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.
For the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord, who recited the words of this song to the Lord after the Lord had saved him from the power of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, 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 fortress, deliverer, my God, my rock, where I take refuge, my shield, my defender, my tower.
3 The 'Praised One' I call Jehovah, And from my enemies I am saved.
Worthy of praise is the Lord whom I call on, he rescues me from all my foes.
4 Compassed me have cords of death, And streams of the worthless make me afraid.
The waves of death broke about me, fearful floods of chaos.
Sheol threw cords around me, snares of death came to meet 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 distress I cried to the Lord, and shouted for help to my God; in his temple he heard my voice, into his ears came my cry.
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, mountains trembled to their foundations, and quaked because of his wrath.
8 Gone up hath smoke by His nostrils, And fire from His mouth consumeth, Coals have been kindled by it.
Smoke went up from his nostrils, devouring fire from his mouth, coals were kindled by it.
9 And He inclineth the heavens, and cometh down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.
Then he bent the sky and came down, thick darkness was under his feet.
10 And He rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And He flieth on wings of wind.
He rode on a cherub and flew, darting on wings of wind,
11 He maketh darkness His secret place, Round about Him His tabernacle, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
with his screen of darkness about him, in thick dark clouds of water.
12 From the brightness over-against Him His thick clouds have passed on, Hail and coals of fire.
At the radiance before him there passed 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 thundered from heaven, the Most High uttered his voice.
14 And He sendeth His arrows and scattereth them, And much lightning, and crusheth them.
He shot his arrows and scattered them, flashed lightnings, and routed 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.
The channels of the sea were revealed, the world was laid bare to its base, at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sendeth from above — He taketh me, He draweth me out of many waters.
He stretched from on high, he seized me, drew me up from the mighty waters,
17 He delivereth me from my strong enemy, And from those hating me, For they have been stronger than I.
and saved me from those who hated me – fierce foes, too mighty for me.
18 They go before me in a day of my calamity And Jehovah is for a support to me.
In my day of distress they assailed me, but the Lord proved my support.
19 And He bringeth me forth to a large place, He draweth me out, because He delighted in me.
To a spacious place he brought me, and, for love of me, he saved me.
20 Jehovah doth recompense me According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He doth return to me.
The Lord repays my innocence, he rewards my cleanness of hands.
21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not done wickedly against my God.
For I kept the ways of the Lord, nor have wickedly strayed from my God.
22 For all His judgments [are] before me, And His statutes I turn not from me.
His commandments were all before me, his statutes I put not away.
23 And I am perfect with him, And I keep myself from mine iniquity.
And I was blameless before him, guarding 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.
So the Lord repaid my innocence, my cleanness of hands in his sight.
25 With the kind Thou showest Thyself kind, With a perfect man showest Thyself perfect.
With the loyal you are loyal, and with the blameless blameless.
26 With the pure Thou showest Thyself pure, And with the perverse showest Thyself a wrestler,
With the pure you show yourself pure, but shrewd with the devious.
27 For Thou a poor people savest, And the eyes of the high causest to fall.
For the lowly people you save, but haughty eyes you abase.
28 For Thou — Thou lightest my lamp, Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness.
You are my lamp, Lord, my God who enlightens my darkness.
29 For by Thee I run — a troop! And by my God I leap a wall.
With you I can storm a rampart, with my God I can leap 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 the Lord is pure. He is shield to all who take refuge in him.
31 For who [is] God besides Jehovah? And who [is] a rock save our God?
For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock but our God?
32 God! who is girding me [with] strength, And He maketh perfect my way.
The God who arms me with strength, who cleared and smoothed my way.
33 Making my feet like hinds, And on my high places causeth me to stand.
He made my feet like hinds’ feet, and set me up on the heights.
34 Teaching my hands for battle, And a bow of brass was brought down by my arms.
He taught my hands how to fight, and my arms how to bend a bronze bow.
35 And Thou givest to me the shield of Thy salvation, And Thy right hand doth support me, And Thy lowliness maketh me great.
The shield of your help you gave me, your right hand supports me, you stoop down to make me great.
36 Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden.
In your strength I took giant strides, and my feet never slipped.
37 I pursue mine enemies, and overtake them, And turn back not till they are consumed.
So I chased the foe till I caught them, and turned not, till I made an end of them.
38 I smite them, and they are not able to rise, They fall under my feet,
I smashed them, they could not rise, they fell beneath my feet.
39 And Thou girdest me [with] strength for battle, Causest my withstanders to bow under me.
You did arm me with strength for war, you did bow my assailants beneath me.
40 As to mine enemies — Thou hast given to me the neck, As to those hating me — I cut them off.
You made my foes turn their back to me, and those who did hate me I finished.
41 They cry, and there is no saviour, On Jehovah, and He doth not answer them.
They cried for help, but none saved them; to the Lord, 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 like dust of the market-place, stamped them like mud 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.
From the strife of the peoples you saved me, you made me head of the nations, peoples I knew not did serve me.
44 At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me, Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me,
On the instant they hear, they obey me, foreigners come to me cringing.
45 Sons of a stranger fade away, And are slain out of their close places.
Foreigners lose courage, and come out of their strongholds trembling.
46 Jehovah liveth — and blessed [is] my rock, And exalted is the God of my salvation.
The Lord is alive! Blest be my rock! Exalted be God, my protector!
47 God — who is giving vengeance to me, And He subdueth peoples under me,
The God who gave me revenge, and brought down nations beneath me,
48 My deliverer from mine enemies, Above my withstanders Thou raisest me, From a man of violence dost deliver me.
who saved me from angry foes, and set me above my assailants, safe from the violent.
49 Therefore I confess Thee among nations, O Jehovah, And to Thy name I sing praise,
For this I will praise you among the nations, making music, O Lord, 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!
for great triumphs he grants to his king, and faithful love he shows his anointed, to David and his seed evermore.
