest to turn their back to me; and those that hate me, —that I may destroy them.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.
They cry, but there is none to help; unto the Lord, —but he answereth them not.
42 I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
And I beat them small as the dust before the wind: like the dirt in the streets do I cast them out.
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 deliverest me from the contests of the people; thou appointest me to be the head of nations: a people that I know not shall serve me.
44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
As soon as their ear heareth they shall be obedient to me: the children of the stranger shall utter flattery unto me.
45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
The children of the stranger shall fade away, and come forth trembling out of their close places.
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 Rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation;
47 the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
The God that granteth me vengeance, and subdueth nations under me;
48 who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
That delivereth me from my enemies: also above my opponents thou liftest me up; thou deliverest me from the man of violence.
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 among the nations, O Lord, and unto thy name will I sing praises, —
50 Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
[To him] that maketh great the salvation of his king, and who sheweth kindness to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever.
