Psalms 18
1 For the Chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David the servant of the LORD, who spake unto 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 love thee, O LORD, my strength.
For the end, [a Psalm] of David, the servant of the Lord; [the words] which he spoke to the Lord, [even] the words of this Song, in the day in which the Lord delivered him out the hand of all his enemies, and out the hand of Saul: and he said: I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strong rock, in him will I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
The Lord is my firm support, and my refuge, and my deliverer; my God is my helper, I will hope in him; [he is] my defender, and the horn of my salvation, and my helper.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
4 The cords of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The pangs of death compassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness troubled me exceedingly.
The pangs of hell came round about me: the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry before him came into his ears.
And when I was afflicted I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of this holy temple, and my cry shall enter before him, [even] into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled, me foundations also of the mountains moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains were disturbed, and were shaken, because God was angry with them.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet.
10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly, yea, he flew swiftly upon the wings of the wind.
And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion round about him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice; hailstones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice.
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.
And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
And the springs of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blasting of the breath of thy wrath.
16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
He sent from on high and took me, he drew me to himself out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I.
18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them].
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
And he brought me out into a wide place: he will deliver me, because he has pleasure in me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands will he recompense me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I put not away his statutes from me.
For all his judgments were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me.
23 I was also perfect with him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;
With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent.
26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward.
And with the excellent [man] thou wilt be excellent; and with the perverse thou wilt shew frowardness.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
For thou wilt save the lowly people, and wilt humble the eyes of the proud.
28 For thou wilt light my lamp: the LORD my God will lighten my darkness.
For thou, O Lord, wilt light my lamp: my God, thou wilt lighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I run upon a troop; and by my God do I leap over a wall.
For by thee shall I be delivered from a troop; and by my God I will pass over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried; he is a shield unto all them that trust in him.
[As for] my God, his way is perfect: the oracles of the Lord are tried in the fire; he is a protector of all them that hope in him.
31 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, beside our God?
For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God?
32 The God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
[It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless:
33 He maketh my feet like hinds’ [feet]: and setteth me upon my high places,
who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war; so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
He instructs my hands for war: and thou hast made my arms [as] a brazen bow.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
And thou hast made me secure in my salvation: and thy right hand has helped me, and thy correction has upheld me to the end; yea, thy correction itself shall instruct me.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
Thou has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail.
37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them: neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed.
38 I will smite them through that they shall not be able to rise: they shall fall under my feet.
I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
For thou hast girded me with strength for war: thou hast beaten down under me all that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, that I might cut off them that hate me.
And thou has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and thou hast destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
They cried, but there was no deliverer: [even] to the Lord, but he hearkened not to them.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.
I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast made me the head of the nations: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.
Deliver me from the gain sayings of the people: thou shalt make me head of the Gentiles: a people whom I knew not served me,
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places.
The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation:
The Lord lives; and blessed [be] my God; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and subdueth peoples under me.
[It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me;
48 He rescueth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me: thou deliverest me from the violent man.
my deliverer from angry enemies: thou shalt set me on high above them that rise up against me: thou shalt deliver me from the unrighteous man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto thy name.
Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name.
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth lovingkindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
[God] magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
