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 will love you, 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, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, 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 call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented 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 on the LORD, and cried to my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry 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 the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
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 bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
And he rode on a cherub, and did fly: yes, he did fly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13 Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
Yes, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightning, 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 were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
He sent from above, 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 them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.
18 They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
19 He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
He brought me forth also 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.
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he 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 the LORD, 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 judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
I was also upright before 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 has the LORD 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 you will show yourself merciful; with an upright man you will show yourself upright;
26 To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the fraudulent you will show yourself devious.
27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
For you will save the afflicted people; but will bring down high looks.
28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
For you will light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
For by you I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped 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 the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
32 It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
It is God that 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 on 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 a bow of steel is broken 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 also given me the shield of your salvation: and your right hand has held me up, and your gentleness 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 enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I have pursued my enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
38 I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen 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 you have girded me with strength to the battle: you have subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
You have also given me the necks of my enemies; that I might destroy them that 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 them: even to the LORD, 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 did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in 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 delivered me from the strivings of the people; and you have made me the head of the heathen: 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 strangers shall submit themselves to me.
45 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.
46 Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
It is God that avenges me, and subdues the people 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 delivers me from my enemies: yes, you lift me up above those that rise up against me: you have delivered 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 will I give thanks to you, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises 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 deliverance gives he to his king; and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever more.
