Psalms 18
1 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!
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 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.
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 As one worthy to be praised, called I on Yahweh, —And, from my foes, was I saved.
I will call upon the Lord with praises, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
4 The meshes of death encompassed me, The torrents of perdition, 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, 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!
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 did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, because he was angry.
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 smoke in his nostrils, and, a fire out of his mouth, devoured, Live coals, were kindled from it:
There went up a smoke in his wrath, and fire burst into a flame at his presence: coals were kindled at it.
9 Then he stretched out the heaven, and came down, —and, thick gloom, was under his feet;
And he bowed the heaven, and came down: and thick darkness was under his feet.
10 Then he rode on a cherub, and flew, and darted on the wings of the wind;
And he mounted on cherubs and flew: he flew on the wings of winds.
11 Made darkness his hiding-place, Round about him—his pavilion, Darkness of waters, clouds of vapours.
And he made darkness his secret place: round about him was his tabernacle, [even] dark water in the clouds of the air.
12 Out of the brightness before him, his clouds rolled along, hail, and live coals of fire.
At the brightness before him the clouds passed, hail and coals of fire.
13 Then did Yahweh thunder in the heavens, and the Highest uttered his voice, —hail, and live coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered from heaven, and the Highest uttered his voice.
14 And he sent forth his arrows and scattered them, yea, lightnings, he shot out, and confused them.
And he sent forth [his] weapons, and scattered them; and multiplied lightnings, and routed them.
15 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.
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 rescued me from my foe, in his might, and from them who hated me, because they were too strong for me:
He will deliver me from my mighty enemies, and from them that hate me; for they are stronger than I.
18 They confronted me, in the day of my necessity, Then became Yahweh my stay:
They prevented me in the day of mine affliction: but the Lord was my stay against [them].
19 And brought me out, 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 Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, he repaid 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 had kept the ways of Yahweh, and not broken away from my God;
For I have kept the way of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For, all his regulations, were before me, and, his statutes, did I not put from me:
For all his judgments were before me, and his ordinances departed not from me.
23 So became I blameless with him, and kept myself from mine iniquity.
And I shall be blameless with hem, and shall keep myself from mine iniquity.
24 Yahweh therefore repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the pureness of my hands, before his eyes.
And the Lord shall recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the loving, thou didst show thyself loving, —With the blameless man, thou didst show thyself blameless;
With the holy thou wilt be holy; and with the innocent man thou wilt be innocent.
26 With the pure, thou didst show thyself pure, But, with the perverse, thou didst show thyself ready to contend.
And with the excellent [man] thou wilt be excellent; and with the perverse thou wilt shew frowardness.
27 For, as for thee, an oppressed people, thou didst save, but, looks that were lofty, layedst thou low;
For thou wilt save the lowly people, and wilt humble the eyes of the proud.
28 For, thou, didst light up my lamp, Yahweh my God, enlightened my darkness;
For thou, O Lord, wilt light my lamp: my God, thou wilt lighten my darkness.
29 For, by thee, I ran through a troop, and, by my God, I leapt 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, blameless is his way, The speech of Yahweh hath been proved, A shield, he is to all who seek refuge 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 a GOD, save Yahweh? And who is a Rock, save our God?
For who is God but the Lord? and who is a God except our God?
32 The GOD who girded me with strength, and set forth, as blameless, my way:
[It is] God that girds me with strength, and has made my way blameless:
33 Planting my feet like hinds’ [feet], yea, on my high places, he caused me to stand:
who strengthens my feet as hart's feet, and sets me upon high places.
34 Teaching my hands to war, —so that a bow of bronze was bent by mine arms.
He instructs my hands for war: and thou hast made my arms [as] a brazen bow.
35 Thus didst thou grant me, as a shield, thy salvation, —and, thy right hand, sustained me, and, thy condescension, 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 didst widen my stepping-places under me, so that, mine ankles, faltered not.
Thou has made room for my goings under me, and by footsteps did not fail.
37 I pursued my foes, and overtook them, and returned not, till they were consumed:
I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; and I will not turn back until they are consumed.
38 I crushed them, and they were unable to rise, They fell under my feet.
I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: they shall fall under my feet.
39 Thus didst thou gird me with strength, for the battle, Thou subduedst mine assailants under me.
For thou hast girded me with strength for war: thou hast beaten down under me all that rose up against me.
40 As for my foes, thou didst give me their neck, and, as for them who hated me, I destroyed them.
And thou has made mine enemies turn their backs before me; and thou hast destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cried out, but there was none to save, unto Yahweh, 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 in pieces, like dust on the face of the wind. Like the mire in the lanes, did I scatter them.
I will grind them as the mud of the streets: and I will beat them small as dust before the wind.
43 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:
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 At the hearing of the ear, they submitted to me, the sons of the foreigner, came cringing unto me:
at the hearing of the ear they obeyed me: the strange children lied to me.
45 The sons of the foreigner, lost heart, and came quaking out of their fortresses.
The strange children waxed old, and fell away from their paths through lameness.
46 Yahweh liveth and, blessed, be my Rock, yea, 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 The GOD, who hath avenged me, —and subjugated peoples under me:
[It is] God that avenges me, and has subdued the nations under me;
48 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.
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 For this cause, will I praise thee among the nations, O Yahweh, and, to thy Name, will I sweep the strings: —
Therefore will I confess to thee, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to thy name.
50 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.
[God] magnifies the deliverances of his king; and deals mercifully with David his anointed, and his seed, for ever.
