Psalms 18

¹For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said, I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

²Yahweh 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.

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

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

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

⁶In 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¹⁵Then 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.

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

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

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

¹⁹He brought me out also into a large 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 recompensed me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁴³You 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.

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

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

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

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

⁴⁸He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.

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

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