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.
“To the chief musician, by the servant of the Lord, by David, who spoke unto the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the power of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; And he said,” I ever love thee, O Lord, 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.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
Praised, I cried, be the Lord, and from my enemies was I saved.
4 The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The bonds of death encompassed me, and the floods of destruction made me afraid.
The bonds of hell encircled me: the snares of death seized on 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.
[When] in my distress I called upon the Lord, and unto my God I cried: he heard from his temple my voice, and my complaint came before him, even 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 shook and trembled the earth; and the foundations of the mountains were moved; and they were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.
Smoke went up in his anger and consuming fire out of his mouth: coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
And he bent 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.
And he rode upon a cherub, and flew along, and he flitted by upon 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 his hiding-place, round about him as his pavilion, dark waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed away, [with] hail-stones and coals of fire.
13 The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.
And the Lord thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered forth his voice, [with] hail-stones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.
And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot forth lightnings, and discomfited 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.
And then were seen the channels of the waters, and there were laid open the foundations of the world, through thy rebuke, O Lord, through the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
He stretched out from above [his hand], he took me; he drew me out from mighty waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
He delivered me from my enemy, the strong, and from those that hated me, when they were too mighty for me.
18 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
They overcame me on the day of my calamity; but the Lord became my stay.
19 He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
And he brought me forth into a large space; he delivered me, because he had delight in me.
20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.
The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the purity of my hands did he recompense me.
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 the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me. I didn’t put away his statutes from me.
For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes had I not put away from me.
23 I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
I was also upright with him, and I guarded myself against my iniquity.
24 Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
Therefore did the Lord recompense me according to my righteousness, according to the purity of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.
With the kind thou wilt show thyself kind; with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright;
26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt wage a contest.
27 For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
For thou wilt indeed save the afflicted people; but haughty eyes wilt thou bring down.
28 For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.
For thou wilt cause my light to shine: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.
For [aided] by thee I run through a troop; and [helped] by my God I 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 the Lord is tried: he is a shield to all those that trust in him.
31 For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,
For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock beside our God?
32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
He is the God that girdeth me with strength, and rendereth my way unobstructed.
33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.
He maketh my feet like those of the hinds, and upon my high-places he causeth me to stand.
34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
He teacheth my hands for the war, so that a brazen bow is bent by my arms.
35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.
And thou gavest me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand supported me: and thy meekness hath made me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.
Thou enlargest my steps under me, so that my joints do not slip.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I won’t turn away until they are consumed.
I pursue my enemies, and overtake them; and I return not again till I have made an end of them.
38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
I crush them that they are not able to rise: they fall 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 thou hast girded me with strength for the war: thou subduest my opponents under me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
And my enemies thou causest to turn their back to me; and those that hate me, —that I may destroy them.
41 They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he didn’t answer them.
They cry, but there is none to help; unto the Lord, —but he answereth them not.
42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.
And I beat them small as the dust before the wind: like the dirt in the streets do I cast them out.
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.
Thou deliverest me from the contests of the people; thou appointest me to be the head of nations: a people that I know not shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
As soon as their ear heareth they shall be obedient to me: the children of the stranger shall utter flattery unto me.
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.
The children of the stranger shall fade away, and come forth trembling out of their close places.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,
The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation;
47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.
The God that granteth me vengeance, and subdueth 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.
That delivereth me from my enemies: also above my opponents thou liftest me up; thou deliverest me from the man of violence.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee among the nations, O Lord, and unto thy name will I sing praises, —
50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.
[To him] that maketh great the salvation of his king, and who sheweth kindness to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever.
