Psalms 18
1 To the music director. A psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who sang the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord saved him from all his enemies, and from Saul. He sang: I love you, Lord. You are my strength.
I will love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior. He is my God, my rock who protects me. He shields me from harm, his power protects me, he keeps me safe.
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 call for help from the Lord who should be praised, and he saves me from those who hate me.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 Ropes of death encircled me, surging waters of destruction flooded over me;
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 despair I called on the Lord—I cried out to my God for help. He heard my voice from his Temple—my cry for help reached his ears.
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
7 The earth shook to and fro; the foundations of the mountains trembled, shaking because of his anger.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was angry.
8 Smoke came out of his nostrils, and fire came from his mouth; burning coals blazed before him.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down, with dark clouds beneath his feet.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10 Riding on an angel he flew, swooping on the wings of the wind.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
11 He hid himself in darkness, covering himself with black thunderclouds.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 Hailstones and burning coals flew out from his brightness, passing through his thick clouds.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High sounded among the hailstones and burning coals.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14 He fired his arrows, scattering his enemies; he routed them with his lightning bolts.
Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and humiliated them.
15 You roared, Lord, and by the wind from the breath of your nostrils the valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth were uncovered.
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 reached down his hand from above and grabbed hold of me. He pulled me out of the deep water.
He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and who were much stronger than me.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They came at me at my worst possible moment, but the Lord supported me.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19 He set me free, he rescued me because he's my friend.
He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord rewarded me because I do what's right; he repaid me because I am innocent.
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
21 For I have followed the Lord's ways; I have not sinned by turning away from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 I have kept all his laws in mind; I have not ignored his commandments.
For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 I am blameless in his sight; I keep myself from sinning.
I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 The Lord rewarded me for doing what's right. I am innocent in his sight.
Therefore has the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 You show trust to those who trust; you show integrity to those with integrity,
With the merciful you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself upright;
26 You show yourself pure to those who are pure, but you show yourself smart to those who are crafty.
With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the perverse you will show yourself perverse.
27 You save the humble, but you bring down the proud.
For you will save the afflicted people; but will bring down high looks.
28 You light my lamp! Lord, my God, you light up my darkness!
For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 With you, I can charge down a troop of soldiers; with you, my God, I can climb a fortress wall.
For by you I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30 God's way is absolutely right. What the Lord says is trustworthy. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
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 except the Lord? Who is the rock, except our God?
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32 God makes me strong and keeps me safe.
It is God that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
34 He teaches me how to fight in battle; he gives me the strength to draw a bronze bow.
He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
35 You protect me with the shield of your salvation; you support me with your powerful right hand; your help 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 gave me space in which to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I chased my enemies, and caught up with them. I did not turn around until I had destroyed them.
I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I return till they were consumed.
38 I struck them down—they couldn't get up. They fell at my feet.
I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
39 You made me strong for battle; you made those who rose up against me kneel down before me.
For you have girded me with strength unto the battle: you have subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
You have also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41 They cried out for help, but no one came to rescue them. They even called out to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
42 I ground them into dust, like dust in the wind. I threw them out like mud in the street.
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 rescued me from rebellious people; you made me ruler over nations—people I didn't know now serve me.
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 As soon as they hear of me, they obey; foreigners cringe before me.
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45 They lose heart, and come trembling in surrender from their strongholds.
The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock! May the God who saves me be praised!
The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 God avenges me, he subdues peoples under me,
It is God that avenges me, and subdues the people under me.
48 he rescues me from those who hate me. You keep me safe from those who rebel against me, you save me from violent men.
He delivers me from mine enemies: yea, you lift me up above those that rise up against me: you have delivered me from the violent man.
49 That's why I will praise you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about who you are.
Therefore will I give thanks unto you, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto your name.
50 You have saved the king so often, showing your trustworthy love to David, your anointed, and to his descendants forever.
Great deliverance gives he to his king; and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
