Psalms 18

1 For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength.

1 I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

2 Yahweh 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.

3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

3 I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.

4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

4 The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5 The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

5 The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death came on me.

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.

6 In my distress I called on Yahweh, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.

8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.

8 Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.

9 He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.

10 He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.

10 He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.

11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

12 From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.

12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.

13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded—hailstones and coals of fire.

13 Yahweh also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.

14 He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.

14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.

15 The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

15 Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.

16 He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.

17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

18 They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.

18 They came on me in the day of my calamity, but Yahweh was my support.

19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.

19 He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

20 Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.

21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.

21 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22 For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.

22 For all his ordinances were before me. I didn’t put away his statutes from me.

23 And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.

23 I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.

24 So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

24 Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;

25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.

26 to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.

26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.

27 For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.

28 For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.

28 For you will light my lamp, Yahweh. My God will light up my darkness.

29 For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.

29 For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

30 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

30 As for God, his way is perfect. Yahweh’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

31 For who is God, except Yahweh? Who is a rock, besides our God,

32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.

32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?

33 He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.

33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.

34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

34 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.

35 You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.

35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.

36 You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.

36 You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.

37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.

37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I won’t turn away until they are consumed.

38 I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.

38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.

39 You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

39 For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

40 You have made my enemies retreat before me; I destroyed those who hated me.

40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer.

41 They cried, but there was no one to save; even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.

42 I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.

42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.

43 You have delivered me from the strife of the people; You have made me the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.

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.

44 When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.

44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.

45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.

45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.

46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—

46 Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,

47 the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,

47 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.

48 who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.

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.

49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.

49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.

50 Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

50 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring, forever more.