Psalms 18
1 For the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord, who recited the words of this song to the Lord after the Lord had saved him from the power of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O Lord, my strength.
For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, deliverer, my God, my rock, where I take refuge, my shield, my defender, my tower.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on, he rescues me from all my foes.
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The waves of death broke about me, fearful floods of chaos.
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In distress I cried to the Lord, and shouted for help to my God; in his temple he heard my voice, into his ears came my cry.
In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked, mountains trembled to their foundations, and quaked because of his wrath.
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.
Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
9 Then he bent the sky and came down, thick darkness was under his feet.
He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,
He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
11 with his screen of darkness about him, in thick dark clouds of water.
He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
12 At the radiance before him there passed hailstones and coals of fire.
From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.
The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed lightnings, and routed them.
He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
15 The channels of the sea were revealed, the world was laid bare to its base, at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
16 He stretched from on high, he seized me, drew me up from the mighty waters,
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
17 and saved me from those who hated me – fierce foes, too mighty for me.
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
18 In my day of distress they assailed me, but the Lord proved my support.
They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
19 To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.
He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
20 The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
21 For I kept the ways of the Lord, nor have wickedly strayed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 His commandments were all before me, his statutes I put not away.
For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
23 And I was blameless before him, guarding myself from sin.
And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
24 So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.
So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25 With the loyal you are loyal, and with the blameless blameless.
To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
26 With the pure you show yourself pure, but shrewd with the devious.
to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
27 For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.
For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
28 You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.
For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
29 With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can leap a wall.
For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is shield to all who take refuge in him.
As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock but our God?
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
32 The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
33 He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me up on the heights.
He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
34 He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.
He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 The shield of your help you gave me, your right hand supports me, you stoop down to make me great.
You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.
36 In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.
You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
37 So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
38 I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.
I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
39 You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.
You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
40 You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.
You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.
41 They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, but he answered them not.
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.
42 I beat them like dust of the market-place, stamped them like mud of the streets.
I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.
43 From the strife of the peoples you saved me, you made me head of the nations, peoples I knew not did serve me.
You have delivered me from the strife of the people; You have made me the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.
44 On the instant they hear, they obey me, foreigners come to me cringing.
When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
45 Foreigners lose courage, and come out of their strongholds trembling.
Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
46 The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock! Exalted be God, my protector!
The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
47 The God who gave me revenge, and brought down nations beneath me,
the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
48 who saved me from angry foes, and set me above my assailants, safe from the violent.
who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
49 For this I will praise you among the nations, making music, O Lord, to your name:
Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
50 for great triumphs he grants to his king, and faithful love he shows his anointed, to David and his seed evermore.
Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
