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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maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society
Psalms 18
18
Praise to God for His Deliverance
For the music director. Of David, the servant of Yahweh,
who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song
when#Literally “on the day” Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies,
and from the hand of Saul.#The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
1And he said:
“I love you, O Yahweh, my strength.”
2Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I have taken refuge,
my shield and the horn of my deliverance, my stronghold.
3I called upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,
and I was saved from my enemies.
4The ropes of death encircled me,
and streams of ruin overwhelmed me.
5The ropes of Sheol surrounded me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6In my trouble I called on Yahweh,
and to my God I cried for help.
He heard my voice from his temple,
and my cry for help
came up before his presence into his ears.
7Then the earth shook and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains trembled,
and they staggered because he was angry.
8Smoke went forth from his nose,
and fire from his mouth consumed.
Burning coals blazed from him.
9So he bowed the heavens and came down
with a thick cloud under his feet.
10And he mounted a cherub and flew,
and he swooped down on wings of wind.
11He made darkness his hiding place;
all about him his covering
was a darkness of waters, thick clouds.#Literally “clouds of clouds”
12From the brightness before him
his clouds passed over
with hail and coals of fire.
13And Yahweh thundered from the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice
with hail and coals of fire.
14And he shot his arrows and scattered them,#That is, the enemy
and many lightning bolts and routed them.
15Then the channels of the sea became visible,
and the foundations of the world were uncovered
by your rebuke, O Yahweh,
by the blast#Or “breath” of the wind of your nose.
16He reached#Or “sent” from on high; he seized me.
He drew me from many waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me
because they were stronger than I.
18They confronted me on the day of disaster,
but Yahweh was my support.
19So he brought me out to a spacious place.
He delivered me because he delighted in me.
20Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
he has repaid me.
21Because I have kept the ways of Yahweh,
and have not acted wickedly against my God,
22because all his ordinances are before me,
and his statutes I have not removed from me,
23and I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24Therefore Yahweh has repaid me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25To the loyal you show yourself loyal.
To the blameless you show yourself blameless.
26To the pure you show yourself pure.
but to the wicked you show yourself shrewd.
27For you deliver humble people,
but haughty eyes you humiliate.
28For you light my lamp;
Yahweh, my God, lights up my darkness.
29For with you I can charge a troop,
and with my God I can scale a wall.
30This#Hebrew “The” God—his way is blameless.
The word of Yahweh is flawless.#Or “refined”
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
31For who is God apart from Yahweh,
and who is a rock except our God?
32The God who girded me with strength,
and made safe#Or “blameless” my way,
33he made my feet like the deer’s,
and on my high places he makes me stand.
34He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You also gave me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your humility made me great.
36You enlarged my step under me,
and my ankles did not slip.
37I chased my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back until they were finished off.
38I struck them and they were not able to stand up;
they fell under my feet.
39And you girded me with strength for the battle;
those rising against me you made to kneel under me.
40And you made my enemies turn their backs,#Literally “turned to me my enemies’ neck”
then I destroyed those who hated me.
41They cried out but there was no rescuer,
even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
42And I ground them like dust in the wind,#Literally “on the face of the wind”
I emptied them#Many Hebrew manuscripts, the LXX, Syriac, and 2 Sam 22:43 read “I crushed them” out like mud of the streets.
43You rescued me from strife with people;
you set me as head (over) nations.
People I did not know served me;
44as soon as they heard,#Literally “hearing of ear” they obeyed me.
The children of a foreign land feigned obedience before me.
45The children of a foreign land lost heart,#Literally “sunk down”
and they came trembling from their strongholds.
46Yahweh lives, and blessed be my rock,
and may the God of my salvation be exalted—
47the God who executed vengeance for me,
and subdued peoples under me,
48who delivered me from my enemies.
Indeed, you exalted me higher than those who rose against me.
You delivered me from the man of violence.
49Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, O Yahweh,
and I will sing the praise of your name:
50the one who makes great victories for his king,
and who shows loyal love for his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
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