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.
I will racham ·compassionately love, mercifully love· you, Adonai, 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.
Adonai is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my yesha' ·salvation·, my high tower.
3 Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on, he rescues me from all my foes.
I call on Adonai, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The waves of death broke about me, fearful floods of chaos.
The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol ·Place of the dead· were around me. The snares of death came on 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 on Adonai, and cried to my God. He sh'ma ·heard obeyed· my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into 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 trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.
Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
9 Then he bent the sky and came down, thick darkness was under his feet.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, 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, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the radiance before him there passed hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.
Adonai also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed lightnings, and routed them.
He sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yes, great lightning bolts, 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.
Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Adonai, 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 sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
17 and saved me from those who hated me – fierce foes, too mighty for me.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
18 In my day of distress they assailed me, but the Lord proved my support.
They came on me in the day of my calamity, but Adonai was my support.
19 To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.
He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.
Adonai has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
21 For I kept the ways of the Lord, nor have wickedly strayed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of Adonai, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 His commandments were all before me, his statutes I put not away.
For all his judgments were before me. I didn’t put away his regulations from me.
23 And I was blameless before him, guarding myself from sin.
I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.
Therefore Adonai has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the loyal you are loyal, and with the blameless blameless.
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, but shrewd with the devious.
With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
27 For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.
For you will save the afflicted people, but the haughty eyes you will bring down.
28 You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.
For you will light my lamp, Adonai. My God will light up my darkness.
29 With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can leap a wall.
For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over 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. Adonai’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those 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, except Adonai? Who is a rock, besides our God,
32 The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.
the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
33 He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me up on the heights.
He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.
34 He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.
He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms 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 also given me the shield of your yesha' ·salvation·. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.
36 In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.
You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
37 So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.
I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. Neither will I turn again until they are consumed.
38 I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.
I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
39 You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.
For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.
You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
41 They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, but he answered them not.
They cried, but there was no one to save; even to Adonai, but he didn’t answer them.
42 I beat them like dust of the market-place, stamped them like mud 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 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 strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 On the instant they hear, they obey me, foreigners come to me cringing.
As soon as they hear of me they shall sh'ma ·hear obey· me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
45 Foreigners lose courage, and come out of their strongholds trembling.
The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places.
46 The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock! Exalted be God, my protector!
Adonai lives; and blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my yesha' ·salvation·,
47 The God who gave me revenge, and brought down nations beneath me,
even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
48 who saved me from angry foes, and set me above my assailants, safe from the violent.
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 For this I will praise you among the nations, making music, O Lord, to your name:
Therefore I will yadah ·extend hands in thankful praise· to you, Adonai, among the nations, and will sing zahmar ·musical praise· 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.
He gives great yishu'ah ·deliverance· to his king, and shows cheshed ·loving-kindness· to his anointed, to David [Beloved] and to his offspring, forever more.
