Psalms 18
1 [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.
Unto the end, for David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. I will love thee, O Lord, my strength:
2 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.
The Lord is my firmament, my refuge, and my deliverer. My God is my helper, and in him will I put my trust. My protector and the horn of my salvation, and my support.
3 I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
Praising I will call upon the Lord: and I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The waves of death surrounded me, and the currents of ungodliness overwhelmed me.
The sorrows of death surrounded me: and the torrents of iniquity troubled me.
The sorrows of hell encompassed me: and the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry before him came into his ears.
In my affliction I called upon the Lord, and I cried to my God: And he heard my voice from his holy temple: and my cry before him came into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
The earth shook and trembled: the foundations of the mountains were troubled and were moved, because he was angry with them.
8 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke in his wrath: and a fire flamed from his face: coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
And he ascended upon the cherubim, and he flew; he flew upon the wings of the winds.
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his canopy around him thick clouds dark with water.
And he made darkness his covert, his pavilion round about him: dark waters in the clouds of the air.
12 From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed on, with hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness that was before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice.
And the Lord thundered from heaven, and the highest gave his voice: hail and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out arrows and scattered them, and he shot lightning bolts and routed them.
And he sent forth his arrows, and he scattered them: he multiplied lightnings, and troubled them.
15 And the depths of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
Then the fountains of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were discovered: At thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the spirit of thy wrath.
16 He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
He sent from on high, and took me: and received me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
He delivered me from my strongest enemies, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They prevented me in the day of my affliction: and the Lord became my protector.
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 place: he saved me, because he was well pleased with me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and will repay me according to the cleanness of my hands:
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Because I have kept the ways of the Lord; and have not done wickedly against my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me. I did not put away his statutes from me.
For till his judgments are in my sight: and his justices I have not put away from me.
23 I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
And I shall be spotless with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
And the Lord will reward me according to my justice; and according to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the faithful you show yourself faithful. With the innocent you show yourself innocent.
With the holy, thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent.
26 With the pure you show yourself pure. And with the crooked you show yourself tortuous.
And with the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.
27 For you will save a humble people, but the eyes of the proud you will bring low.
For thou wilt save the humble people; but wilt bring down the eyes of the proud.
28 For you light my lamp. The LORD my God lights up my darkness.
For thou lightest my lamp, O Lord: O my God enlighten my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.
For by thee I shall be delivered from temptation; and through my God I shall go over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the LORD is pure. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
As for my God, his way is undefiled: the words of the Lord are fire tried: he is the protector of all that trust in him.
31 For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
For who is God but the Lord? or who is God but our God?
32 the God who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless?
God who hath girt me with strength; and made my way blameless.
33 He makes my feet like deer's feet, and sets me on my high places.
Who hath made my feet like the feet of harts: and who setteth me upon high places.
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
Who teacheth my hands to war: and thou hast made my arms like a brazen bow.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand holds me up, and your help has made me great.
And thou hast given me the protection of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up: And thy discipline hath corrected me unto the end: and thy discipline, the same shall teach me.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; and my feet are not weakened.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I will pursue after my enemies, and overtake them: and I will not turn again till they are consumed.
38 I struck them through, so that they did not rise. They fell beneath my feet.
I will break them, and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
39 For you have equipped me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
And thou hast girded me with strength unto battle; and hast subdued under me them that rose up against me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
And thou hast made my enemies turn their back upon me, and hast destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
They cried, but there was none to save them, to the Lord: but he heard them not.
42 Then I ground them as fine as the dust on the surface of a path. Like the mud in the streets, I trampled them.
And I shall beat them as small as the dust before the wind; I shall bring them to nought, like the dirt in the streets.
43 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;
Thou wilt deliver me from the contradictions of the people: thou wilt make me head of the Gentiles.
44 as soon as they hear of me they obey me. Foreigners come cringing to me;
A people, which I knew not, hath served me: at the hearing of the ear they have obeyed me.
45 they are not bound in chains.
The children that are strangers have lied to me, strange children have faded away, and have halted from their paths.
46 The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
The Lord liveth, and blessed be my God, and let the God of my salvation be exalted:
47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
O God, who avengest me, and subduest the people under me, my deliverer from my enemies.
48 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.
And thou wilt lift me up above them that rise up against me: from the unjust man thou wilt deliver me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
Therefore will I give glory to thee, O Lord, among the nations, and I will sing a psalm to thy name.
50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his descendants, until forever.
Giving great deliverance to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed: and to his seed for ever.
