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 OVERSEER. BY A SERVANT OF YHWH, BY DAVID, WHO HAS SPOKEN TO YHWH THE WORDS OF THIS SONG IN THE DAY YHWH DELIVERED HIM FROM THE HAND OF ALL HIS ENEMIES, AND FROM THE HAND OF SAUL, AND HE SAYS: I love You, O YHWH, 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.
YHWH [is] my rock, and my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God [is] my rock, I trust in Him: 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 call on YHWH, the Praised One, And I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
Cords of death have surrounded me, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
Cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Snares of death have been before 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 adversity I call YHWH, And I cry to my God. He hears my voice from His temple, And My cry comes into His ears before Him.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled and were shaken because God was angry.
And the earth shakes and trembles, And foundations of hills are troubled, And they shake—because He has wrath.
8 Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
Smoke has gone up from His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumes, Coals have been kindled by it.
9 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
And He inclines the heavens, and comes down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
And He rides on a cherub, and flies, And He flies on wings of wind.
11 He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
He makes darkness His secret place, Around Him His dwelling place, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
From the brightness before Him His thick clouds have passed on, Hail and coals of fire.
13 Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
And YHWH thunders in the heavens, And the Most High gives forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
And He sends His arrows and scatters them, And much lightning, and crushes 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.
And the streams of waters are seen, And foundations of the earth are revealed, From Your rebuke, O YHWH, From the breath of the wind of Your anger.
16 He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
He sends from above—He takes me, He draws 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 delivers me from my strong enemy, And from those hating me, For they have been stronger than I.
18 They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
They go before me in a day of my calamity And YHWH is for a support to me.
19 He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
And He brings me forth to a large place, He draws me out, because He delighted in me.
20 Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.
YHWH repays me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He returns to 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 YHWH, And have not done wickedly against 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 [are] before me, And I do not turn His statutes from me.
23 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
And I am perfect with Him, And I keep myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
And YHWH returns to me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, Before 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.
With the kind You show Yourself kind, With a perfect man You show Yourself perfect.
26 To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the perverse You show Yourself a wrestler,
27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
For You save a poor people, And cause the eyes of the high to fall.
28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
For You light my lamp, My God YHWH enlightens 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 run [against] a troop! And by my God I leap 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.
God—perfect [is] His way, The saying of YHWH is tried, He [is] a shield to all those trusting in Him.
31 For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
For who [is] God besides YHWH? And who [is] a rock except our God?
32 It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
God—who is girding me [with] strength, And He makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
Making my feet like does, And on my high places causes me to stand.
34 He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
Teaching my hands for battle, And a bow of bronze was brought down 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.
And You give to me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand supports me, And Your lowliness makes me great.
36 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
You enlarge my step under me, And my ankles have not slipped.
37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I pursue my enemies, and overtake them, And do not turn back until they are consumed.
38 I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I strike them, and they are not able to rise, They 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.
And You gird me [with] strength for battle, You cause my withstanders to bow under me.
40 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
As for my enemies—You have given to me the neck, As for those hating me—I cut them off.
41 They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
They cry, and there is no savior, On YHWH, and He does not answer them.
42 I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.
And I beat them as dust before wind, I empty them out as 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.
You deliver me From the strivings of the people, You place me for a head of nations, A people I have not known serve me.
44 As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.
At the hearing of the ear they listen to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
45 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
46 Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
YHWH lives—and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
47 He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
God—who is giving vengeance to me, And He 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.
My deliverer from my enemies, You raise me above my withstanders, Deliver me from a man of violence.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
Therefore I confess You among nations, O YHWH, And I sing 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.
Magnifying the salvation of His king, And doing kindness to His anointed, To David, and to his seed—for all time!
