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. Of the servant of Yahweh, of David, —who spake unto Yahweh the words of this song, —in the day when Yahweh had rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul; and he said: — I will love thee, O Yahweh 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.
Yahweh, was my mountain crag and my stronghold, and my deliverer: My GOD, was my rock, I sought refuge in him, My shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower.
3 Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on, he rescues me from all my foes.
As one worthy to be praised, called I on Yahweh, —And, from my foes, was I saved.
4 The waves of death broke about me, fearful floods of chaos.
The meshes of death encompassed me, The torrents of perdition, made me afraid;
The meshes of hades, had surrounded me, The snares of death, had 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, called I on Yahweh, And, unto my God, made outcry for help, He heard, out of his temple, my voice, And my outcry for help came before him—entered into his ears!
7 Then the earth shook and quaked, mountains trembled to their foundations, and quaked because of his wrath.
Then did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.
There went up smoke in his nostrils, and, a fire out of his mouth, devoured, Live coals, were kindled from it:
9 Then he bent the sky and came down, thick darkness was under his feet.
Then he stretched out the heaven, and came down, —and, thick gloom, was under his feet;
10 He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,
Then he rode on a cherub, and flew, and darted on the wings of the wind;
11 with his screen of darkness about him, in thick dark clouds of water.
Made darkness his hiding-place, Round about him—his pavilion, Darkness of waters, clouds of vapours.
12 At the radiance before him there passed hailstones and coals of fire.
Out of the brightness before him, his clouds rolled along, hail, and live coals of fire.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.
Then did Yahweh thunder in the heavens, and the Highest uttered his voice, —hail, and live coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed lightnings, and routed them.
And he sent forth his arrows and scattered them, yea, lightnings, he shot out, and confused 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 appeared the channels of waters, were uncovered the foundations of the world, —At thy rebuke O Yahweh, 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 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 rescued me from my foe, in his might, and from them who hated me, because they were too strong for me:
18 In my day of distress they assailed me, but the Lord proved my support.
They confronted me, in the day of my necessity, Then became Yahweh my stay:
19 To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.
And brought me out, into a large place, he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.
Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, he repaid me;
21 For I kept the ways of the Lord, nor have wickedly strayed from my God.
For I had kept the ways of Yahweh, and not broken away from my God;
22 His commandments were all before me, his statutes I put not away.
For, all his regulations, were before me, and, his statutes, did I not put from me:
23 And I was blameless before him, guarding myself from sin.
So became I blameless with him, and kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.
Yahweh therefore repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the pureness of my hands, before his eyes.
25 With the loyal you are loyal, and with the blameless blameless.
With the loving, thou didst show thyself loving, —With the blameless man, thou didst show thyself blameless;
26 With the pure you show yourself pure, but shrewd with the devious.
With the pure, thou didst show thyself pure, But, with the perverse, thou didst show thyself ready to contend.
27 For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.
For, as for thee, an oppressed people, thou didst save, but, looks that were lofty, layedst thou low;
28 You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.
For, thou, didst light up my lamp, Yahweh my God, enlightened my darkness;
29 With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can leap a wall.
For, by thee, I ran through a troop, and, by my God, I leapt 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, blameless is his way, The speech of Yahweh hath been proved, A shield, he is to all who seek refuge in him.
31 For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock but our God?
For who is a GOD, save Yahweh? And who is a Rock, save our God?
32 The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.
The GOD who girded me with strength, and set forth, as blameless, my way:
33 He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me up on the heights.
Planting my feet like hinds’ [feet], yea, on my high places, he caused me to stand:
34 He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.
Teaching my hands to war, —so that a bow of bronze was bent by mine arms.
35 The shield of your help you gave me, your right hand supports me, you stoop down to make me great.
Thus didst thou grant me, as a shield, thy salvation, —and, thy right hand, sustained me, and, thy condescension, made me great.
36 In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.
Thou didst widen my stepping-places under me, so that, mine ankles, faltered not.
37 So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.
I pursued my foes, and overtook them, and returned not, till they were consumed:
38 I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.
I crushed them, and they were unable to rise, They fell under my feet.
39 You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.
Thus didst thou gird me with strength, for the battle, Thou subduedst mine assailants under me.
40 You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.
As for my foes, thou didst give me their neck, and, as for them who hated me, I destroyed them.
41 They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, but he answered them not.
They cried out, but there was none to save, unto Yahweh, but he answered them not.
42 I beat them like dust of the market-place, stamped them like mud of the streets.
Then did I beat them in pieces, like dust on the face of the wind. Like the mire in the lanes, did I scatter them.
43 From the strife of the peoples you saved me, you made me head of the nations, peoples I knew not did serve me.
Thus didst thou rescue me from the contentions of a people, —didst appoint me to be the head of nations, A people I had not known, served me:
44 On the instant they hear, they obey me, foreigners come to me cringing.
At the hearing of the ear, they submitted to me, the sons of the foreigner, came cringing unto me:
45 Foreigners lose courage, and come out of their strongholds trembling.
The sons of the foreigner, lost heart, and came quaking out of their fortresses.
46 The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock! Exalted be God, my protector!
Yahweh liveth and, blessed, be my Rock, yea, exalted, be the God of my salvation:
47 The God who gave me revenge, and brought down nations beneath me,
The GOD, who hath avenged me, —and subjugated peoples under me:
48 who saved me from angry foes, and set me above my assailants, safe from the violent.
Who hath delivered me from my foes, —Yea, from mine assailants, hast thou set me on high, From the man of violence, hast thou rescued me.
49 For this I will praise you among the nations, making music, O Lord, to your name:
For this cause, will I praise thee among the nations, O Yahweh, and, to thy Name, will I sweep the strings: —
50 for great triumphs he grants to his king, and faithful love he shows his anointed, to David and his seed evermore.
Who hath made great the victories of his King, —and shown lovingkindness to his Anointed One, To David and to his Seed, Unto times age-abiding.
