Psalms 18
1 I love thee, O LORD, my strength!
Yahweh, I love you, the one who enables me to be strong.
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.
Yahweh is like an [overhanging] rock [DOU, MET] [under which I can hide from my enemies]; he is like a strong fortress, the one who protects me; he protects me like a shield [MET] [protects a soldier]; he is the one to whom I go (for refuge/to be protected/safe), and he defends me by his great power [IDM].
3 I called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And was delivered from my enemies.
I called out to Yahweh, who deserves to be praised, and he rescued me from my enemies.
4 The snares of death encompassed me; The floods of destruction filled me with dismay;
All around me were dangerous situations in which I might be killed [PRS]; it was as though there were huge waves [MET] that almost crashed on me and killed me.
[It was as though] the place where dead people are had ropes that were wrapped around me, or [it was as though] there was a trap [MET] that would [seize and] kill 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.
But when I was very distressed, I called out to Yahweh, and from his temple he heard me. He listened to me when I cried out [for help].
7 Then the earth quaked and trembled; The foundations of the mountains rocked and were shaken, Because his wrath was kindled.
Then the earth quaked/shook strongly [DOU]; the mountains shook very strongly from their centers [DOU] because Yahweh was angry.
8 A smoke went up from his nostrils, And fire from his mouth devoured; Burning coals shot forth from him.
[It was as though] smoke poured out from his nostrils, and [as though] burning coals came out of his mouth.
9 He bowed the heavens, and came down; And darkness was under his feet;
He opened the sky and came down with a black cloud under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He flew, riding on the back of a creature that had wings, traveling [fast], blown along by the wind.
11 And he made darkness his covering; His pavilion round about him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
Darkness was all around him [like a blanket] [MET]; dark clouds, full of moisture, covered him [MET].
12 At the brightness before him, his thick clouds passed away; Then came hailstones and coals of fire.
Hailstones and flashes of lightning were around him; hail and burning coals fell from the sky.
13 The LORD also thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered his voice, Amid hailstones and coals of fire.
Then Yahweh [spoke in a loud voice] from the sky, and [his enemies] heard his voice that sounded like thunder.
14 He sent forth his arrows, and scattered them; Continual lightnings, and discomfited them.
He shot his arrows at them and caused them to scatter; His flashes of lightning caused them to become very confused (OR, to run away).
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.
The bottom of the ocean became visible, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered, when Yahweh rebuked his enemies when he snorted.
16 He stretched forth his hand from above; he took me, And drew me out of deep waters.
[It was as though] he reached down from heaven and grabbed me and pulled me up out of the deep ocean.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy; From my adversaries, who were too powerful for me.
He rescued me from my strong enemies who hated me; they were very strong, with the result that I [could not defeat them].
18 They fell upon me in the day of my calamity; But the LORD was my stay.
When I (was distressed/had troubles), they attacked me, but Yahweh defended/protected me.
19 He brought me forth into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
He led me to a place where I was safe; he rescued me because he was pleased with me.
20 The LORD hath rewarded me according to my righteous; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Yahweh has rewarded me because I do what is right; he has blessed me because I (am innocent/have not done things that are wrong).
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God.
I have obeyed Yahweh’s laws; I have not abandoned him.
22 For all his laws were in my sight; I did not put away his statutes from me.
My behavior was directed by his rules; I have not stopped obeying them.
23 I was upright before him, And kept myself from iniquity.
He knows that I have not done what is wrong; I have kept myself from sinning.
24 Therefore hath the LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
So he rewards me because I do what is right; he knows that I [SYN] have not committed sins.
25 To the merciful thou showest thyself merciful; To the upright thou showest thyself upright;
Yahweh, you are faithful to those who faithfully [do what you tell them to do]; you always do what is good/right to those who do what you want them to do.
26 To the pure thou showest thyself pure, And to the perverse thou showest thyself perverse.
You are kind to those who are kind to others, but you act wisely toward those who (act perversely/do bad things).
