Psalms 18
1 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.
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.
2 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.
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.
3 I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death trapped me. (Sheol h7585)
6 In my distress I called on the LORD, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.
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.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled and were shaken because God was angry.
8 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him.
13 The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.
Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.
He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
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.
16 He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
18 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support!
19 He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.
Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me. I didn’t put away his statutes from me.
For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
23 I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
24 Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes.
25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted.
27 For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes!
28 For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.
For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.
For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect. The LORD’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
As for God—his way is perfect! The word of Yahweh is pure! He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.
31 For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God?
32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path.
33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.
He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights!
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.
You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I won’t turn away until they are consumed.
I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet.
39 For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
For you put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
41 They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he didn’t answer them.
They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets.
43 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.
You rescued me from the disputes of people. You have made me the head over nations. People that I have not known serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me.
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted.
47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me.
48 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.
I am set free from my enemies! Indeed, you lifted me above the ones who rose against me! You rescued me from violent men.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, amongst the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name!
50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.
God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.
