大卫的胜利之歌

耶和华的仆人大卫的诗,交给乐长。当时耶和华从众仇敌和扫罗手中拯救了他,他向耶和华吟唱此诗。

18 耶和华啊,你是我的力量,
我爱你。
耶和华是我的磐石,我的堡垒,我的拯救者;
我的上帝是保护我的磐石,
我的盾牌,
是拯救我的力量,我的堡垒。
我求告当受颂赞的耶和华,
祂救我脱离仇敌。
死亡的锁链曾缠住我,
罪恶的狂流曾淹没我。
阴间的绳索曾捆绑我,
死亡的陷阱曾威胁我。
在苦难中我呼求耶和华,
向我的上帝求助。
祂从殿中垂听我的呼求,
我的声音达到祂耳中。
祂一发怒,大地震动,
山的根基摇晃。
祂的鼻孔冒烟,
口喷烈焰和火炭。
祂拨开云天,脚踩密云,
亲自降临。
10 祂乘着基路伯天使飞翔,
乘着风的翅膀疾驰。
11 祂藏身于黑暗中,
四围以密云作幔幕。
12 从祂面前的荣光中,
冰雹和火炭冲破云层。
13 耶和华在天上打雷,
至高者发出的声音响彻在冰雹和火炭中。
14 祂射出利箭驱散仇敌,
发出闪电击溃他们。
15 耶和华啊,你斥责一声,
鼻孔一吹气,海底就显现,
大地也露出根基。

16 祂从高天伸手抓住我,
从深渊中把我拉上来。
17 祂救我脱离强敌,
脱离我无法战胜的仇敌。
18 他们在我危难之时攻击我,
但耶和华扶持我。
19 祂拯救我,领我到宽阔之地,
因为祂喜悦我。
20 耶和华因我公义而善待我,
因我清白而赏赐我,
21 因为我坚守祂的道,
没有作恶背弃我的上帝。
22 我遵守祂的一切法令,
没有把祂的律例弃置一旁。
23 我在祂面前纯全无过,
没有沾染罪恶。
24 耶和华因我公义、
在祂面前清白而奖赏我。

25 仁慈的人,你以仁慈待他;
纯全的人,你以纯全待他;
26 纯洁的人,你以纯洁待他;
心术不正的人,你以计谋待他。
27 你搭救谦卑的人,
贬抑眼目高傲的人。
28 我的上帝耶和华啊,
你是我的明灯,
你使我的黑暗变为光明。
29 我倚靠你的力量迎战敌军,
靠着我的上帝跃过墙垣。

30 上帝的道完美,
耶和华的话纯全,
祂是投靠祂之人的盾牌。
31 除了耶和华以外,谁是上帝呢?
除了我们的上帝,谁是磐石呢?
32 是上帝赐我力量,
使我行为纯全。
33 祂使我的脚如母鹿的蹄,
稳踏在高处。
34 祂训练我,
使我的手能争战、
我的臂膀能拉开铜弓。
35 耶和华啊,你是拯救我的盾牌,
你的右手扶持我,
你的垂顾使我强大。
36 你使我脚下的道路宽阔,
不致滑倒。
37 我追赶仇敌直到追上,
不消灭他们决不回头。
38 我打垮他们,
使他们倒在我的脚下,
再也站不起来。
39 你赐我征战的能力,
使我的仇敌降服在我脚下。
40 你使我的仇敌狼狈而逃,
我歼灭了恨我的人。
41 他们高声求救,却无人搭救;
他们呼求耶和华,祂也不应允。
42 我把他们打得粉碎,
如同风中的灰尘;
我把他们倒掉,
如同街上的泥土。
43 你救我脱离我百姓的攻击,
立我做列国的元首。
素不认识的民族也归顺我。
44 他们望风而降,
外族人对我俯首称臣。
45 外族人闻风丧胆,
战战兢兢地走出他们的城池。
46 耶和华永远活着,
保护我的磐石当受颂赞,
拯救我的上帝当受尊崇。
47 祂是为我申冤的上帝,
祂使列邦臣服于我。
48 祂救我脱离仇敌,
使我胜过强敌,
拯救我脱离残暴之徒。
49 因此,耶和华啊,
我要在列邦中赞美你,
歌颂你的名。
50 你使你立的王大获全胜,
向你膏立的大卫及其后代广施慈爱,直到永远。

