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 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.
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 rock, my fortress, deliverer, my God, my rock, where I take refuge, my shield, my defender, my tower.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on, he rescues me from all my foes.
4 The cords of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The waves of death broke about me, fearful floods of chaos.
Sheol threw cords around me, snares of death came to meet 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.
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.
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, mountains trembled to their foundations, and quaked because of his wrath.
8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
Then he bent the sky and came down, 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.
He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion round about him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
with his screen of darkness about him, in thick dark clouds of water.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
At the radiance before him there passed hailstones 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 thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.
He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed 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.
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.
16 He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
He stretched from on high, he seized me, drew me up from the mighty waters,
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
and saved me from those who hated me – fierce foes, too mighty for me.
18 They came upon me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
In my day of distress they assailed me, but the Lord proved my support.
19 He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.
20 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I kept the ways of the Lord, nor have wickedly strayed from my God.
22 For all his judgments were before me, and I put not away his statutes from me.
His commandments were all before me, his statutes I put not away.
23 I was also perfect with him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
And I was blameless before him, guarding myself from sin.
24 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;
With the loyal you are loyal, and with the blameless blameless.
26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward.
With the pure you show yourself pure, but shrewd with the devious.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.
28 For thou wilt light my lamp: the LORD my God will lighten my darkness.
You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.
29 For by thee I run upon a troop; and by my God do I leap over a wall.
With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can leap 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 God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is pure. He is shield to all who take refuge 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 rock but our God?
32 The God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.
33 He maketh my feet like hinds’ [feet]: and setteth me upon my high places,
He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me up on the heights.
34 He teacheth my hands to war; so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze 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.
The shield of your help you gave me, your right hand supports me, you stoop down to make me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.
37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them: neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.
38 I will smite them through that they shall not be able to rise: they shall fall under my feet.
I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.
40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, that I might cut off them that hate me.
You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.
41 They cried, but there was none to save: even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.
They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, but he answered them not.
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 beat them like dust of the market-place, stamped them like mud of the streets.
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.
From the strife of the peoples you saved me, you made me head of the nations, peoples I knew not did serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
On the instant they hear, they obey me, foreigners come to me cringing.
45 The strangers shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places.
Foreigners lose courage, and come out of their strongholds trembling.
46 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation:
The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock! Exalted be God, my protector!
47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and subdueth peoples under me.
The God who gave me revenge, and brought down nations beneath 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.
who saved me from angry foes, and set me above my assailants, safe from the violent.
49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto thy name.
For this I will praise you among the nations, making music, O Lord, to your name:
50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth lovingkindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
for great triumphs he grants to his king, and faithful love he shows his anointed, to David and his seed evermore.
