Psalms 18
1 To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said, I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength.
To the chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David, the servant of Jehovah, who spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul. And he said, I will love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.
2 The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
3 I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.
I will call upon Jehovah, who is to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The bands of death encompassed me, and torrents of Belial made me afraid.
The bands of Sheol surrounded me, the cords of death encountered me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even into his ears.
In my distress I called upon Jehovah, and I cried out to my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, into his ears.
7 Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and shook, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals burned forth from it.
9 The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
And he bowed the heavens, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
10 And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
And he rode upon a cherub and did fly; yea, he flew fast upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
He made darkness his secret place, his tent round about him: darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed forth: hail and coals of fire.
13 The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.
And Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice: hail and coals of fire.
14 He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
And he sent his arrows, and scattered [mine enemies]; and he shot forth lightnings, and discomfited them.
15 Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.
And the beds of the waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered at thy rebuke, Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
He reached forth from above, he took me, he drew me out of great waters:
17 He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me; for they were mightier than I.
18 They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
They encountered me in the day of my calamity, but Jehovah was my stay.
19 He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
And he brought me forth into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
Jehovah hath 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; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
For all his ordinances were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me;
23 And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
And I was upright with him, and kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
And Jehovah hath recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
With the gracious thou dost shew thyself gracious; with the upright man thou dost shew thyself upright;
26 He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.
With the pure thou dost shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou dost shew thyself contrary.
27 For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
For it is thou that savest the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes wilt thou bring down.
28 You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
For it is thou that makest my lamp to shine: Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
29 By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.
For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him.
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of Jehovah is tried: he is a shield to all that trust in him.
31 For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
For who is God save Jehovah? and who is a rock if not our God?
32 God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
The God who girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect,
33 He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
Who maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], and setteth me upon my high places;
34 He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
Who teacheth my hands to war, and mine arms bend a bow of brass;
35 You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
And thou didst give me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand held me up; and thy condescending gentleness hath made me great.
36 You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
Thou didst enlarge my steps under me, and mine ankles have not wavered.
37 I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
I pursued mine enemies, and overtook them; and I turned not again till they were consumed.
38 I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
I crushed them, and they were not able to rise: they fell under my feet.
39 For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.
And thou girdedst me with strength to battle; thou didst subdue under me those that rose up against me.
40 By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
And mine enemies didst thou make to turn their backs unto me, and those that hated me I destroyed.
41 They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
They cried, and there was none to save; — unto Jehovah, and he answered them not.
42 Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.
And I did beat them small as dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.
43 You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast made me the head of the nations: a people I knew not doth serve me.
44 From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority.
At the hearing of the ear, they obey me: strangers come cringing unto me.
45 They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
Strangers have faded away, and they come trembling forth from their close places.
46 The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
The God who hath avenged me, and hath subjected the peoples to me;
48 He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.
Who hath delivered me from mine enemies: yea, thou hast lifted me up above them that rose up against me; from the man of violence hast thou delivered me.
49 Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
Therefore will I give thanks to thee, Jehovah, among the nations, and will sing psalms to thy name.
50 Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
[It is he] who giveth great deliverances to his king, and sheweth loving-kindness to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
