Psalms 18
1 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.
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 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.
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 Praised, I cry, is the LORD, and I am saved from mine 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 cords of Death compassed me, and the floods of Belial assailed 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 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.
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 Then the earth did shake and quake, the foundations also of the mountains did tremble; they were shaken, because He was wroth.
Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
8 Smoke arose up in His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth did devour; coals flamed forth from Him.
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 also, and came down; and thick 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 rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, He did swoop down upon the wings of the wind.
And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding-place, His pavilion round about Him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
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 before Him, there passed through His thick clouds hailstones and coals of fire.
Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave forth His voice; hailstones 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 out His arrows, and scattered them; and He shot forth lightnings, and discomfited them.
He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
15 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.
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, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.
He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
17 He delivered me from mine enemy most strong, and from them that hated me, for they were too mighty 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 confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was a stay unto me.
They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.
He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.
The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
22 For all His ordinances were before me, and I put not away His statutes from me.
For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
23 And I was single-hearted with Him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in 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 merciful Thou dost show Thyself merciful, with the upright man Thou dost show Thyself upright;
On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
26 With the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure; and with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself subtle.
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 dost save the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes Thou dost humble.
For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
28 For Thou dost light my lamp; the LORD my God doth lighten 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 run upon a troop; and by my God do I scale 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 God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge 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, save the LORD? And who is a Rock, except our God?
For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
32 The God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way straight;
God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
33 Who maketh my feet like hinds', and setteth me upon my high places;
He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
34 Who traineth my hands for war, so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
35 Thou hast also given me Thy shield of salvation, and Thy right hand hath holden me up; and Thy condescension hath made me great.
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 have not slipped.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; neither did I turn back till they were consumed.
I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
38 I have smitten them through, so that they are not able to rise; they are fallen under my feet.
I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
39 For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those 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 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, and I did cut off them that hate 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; even unto the LORD, but He answered 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 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of 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 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.
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 As soon as they hear of me, they obey me; the sons of the stranger dwindle away before 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 sons of the stranger fade away, and come trembling out of their close places.
They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
46 The LORD liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation;
The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and subdueth peoples under me.
It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
48 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.
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 I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto 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 Great salvation giveth He to His king; and showeth mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
