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.
I love thee, 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.
Jehovah is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I trust; My shield, my strong defence, and my high tower.
3 The 'Praised One' I call Jehovah, And from my enemies I am saved.
I called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, And was delivered from my enemies.
4 Compassed me have cords of death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
The snares of death encompassed me; The floods of destruction filled me with dismay;
The snares of the underworld surrounded me, And the nets of death seized upon 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 the LORD, And cried unto my God; He heard my voice from his palace, 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 quaked and trembled; The foundations of the mountains rocked and were shaken, Because his wrath was kindled.
8 Gone up hath smoke by His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumeth, Coals have been kindled by it.
A smoke went up from his nostrils, And fire from his mouth devoured; Burning coals shot forth from him.
9 And He inclineth the heavens, and cometh down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
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 did fly 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.
And he made darkness his covering; His pavilion round about him was 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.
At the brightness before him, his thick clouds passed away; Then came hailstones 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.
The LORD also thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered his voice, Amid hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And He sendeth His arrows and scattereth them, And much lightning, and crusheth them.
He sent forth his arrows, and scattered them; Continual 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.
Then the channels of the deep were seen, And the foundations of the earth were laid bare At thy rebuke, O LORD! 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 stretched forth his hand from above; he took me, And drew me out of deep 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; From my adversaries, who were too powerful for me.
18 They go before me in a day of my calamity And Jehovah is for a support to me.
They fell upon me in the day of my calamity; But the LORD was my stay.
19 And He bringeth me forth to a large place, He draweth me out, because He delighted in me.
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.
The LORD hath rewarded me according to my righteous; 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 the LORD, 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 laws were in my sight; I did not put away his statutes from me.
23 And I am perfect with him, And I keep myself from mine iniquity.
I was upright before him, And kept myself from iniquity.
24 And Jehovah doth return to me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, Over-against his eyes.
Therefore hath the LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands before his eyes.
25 With the kind Thou showest Thyself kind, With a perfect man showest Thyself perfect.
To the merciful thou showest thyself merciful; To the upright thou showest thyself upright;
26 With the pure Thou showest Thyself pure, And with the perverse showest Thyself a wrestler,
To the pure thou showest thyself pure, And to the perverse thou showest thyself perverse.
27 For Thou a poor people savest, And the eyes of the high causest to fall.
For thou savest the afflicted people, But the haughty countenance thou bringest down.
28 For Thou — Thou lightest my lamp, Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
Thou causest 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 through thee I have broken through troops; Through my God I have leaped over walls.
30 God! perfect [is] His way, The saying of Jehovah is tried, A shield [is] He to all those trusting in Him.
The ways of God are just and true; His word is pure, tried in the fire; He is a shield to all who put their trust in him.
31 For who [is] God besides Jehovah? And who [is] a rock save our God?
Who, then, is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God?
32 God! who is girding me [with] strength, And He maketh perfect my way.
It is God that girded me with strength, And made my way plain.
33 Making my feet like hinds, And on my high places causeth me to stand.
He made my feet like the hind's, And set me in my high places;
34 Teaching my hands for battle, And a bow of brass was brought down by my arms.
He taught my hands to war, So that my arm bent the 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.
Thou gavest me the shield of thy protection; Thy right hand held me up, And thy goodness made me great.
36 Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
Thou didst make a wide path for my steps, So that my feet did not stumble.
37 I pursue mine enemies, and overtake them, And turn back not till they are consumed.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them, And turned not back till I had destroyed them.
38 I smite them, and they are not able to rise, They fall under my feet,
I smote them, so that they could not rise; They fell under my feet.
39 And Thou girdest me [with] strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.
Thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; Thou didst cast down my adversaries under me.
40 As to mine enemies — Thou hast given to me the neck, As to those hating me — I cut them off.
Thou didst cause my enemies to turn their backs, So that I destroyed them that hated me.
41 They cry, and there is no saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth not answer them.
They cried, but there was none to help; To Jehovah, but he answered them not.
42 And I beat them as dust before wind, As mire of the streets I empty them out.
I beat them small, like dust before the wind; I cast them out as the dirt 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 assaults of the nations; Thou hast made me the head of the kingdoms. Nations whom I knew not serve me;
44 At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
They who have only heard of me obey me; Yea, men of a strange land submit themselves to me;
45 Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
Men of a strange land fade away, like a leaf, And come trembling from their strongholds.
46 Jehovah liveth — and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
Jehovah is the living God; blessed be my rock; Exalted be the God of my salvation!
47 God — who is giving vengeance to me, And He subdueth peoples under me,
It is God who hath given me vengeance, And subdued the nations under me;
48 My deliverer from mine enemies, Above my withstanders Thou raisest me, From a man of violence dost deliver me.
He delivered me from my enemies; Yea, thou hast lifted me up above my adversaries; Thou hast saved me from the violent man!
49 Therefore I confess Thee among nations, O Jehovah, And to Thy name I sing praise,
Therefore I will give thanks to thee, O LORD! among the nations, And sing praises 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!
Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth mercy to his anointed, —To David and to his posterity for ever.
