Psalms 18
1 I will love you, O LORD, my strength.
“To the chief musician, by the servant of the Lord, by David, who spoke unto the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the power of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; And he said,” I ever love thee, O Lord, 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.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
Praised, I cried, be the Lord, and from my enemies was I saved.
4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The bonds of death encompassed me, and the floods of destruction made me afraid.
The bonds of hell encircled me: the snares of death seized on me. (Sheol h7585)
6 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.
[When] in my distress I called upon the Lord, and unto my God I cried: he heard from his temple my voice, and my complaint came before him, even into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was angry.
Then shook and trembled the earth; and the foundations of the mountains were moved; and they were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Smoke went up in his anger and consuming fire out of his mouth: coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
And he bent the heavens, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet:
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
And he rode upon a cherub, and flew along, and he flitted by upon 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.
He made darkness his hiding-place, round about him as his pavilion, dark waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed away, [with] hail-stones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
And the Lord thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered forth his voice, [with] hail-stones and coals of fire.
14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and humiliated them.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot forth lightnings, and discomfited 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.
And then were seen the channels of the waters, and there were laid open the foundations of the world, through thy rebuke, O Lord, through the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
He stretched out from above [his hand], he took me; he drew me out from mighty waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
He delivered me from my enemy, the strong, and from those that hated me, when they were too mighty for me.
18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
They overcame me on the day of my calamity; but the Lord became my stay.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
And he brought me forth into a large space; he delivered me, because he had delight in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the purity of my hands did 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 ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes had I not put away from me.
23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
I was also upright with him, and I guarded myself against my iniquity.
24 Therefore has the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
Therefore did the Lord recompense me according to my righteousness, according to the purity 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 kind thou wilt show thyself kind; with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;
26 With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the perverse you will show yourself perverse.
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt wage a contest.
27 For you will save the afflicted people; but will bring down high looks.
For thou wilt indeed save the afflicted people; but haughty eyes wilt thou bring down.
28 For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
For thou wilt cause my light to shine: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by you I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
For [aided] by thee I run through a troop; and [helped] by my God I leap 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, —his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a shield to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock beside our God?
32 It is God that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect.
He is the God that girdeth me with strength, and rendereth my way unobstructed.
33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
He maketh my feet like those of the hinds, and upon my high-places he causeth me to stand.
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
He teacheth my hands for the war, so that a brazen bow is bent by my 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.
And thou gavest me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand supported me: and thy meekness hath made me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
Thou enlargest my steps under me, so that my joints do not slip.
37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I return till they were consumed.
I pursue my enemies, and overtake them; and I return not again till I have made an end of them.
38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
I crush them that they are not able to rise: they fall under my feet.
39 For you have girded me with strength unto the battle: you have subdued under me those that rose up against me.
For thou hast girded me with strength for the war: thou subduest my opponents under me.
40 You have also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
And my enemies thou causest to turn their back to me; and those that hate me, —that I may destroy them.
41 They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
They cry, but there is none to help; unto the Lord, —but he answereth 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.
And I beat them small as the dust before the wind: like the dirt in the streets do I cast them out.
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.
Thou deliverest me from the contests of the people; thou appointest me to be the head of nations: a people that I know not shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
As soon as their ear heareth they shall be obedient to me: the children of the stranger shall utter flattery unto me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
The children of the stranger shall fade away, and come forth trembling out of their close places.
46 The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation;
47 It is God that avenges me, and subdues the people under me.
The God that granteth me vengeance, and subdueth nations under me;
48 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.
That delivereth me from my enemies: also above my opponents thou liftest me up; thou deliverest me from the man of violence.
49 Therefore will I give thanks unto you, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto your name.
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee among the nations, O Lord, and unto thy name will I sing praises, —
50 Great deliverance gives he to his king; and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
[To him] that maketh great the salvation of his king, and who sheweth kindness to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever.
