18:1 For the director of music. Of David the servant of the LORD. He sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love you, O LORD, my strength.
18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
18:3 I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
18:4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
18:5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
18:6 In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.
18:7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry.
18:8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
18:9 He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.
18:10 He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared on the wings of the wind.
18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him–the dark rain clouds of the sky.
18:12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.
18:13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
18:14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them.
18:15 The valleys of the sea were exposed and the foundations of the earth laid bare at your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
18:16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.
18:17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18:18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support.
18:19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
18:20 The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.
18:21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God.
18:22 All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.
18:23 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.
18:24 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
18:25 To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
18:26 to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
18:27 You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.
18:28 You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.
18:29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.
18:30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
18:31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
18:32 It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.
18:33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.
18:34 He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
18:35 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.
18:36 You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn.
18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
18:38 I crushed them so that they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet.
18:39 You armed me with strength for battle; you made my adversaries bow at my feet.
18:40 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.
18:41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them–to the LORD, but he did not answer.
18:42 I beat them as fine as dust borne on the wind; I poured them out like mud in the streets.
18:43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people; you have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me.
18:44 As soon as they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cringe before me.
18:45 They all lose heart; they come trembling from their strongholds.
18:46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!
18:47 He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me,
18:48 who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me.
18:49 Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.
18:50 He gives his king great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
18:1 I love You, O Jehovah, my strength.
18:2 Jehovah is my crag and my fortress and my Deliverer; / My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; / My shield and the horn of my salvation, my high retreat.
18:3 I called upon Jehovah, who is worthy of praise, And from my enemies I was saved.
18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; / And the torrents of destruction assailed me.
18:5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me; / The snares of death confronted me.
18:6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah / And cried out to my God. / He heard my voice from His temple, / And my cry before Him came to His ears.
18:7 Then the earth shook and quaked, / And the foundations of the mountains trembled and shook about, / For He was furious.
18:8 Smoke went up from His nostrils, / And fire from His mouth devoured; / Coals blazed forth from Him.
18:9 He bowed the heavens and descended, / And deep darkness was under His feet.
18:10 He rode upon a cherub and did fly; / He darted upon the wings of the wind.
18:11 He made darkness His hiding place, His pavilion around Him: / Dark waterclouds, thick clouds of the skies.
18:12 Out of the brightness before Him there broke through His clouds / Hail and fiery coals.
18:13 Then Jehovah thundered in heaven, / And the Most High uttered His voice.
18:14 And He sent forth His arrows and scattered my enemies; / And He shot forth lightning bolts and discomfited them.
18:15 The channels of the sea were seen, / And the foundations of the habitable land were laid bare / At Your rebuke, O Jehovah, / At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
18:16 He reached forth from on high; He took me; / He drew me out of great waters.
18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy / And from those who hate me, for they were too mighty for me.
18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, / But Jehovah became my support.
18:19 He brought me forth to a place broad and free; / He rescued me, for He took delight in me.
18:20 Jehovah has recompensed me according to my righteousness; / According to the cleanness of my hands He has repaid me.
18:21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah / And have not acted wickedly by turning away from my God.
18:22 For all His judgments were before me, / And I did not turn His statutes away from me.
18:23 I was perfect toward Him, / And I kept myself from my iniquity.
18:24 Therefore Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness, / According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
18:25 With the faithful You show Yourself faithful, / With a perfect man You show Yourself perfect,
18:26 With the pure You show Yourself pure, / And with the perverse You show Yourself contrary.
18:27 For it is You who save the afflicted people, / But the haughty eyes You bring down;
18:28 For it is You who light my lamp; / Jehovah my God lights up my darkness;
18:29 For by You I can run up against a troop; / Indeed by my God I can leap over a wall.
18:30 As for God ? His way is perfect; / The word of Jehovah is tried. / He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
18:31 For who is God other than Jehovah, / And who is a rock but our God?
18:32 The God who girds me with strength / And makes my way perfect,
18:33 Who makes my feet like hinds feet / And sets me on my high places,
18:34 Who teaches my hands to wage war / So that my arms may bend a bronze bow.
18:35 And You have given me the shield of Your salvation, / And Your right hand supports me; / And Your condescending gentleness has made me great.
18:36 You have broadened the places of my steps under me, / And my feet have not slipped.
18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, / And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
18:38 I shattered them, so that they were not able to rise up; / They fell under my feet.
18:39 And You girded me with strength for war; / You brought down under me those who rose up against me.
18:40 You also made my enemies turn their back to me, / And I annihilated those who hated me.
18:41 They cried out, but there was no one to save them; / They cried out to Jehovah, but He did not answer them.
18:42 Then I beat them like dust before the wind; / Like the mud of the streets I pounded them.
18:43 You rescued me from the strivings of the people; / You have made me the head of the nations; / A people whom I had not known serves me.
18:44 At the mere hearing of a report, they obey me; / Foreigners come cringing to me;
18:45 Foreigners are discouraged / And come quaking out of their fortresses.
18:46 Jehovah lives; and blessed be my rock, / And exalted be the God of my salvation,
18:47 The God who executes vengeance for me / And subdues peoples under me,
18:48 Who rescues me from my enemies. / Indeed You exalted me above those who rise up against me; / From the violent man You delivered me.
18:49 Therefore I give thanks to You among the nations, O Jehovah; / And I will sing psalms to Your name.
18:50 It is He who magnifies salvation to His king / And executes lovingkindness to His anointed, / To David and to his seed forever.