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 Jehovah, by David, who hath spoken to Jehovah the words of this song in the day Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he saith: — I love Thee, O Jehovah, 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.
Jehovah [is] my rock, and my bulwark, And my deliverer, My God [is] my rock, I trust in Him: My shield, and a 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.
The 'Praised One' I call Jehovah, And from my enemies I am saved.
4 The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
Compassed me have cords of death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
Cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Before me have been snares of death. (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 mine adversity I call Jehovah, And unto my God I cry. He heareth from His temple my voice, And My cry before Him cometh into His ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled and were shaken because God was angry.
And shake and tremble doth the earth, And foundations of hills are troubled, And they shake — because He hath wrath.
8 Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
Gone up hath smoke by His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumeth, Coals have been kindled by it.
9 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
And He inclineth the heavens, and cometh 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 rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And He flieth on wings of wind.
11 He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
He maketh darkness His secret place, Round about Him His tabernacle, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
From the brightness over-against 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 thunder in the heavens doth Jehovah, And the Most High giveth forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
And He sendeth His arrows and scattereth them, And much lightning, and crusheth 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 seen are the streams of waters, And revealed are foundations of the earth. From Thy rebuke, O Jehovah, From the breath of the spirit of Thine anger.
16 He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
He sendeth from above — He taketh me, He draweth 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 delivereth 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 Jehovah 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 bringeth me forth to a large place, He draweth 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.
Jehovah doth recompense me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He doth return 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 Jehovah, 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 His statutes I turn not 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 mine iniquity.
24 Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
And Jehovah doth return to me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, Over-against 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 Thou showest Thyself kind, With a perfect man showest 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 showest Thyself pure, And with the perverse showest Thyself a wrestler,
27 For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
For Thou a poor people savest, And the eyes of the high causest to fall.
28 For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
For Thou — Thou lightest my lamp, Jehovah my God enlighteneth 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 — 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 Jehovah is tried, A shield [is] He 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 Jehovah? 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.
God! who is girding me [with] strength, And He maketh perfect my way.
33 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
Making my feet like hinds, And on my high places causeth 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 brass 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 Thou givest to me the shield of Thy salvation, And Thy right hand doth support me, And Thy lowliness maketh me great.
36 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
37 I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I pursue mine enemies, and overtake them, And turn back not till they are consumed.
38 I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
I smite 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 Thou girdest me [with] strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.
40 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
As to mine enemies — Thou hast given to me the neck, As to 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 saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth 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, As mire of the streets I empty them out.
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 dost deliver me From the strivings of the people, Thou placest me for a head of nations, A people I have not known do 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 hearken 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.
Jehovah liveth — 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 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.
My deliverer from mine enemies, Above my withstanders Thou raisest me, From a man of violence dost deliver me.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
Therefore I confess Thee among nations, O Jehovah, And to Thy name I sing praise,
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 — unto the age!
