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.
To the chief Musician, [A Psalm] of 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: And he said, I will love thee, 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, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, [and] my high tower.
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 sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell encompassed me: the snares of death seized 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, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] 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 hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: 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: and darkness [was] under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,
And he rode upon a cherub, and flew; yes, he flew upon the wings of the wind.
11 with his screen of darkness about him, in thick dark clouds of water.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion around him [were] dark waters [and] thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the radiance before him there passed hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness [that was] before him his thick clouds passed, hail [stones] and coals of fire.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail [stones] and coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed lightnings, and routed them.
Yes, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited 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 were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He stretched from on high, he seized me, drew me up from the mighty waters,
He sent from above, 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, and from them who hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 In my day of distress they assailed me, but the Lord proved my support.
They attacked me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19 To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.
He brought me forth also in a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath 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 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 judgments [were] before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 And I was blameless before him, guarding myself from sin.
I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.
Therefore hath the LORD recompensed 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.
With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;
26 With the pure you show yourself pure, but shrewd with the devious.
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt contend.
27 For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.
For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.
28 You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.
For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can leap a wall.
For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped 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: the word of the LORD is tried: he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock but our God?
For who [is] God save the LORD? or who [is] a rock save our God?
32 The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.
[It is] God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me up on the heights.
He maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], and setteth me upon my high places.
34 He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.
He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms.
35 The shield of your help you gave me, your right hand supports me, you stoop down to make me great.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath held me up and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.
I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38 I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.
I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they have fallen under my feet.
39 You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.
For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.
Thou hast also given me the necks of my enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.
41 They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, but he answered them not.
They cried, but [there was] none to save [them]: [even] to the LORD, but he answered them not.
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 dirt 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.
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; [and] thou hast made me the head of the heathen: 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 obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves to me.
45 Foreigners lose courage, and come out of their strongholds trembling.
The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid from their close places.
46 The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock! Exalted be God, my protector!
The LORD liveth; and blessed [be] my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 The God who gave me revenge, and brought down nations beneath me,
[It is] God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.
48 who saved me from angry foes, and set me above my assailants, safe from the violent.
He delivereth me from my enemies: yes, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
49 For this I will praise you among the nations, making music, O Lord, to your name:
Therefore will I give thanks to thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises to thy name.
50 for great triumphs he grants to his king, and faithful love he shows his anointed, to David and his seed evermore.
He giveth great deliverance to his king; and showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever.