Psalm 18[a]

Thanksgiving for God’s Help

For the director.[b] Of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song after the Lord had rescued him from the clutches of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

I love you, O Lord, my strength,
    Lord, my rock,[c] my fortress, my deliverer.
My God is my rock in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation,
    my stronghold.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy of all praise;
    and I am saved from my enemies.
The cords of death encompassed me,
    and the torrents of destruction assailed me.
The cords of the netherworld ensnared me,
    and the snares of death[d] rose up before me.
In my anguish I cried out to the Lord
    and called to my God for help.
From his temple[e] he heard my voice,
    and my cry to him reached his ears.
[f]The earth swayed and rocked;
    the foundations of the mountains shook,
    rocking because of his blazing anger.
Smoke poured forth from his nostrils,
    while a scorching fire blazed out of his mouth
    and kindled coals into flame.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds lay under his feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub,[g]
    soaring swiftly on the wings of the wind.
12 He used the darkness as his covering,
    and dense thunderclouds as his canopy.
13 From the radiance before him thick clouds emerged,
    spewing hail and flashes of fire.
14 The Lord thundered from the heavens,
    and the Most High let his voice be heard.
15 He shot his arrows[h] and scattered them,
    hurled his lightning bolts and routed them.
16 Then the depths of the sea were exposed,
    and the earth’s foundations were laid bare,
at the rebuke of the Lord,[i]
    at the blast of wind from his nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high and snatched me up;
    he drew me out of the watery depths.[j]
18 He delivered me from my powerful enemy,
    and from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They assailed me in the day of my misfortune,
    but the Lord came forward to uphold me.
20 He led me forth into the open field;
    he set me free because he was pleased with me.
21 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;[k]
    because my hands were pure, he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord[l]
    and refused to turn away from my God.
23 His laws are clearly known to me,
    and I have not failed to observe his decrees.
24 I was blameless in his sight,
    and I kept myself free of sin.
25 Therefore, the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    because of the cleanness of my hands in his eyes.
26 To the loyal, you show yourself to be loyal;
    to the blameless, you show yourself to be blameless;
27 to the pure, you show yourself to be pure;
    but to the perverse,[m] you show yourself to be shrewd.
28 For you save the humble,
    but you bring down the haughty.
29 You, O Lord, are light for my lamp;[n]
    O my God, you make my darkness turn to light.
30 With your help I can storm a rampart;
    with my God to aid me, I can scale any wall.
31 The way of God is blameless,
    and the Lord’s promise proves true;
he is a shield to all
    who flee to him for safety.
32 Indeed, who is God except the Lord?
    Who is the Rock besides our God?
33 It is God who clothes me with strength
    and makes my way blameless.
34 He gives me the swift feet of a deer
    and places me securely on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for war
    and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.[o]
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation;
    your right hand sustains me,
    and your goodness makes me great.
37 You broadened the path beneath me
    so that my feet have never stumbled.
38 I went after my enemies and overtook them;
    I did not turn back until they were defeated.
39 When I knocked them down, they were unable to rise;
    they fell down at my feet.
40 You clothed me with strength for the battle
    and cast down my adversaries beneath me.
41 You made my enemies retreat before me,
    so that I could scatter those who hated me.
42 They called for help, but there was no one to deliver them;
    they called to the Lord, but no answer came.
43 I crushed them like fine dust before the wind;
    I trod on them like mud in the streets.
44 You delivered me from a people in rebellion,
    and you placed me in charge of the nations;
