Psalms 18
1 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.
To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he said, I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength.
2 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.
The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
3 The 'Praised One' I call Jehovah, And from my enemies I am saved.
I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.
4 Compassed me have cords of death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear.
The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me. (Sheol h7585)
6 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.
In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came before him, even into his ears.
7 And shake and tremble doth the earth, And foundations of hills are troubled, And they shake — because He hath wrath.
Then trouble and shock came on the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
8 Gone up hath smoke by His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumeth, Coals have been kindled by it.
There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it.
9 And He inclineth the heavens, and cometh down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
10 And He rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And He flieth on wings of wind.
And he went in flight through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
11 He maketh darkness His secret place, Round about Him His tabernacle, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
He made the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness over-against Him His thick clouds have passed on, Hail and coals of fire.
Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and fire.
13 And thunder in the heavens doth Jehovah, And the Most High giveth forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.
The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and fire.
14 And He sendeth His arrows and scattereth them, And much lightning, and crusheth them.
He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
15 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.
Then the deep beds of the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth.
16 He sendeth from above — He taketh me, He draweth me out of many waters.
He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
17 He delivereth me from my strong enemy, And from those hating me, For they have been stronger than I.
He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
18 They go before me in a day of my calamity And Jehovah is for a support to me.
They came on me in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support.
19 And He bringeth me forth to a large place, He draweth me out, because He delighted in me.
He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
20 Jehovah doth recompense me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He doth return to me.
The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not done wickedly against my God.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
22 For all His judgments [are] before me, And His statutes I turn not from me.
For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
23 And I am perfect with him, And I keep myself from mine iniquity.
And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
24 And Jehovah doth return to me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, Over-against his eyes.
Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
25 With the kind Thou showest Thyself kind, With a perfect man showest Thyself perfect.
On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
26 With the pure Thou showest Thyself pure, And with the perverse showest Thyself a wrestler,
He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.
27 For Thou a poor people savest, And the eyes of the high causest to fall.
For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made low.
28 For Thou — Thou lightest my lamp, Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark will be made bright for me.
29 For by Thee I run — a troop! And by my God I leap a wall.
By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.
30 God! perfect [is] His way, The saying of Jehovah is tried, A shield [is] He to all those trusting in Him.
As for God, his way is completely good; the word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their faith in him.
31 For who [is] God besides Jehovah? And who [is] a rock save our God?
For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but our God?
32 God! who is girding me [with] strength, And He maketh perfect my way.
God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
33 Making my feet like hinds, And on my high places causeth me to stand.
He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
34 Teaching my hands for battle, And a bow of brass was brought down by my arms.
He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
35 And Thou givest to me the shield of Thy salvation, And Thy right hand doth support me, And Thy lowliness maketh me great.
You have given me the breastplate of your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has made me great.
36 Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet are kept from slipping.
37 I pursue mine enemies, and overtake them, And turn back not till they are consumed.
I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
38 I smite them, and they are not able to rise, They fall under my feet,
I will give them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
39 And Thou girdest me [with] strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.
For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me.
40 As to mine enemies — Thou hast given to me the neck, As to those hating me — I cut them off.
By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
41 They cry, and there is no saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth not answer them.
They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
42 And I beat them as dust before wind, As mire of the streets I empty them out.
Then they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out like the waste of the streets.
43 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.
You have made me free from the fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.
44 At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
From the time when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority.
45 Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
46 Jehovah liveth — and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured.
47 God — who is giving vengeance to me, And He subdueth peoples under me,
It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
48 My deliverer from mine enemies, Above my withstanders Thou raisest me, From a man of violence dost deliver me.
He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.
49 Therefore I confess Thee among nations, O Jehovah, And to Thy name I sing praise,
Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
50 Magnifying the salvation of His king, And doing kindness to His anointed, To David, and to his seed — unto the age!
Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
