< 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.
For the end, [a Psalm] of David, the servant of the Lord; [the words] which he spoke to the Lord, [even] the words of this Song, in the day in which the Lord delivered him out the hand of all his enemies, and out the hand of Saul: and he said: I will love you, 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 firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; [he is] my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper.
3 Praised, I cry, is the LORD, and I am saved from mine enemies.
I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
4 The cords of Death compassed me, and the floods of Belial assailed me.
The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly.
5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of Death confronted me. (Sheol )
The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol )
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.
And when I was afflicted I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of this holy temple, and my cry shall enter 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 the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them.
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 in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.
And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was 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 mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
11 He made darkness His hiding-place, His pavilion round about Him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air.
12 At the brightness before Him, there passed through His thick clouds hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High gave forth His voice; hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice.
14 And He sent out His arrows, and scattered them; and He shot forth lightnings, and discomfited them.
And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them.
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.
And the springs of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of your wrath.
16 He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.
He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from mine enemy most strong, and from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was a stay unto me.
They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them].
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.
And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.
And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His ordinances were before me, and I put not away His statutes from me.
For all his judgements were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me.
23 And I was single-hearted with Him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.
And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the merciful Thou dost show Thyself merciful, with the upright man Thou dost show Thyself upright;
With the holy you will be holy; and with the innocent man you will be innocent.
26 With the pure Thou dost show Thyself pure; and with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself subtle.
And with the excellent [man] you will be excellent; and with the perverse you will show frowardness.
27 For Thou dost save the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes Thou dost humble.
For you will save the lowly people, and will humble the eyes of the proud.
28 For Thou dost light my lamp; the LORD my God doth lighten my darkness.
For you, O Lord, will light my lamp: my God, you will lighten my darkness.
29 For by Thee I run upon a troop; and by my God do I scale a wall.
For by you shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass 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] my God, his way is perfect: the oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a protector of all them that hope 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? and who is a God except our God?
32 The God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way straight;
[It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless:
33 Who maketh my feet like hinds', and setteth me upon my high places;
who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places.
34 Who traineth my hands for war, so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
He instructs my hands for war: and you have made my arms [as] a brazen bow.
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.
And you have made me secure in my salvation: and your right hand has helped me, and your correction has upheld me to the end; yes, your correction itself shall instruct me.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
You has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them; neither did I turn back till they were consumed.
I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed.
38 I have smitten them through, so that they are not able to rise; they are fallen under my feet.
I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall 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 you have girded me with strength for war: you have beaten down under me all that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, and I did cut off them that hate me.
And you has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and you have destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but He answered them not.
They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he listened not to them.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.
I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind.
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.
Deliver me from the gain sayings of the people: you shall make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me,
44 As soon as they hear of me, they obey me; the sons of the stranger dwindle away before me.
at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me.
45 The sons of the stranger fade away, and come trembling out of their close places.
The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.
46 The LORD liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation;
The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and subdueth peoples under me.
[It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me;
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.
my deliverer from angry enemies: you shall set me on high above them that rise up against me: you shall deliver me from the unrighteous man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto Thy name.
Therefore will I confess to you, O Lord, amongst the Gentiles, and sing 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.
[God] magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.