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 Yahweh, when he sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He sang: I love you, 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 is my rock, my fortress, the one who brings me to safety; he is my God, my rock; I take refuge in him. He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death trapped 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 to Yahweh; I called for help to my God. He heard my voice from his temple; my call for help went into his presence; it went 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 of the mountains also trembled and were shaken because God was angry.
8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
He opened 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.
He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
14 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed 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 water channels appeared; the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who 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 came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.
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 Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.
22 For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
23 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
24 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
26 to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
29 For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can 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 Yahweh is pure! He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.
31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
33 He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.
You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.
36 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
39 You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
For you put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.
They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
42 I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud 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.
You rescued me from the disputes of people. You have made me the head over nations. People that I have not known serve me.
44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.
45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
48 who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
I am set free from my enemies! Indeed, you lifted me above the ones who rose against me! You rescued me from violent men.
49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
50 Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.