27 For thou savest the afflicted people, But the haughty countenance thou bringest down.
You save those who are humble, but you cause those who are proud to be humiliated/ashamed.
28 Thou causest my lamp to shine; Jehovah, my God, enlighteneth my darkness.
You give light to my [soul/spirit]; you take away the darkness of my soul.
29 For through thee I have broken through troops; Through my God I have leaped over walls.
You enable me to be strong, with the result that I can run and attack a line of enemy soldiers; with your help I can (scale/climb up) the walls [that surround my enemies’ cities].
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.
Everything that Yahweh my God does is perfect. We can depend on him to do what he promises. He is like a shield [MET] to protect all those who go to him for refuge.
31 Who, then, is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God?
Yahweh is [RHQ] the only one who is God; only he is like an [overhanging] rock [under which we can be safe].
32 It is God that girded me with strength, And made my way plain.
God is the one who enables me to be strong and who keeps me safe on the roads that I walk on.
33 He made my feet like the hind's, And set me in my high places;
He enables me to [walk swiftly without stumbling], like a deer walks/runs in the mountains.
34 He taught my hands to war, So that my arm bent the bow of brass.
He teaches me how to use a strong/metal bow in order that I can use it to fight in battles.
35 Thou gavest me the shield of thy protection; Thy right hand held me up, And thy goodness made me great.
Yahweh, you protect and save me with your shield; you have made me safe by your power [MTY]. I have become (strong/a great [king]) because you have helped me.
36 Thou didst make a wide path for my steps, So that my feet did not stumble.
You have cleared the road for me, with the result that now I do not slip/stumble.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And turned not back till I had destroyed them.
I have pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until I had defeated/killed them all.
38 I smote them, so that they could not rise; They fell under my feet.
When I strike them, they are not able to get up again; they lie on the ground, defeated.
39 Thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; Thou didst cast down my adversaries under me.
You have enabled me to be strong in order that I can fight battles and defeat my enemies.
40 Thou didst cause my enemies to turn their backs, So that I destroyed them that hated me.
You caused my enemies to run away (OR, you enabled me to put my foot on my enemies’ necks [after I captured them and forced them to lie on the ground]); I have gotten rid of all those who hated me.
41 They cried, but there was none to help; To Jehovah, but he answered them not.
They called out for someone to help them, but no one saved them.
42 I beat them small, like dust before the wind; I cast them out as the dirt of the streets.
I pulverize them, with the result that they become like [MET] the dust that the wind [blows away]; I throw them out like [SIM] [people throw] dirt out into the streets.
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 enabled me to defeat those who fought against me, and appointed me to be the ruler of [many]; people whom I did not know about previously are now slaves [in my kingdom].
44 They who have only heard of me obey me; Yea, men of a strange land submit themselves to me;
When foreigners hear about me, they (cringe/bow low before me) and they obey me.
45 Men of a strange land fade away, like a leaf, And come trembling from their strongholds.
They are no longer courageous, and from their forts [where they were hiding] they come [to me] trembling.
46 Jehovah is the living God; blessed be my rock; Exalted be the God of my salvation!
Yahweh is alive! Praise the one who is like an [overhanging] rock [MET] [under which I am safe] Exalt the God who saves me!
47 It is God who hath given me vengeance, And subdued the nations under me;
He enables me to get revenge on my enemies; he causes me to defeat nations and to rule over them,
48 He delivered me from my enemies; Yea, thou hast lifted me up above my adversaries; Thou hast saved me from the violent man!
and he rescues me from my enemies. He has lifted me up high so that violent men could not reach me [and harm me].
49 Therefore I will give thanks to thee, O LORD! among the nations, And sing praises to thy name.
So I praise him [and I tell] the nations [the great things that he has done].
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth mercy to his anointed, —To David and to his posterity for ever.
He has enabled me, his king, to powerfully defeat my enemies; he faithfully loves me, David, the one he has chosen [to be king], and he will faithfully love my descendants forever.
