Psalms 18
18
PSALM 18
Common Meter: 8,6,8,6
To the chief Musician,
A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: And he said,
1Thee will I love, O Lord, my strength.
2My fortress is the Lord,
My rock, and he that doth to me
deliverance afford:
My God, my strength, whom I will trust,
a buckler unto me,
The horn of my salvation,
and my high tow'r, is he.
3Upon the Lord, who worthy is
of praises, will I cry;
And then shall I preserved be
safe from mine enemy.
4Floods of ill men affrighted me,
death's pangs about me went;
5Hell's sorrows me environed;
death's snares did me prevent.
6In my distress I call'd on God,
cry to my God did I;
He from his temple heard my voice,
to his ears came my cry.
7Th' earth, as affrighted, then did shake,
trembling upon it seiz'd:
The hills' foundations moved were,
because he was displeas'd.
8Up from his nostrils came a smoke,
and from his mouth there came
Devouring fire, and coals by it
were turned into flame.
9He also bowed down the heav'ns,
and thence he did descend;
And thickest clouds of darkness did
under his feet attend.
10And he upon a cherub rode,
and thereon he did fly;
Yea, on the swift wings of the wind
his flight was from on high.
11He darkness made his secret place:
about him, for his tent,
Dark waters were, and thickest clouds
of th' airy firmament.
12And at the brightness of that light,
which was before his eye,
His thick clouds pass'd away, hailstones
and coals of fire did fly.
13The Lord God also in the heav'ns
did thunder in his ire;
And there the Highest gave his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14Yea, he his arrows sent abroad,
and them he scattered;
His lightnings also he shot out,
and them discomfited.
15The waters' channels then were seen,
the world's foundations vast
At thy rebuke discover'd were,
and at thy nostrils' blast.
16And from above the Lord sent down,
and took me from below;
From many waters he me drew,
which would me overflow.
17He me reliev'd from my strong foes,
and such as did me hate;
Because he saw that they for me
too strong were, and too great.
18They me prevented in the day
of my calamity;
But even then the Lord himself
a stay was unto me.
19He to a place where liberty
and room was hath me brought;
Because he took delight in me,
he my deliv'rance wrought.
20According to my righteousness
he did me recompense,
He me repaid according to
my hands' pure innocence.
21For I God's ways kept, from my God
did not turn wickedly.
22His judgments were before me, I
his laws put not from me.
23Sincere before him was my heart;
with him upright was I;
And watchfully I kept myself
from mine iniquity.
24After my righteousness the Lord
hath recompensed me,
After the cleanness of my hands
appearing in his eye.
25Thou gracious to the gracious art,
to upright men upright:
26Pure to the pure, froward thou kyth'st
unto the froward wight.
27For thou wilt the afflicted save
in grief that low do lie:
But wilt bring down the countenance
of them whose looks are high.
28The Lord will light my candle so,
that it shall shine full bright:
The Lord my God will also make
my darkness to be light.
29By thee through troops of men I break,
and them discomfit all;
And, by my God assisting me,
I overleap a wall.
30As for God, perfect is his way:
the Lord his word is try'd;
He is a buckler to all those
who do in him confide.
31Who but the Lord is God? but he
who is a rock and stay?
32'Tis God that girdeth me with strength,
and perfect makes my way.
33He made my feet swift as the hinds,
set me on my high places.
34Mine hands to war he taught, mine arms
brake bows of steel in pieces.
35The shield of thy salvation
thou didst on me bestow:
Thy right hand held me up, and great
thy kindness made me grow.
36And in my way my steps thou hast
enlarged under me,
That I go safely, and my feet
are kept from sliding free.
37Mine en'mies I pursued have,
and did them overtake;
Nor did I turn again till I
an end of them did make.
38I wounded them, they could not rise;
they at my feet did fall.
39Thou girdedst me with strength for war;
my foes thou brought'st down all:
40And thou hast giv'n to me the necks
of all mine enemies;
That I might them destroy and slay,
who did against me rise.
41They cried out, but there was none
that would or could them save;
Yea, they did cry unto the Lord,
but he no answer gave.
42Then did I beat them small as dust
before the wind that flies;
And I did cast them out like dirt
upon the street that lies.
43Thou mad'st me free from people's strife,
and heathen's head to be:
A people whom I have not known
shall service do to me.
44At hearing they shall me obey,
to me they shall submit.
45Strangers for fear shall fade away,
who in close places sit.
46God lives, bless'd be my Rock; the God
of my health praised be.
47God doth avenge me, and subdues
the people under me.
48He saves me from mine enemies;
yea, thou hast lifted me
Above my foes; and from the man
of vi'lence set me free.
49Therefore to thee will I give thanks
the heathen folk among;
And to thy name, O Lord, I will
sing praises in a song.
50He great deliv'rance gives his king:
he mercy doth extend
To David, his anointed one,
and his seed without end.
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Psalms 18: MP1650
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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Psalms 18
18
Psalm 18
This song is for the music leader.
The Lord's servant, David, wrote it.
David sang these words to the Lord when the Lord saved him from the power of his enemies. This was at the time when Saul was king.
