< Psalms 18 >
1 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.
To the Overseer. — By a servant of Jehovah, by David, who hath spoken to Jehovah the words of this song in the day Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he saith: — I love Thee, O Jehovah, my strength.
2 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.
Jehovah [is] my rock, and my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God [is] my rock, I trust in Him: My shield, and a horn of my salvation, My high tower.
3 I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
The 'Praised One' I call Jehovah, And from my enemies I am saved.
4 The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly.
Compassed me have cords of death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
5 The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol )
Cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Before me have been snares of death. (Sheol )
6 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.
In mine adversity I call Jehovah, And unto my God I cry. He heareth from His temple my voice, And My cry before Him cometh into His ears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them.
And shake and tremble doth the earth, And foundations of hills are troubled, And they shake — because He hath wrath.
8 There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it.
Gone up hath smoke by His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumeth, Coals have been kindled by it.
9 And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet.
And He inclineth the heavens, and cometh down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
10 And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
And He rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And He flieth on wings of wind.
11 And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air.
He maketh darkness His secret place, Round about Him His tabernacle, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
From the brightness over-against Him His thick clouds have passed on, Hail and coals of fire.
13 The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice.
And thunder in the heavens doth Jehovah, And the Most High giveth forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.
14 And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them.
And He sendeth His arrows and scattereth them, And much lightning, and crusheth them.
15 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.
And seen are the streams of waters, And revealed are foundations of the earth. From Thy rebuke, O Jehovah, From the breath of the spirit of Thine anger.
16 He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters.
He sendeth from above — He taketh me, He draweth me out of many waters.
17 He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I.
He delivereth me from my strong enemy, And from those hating me, For they have been stronger than I.
18 They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them].
They go before me in a day of my calamity And Jehovah is for a support to me.
19 And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me.
And He bringeth me forth to a large place, He draweth me out, because He delighted in me.
20 And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me.
Jehovah doth recompense me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He doth return to me.
21 For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not done wickedly against my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me.
For all His judgments [are] before me, And His statutes I turn not from me.
23 And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity.
And I am perfect with him, And I keep myself from mine iniquity.
24 And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
And Jehovah doth return to me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, Over-against his eyes.
25 With the holy you will be holy; and with the innocent man you will be innocent.
With the kind Thou showest Thyself kind, With a perfect man showest Thyself perfect.
26 And with the excellent [man] you will be excellent; and with the perverse you will show frowardness.
With the pure Thou showest Thyself pure, And with the perverse showest Thyself a wrestler,
27 For you will save the lowly people, and will humble the eyes of the proud.
For Thou a poor people savest, And the eyes of the high causest to fall.
28 For you, O Lord, will light my lamp: my God, you will lighten my darkness.
For Thou — Thou lightest my lamp, Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
29 For by you shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass over a wall.
For by Thee I run — a troop! And by my God I leap a wall.
30 [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.
God! perfect [is] His way, The saying of Jehovah is tried, A shield [is] He to all those trusting in Him.
31 For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God?
For who [is] God besides Jehovah? And who [is] a rock save our God?
32 [It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless:
God! who is girding me [with] strength, And He maketh perfect my way.
33 who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places.
Making my feet like hinds, And on my high places causeth me to stand.
34 He instructs my hands for war: and you have made my arms [as] a brazen bow.
Teaching my hands for battle, And a bow of brass was brought down by my arms.
35 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.
And Thou givest to me the shield of Thy salvation, And Thy right hand doth support me, And Thy lowliness maketh me great.
36 You has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail.
Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed.
I pursue mine enemies, and overtake them, And turn back not till they are consumed.
38 I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
I smite them, and they are not able to rise, They fall under my feet,
39 For you have girded me with strength for war: you have beaten down under me all that rose up against me.
And Thou girdest me [with] strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.
40 And you has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and you have destroyed them that hated me.
As to mine enemies — Thou hast given to me the neck, As to those hating me — I cut them off.
41 They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he listened not to them.
They cry, and there is no saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth not answer them.
42 I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind.
And I beat them as dust before wind, As mire of the streets I empty them out.
43 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,
Thou dost deliver me From the strivings of the people, Thou placest me for a head of nations, A people I have not known do serve me.
44 at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me.
At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
45 The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.
Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
46 The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
Jehovah liveth — and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
47 [It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me;
God — who is giving vengeance to me, And He subdueth peoples under me,
48 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.
My deliverer from mine enemies, Above my withstanders Thou raisest me, From a man of violence dost deliver me.
49 Therefore will I confess to you, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.
Therefore I confess Thee among nations, O Jehovah, And to Thy name I sing praise,
50 [God] magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
Magnifying the salvation of His king, And doing kindness to His anointed, To David, and to his seed — unto the age!