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.
To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said, I will give you my love, O Lord, 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.
The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and 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 send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.
4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on 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 trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even 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 trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, 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 from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
9 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
13 Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
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 deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.
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, pulling me out of great waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
18 They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
19 He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
20 Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.
The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
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 the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin 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 decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
23 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
24 Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
25 To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
26 To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.
27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
29 For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone 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 completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him.
31 For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
32 It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
33 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
34 He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.
You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
36 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
38 I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched 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 I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.
40 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
41 They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
42 I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.
Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste 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.
You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.
44 As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.
From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority.
45 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
46 Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
47 He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
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 makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your 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.
Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
