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.
For the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David the servant of the LORD, who spake unto 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: and he said, I 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 strong rock, in him will I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, 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 the LORD, 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 cords of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol were round about me: the snares 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 distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his 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.
Then the earth shook and trembled, me foundations also of the mountains 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 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 did fly, yea, he flew swiftly 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, his pavilion round about him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice; hailstones 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; yea, lightnings manifold, 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 appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at thy rebuke, O LORD, 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 on high, 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 that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They came upon me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD 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.
The LORD 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 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 judgments were before me, and I put not away his statutes from me.
23 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
I was also perfect with 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 the LORD 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 the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;
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 perverse 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 the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
For thou wilt light my lamp: the LORD my God will lighten my darkness.
29 For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
For by thee I run upon a troop; and by my God do 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 unto all them 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? and who is a rock, beside our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
The God 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 mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
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, and my feet have not slipped.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them: neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
38 I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I will smite them through that they shall not be able to rise: they shall 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 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 made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, that I might cut off 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: even unto the LORD, 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 mire 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.
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast made me the head of the nations: 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 shall come 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,
Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and subdueth peoples under me.
48 who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
He rescueth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me: thou deliverest me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will 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 lovingkindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
