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. [A Psalm] of David the servant of the LORD, who spake unto 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: and he said, I love thee, 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 strong rock, in him will I trust; 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 the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The cords of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol were round about 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 unto 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, me foundations also of the mountains 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 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 did fly, yea, he flew swiftly 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.
The LORD 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 LORD, 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 them that 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 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 hath 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 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 mine iniquity.
24 Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
Therefore hath 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 thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with the perfect man thou wilt shew 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 wilt shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself froward.
27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
For thou wilt light my lamp: the LORD 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 do 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 tried; he is a shield unto all them 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? and who is a rock, beside our God?
32 It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
The God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
He maketh my feet like hinds’ [feet]: and setteth me upon my high places,
34 He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
He teacheth my hands to war; so that mine arms do 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 hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.
36 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
Thou hast 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 mine 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 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 hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast 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.
Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, that I might cut off 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: even unto 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 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 hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast 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 strangers shall submit themselves unto me.
45 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
The strangers 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.
The LORD liveth; 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 that executeth vengeance for me, and subdueth 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 rescueth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me: thou deliverest 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 unto thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto 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.
Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth lovingkindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
