< 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:
For the Leader. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who spoke unto 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; And he said: I love thee, 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, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in Him I take refuge; my shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower.
3 Praising I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies.
Praised, I cry, is the LORD, and I am saved from mine enemies.
4 The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.
The cords of Death compassed me, and the floods of Belial assailed me.
5 The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol )
The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of Death confronted me. (Sheol )
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 distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God; out of His temple He heard my voice, and my cry came before Him unto 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 the earth did shake and quake, the foundations also of the mountains did tremble; they were shaken, because He was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke in his wrath: and a fire flamed from his face: coals were kindled by it.
Smoke arose up in His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth did devour; coals flamed forth from Him.
9 He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.
10 And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew; he flew upon the wings of the winds.
And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, He did swoop down upon 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 darkness His hiding-place, His pavilion round about Him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
At the brightness before Him, there passed through His thick clouds hailstones and coals of fire.
13 And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave forth His voice; hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them.
And He sent out His arrows, and scattered them; and He shot forth lightnings, and discomfited them.
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.
And the channels of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at Thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Thy nostrils.
16 He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters.
He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strongest enemies, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
He delivered me from mine enemy most strong, and from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my affliction: and the Lord became my protector.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was a stay unto me.
19 And he brought me forth into a large place: he saved me, because he was well pleased with me.
He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted 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 rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.
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, and have not wickedly departed 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 ordinances were before me, and I put not away His statutes from me.
23 And I shall be spotless with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.
And I was single-hearted with Him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.
25 With the holy, thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent.
With the merciful Thou dost show Thyself merciful, with the upright man Thou dost show Thyself upright;
26 And with the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.
With the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure; and with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself subtle.
27 For thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes of the proud.
For Thou dost save the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes Thou dost humble.
28 For thou lightest my lamp, O Lord: O my God enlighten my darkness.
For Thou dost light my lamp; the LORD my God doth lighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I shall be delivered from temptation; and through my God I shall go over a wall.
For by Thee I run upon a troop; and by my God do I scale 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 perfect; the word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God but the Lord? or who is God but our God?
For who is God, save the LORD? And who is a Rock, except our God?
32 God who hath girt me with strength; and made my way blameless.
The God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way straight;
33 Who hath made my feet like the feet of harts: and who setteth me upon high places.
Who maketh my feet like hinds', and setteth me upon my high places;
34 Who teacheth my hands to war: and thou hast made my arms like a brazen bow.
Who traineth my hands for war, so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
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.
Thou hast also given me Thy shield of salvation, and Thy right hand hath holden me up; and Thy condescension hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; and my feet are not weakened.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
37 I will pursue after my enemies, and overtake them: and I will not turn again till they are consumed.
I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; neither did I turn back till they were consumed.
38 I will break them, and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
I have smitten them through, so that they are not able to rise; they are fallen 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 Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 And thou hast made my enemies turn their back upon me, and hast destroyed them that hated me.
Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, and I did cut off them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them, to the Lord: but he heard them not.
They cried, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but He answered them not.
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 did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.
43 Thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people: thou wilt make me head of the Gentiles.
Thou hast delivered me from the contentions of the people; Thou hast made me the head of the nations; a people whom I have not known serve me.
44 A people, which I knew not, hath served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.
As soon as they hear of me, they obey me; the sons of the stranger dwindle away before me.
45 The children that are strangers have lied to me, strange children have faded away, and have halted from their paths.
The sons of the stranger fade away, and come trembling out of their close places.
46 The Lord liveth, and blessed be my God, and let the God of my salvation be exalted:
The LORD liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation;
47 O God, who avengest me, and subduest the people under me, my deliverer from my enemies.
Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and subdueth peoples under me.
48 And thou wilt lift me up above them that rise up against me: from the unjust man thou wilt deliver me.
He delivereth me from mine enemies; yea, Thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me 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.
Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto Thy name.
50 Giving great deliverance to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed: and to his seed for ever.
Great salvation giveth He to His king; and showeth mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.