    people I did not know have become my subjects.
45 As soon as they heard me, they obeyed;
    foreigners groveled before me.
46 Then they became disheartened
    and came forth trembling from their strongholds.
47 The Lord lives! Blessed[p] be my Rock!
    Exalted be God, my Savior!
48 O God, you obtained vindication for me,
    subjected nations under me,
49     and freed me from my enemies.
You exalted me over my adversaries
    and delivered me from the violent.
50 For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations
    and sing praise to your name.[q]
51 You have bestowed great victories on your king,
    and you have shown kindness to your anointed,[r]
    to David and his descendants forever.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 18:1 This song of David occurs also in 2 Sam 22 with minor variations. It is composed of an introduction (vv. 1-4), a conclusion (vv. 47-51), and three major divisions: (1) the Lord’s deliverance of David from mortal enemies (vv. 5-20); (2) the moral grounds for the Lord’s help (vv. 21-30); and (3) the Lord’s help recounted (vv. 31-46).
    Already emerging in this splendid psalm, which is both a song of thanksgiving and a song of victory, is the image of the King-Messiah, Jesus, born of the house of David and beloved Son of the Father; he will conquer the forces of evil. This poem is a festal song expressing wonder and thanksgiving and glorifying God.
    To the extent that we can allow ourselves to be identified with Christ and become kings in him (see Ps 2), we can use this psalm to praise God the Father for the wonders that Paul celebrates in the hymn of the Letter to the Ephesians (1:3-15).
  2. Psalm 18:1 For the director: these words are thought to be a musical or liturgical notation.
  3. Psalm 18:3 Rock: a common symbol for God indicating his strength as a refuge or as a deliverer (see Pss 19:15; 31:3f; 42:10; 62:3, 8; 71:3; 73:26; 78:35; 89:27; 92:16; 94:22; 95:1; 144:1; Deut 32:15; Isa 17:10). See Jesus’ use of the word in Mt 16:18. Horn: a symbol of strength (see Deut 33:17; Jer 48:25); it often had Messianic overtones (see Ps 132:17; Ezek 29:21).
  4. Psalm 18:6 Cords of the netherworld . . . snares of death: the psalmist had been in the grip of death and a prisoner of the grave (see Ps 116:3; Job 36:8).
  5. Psalm 18:7 Temple: God’s heavenly dwelling where he is enthroned (see Pss 11:4; 113:5; Isa 6:1; 40:22).
  6. Psalm 18:8 In these powerful images the ancients sang of the presence and glory of God in creation and in events (see Pss 68:9f; 97:2-5; Ex 19:15-18; Jdg 5:4f; Job 36:29f; Isa 30:27f; Hab 3:3-15). The description gives a presentiment of the struggle at the end of time in which God triumphs.
  7. Psalm 18:11 Cherub: a winged being, represented at the entrance of Mesopotamian temples. Two cherubim stood on the Ark of the Covenant (see Ex 25:18; 1 Ki 6:23-28). God was regarded as enthroned on them (see Pss 80:2; 99:1) and riding upon the storm clouds (see Ps 104:3) or upon the cherubim.
  8. Psalm 18:15 Arrows: shafts of lightning (see Pss 77:18; 144:6; Hab 3:11).
  9. Psalm 18:16 The psalmist may be referring to the wondrous deed God accomplished at the Red Sea during the Exodus (see Ex 14:15-22).
  10. Psalm 18:17 Watery depths: symbols of great danger (see Pss 32:6; 40:3; 42:8; 66:12; 69:3, 15; 88:18; 130:1; Job 22:11; Isa 30:28; Jon 2:5f).
  11. Psalm 18:21 Righteousness: see note on Ps 1:5.
  12. Psalm 18:22 Ways of the Lord: see note on Ps 25:10.
  13. Psalm 18:27 God treats people the way they treat him and others. The perverse: those who stray from the straight way of the Lord. Show yourself to be shrewd: the Lord counters the evil acts of the wicked, one after the other.
  14. Psalm 18:29 Light for my lamp: a figure of life and happiness (see 1 Ki 11:36). Light: see note on Ps 27:1.
  15. Psalm 18:35 Bow of bronze: a bow difficult to bend that would shoot arrows with greater force.
  16. Psalm 18:47 Blessed: i.e., adored, praised, and thanked.
  17. Psalm 18:50 This text is cited by Paul (Rom 15:9) as a prediction of the conversion of the Gentiles. Name: see note on Ps 5:12.
  18. Psalm 18:51 You have shown kindness to your anointed: the Lord is mindful of his covenant with his anointed king and never ceases bestowing blessings upon him. This is even more true of the King and Anointed par excellence, Jesus Christ. Kindness: see note on Ps 6:5.

