1 PSALM 18 David Praises the L for Rescuing Him. To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David, the servant of the L , who spoke the words of this song to the L on the day when the L rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said: “I love You [fervently and devotedly], O L, my strength.”
2 The Lis my rock, my fortress, and the One who rescues me;My God, my rockandstrength in whom I trustandtake refuge;My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower—my stronghold.
3 I call upon the L, who is worthy to be praised;And I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me,And the streams of ungodlinessandtorrents of destruction terrified me.
5 The cords of Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead) surrounded me;The snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress [when I seemed surrounded] I called upon the LAnd cried to my God for help;He heard my voice from His temple,And my cry for help came before Him, into Hisveryears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked,The foundations of the mountains trembled;They were shaken because He was indignantandangry.
8 Smoke went up from His nostrils,And fire from His mouth devoured;Coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also and came down;And thick darkness was under His feet.
10 And He rode upon a cherub (storm) and flew;And He sped on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding place (covering); His pavilion (canopy) around Him,The darkness of the waters, the thick clouds of the skies.
12 Out of the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,Hailstones and coals of fire.
13 The Lalso thundered in the heavens,And the Most High uttered His voice,Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out His arrows and scattered them;AndHe sentan abundance of lightning flashes and confusedandrouted them [in defeat].
15 Then the stream beds of the waters appeared,And the foundations of the world were laid bareAt Your rebuke, O L,At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
16 He reached from on high, He took me;He drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy,And from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,But the Lwas my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;He rescued me because He was pleased with meanddelighted in me.
20 The Ldealt with me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity);According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the L,And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all His ordinances were before me,And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23 I wasLit complete; or having integrity; or perfect.blameless before Him,And I kept myself free from my sin.
24 Therefore the Lhas rewarded me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity),According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25 With the kind (merciful, faithful, loyal) You show Yourself kind,With the blameless You show Yourself blameless,
26 With the pure You show Yourself pure,And with the crooked You show Yourself astute.
27 For You save an afflictedandhumble people,But bring down those [arrogant fools] with haughty eyes.
28 For You cause my lamp to be lightedandto shine;The Lmy God illumines my darkness.
29 For by You I can crush a troop,And by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 As for God, His way isSee v 23.blameless.The word of the Lis tested [it is perfect, it is faultless];He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
31 For who is God, but the L?Or who is a rock, except our God,
32 The God who encircles me with strengthAnd makes my way blameless?
33 He makes my feet likeI.e. the hoofs of a doe.hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble];He sets me [securely] upon my high places.
34 He trains my hands for war,So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,And Your right hand upholdsandsustains me;Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great.
36 You enlarge the path beneath meandmake my steps secure,So that my feet will not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
38 I shattered them so that they were not able to rise;They fell [wounded] under my feet.
39 For You have encircled me with strength for the battle;You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me [in defeat],And I silencedanddestroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—Even to the L[they cried], but He did not answer them.
42 Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind;I emptied them out as the dirt of the streets.
43 You have rescued me from the contentions of the people;You have placed me as the head of the nations;A people whom I have not known serve me.
44 As soon as they hear me, they respondandobey me;Foreigners feign obedience to me.
45 Foreigners lose heart,And come trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The Llives, blessed be my rock;And may the God of my salvation be exalted,
47 The God who avenges me,And subdues peoples (nations) under me.
48 He rescues me from my enemies;Yes, You lift me up above those who rise up against me;You deliver me from the man of violence.
49 Therefore will I give thanksandpraise You, O L, among the nations,And sing praises to Your name.
50 He gives great triumphs to His king,And shows steadfast loveandmercy to His anointed,To David and his descendants forever.