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 Musician. [A Psalm] of David, the servant of Jehovah, who spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul. And he said, I will love thee, O Jehovah, 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.
Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
3 The 'Praised One' I call Jehovah, And from my enemies I am saved.
I will call upon Jehovah, who is to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 Compassed me have cords of death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
The bands of death encompassed me, and torrents of Belial made me afraid.
The bands of Sheol surrounded me, the cords of death encountered 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 distress I called upon Jehovah, and I cried out to my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, 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 the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and shook, because he was wroth.
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 out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals burned forth from it.
9 And He inclineth the heavens, and cometh down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
And he bowed the heavens, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
10 And He rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And He flieth on wings of wind.
And he rode upon a cherub and did fly; yea, he flew fast upon 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 darkness his secret place, his tent round about him: darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness over-against Him His thick clouds have passed on, Hail and coals of fire.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed forth: hail and coals of fire.
13 And thunder in the heavens doth Jehovah, And the Most High giveth forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.
And Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice: hail and coals of fire.
14 And He sendeth His arrows and scattereth them, And much lightning, and crusheth them.
And he sent his arrows, and scattered [mine enemies]; and he shot forth lightnings, and discomfited them.
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.
And the beds of the waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered at thy rebuke, Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sendeth from above — He taketh me, He draweth me out of many waters.
He reached forth from above, he took me, he drew 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 delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me; for they were mightier than I.
18 They go before me in a day of my calamity And Jehovah is for a support to me.
They encountered me in the day of my calamity, but Jehovah was my stay.
19 And He bringeth me forth to a large place, He draweth me out, because He delighted in me.
And he brought me forth into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
20 Jehovah doth recompense me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He doth return to me.
Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not done wickedly against my God.
For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His judgments [are] before me, And His statutes I turn not from me.
For all his ordinances were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me;
23 And I am perfect with him, And I keep myself from mine iniquity.
And I was upright with him, and kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 And Jehovah doth return to me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, Over-against his eyes.
And Jehovah hath recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 With the kind Thou showest Thyself kind, With a perfect man showest Thyself perfect.
With the gracious thou dost shew thyself gracious; with the upright man thou dost shew thyself upright;
26 With the pure Thou showest Thyself pure, And with the perverse showest Thyself a wrestler,
With the pure thou dost shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou dost shew thyself contrary.
27 For Thou a poor people savest, And the eyes of the high causest to fall.
For it is thou that savest the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes wilt thou bring down.
28 For Thou — Thou lightest my lamp, Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
For it is thou that makest my lamp to shine: Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
29 For by Thee I run — a troop! And by my God I leap a wall.
For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped 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 perfect; the word of Jehovah is tried: he is a shield to all that trust in him.
31 For who [is] God besides Jehovah? And who [is] a rock save our God?
For who is God save Jehovah? and who is a rock if not our God?
32 God! who is girding me [with] strength, And He maketh perfect my way.
The God who girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect,
33 Making my feet like hinds, And on my high places causeth me to stand.
Who maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], and setteth me upon my high places;
34 Teaching my hands for battle, And a bow of brass was brought down by my arms.
Who teacheth my hands to war, and mine arms bend a bow of brass;
35 And Thou givest to me the shield of Thy salvation, And Thy right hand doth support me, And Thy lowliness maketh me great.
And thou didst give me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand held me up; and thy condescending gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
Thou didst enlarge my steps under me, and mine ankles have not wavered.
37 I pursue mine enemies, and overtake them, And turn back not till they are consumed.
I pursued mine enemies, and overtook them; and I turned not again till they were consumed.
38 I smite them, and they are not able to rise, They fall under my feet,
I crushed them, and they were not able to rise: they fell under my feet.
39 And Thou girdest me [with] strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.
And thou girdedst me with strength to battle; thou didst subdue under me those that rose up against me.
40 As to mine enemies — Thou hast given to me the neck, As to those hating me — I cut them off.
And mine enemies didst thou make to turn their backs unto me, and those that hated me I destroyed.
41 They cry, and there is no saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth not answer them.
They cried, and there was none to save; — unto Jehovah, and he answered them not.
42 And I beat them as dust before wind, As mire of the streets I empty them out.
And I did beat them small as dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire 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.
Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast made me the head of the nations: a people I knew not doth serve me.
44 At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
At the hearing of the ear, they obey me: strangers come cringing unto me.
45 Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
Strangers have faded away, and they come trembling forth from their close places.
46 Jehovah liveth — and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 God — who is giving vengeance to me, And He subdueth peoples under me,
The God who hath avenged me, and hath subjected the peoples to me;
48 My deliverer from mine enemies, Above my withstanders Thou raisest me, From a man of violence dost deliver me.
Who hath delivered me from mine enemies: yea, thou hast lifted me up above them that rose up against me; from the man of violence hast thou delivered me.
49 Therefore I confess Thee among nations, O Jehovah, And to Thy name I sing praise,
Therefore will I give thanks to thee, Jehovah, among the nations, and will sing psalms to thy name.
50 Magnifying the salvation of His king, And doing kindness to His anointed, To David, and to his seed — unto the age!
[It is he] who giveth great deliverances to his king, and sheweth loving-kindness to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
