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.
[For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of the LORD, who spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, ] I love you, 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 fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my Rock, in whom I 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 call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The waves of death surrounded me, and the currents of ungodliness overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares 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 distress I called upon the LORD, and cried out 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.
Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. 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. Thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on 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 canopy around him thick clouds dark with water.
12 Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed on, with hailstones and coals of fire.
13 Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
And he sent out arrows and scattered them, and he shot lightning bolts and routed 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 depths of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, 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 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, 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 on me in the day of my calamity, 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 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 has 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 ordinances were before me. 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 blameless with him. 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 the LORD has rewarded 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 faithful you show yourself faithful. With the innocent you show yourself innocent.
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 crooked you show yourself tortuous.
27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
For you will save a humble people, but the eyes of the proud you will bring low.
28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
For you light my lamp. The LORD my God lights up 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 advance through a troop. 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 the LORD is pure. 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 the LORD? 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 blameless?
33 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
He makes my feet like deer's 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 my arms bend a bow of bronze.
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 holds me up, and your help 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, My feet have not slipped.
37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
38 I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I struck them through, so that they did not rise. They fell beneath 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 equipped me with strength for the battle. You 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.
You 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 the LORD, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.
Then I ground them as fine as the dust on the surface of a path. Like the mud in the streets, I trampled them.
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. You 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 obey me. Foreigners come cringing to me;
45 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
they are not bound in chains.
46 Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock. 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. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You 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 praise you, LORD, among the nations, and will 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.
He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his descendants, until forever.
