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.
[For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to 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. He said, ] I love you, 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, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my Rock, in whom I take refuge; 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 call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The waves of death surrounded me, and the currents of ungodliness overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on 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 the LORD, and cried out to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry before him came 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 mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
8 There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. 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. Thick 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.
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared 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 hiding place, his canopy around him thick clouds dark with water.
12 Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed on, with hailstones 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 sky. The Most High uttered his voice.
14 He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
And he sent out arrows and scattered them, and he shot lightning bolts and routed 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 depths of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, 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 on high. 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, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
18 They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
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 has 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 ordinances were before me. 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 blameless with him. 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 the LORD has rewarded 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 faithful you show yourself faithful. With the innocent you show yourself innocent.
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 show yourself pure. And with the crooked you show yourself tortuous.
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 a humble people, but the eyes of the proud you will bring low.
28 You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
For you light my lamp. The LORD my God lights up 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 advance through a troop. By my God, I leap 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 pure. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
32 God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
the God who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless?
33 He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
He makes my feet like deer's 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 my arms bend a bow of bronze.
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 holds me up, and your help 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, My feet have not slipped.
37 I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
38 I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
I struck them through, so that they did not rise. They fell beneath 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 equipped me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who 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; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
42 Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.
Then I ground them as fine as the dust on the surface of a path. Like the mud in the streets, I trampled them.
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. You have made me the head of the nations. 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 obey me. Foreigners come cringing to me;
45 They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
they are not bound in chains.
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. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples 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 rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver 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 I will praise you, LORD, among the nations, and will 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.
He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his descendants, until forever.
