Psalms 18
1 For the chief musician. A psalm of David, the servant of Yahweh, when he sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He sang: I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.
2 Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who brings me to safety; he is my God, my rock; I take refuge in him. He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold.
Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
3 I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised. So I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The cords of death encompassed me, and the floods of lawlessness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol were round about me. The snares of death came upon me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called to Yahweh; I called for help to my God. He heard my voice from his temple; my call for help went into his presence; it went into his ears.
In my distress I called upon Jehovah, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry before him came into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled and were shaken because God was angry.
Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.
9 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
He also bowed the heavens, and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
And he rode upon a cherub, and flew. Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
13 Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them, Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.
15 Then the water channels appeared; the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
Then the channels of waters appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at thy rebuke, O Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
He sent from on high, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
18 They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
They came upon me in the day of my calamity, but Jehovah was my stay.
19 He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
He also brought me forth into a large place. He delivered me because he delighted in me.
20 Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.
Jehovah has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands he has recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.
For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
For all his ordinances were before me, and I put not away his statutes from me.
23 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
I was also perfect with him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
Therefore Jehovah has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
With the merciful thou will show thyself merciful. With the perfect man thou will show thyself perfect.
26 To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
With the pure thou will show thyself pure. And with the perverse thou will show thyself contrary.
27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
For thou will save the afflicted people, but the haughty eyes thou will bring down.
28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
For thou will light my lamp. Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.
29 For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
For by thee I run upon a troop, and by my God I leap over a wall.
30 As for God—his way is perfect! The word of Yahweh is pure! He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.
As for God, his way is perfect. The word of Jehovah is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
For who is God, except Jehovah? And who is a rock, besides our God,
32 It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
the God who girds me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
33 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me upon my high places.
34 He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of brass.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.
Thou have also given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand has held me up, and thy gentleness has made me great.
36 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
Thou have enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
38 I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
39 For you put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.
For thou have girded me with strength to the battle. Thou have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
Thou have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
41 They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
They cried, but there was none to save, even to Jehovah, but he answered them not.
42 I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.
Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
43 You rescued me from the disputes of people. You have made me the head over nations. People that I have not known serve me.
Thou have delivered me from the strivings of the people. Thou have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.
As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
45 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their close places.
46 Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
Jehovah lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
48 I am set free from my enemies! Indeed, you lifted me above the ones who rose against me! You rescued me from violent men.
He rescues me from my enemies. Yea, thou lift me up above those who rise up against me. Thou deliver me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
Therefore I will give thanks to thee, O Jehovah, among the Gentiles, and will sing praises to thy name.
50 God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.
He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
