Psalms 18
1I love you, Yahweh, my strength. 1
2Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who brings me to safety; he is my God, my rock; I take refuge in him. 1 He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, and my stronghold. 1
3I will call on Yahweh who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies. 1
4The cords of death surrounded me, and the rushing waters of worthlessness overwhelmed me. 1
5The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of death trapped me. 1
6In my distress I called to Yahweh; I called for help to my God. He heard my voice from his temple; 1 my call for help went into his presence; it went into his ears. 1
7Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the mountains also trembled 1 and were shaken because God was angry. 1
8Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it. 1
9He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet. 1
10He rode on a cherub and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind. 1
11He made darkness a tent around him, heavy rainclouds in the skies. 1
12Hailstones and coals of fire fell from the lightning before him. 1
13Yahweh thundered in the heavens! The voice of the Most High shouted. + 18:13 Some modern versions add after shouted, hailstones and coals of fire this expression may be an accidental repetition from the previous verse. 1
14He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies; many lightning bolts dispersed them. 1
15Then the water channels appeared; 1 the foundations of the world were laid bare 1 at your rebuke, Yahweh, 1 at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. 1
16He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water. 1
17He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. 1
18They came against me on the day of my distress but Yahweh was my support! 1
19He set me free in a wide open place; he saved me because he was pleased with me. 1
20Yahweh has rewarded me because of my righteousness; he has restored me because my hands were clean. 1
21For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not wickedly turned away from my God. 1
22For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them. 1
23I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin. 1
24Therefore Yahweh has restored me because of my righteousness, because my hands were clean before his eyes. 1
25To anyone who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; 2 to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless. 1
26To anyone who is pure, you show yourself pure; but you are clever toward anyone who is twisted. 1
27For you save afflicted people, but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes! 1
28For you give light to my lamp; Yahweh my God lights up my darkness. 1
29For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall. 1
30As for God—his way is perfect! The word of Yahweh is pure! 1 He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him. 1
31For who is God except Yahweh? Who is a rock except our God? 1
32It is God who puts strength on me like a belt, who places the blameless person on his path. 1
33He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the heights! 1
34He trains my hands for war and my arms to bend a bow of bronze. 1
35You have given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand has supported me, and your favor has made me great. 1
36You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me so that my feet have not slipped. 1
37I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not turn back until they were destroyed. 1
38I smashed them so that they were unable to rise; they have fallen under my feet. 1
39For you put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me. 1
40You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me. 1
41They called for help, but no one saved them; they called out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them. 1
42I beat them into fine pieces like dust before the wind; I threw them out like mud in the streets. 1
43You rescued me from the disputes of people. You have made me the head over nations. People that I have not known serve me. 1
44As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me; foreigners were forced to bow to me. 1
45The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds. 1
46Yahweh lives; may my rock be praised. May the God of my salvation be exalted. 1
47He is the God who executes vengeance for me, who subdues the nations under me. 1
48I am set free from my enemies! Indeed, you lifted me above the ones who rose against me! You rescued me from violent men. 1
49Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name! 1
50God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.