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.
I will love you, O LORD, 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.
The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and 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 on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented 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 on the LORD, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even 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 trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, 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 were kindled by it.
9 The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
He bowed the heavens also, 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 on a cherub, and did fly: yes, he did fly on 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 pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones 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.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
Yes, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightning, 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.
Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many 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 which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19 He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
He brought me forth also 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.
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has 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 the LORD, 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 judgments 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.
I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
Therefore has the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
With the merciful you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself 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 you will show yourself pure; and with the fraudulent you will show yourself devious.
27 For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
For you will save the afflicted people; but will bring down high looks.
28 You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten 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 you 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 the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those 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 the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32 God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
It is God that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me on my high places.
34 He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms.
35 You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
You have also given me the shield of your salvation: and your right hand has held me up, and your gentleness has made me great.
36 You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn 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 have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen 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.
For you have girded me with strength to the battle: you have subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
You have also given me the necks of my enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
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, but there was none to save them: even to the LORD, but 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.
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in 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.
You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; and you have made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall 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.
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves to me.
45 They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
It is God that avenges me, and subdues the people under 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.
He delivers me from my enemies: yes, you lift me up above those that rise up against me: you have delivered me from the violent man.
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 you, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises to your 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.
Great deliverance gives he to his king; and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever more.