Thank you, Lord! #18:1 This Psalm also comes in 2 Samuel 22. You can read there about the things that happened when David sang this song.
1I love you, Lord.
You make me strong.
2The Lord keeps me safe.
He is my great rock and my strong place.
God is my high rock. #18:2 David calls God his ‘rock’ because a rock is a safe, strong place. If an enemy is chasing you, a rock is a good place to hide.
I run to him to hide and be safe.
He keeps me safe like a soldier's shield.
He is the strong place where I can hide safely.
3I praise the Lord because he deserves it!
When I called to him for help,
he saved me from my enemies.
4Death was near enough to catch me!
Danger was like a river that poured over me.
5Death was tying me up with ropes,
to pull me into the deep hole of the grave.
6In my trouble, I prayed to the Lord.
I called to my God to help me.
He heard my voice from his home in heaven.
My prayer reached his ears.
7Then the earth moved and it shook.
Even the strong mountains shook,
because God was angry.
8He breathed out smoke from his nose.
Fire and hot coals came out from his mouth,
to destroy his enemies.
9God caused the sky to bend as he came down.
Dark clouds were under his feet.
10He sat on a cherub and he flew.
The wind carried him as he travelled.
11God covered himself with darkness.
He hid himself in dark clouds that held rain.
12Bright light went in front of him.
Hail and lightning fell from the clouds.
13The Lord sent thunder from the sky.
People everywhere heard the voice of the Most High God.
14The Lord shot his arrows of lightning.
He caused his enemies to run away.
15When you shouted against your enemies, Lord,
even the bottom of the deep sea appeared.
People could see the foundations of the earth,
when you breathed out in anger.
16The Lord reached down to me from above.
He took hold of me and he pulled me up out of the deep water.
17Yes, he saved me from my powerful enemies.
The people who hated me were too strong for me,
but the Lord saved me from their power.
18They attacked me when I was in trouble,
but the Lord helped me.
19He led me out to a place where I would be safe.
He saved me because I made him happy.
20The Lord was kind to me
because I do things that please him.
He blesses me
because I am not guilty of bad things.
21I have obeyed the Lord's commands.
I have not turned against my God.
22I understand all his rules,
and I do not refuse to obey them.
23He knows that I have done nothing that is wrong.
I kept away from any sin.
24The Lord has been kind to me,
because I did good things.
He sees that I am not guilty.
25 Lord, if people are faithful to you,
then you are faithful to them.
If people do nothing that is bad,
they can trust you to do nothing bad to them.
26If people always do what is right,
they can trust you to be kind to them.
But if people are wicked,
you turn against them.
27You save people who are humble.
But if people are proud, you bring them down very low.
28 Lord, you make my lamp burn brightly.
My God is my light in the dark.
29You make me strong,
so that I can attack a whole army!
With the help of my God,
I can climb over any high wall. #18:29 When an army attacked a city, the soldiers had to knock down the walls of the city or climb over them.
30God's way is perfect.
Yes, the Lord's promises are always true.
He keeps safe everyone who goes to him for help,
like a shield that keeps a soldier safe.
31We know that the Lord is God,
and no one else.
Only our God can keep us safe,
like a strong rock!
32It is God who makes me strong.
He shows me the safe way through my life.
33He makes my feet stand strongly on the ground.
Like a deer,
I can stand on high mountains and not fall.
34He teaches me how to fight in war.
He makes my arms strong
to shoot arrows from a metal bow. #18:34 David would need to be very strong to bend a metal bow and shoot an arrow.
35 Lord, your power has helped me to be strong.
You have kept me safe, like a shield.
Your kind help has made me great.
36You have helped me to move safely,
so that my feet do not slip.
37I ran after my enemies and I caught them.
I did not turn back until I had killed them.
38I knocked them down to the ground.
They could not get up again.
They fell under my feet.
39You have made me strong to fight battles,
so that I win against my enemies.
40You cause my enemies to turn around,
and they run away from me.
I can destroy those who hate me.
41They call out for help,
but nobody is there to help them.
They call to the Lord,
but he does not answer them.
42I beat them into dust
that the wind blows away.
I walk over them,
like dirt that lies on the streets.
43You have saved me from people who attacked me.
You made me a ruler of other nations.
People that I did not know before
now serve me as their ruler.
44When foreign people hear about me,
they choose to obey me.
They cannot stand against me
because they are afraid.
45They are not brave enough to fight me.
They shake with fear,
as they come out of their strong cities.
46The Lord is alive! He is my strong Rock!
Everyone should praise him!
He rules as king!
He is the God who saves me.
47He is the true God who punishes my enemies.
He makes the nations obey me.
48He is the one who saves me from my enemies.
Yes, God, you give me power
to win against those who attack me.
You keep me safe from angry and cruel men.
49 Lord, I will thank you,
so that all the nations know about you.
I will sing to praise your name.
50Yes, the Lord gives power to me, David, his king.
He gives me great strength to win against my enemies.
I am the special king that he has chosen. #18:50 The Hebrew word for a king that God has chosen is ‘Messiah’. When we call Jesus Christ God's Messiah, we are saying that he is the special King that God has chosen. He is a descendant of King David.
He will continue to be kind to me
and to my descendants for ever.
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