Psalms 18
1 I love thee, O LORD, 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 Jehovah is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I trust; My shield, my strong defence, and 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 called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And was delivered from my enemies.
I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The snares of death encompassed me; The floods of destruction filled me with dismay;
The waves of death surrounded me, and the currents of ungodliness overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried unto my God; He heard my voice from his palace, And my cry came before him into his ears.
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.
7 Then the earth quaked and trembled; The foundations of the mountains rocked and were shaken, Because his wrath was kindled.
Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
8 A smoke went up from his nostrils, And fire from his mouth devoured; Burning coals shot forth from him.
Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens, and came down; And darkness was under his feet;
He bowed the heavens also, and came down. 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.
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
11 And he made darkness his covering; His pavilion round about him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
He made darkness his hiding place, his canopy around him thick clouds dark with water.
12 At the brightness before him, his thick clouds passed away; Then came hailstones and coals of fire.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed on, with hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered his voice, Amid hailstones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice.
14 He sent forth his arrows, and scattered them; Continual lightnings, and discomfited them.
And he sent out arrows and scattered them, and he shot lightning bolts and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the deep were seen, And the foundations of the earth were laid bare At thy rebuke, O LORD! At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
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.
16 He stretched forth his hand from above; he took me, And drew me out of deep waters.
He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy; From my adversaries, who were too powerful for me.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
18 They fell upon me in the day of my calamity; But the LORD was my stay.
They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me forth into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
He brought me forth also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD hath rewarded me according to my righteous; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
The LORD has 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 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 laws were in my sight; I did not put away his statutes from me.
For all his ordinances were before me. I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 I was upright before him, And kept myself from iniquity.
I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the LORD rewarded 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 To the merciful thou showest thyself merciful; To the upright thou showest thyself upright;
With the faithful you show yourself faithful. With the innocent you show yourself innocent.
26 To the pure thou showest thyself pure, And to the perverse thou showest thyself perverse.
With the pure you show yourself pure. And with the crooked you show yourself tortuous.
27 For thou savest the afflicted people, But the haughty countenance thou bringest down.
For you will save a humble people, but the eyes of the proud you will bring low.
28 Thou causest my lamp to shine; Jehovah, my God, enlighteneth my darkness.
For you light my lamp. The LORD my God lights up my darkness.
29 For through thee I have broken through troops; Through my God I have leaped over walls.
For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.
30 The ways of God are just and true; His word is pure, tried in the fire; He is a shield to all who put their trust in him.
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.
31 Who, then, is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God?
For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
32 It is God that girded me with strength, And made my way plain.
the God who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless?
33 He made my feet like the hind's, And set me in my high places;
He makes my feet like deer's feet, and sets me on my high places.
34 He taught my hands to war, So that my arm bent the bow of brass.
He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
35 Thou gavest me the shield of thy protection; Thy right hand held me up, And thy goodness made me great.
You have also given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand holds me up, and your help has made me great.
36 Thou didst make a wide path for my steps, So that my feet did not stumble.
You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And turned not back till I had destroyed them.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
38 I smote them, so that they could not rise; They fell under my feet.
I struck them through, so that they did not rise. They fell beneath my feet.
39 Thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; Thou didst cast down my adversaries under me.
For you have equipped me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 Thou didst cause my enemies to turn their backs, So that I destroyed them that hated me.
You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to help; To Jehovah, but he answered them not.
They cried, but there was none to save; even to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them small, like dust before the wind; I cast them out as the dirt of the streets.
Then I ground them as fine as the dust on the surface of a path. Like the mud in the streets, I trampled them.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the assaults of the nations; Thou hast made me the head of the kingdoms. Nations whom I knew not 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 They who have only heard of me obey me; Yea, men of a strange land submit themselves to me;
as soon as they hear of me they obey me. Foreigners come cringing to me;
45 Men of a strange land fade away, like a leaf, And come trembling from their strongholds.
they are not bound in chains.
46 Jehovah is the living God; blessed be my rock; Exalted be the God of my salvation!
The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 It is God who hath given me vengeance, And subdued the nations under me;
even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
48 He delivered me from my enemies; Yea, thou hast lifted me up above my adversaries; Thou hast saved me from the violent man!
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 will give thanks to thee, O LORD! among the nations, And sing praises to thy name.
Therefore I will praise you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth mercy to his anointed, —To David and to his posterity for ever.
He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his descendants, until forever.
