Psalms 18
1 TO THE OVERSEER. BY A SERVANT OF YHWH, BY DAVID, WHO HAS SPOKEN TO YHWH THE WORDS OF THIS SONG IN THE DAY YHWH DELIVERED HIM FROM THE HAND OF ALL HIS ENEMIES, AND FROM THE HAND OF SAUL, AND HE SAYS: I love You, O YHWH, my strength.
I will love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 YHWH [is] my rock, and my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God [is] my rock, I trust in Him: My shield, and the horn of my salvation, My high tower.
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.
3 I call on YHWH, the Praised One, And I am saved from my enemies.
I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 Cords of death have surrounded me, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my adversity I call YHWH, And I cry to my God. He hears my voice from His temple, And My cry comes into His ears before Him.
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.
7 And the earth shakes and trembles, And foundations of hills are troubled, And they shake—because He has wrath.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 Smoke has gone up from His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumes, Coals have been kindled by it.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
9 And He inclines the heavens, and comes down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10 And He rides on a cherub, and flies, And He flies on wings of wind.
And he rode on a cherub, and did fly: yes, he did fly on the wings of the wind.
11 He makes darkness His secret place, Around Him His dwelling place, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness before Him His thick clouds have passed on, Hail and coals of fire.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13 And YHWH thunders in the heavens, And the Most High gives forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14 And He sends His arrows and scatters them, And much lightning, and crushes them.
Yes, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightning, and discomfited them.
15 And the streams of waters are seen, And foundations of the earth are revealed, From Your rebuke, O YHWH, From the breath of the wind of Your anger.
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.
16 He sends from above—He takes me, He draws me out of many waters.
He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivers me from my strong enemy, And from those hating me, For they have been stronger than I.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They go before me in a day of my calamity And YHWH is for a support to me.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19 And He brings me forth to a large place, He draws me out, because He delighted in me.
He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 YHWH repays me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He returns to me.
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of YHWH, And have not done wickedly against my God.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His judgments [are] before me, And I do not turn His statutes from me.
For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 And I am perfect with Him, And I keep myself from my iniquity.
I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 And YHWH returns to me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, Before His eyes.
Therefore has the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the kind You show Yourself kind, With a perfect man You show Yourself perfect.
With the merciful you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself upright;
26 With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the perverse You show Yourself a wrestler,
With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the fraudulent you will show yourself devious.
27 For You save a poor people, And cause the eyes of the high to fall.
For you will save the afflicted people; but will bring down high looks.
28 For You light my lamp, My God YHWH enlightens my darkness.
For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by You I run [against] a troop! And by my God I leap a wall.
For by you I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.
30 God—perfect [is] His way, The saying of YHWH is tried, He [is] a shield to all those trusting in Him.
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.
31 For who [is] God besides YHWH? And who [is] a rock except our God?
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32 God—who is girding me [with] strength, And He makes my way perfect.
It is God that girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect.
33 Making my feet like does, And on my high places causes me to stand.
He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, and sets me on my high places.
34 Teaching my hands for battle, And a bow of bronze was brought down by my arms.
He teaches my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms.
35 And You give to me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand supports me, And Your lowliness makes me great.
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.
36 You enlarge my step under me, And my ankles have not slipped.
You have enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I pursue my enemies, and overtake them, And do not turn back until they are consumed.
I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38 I strike them, and they are not able to rise, They fall under my feet,
I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.
39 And You gird me [with] strength for battle, You cause my withstanders to bow under me.
For you have girded me with strength to the battle: you have subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 As for my enemies—You have given to me the neck, As for those hating me—I cut them off.
You have also given me the necks of my enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41 They cry, and there is no savior, On YHWH, and He does not answer them.
They cried, but there was none to save them: even to the LORD, but he answered them not.
42 And I beat them as dust before wind, I empty them out as mire of the streets.
Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.
43 You deliver me From the strivings of the people, You place me for a head of nations, A people I have not known serve me.
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.
44 At the hearing of the ear they listen to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves to me.
45 Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 YHWH lives—and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 God—who is giving vengeance to me, And He subdues peoples under me,
It is God that avenges me, and subdues the people under me.
48 My deliverer from my enemies, You raise me above my withstanders, Deliver me from a man of violence.
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.
49 Therefore I confess You among nations, O YHWH, And I sing praise to Your Name,
Therefore will I give thanks to you, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises to your name.
50 Magnifying the salvation of His king, And doing kindness to His anointed, To David, and to his seed—for all time!
Great deliverance gives he to his king; and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever more.
