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 Musician. Of the servant of Yahweh, of David, —who spake unto Yahweh the words of this song, —in the day when Yahweh had rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul; and he said: — I will love thee, O Yahweh 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.
Yahweh, was my mountain crag and my stronghold, and my deliverer: My GOD, was my rock, I sought refuge in him, My shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower.
3 I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
As one worthy to be praised, called I on Yahweh, —And, from my foes, was I saved.
4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The meshes of death encompassed me, The torrents of perdition, made me afraid;
The meshes of hades, had surrounded me, The snares of death, had confronted 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, called I on Yahweh, And, unto my God, made outcry for help, He heard, out of his temple, my voice, And my outcry for help came before him—entered 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 did the earth shake and quake, Even, the foundations of the mountains, were deeply moved, Yea they did shake, 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 smoke in his nostrils, and, a fire out of his mouth, devoured, Live coals, were kindled from it:
9 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
Then he stretched out the heaven, and came down, —and, thick gloom, was under his feet;
10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
Then he rode on a cherub, and flew, and darted on the wings of the wind;
11 He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
Made darkness his hiding-place, Round about him—his pavilion, Darkness of waters, clouds of vapours.
12 Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
Out of the brightness before him, his clouds rolled along, hail, and live coals of fire.
13 Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
Then did Yahweh thunder in the heavens, and the Highest uttered his voice, —hail, and live coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
And he sent forth his arrows and scattered them, yea, lightnings, he shot out, and confused 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 appeared the channels of waters, were uncovered the foundations of the world, —At thy rebuke O Yahweh, 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 rescued me from my foe, in his might, and from them who hated me, because they were too strong for me:
18 They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
They confronted me, in the day of my necessity, Then became Yahweh my stay:
19 He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
And brought me out, 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.
Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, he repaid me;
21 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.
For I had kept the ways of Yahweh, and not broken away 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 regulations, were before me, and, his statutes, did I not put from me:
23 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
So became I blameless with him, and kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
Yahweh therefore repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the pureness 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 loving, thou didst show thyself loving, —With the blameless man, thou didst show thyself blameless;
26 To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
With the pure, thou didst show thyself pure, But, with the perverse, thou didst show thyself ready to contend.
27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
For, as for thee, an oppressed people, thou didst save, but, looks that were lofty, layedst thou low;
28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
For, thou, didst light up my lamp, Yahweh my God, enlightened 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 ran through a troop, and, by my God, I leapt 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, blameless is his way, The speech of Yahweh hath been proved, A shield, he is to all who seek refuge in him.
31 For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
For who is a GOD, save Yahweh? And 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.
The GOD who girded me with strength, and set forth, as blameless, my way:
33 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
Planting my feet like hinds’ [feet], yea, on my high places, he caused me to stand:
34 He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
Teaching my hands to war, —so that a bow of bronze was bent by mine arms.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.
Thus didst thou grant me, as a shield, thy salvation, —and, thy right hand, sustained me, and, thy condescension, made me great.
36 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
Thou didst widen my stepping-places under me, so that, mine ankles, faltered not.
37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I pursued my foes, and overtook them, and returned not, till they were consumed:
38 I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I crushed them, and they were unable to rise, They fell 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.
Thus didst thou gird me with strength, for the battle, Thou subduedst mine assailants under me.
40 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
As for my foes, thou didst give me their neck, and, as for them who hated me, I destroyed them.
41 They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
They cried out, but there was none to save, unto Yahweh, 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 in pieces, like dust on the face of the wind. Like the mire in the lanes, did I scatter 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.
Thus didst thou rescue me from the contentions of a people, —didst appoint me to be the head of nations, A people I had not known, served 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 submitted to me, the sons of the foreigner, came cringing unto me:
45 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
The sons of the foreigner, lost heart, and came quaking out of their fortresses.
46 Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
Yahweh liveth and, blessed, be my Rock, yea, exalted, be the God of my salvation:
47 He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
The GOD, who hath avenged me, —and subjugated 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.
Who hath delivered me from my foes, —Yea, from mine assailants, hast thou set me on high, From the man of violence, hast thou rescued me.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
For this cause, will I praise thee among the nations, O Yahweh, and, to thy Name, will I sweep the strings: —
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.
Who hath made great the victories of his King, —and shown lovingkindness to his Anointed One, To David and to his Seed, Unto times age-abiding.
