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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

19 He brought me out into the open; He rescued 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

45 Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.

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

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

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

49 Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I 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.

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

2 The LORD [is] my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, [and] my high tower.

3 I will call upon the LORD, [who is worthy] to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

6 In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, [even] into his ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

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

10 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him [were] dark waters [and] thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness [that was] before him his thick clouds passed, hail [stones] and coals of fire.

13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail [stones] and coals of fire.

14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

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

16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.

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

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

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

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

23 I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

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

25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

26 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

28 For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

29 ¶ For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

30 [As for] God, his way [is] perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he [is] a buckler to all those that trust in him.

31 For who [is] God save the LORD? or who [is] a rock save our God?

32 [It is] God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

33 He maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], and setteth me upon my high places.

34 He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

37 I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

41 They cried, but [there was] none to save [them: even] unto the LORD, but he answered them not.

42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; [and] thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people [whom] I have not known shall serve me.

44 As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

45 The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

46 The LORD liveth; and blessed [be] my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

47 [It is] God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

50 Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.

1 A psalm to sing unto David the servant of the LORD, who spake the words of this song unto the LORD in the days when the LORD delivered him out of the hand of his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul,

2 And said, I love thee, O Lord, my strength,

3 O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my stronghold, in whom I trust, the shield and horn of my salvation, and my refuge!

4 I will praise the LORD, and call upon him, and I shall be delivered from mine enemies.

5 For the bands of death compassed me about, and the rivers of Belial terrified me;

6 The bands of hell compassed me about, and the cords of death overwhelmed me.

7 When I am afraid, I call upon the LORD, and cry unto my God; and he heareth my voice from his temple, and my cry cometh before him in his ears.

8 The earth quaked and was moved, and the foundations of the mountains were moved and shook, because he was wroth.

9 Steam went up from his nostrils, and fire consumed from his mouth, and there was lightning therefrom.

10 He bowed the heavens, and descended, and darkness was under his feet.

11 And he rode upon the cherub, and flew along; he floated upon the wings of the wind.

12 His tent was dark round about him, and black thick clouds, wherein he was hid.

13 From the brightness before him the clouds parted with hail and lightning.

14 And the LORD thundered in heaven, and the most High let out his thunder with hail and lightning.

15 He shot forth his beams, and scattered them: he caused great lightning, and terrified them.

16 And there was a shower of water, and the ground was uncovered, O LORD, from thy rebuke, from the breath of thy nostrils, and from the snorting of thy nostrils.

17 He sent forth from on high, and took me, and drew me up out of great waters.

18 He delivered me from my strong enemies, from my haters that were too mighty for me,

19 Which prevailed against me in the day of my calamity: and the LORD was my confidence.

20 And he brought me forth into the room, and plucked me out: for he had a desire toward me.

21 The LORD hath dealt well with me according to my righteousness: he hath rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.

22 For I keep the ways of the LORD, and am not ungodly against my God.

23 For all his judgments I have before mine eyes, and his commandments I will not cast away,

24 But I am without change before him, and keep myself from sins.

25 Therefore the LORD rewardeth me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

26 With the saints thou art holy, and with the pious thou art pious.

27 And with the pure thou art pure, and with the perverse thou art perverse.

28 For thou helpest the wretched people, and bringest low the high eyes.

29 For thou shinest my light: the LORD my God maketh light my darkness.

30 For with thee I can smite warriors, and leap over the walls with my God.

31 God's ways are without change; the words of the LORD are purified. He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32 For where is there a God without the LORD? or a refuge without our God?

33 God equips me with strength and makes my ways without change.

34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me on my high place.

35 He hath taught my hand to fight, and my arm to draw a bow of brass.

36 And thou givest me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand strengtheneth me; and when thou humblest me, thou makest me great.

37 Thou makest room to walk under me, that my ankles slip not.

38 I will pursue after mine enemies, and seize them, and will not return until I have slain them.

39 I will break them in pieces, and they shall not withstand me; they must fall under my feet.

40 Thou canst arm me with strength to battle; thou canst cast under me them that set themselves against me:

41 Thou givest me mine enemies to flee, that I may destroy mine haters.

42 They cry, but there is no helper; to the LORD, but he answereth them not.

43 I will beat them as the dust before the wind; I will clear them away as the dung of the street.

44 Thou savest me from the contentious people, and makest me a chief among the heathen: a people that I knew not serve me.

45 It obeyeth me with obedient ears: yea, the strange children have sinned against me.

46 the foreign children languish and wriggle in their bonds:

47 The LORD liveth, and blessed be my stronghold; and let the God of my salvation be exalted,

48 The God that giveth me vengeance, and compelleth the nations under me,

49 Who delivereth me from mine enemies, and exalteth me from them that set themselves against me. Thou savest me from the wicked.

50 Therefore will I give thee thanks, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praise unto thy name,

51 Who hath shewed great salvation unto his king, and his anointed, David, and his seed for ever.