Psalms 18
1 I will love you, O LORD, my strength.
To the chief Musician. Of the servant of Yahweh, of David, —who spake unto Yahweh the words of this song, —in the day when Yahweh had rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul; and he said: — I will love thee, O Yahweh my strength!
2 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.
Yahweh, was my mountain crag and my stronghold, and my deliverer: My GOD, was my rock, I sought refuge in him, My shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower.
3 I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.
As one worthy to be praised, called I on Yahweh, —And, from my foes, was I saved.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The meshes of death encompassed me, The torrents of perdition, made me afraid;
The meshes of hades, had surrounded me, The snares of death, had confronted me, (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called on 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.
In my distress, called I on Yahweh, And, unto my God, made outcry for help, He heard, out of his temple, my voice, And my outcry for help came before him—entered into his ears!
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Then did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, because he was angry.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
There went up smoke in his nostrils, and, a fire out of his mouth, devoured, Live coals, were kindled from it:
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
Then he stretched out the heaven, and came down, —and, thick gloom, was under his feet;
10 And he rode on a cherub, and did fly: yes, he did fly on the wings of the wind.
Then he rode on a cherub, and flew, and darted on the wings of the wind;
11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Made darkness his hiding-place, Round about him—his pavilion, Darkness of waters, clouds of vapours.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
Out of the brightness before him, his clouds rolled along, hail, and live coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Then did Yahweh thunder in the heavens, and the Highest uttered his voice, —hail, and live coals of fire.
14 Yes, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightning, and discomfited them.
And he sent forth his arrows and scattered them, yea, lightnings, he shot out, and confused them.
15 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.
Then appeared the channels of waters, were uncovered the foundations of the world, —At thy rebuke O Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew 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 strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
He rescued me from my foe, in his might, and from them who hated me, because they were too strong for me:
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
They confronted me, in the day of my necessity, Then became Yahweh my stay:
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
And brought me out, into a large place, he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, he repaid me;
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I had kept the ways of Yahweh, and not broken away from my God;
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
For, all his regulations, were before me, and, his statutes, did I not put from me:
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
So became I blameless with him, and kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore has the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
Yahweh therefore repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the pureness of my hands, before his eyes.
25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself upright;
With the loving, thou didst show thyself loving, —With the blameless man, thou didst show thyself blameless;
26 With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the fraudulent you will show yourself devious.
With the pure, thou didst show thyself pure, But, with the perverse, thou didst show thyself ready to contend.
27 For you will save the afflicted people; but will bring down high looks.
For, as for thee, an oppressed people, thou didst save, but, looks that were lofty, layedst thou low;
28 For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
For, thou, didst light up my lamp, Yahweh my God, enlightened my darkness;
29 For by you I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
For, by thee, I ran through a troop, and, by my God, I leapt over a wall.
30 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.
As for GOD, blameless is his way, The speech of Yahweh hath been proved, A shield, he is to all who seek refuge in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
For who is a GOD, save Yahweh? And who is a Rock, save our God?
32 It is God that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect.
The GOD who girded me with strength, and set forth, as blameless, my way:
33 He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me on my high places.
Planting my feet like hinds’ [feet], yea, on my high places, he caused me to stand:
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms.
Teaching my hands to war, —so that a bow of bronze was bent by mine arms.
35 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.
Thus didst thou grant me, as a shield, thy salvation, —and, thy right hand, sustained me, and, thy condescension, made me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
Thou didst widen my stepping-places under me, so that, mine ankles, faltered not.
37 I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
I pursued my foes, and overtook them, and returned not, till they were consumed:
38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
I crushed them, and they were unable to rise, They fell under my feet.
39 For you have girded me with strength to the battle: you have subdued under me those that rose up against me.
Thus didst thou gird me with strength, for the battle, Thou subduedst mine assailants under me.
40 You have also given me the necks of my enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
As for my foes, thou didst give me their neck, and, as for them who hated me, I destroyed them.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even to the LORD, but he answered them not.
They cried out, but there was none to save, unto Yahweh, but he answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
Then did I beat them in pieces, like dust on the face of the wind. Like the mire in the lanes, did I scatter them.
43 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.
Thus didst thou rescue me from the contentions of a people, —didst appoint me to be the head of nations, A people I had not known, served me:
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves to me.
At the hearing of the ear, they submitted to me, the sons of the foreigner, came cringing unto me:
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
The sons of the foreigner, lost heart, and came quaking out of their fortresses.
46 The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Yahweh liveth and, blessed, be my Rock, yea, exalted, be the God of my salvation:
47 It is God that avenges me, and subdues the people under me.
The GOD, who hath avenged me, —and subjugated peoples under me:
48 He delivers me from my enemies: yes, you lift me up above those that rise up against me: you have delivered me from the violent man.
Who hath delivered me from my foes, —Yea, from mine assailants, hast thou set me on high, From the man of violence, hast thou rescued me.
49 Therefore will I give thanks to you, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises to your name.
For this cause, will I praise thee among the nations, O Yahweh, and, to thy Name, will I sweep the strings: —
50 Great deliverance gives he to his king; and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever more.
Who hath made great the victories of his King, —and shown lovingkindness to his Anointed One, To David and to his Seed, Unto times age-abiding.
