Psalms 18
1 Unto the end, for David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength:
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.
2 The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support.
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.
3 Praising I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies.
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.
4 The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.
The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God: And he heard my voice from his holy temple: and my cry before him came into his ears.
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.
7 The earth shook and trembled: the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were moved, because he was angry with them.
Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
8 There went up a smoke in his wrath: and a fire flamed from his face: coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
9 He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
10 And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew; he flew upon the wings of the winds.
And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
11 And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.
He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
13 And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire.
The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.
14 And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them.
He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
15 Then the fountains of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were discovered: At thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the spirit of thy wrath.
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.
16 He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters.
He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
17 He delivered me from my strongest enemies, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
18 They prevented me in the day of my affliction: and the Lord became my protector.
They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
19 And he brought me forth into a large place: he saved me, because he was well pleased with me.
He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
20 And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands:
The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
21 Because I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not done wickedly against my God.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
22 For till his judgments are in my sight: and his justices I have not put away from me.
For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
23 And I shall be spotless with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.
And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
24 And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
25 With the holy, thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent.
On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
26 And with the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.
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.
27 For thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes of the proud.
For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
28 For thou lightest my lamp, O Lord: O my God enlighten my darkness.
You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
29 For by thee I shall be delivered from temptation; and through my God I shall go over a wall.
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.
30 As for my God, his way is undefiled: the words of the Lord are fire tried: he is the protector of all that trust in him.
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.
31 For who is God but the Lord? or who is God but our God?
For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
32 God who hath girt me with strength; and made my way blameless.
God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
33 Who hath made my feet like the feet of harts: and who setteth me upon high places.
He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
34 Who teacheth my hands to war: and thou hast made my arms like a brazen bow.
He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
35 And thou hast given me the protection of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up: And thy discipline hath corrected me unto the end: and thy discipline, the same shall teach me.
You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; and my feet are not weakened.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
37 I will pursue after my enemies, and overtake them: and I will not turn again till they are consumed.
I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
38 I will break them, and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
39 And thou hast girded me with strength unto battle; and hast subdued under me them that rose up against me.
For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.
40 And thou hast made my enemies turn their back upon me, and hast destroyed them that hated me.
By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them, to the Lord: but he heard them not.
They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
42 And I shall beat them as small as the dust before the wind; I shall bring them to nought, like the dirt in the streets.
Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.
43 Thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people: thou wilt make me head of the Gentiles.
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.
44 A people, which I knew not, hath served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.
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.
45 The children that are strangers have lied to me, strange children have faded away, and have halted from their paths.
They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
46 The Lord liveth, and blessed be my God, and let the God of my salvation be exalted:
The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
47 O God, who avengest me, and subduest the people under me, my deliverer from my enemies.
It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
48 And thou wilt lift me up above them that rise up against me: from the unjust man thou wilt deliver me.
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.
49 Therefore will I give glory to thee, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing a psalm to thy name.
Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
50 Giving great deliverance to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed: and to his seed for ever.
Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
