Psalm 18

1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David, the servant of Jehovah, who spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; and he said: I love You, O Jehovah, my strength.

2 Jehovah is my strength, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock; I will trust in Him; He is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

3 I will call on Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

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

5 The sorrows of hell surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

6 In my distress I called on Jehovah, and I cried to my God; He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, into His ears.

7 Then the earth shook and trembled; and the foundations of the hills moved and were shaken, because He was angry.

8 A smoke went up out of His nostrils, and fire devoured out of His mouth; coals were kindled by it.

9 And He bowed the heavens and came down, and darkness was under His feet.

10 And He rode on a cherub, and flew; yea, He soared on the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness His secret place, His pavilion around Him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness before Him, His dark clouds passed through, hailstones and coals of fire passed.

13 Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave forth His voice; hailstones and coals of fire.

14 Yea, He sent out His arrows and scattered them; and He shot out lightnings and crushed them.

15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered, at Your rebuke, O Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of Your 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 those who hated me; for they were too strong for me.

18 They went before me in the day of my calamity; but Jehovah was my stay.

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

20 Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has repaid me.

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

22 For all His judgments were before me, and I did not put away His Precepts from me.

23 I was also upright before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.

24 And Jehovah has returned to me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.

25 With the merciful, You will show Yourself merciful; with an upright man You will show Yourself upright;

26 with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the crooked You will show Yourself perverse.

27 For You will save the afflicted people, but will bring down high looks.

28 For You will light my candle; Jehovah my God will make my darkness light.

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

30 As for God, His way is perfect; the Word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield to all those who trust in Him.

31 For who is God besides Jehovah? Or, who is a Rock except our God?

32 It is God who girds me with strength and makes my way perfect.

33 He makes my feet like hinds' feet, and sets me on my high places.

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

35 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; and Your right hand has held me up, and Your gentleness has made me great.

36 You have given a wide place for my steps under me, so that my feet have not slipped.

37 I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them; nor did I turn again until they were destroyed.

38 I have shattered them, and they cannot rise again; they have fallen under my feet.

39 For You have girded me with strength for the battle; You have humbled under me those who rose up against me.

40 You have also given me the neck of my enemies; so that I might destroy those who hate me.

41 They cried, but there was none to save; even to Jehovah, but He did not answer them.

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

43 You 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.

44 As soon as they hear of Me, they shall obey Me; the sons of strangers shall bow down to Me.

45 The sons of strangers shall fade away and be afraid out of their strongholds.

46 Jehovah lives; and blessed be my rock, and let the God of my salvation be praised.

47 It is God who avenges me, and humbles the people under me.

48 He delivers me from my enemies; yea, You lift me up above those who rise up against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.

49 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Jehovah, among the nations, and sing praises to Your name,

50 magnifying the salvations to His king, and working mercy to His anointed, to David, and to his seed forevermore.