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.
For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to 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. He said, I love you, 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, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
3 I call on YHWH, the Praised One, And I am saved from my enemies.
I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
4 Cords of death have surrounded me, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on 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. My cry before him came 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 mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
8 Smoke has gone up from His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumes, Coals have been kindled by it.
Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. 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. Thick darkness was under his feet.
10 And He rides on a cherub, and flies, And He flies on wings of wind.
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared 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 hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, 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 before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones 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 sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And He sends His arrows and scatters them, And much lightning, and crushes them.
He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.
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 appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, 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 on high. 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, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
18 They go before me in a day of my calamity And YHWH is for a support to me.
They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
19 And He brings me forth to a large place, He draws me out, because He delighted in me.
He brought me out 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 has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has 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 ordinances were before me. I didn’t put away his statutes from me.
23 And I am perfect with Him, And I keep myself from my iniquity.
I was also blameless with him. 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 the LORD has rewarded 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 the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
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. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
27 For You save a poor people, And cause the eyes of the high to fall.
For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
28 For You light my lamp, My God YHWH enlightens my darkness.
For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.
29 For by You I run [against] a troop! And by my God I leap a wall.
For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap 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 LORD’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
31 For who [is] God besides YHWH? And who [is] a rock except our God?
For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
32 God—who is girding me [with] strength, And He makes my way perfect.
the God who arms 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 deer’s 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 my arms bend a bow of bronze.
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. Your right hand sustains me. 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, My feet have not slipped.
37 I pursue my enemies, and overtake them, And do not turn back until they are consumed.
I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I won’t turn away until they are consumed.
38 I strike them, and they are not able to rise, They fall under my feet,
I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
39 And You gird me [with] strength for battle, You cause my withstanders to bow under me.
For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who 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 made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
41 They cry, and there is no savior, On YHWH, and He does not answer them.
They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he didn’t answer them.
42 And I beat them as dust before wind, I empty them out as mire of the streets.
Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of 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. You have made me the head of the nations. 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 foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
45 Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
46 YHWH lives—and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 God—who is giving vengeance to me, And He subdues peoples under me,
even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
48 My deliverer from my enemies, You raise me above my withstanders, Deliver me from a man of violence.
He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I confess You among nations, O YHWH, And I sing praise to Your Name,
Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, among the nations, and will 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!
He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.
