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.
To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of 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: And he said, I will love thee, 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 my 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 encompassed me: the snares of death seized 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 to 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 wroth.
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 flew; yes, he flew 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 around 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.
Yes, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited 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 uncovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy 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 who 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 attacked 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 in 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 hath 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 my iniquity.
24 The Lord rewarded me for doing what's right. I am innocent in his sight.
Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 You show trust to those who trust; you show integrity to those with integrity,
With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;
26 You show yourself pure to those who are pure, but you show yourself smart to those who are crafty.
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt contend.
27 You save the humble, but you bring down the proud.
For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
28 You light my lamp! Lord, my God, you light up my darkness!
For thou wilt 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 thee 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 girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
He maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], and setteth 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 teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by my 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.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 You gave me space in which to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
Thou hast 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 my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again 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 have fallen under my feet.
39 You made me strong for battle; you made those who rose up against me kneel down before me.
For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
Thou hast also given me the necks of my 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] to 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 I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I 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.
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; [and] thou hast 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 to me.
45 They lose heart, and come trembling in surrender from their strongholds.
The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid from their close places.
46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock! May the God who saves me be praised!
The LORD liveth; 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 avengeth me, and subdueth 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 delivereth me from my enemies: yes, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast 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 to thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises to thy name.
50 You have saved the king so often, showing your trustworthy love to David, your anointed, and to his descendants forever.
He giveth great deliverance to his king; and showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever.
