Psalms, 18

0.

0. To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1. [For the choirmaster Of David, the servant of Yahweh, who addressed the words of this song to Yahweh when Yahweh had delivered him from all his enemies and from the clutches of Saul. He said:] I love you, Yahweh, my strength (my Saviour, you have saved me from violence).

1. I love thee, O LORD, my strength.

2. Yahweh is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer is my God. I take refuge in him, my rock, my shield, my saving strength, my stronghold, my place of refuge.

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

3. I call to Yahweh who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my foes.

3. I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

4. With Death's breakers closing in on me, Belial's torrents ready to swallow me,

4. The cords of death encompassed me, the torrents of perdition assailed me;

5. Sheol's snares every side of me, Death's traps lying ahead of me,

5. the cords of Sheol entangled me, the snares of death confronted me.

6. I called to Yahweh in my anguish, I cried for help to my God; from his Temple he heard my voice, my cry came to his ears.

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

7. Then the earth quaked and rocked, the mountains' foundations shuddered, they quaked at his blazing anger.

7. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.

8. Smoke rose from his nostrils, from his mouth devouring fire (coals were kindled at it).

8. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9. He parted the heavens and came down, a storm-cloud underneath his feet;

9. He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.

10. riding one of the winged creatures, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.

10. He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.

11. His covering he made the darkness, his pavilion dark waters and dense cloud.

11. He made darkness his covering around him, his canopy thick clouds dark with water.

12. A brightness lit up before him, hail and blazing fire.

12. Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire.

13. Yahweh thundered from the heavens, the Most High made his voice heard.

13. The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.

14. He shot his arrows and scattered them, he hurled his lightning and routed them.

14. And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them.

15. The very springs of ocean were exposed, the world's foundations were laid bare, at your roaring, Yahweh, at the blast of breath from your nostrils!

15. Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare, at thy rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16. He reached down from on high, snatched me up, pulled me from the watery depths,

16. He reached from on high, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17. rescued me from my mighty foe, from my enemies who were stronger than I.

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

18. They assailed me on my day of disaster but Yahweh was there to support me;

18. They came upon me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was my stay.

19. he freed me, set me at large, he rescued me because he loves me.

19. He brought me forth into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20. Yahweh rewards me for my uprightness, as my hands are pure, so he repays me,

20. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

21. since I have kept the ways of Yahweh, and not fallen away from my God.

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

22. His judgements are all before me, his statutes I have not put away from me.

22. For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23. I am blameless before him, I keep myself clear of evil.

23. I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.

24. So Yahweh repaid me for acting uprightly because he could see I was pure.

24. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25. You are faithful to the faithful, blameless with the blameless,

25. With the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal; with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless;

26. sincere to the sincere, but cunning to the crafty,

26. with the pure thou dost show thyself pure; and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse.

27. you save a people that is humble and humiliate those with haughty looks.

27. For thou dost deliver a humble people; but the haughty eyes thou dost bring down.

28. Yahweh, you yourself are my lamp, my God lights up my darkness;

28. Yea, thou dost light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness.

29. with you I storm the rampart, with my God I can scale any wall.

29. Yea, by thee I can crush a troop; and by my God I can leap over a wall.

30. This God, his way is blameless; the word of Yahweh is refined in the furnace, for he alone is the shield of all who take refuge in him.

30. This God -- his way is perfect; the promise of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31. For who is God but Yahweh, who is a rock but our God?

31. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? --

32. This God who girds me with strength, who makes my way free from blame,

32. the God who girded me with strength, and made my way safe.

33. who makes me as swift as a deer and sets me firmly on the heights,

33. He made my feet like hinds' feet, and set me secure on the heights.

34. who trains my hands for battle, my arms to bend a bow of bronze.

34. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35. You give me your invincible shield (your right hand upholds me) you never cease to listen to me,

35. Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand supported me, and thy help made me great.

36. you give me the strides of a giant, give me ankles that never weaken.

36. Thou didst give a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.

37. I pursue my enemies and overtake them, not turning back till they are annihilated;

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

38. I strike them down and they cannot rise, they fall, they are under my feet.

38. I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise; they fell under my feet.

39. You have girded me with strength for the fight, bent down my assailants beneath me,

39. For thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; thou didst make my assailants sink under me.

40. made my enemies retreat before me; and those who hate me I destroy.

40. Thou didst make my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.

41. They cry out, there is no one to save; to Yahweh, but no answer comes.

41. They cried for help, but there was none to save, they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

42. I crumble them like dust before the wind, trample them like the mud of the streets.

42. I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43. You free me from the quarrels of my people, you place me at the head of the nations, a people I did not know are now my servants;

43. Thou didst deliver me from strife with the peoples; thou didst make me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.

44. foreigners come wooing my favour, no sooner do they hear than they obey me;

44. As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.

45. foreigners grow faint of heart, they come trembling out of their fastnesses.

45. Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their fastnesses.

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

46. The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,

47. the God who gives me vengeance, and subjects whole peoples to me,

47. the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me;

48. who rescues me from my raging enemies. You lift me high above those who attack me, you deliver me from the man of violence.

48. who delivered me from my enemies; yea, thou didst exalt me above my adversaries; thou didst deliver me from men of violence.

49. For this I will praise you, Yahweh, among the nations, and sing praise to your name.

49. For this I will extol thee, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to thy name.

50. He saves his king time after time, displays his faithful love for his anointed, for David and his heirs for ever.

50. Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants for ever.