< Psalms 18 >
1 For the end, [a Psalm] of David, the servant of the Lord; [the words] which he spoke to the Lord, [even] the words of this Song, in the day in which the Lord delivered him out the hand of all his enemies, and out the hand of Saul: and he said: I will love you, O Lord, my strength.
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.
2 The Lord is my firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; [he is] my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper.
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.
3 I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly.
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
5 The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol )
The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. (Sheol )
6 And when I was afflicted I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of this holy temple, and my cry shall enter before him, [even] into his ears.
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.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them.
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.
8 There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it.
Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
9 And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet.
He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
10 And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
11 And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air.
He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
12 At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice.
The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them.
He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
15 And the springs of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of your wrath.
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.
16 He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
17 He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them].
They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
19 And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me.
He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
20 And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me.
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
21 For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgements were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me.
For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
23 And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity.
And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
24 And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25 With the holy you will be holy; and with the innocent man you will be innocent.
To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
26 And with the excellent [man] you will be excellent; and with the perverse you will show frowardness.
to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
27 For you will save the lowly people, and will humble the eyes of the proud.
For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
28 For you, O Lord, will light my lamp: my God, you will lighten my darkness.
For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
29 For by you shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass over a wall.
For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
30 [As for] my God, his way is perfect: the oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a protector of all them that hope in him.
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.
31 For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God?
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
32 [It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless:
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
33 who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places.
He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
34 He instructs my hands for war: and you have made my arms [as] a brazen bow.
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 And you have made me secure in my salvation: and your right hand has helped me, and your correction has upheld me to the end; yes, your correction itself shall instruct me.
You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.
36 You has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail.
You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
38 I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
39 For you have girded me with strength for war: you have beaten down under me all that rose up against me.
You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
40 And you has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and you have destroyed them that hated me.
You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
41 They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he listened not to them.
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.
42 I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind.
I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
43 Deliver me from the gain sayings of the people: you shall make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me,
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.
44 at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me.
When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
45 The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.
Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
47 [It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me;
the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
48 my deliverer from angry enemies: you shall set me on high above them that rise up against me: you shall deliver me from the unrighteous man.
who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
49 Therefore will I confess to you, O Lord, amongst the Gentiles, and sing to your name.
Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
50 [God] magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.