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. Of the servant of Yahweh, of David, —who spake unto Yahweh the words of this song, —in the day when Yahweh had rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul; and he said: — I will love thee, O Yahweh 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.
Yahweh, was my mountain crag and my stronghold, and my deliverer: My GOD, was my rock, I sought refuge in him, My shield, and my horn of 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.
As one worthy to be praised, called I on Yahweh, —And, from my foes, was I saved.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The meshes of death encompassed me, The torrents of perdition, made me afraid;
The meshes of hades, had surrounded me, The snares of death, had confronted 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, called I on Yahweh, And, unto my God, made outcry for help, He heard, out of his temple, my voice, And my outcry for help came before him—entered 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 did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, because he was angry.
8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
There went up smoke in his nostrils, and, a fire out of his mouth, devoured, Live coals, were kindled from it:
9 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
Then he stretched out the heaven, and came down, —and, thick gloom, was under his feet;
10 He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
Then he rode on a cherub, and flew, and darted on the wings of the wind;
11 He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
Made darkness his hiding-place, Round about him—his pavilion, Darkness of waters, clouds of vapours.
12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
Out of the brightness before him, his clouds rolled along, hail, and live coals of fire.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
Then did Yahweh thunder in the heavens, and the Highest uttered his voice, —hail, and live 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 scattered them, yea, lightnings, he shot out, and confused 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 appeared the channels of waters, were uncovered the foundations of the world, —At thy rebuke O Yahweh, 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 rescued me from my foe, in his might, and from them who hated me, because they were too strong for me:
18 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They confronted me, in the day of my necessity, Then became Yahweh my stay:
19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
And brought me out, 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.
Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, he repaid me;
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I had kept the ways of Yahweh, and not broken away from my God;
22 For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
For, all his regulations, were before me, and, his statutes, did I not put from me:
23 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
So became I blameless with him, and 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.
Yahweh therefore repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the pureness of my hands, before his eyes.
25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
With the loving, thou didst show thyself loving, —With the blameless man, thou didst show thyself blameless;
26 to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
With the pure, thou didst show thyself pure, But, with the perverse, thou didst show thyself ready to contend.
27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
For, as for thee, an oppressed people, thou didst save, but, looks that were lofty, layedst thou low;
28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
For, thou, didst light up my lamp, Yahweh my God, enlightened my darkness;
29 For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
For, by thee, I ran through a troop, and, by my God, I leapt 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, blameless is his way, The speech of Yahweh hath been proved, A shield, he is to all who seek refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
For who is a GOD, save Yahweh? And who is a Rock, save our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
The GOD who girded me with strength, and set forth, as blameless, my way:
33 He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
Planting my feet like hinds’ [feet], yea, on my high places, he caused me to stand:
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
Teaching my hands to war, —so that a bow of bronze was bent by mine arms.
35 You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.
Thus didst thou grant me, as a shield, thy salvation, —and, thy right hand, sustained me, and, thy condescension, made me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
Thou didst widen my stepping-places under me, so that, mine ankles, faltered not.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
I pursued my foes, and overtook them, and returned not, till they were consumed:
38 I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I crushed them, and they were unable to rise, They fell under my feet.
39 You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
Thus didst thou gird me with strength, for the battle, Thou subduedst mine assailants under me.
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
As for my foes, thou didst give me their neck, and, as for them who hated me, I destroyed them.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.
They cried out, but there was none to save, unto Yahweh, 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 in pieces, like dust on the face of the wind. Like the mire in the lanes, did I scatter them.
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.
Thus didst thou rescue me from the contentions of a people, —didst appoint me to be the head of nations, A people I had not known, served me:
44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
At the hearing of the ear, they submitted to me, the sons of the foreigner, came cringing unto me:
45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
The sons of the foreigner, lost heart, and came quaking out of their fortresses.
46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
Yahweh liveth and, blessed, be my Rock, yea, exalted, be the God of my salvation:
47 the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
The GOD, who hath avenged me, —and subjugated peoples under me:
48 who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
Who hath delivered me from my foes, —Yea, from mine assailants, hast thou set me on high, From the man of violence, hast thou rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
For this cause, will I praise thee among the nations, O Yahweh, and, to thy Name, will I sweep the strings: —
50 Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
Who hath made great the victories of his King, —and shown lovingkindness to his Anointed One, To David and to his Seed, Unto times age-abiding.