Psalm 18

Praise for Deliverance

For the choir director. Of the servant of the Lord, David, who spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the power of Saul.(A) He said:

I love you, Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock,
my fortress, and my deliverer,(B)
my God, my rock where I seek refuge,
my shield(C) and the horn of my salvation,(D)
my stronghold.
I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,(E)
and I was saved from my enemies.(F)

The ropes of death were wrapped around me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.(G)
The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(H)
I called to the Lord in my distress,
and I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,(I)
and my cry to him reached his ears.(J)

Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;(K)
they shook because he burned with anger.
Smoke rose from his nostrils,
and consuming fire came from his mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.[a](L)
He bent the heavens and came down,(M)
total darkness beneath his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.(N)
11 He made darkness his hiding place,
dark storm clouds his canopy around him.(O)
12 From the radiance of his presence,(P)
his clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.
13 The Lord thundered from[b] heaven;
the Most High made his voice heard.[c](Q)
14 He shot his arrows and scattered them;
he hurled[d] lightning bolts and routed them.(R)
15 The depths of the sea became visible,
the foundations of the world were exposed,
at your rebuke, Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.(S)

16 He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
he pulled me out of deep water.(T)
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.(U)
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.(V)
19 He brought me out to a spacious place;(W)
he rescued me because he delighted in me.(X)

20 The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness;(Y)
he repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.(Z)
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.(AA)
22 Indeed, I let all his ordinances guide me[e]
and have not disregarded his statutes.(AB)
23 I was blameless toward him(AC)
and kept myself from my iniquity.
24 So the Lord repaid me
according to my righteousness,(AD)
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.(AE)

25 With the faithful
you prove yourself faithful,
with the blameless
you prove yourself blameless,
26 with the pure
you prove yourself pure,
but with the crooked
you prove yourself shrewd.(AF)
27 For you rescue an oppressed people,(AG)
but you humble those with haughty eyes.(AH)
28 Lord, you light my lamp;
my God illuminates my darkness.(AI)
29 With you I can attack a barricade,[f]
and with my God I can leap over a wall.(AJ)

30 God—his way is perfect;(AK)
the word of the Lord is pure.(AL)
He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.(AM)
31 For who is God besides the Lord?(AN)
And who is a rock? Only our God.(AO)
32 God—he clothes me with strength(AP)
and makes my way perfect.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer(AQ)
and sets me securely on the heights.[g](AR)
34 He trains my hands for war;(AS)
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.(AT)
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation;
your right hand upholds me,(AU)
and your humility exalts me.
36 You make a spacious place beneath me for my steps,(AV)
and my ankles do not give way.(AW)

37 I pursue my enemies and overtake them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.(AX)
38 I crush them, and they cannot get up;
they fall beneath my feet.(AY)
39 You have clothed me with strength for battle;(AZ)
you subdue my adversaries beneath me.(BA)
40 You have made my enemies retreat before me;[h](BB)
I annihilate those who hate me.(BC)
41 They cry for help, but there is no one to save them(BD)
they cry to the Lord, but he does not answer them.(BE)
42 I pulverize them like dust before the wind;(BF)
I trample them[i] like mud in the streets.(BG)

43 You have freed me from the feuds among the people;
you have appointed me the head of nations;(BH)
a people I had not known serve me.(BI)
44 Foreigners submit to me cringing;
as soon as they hear they obey me.(BJ)
45 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.(BK)

46 The Lord lives—blessed be my rock!
The God of my salvation is exalted.(BL)
47 God—he grants me vengeance(BM)
and subdues peoples under me.(BN)
48 He frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my adversaries;
you rescue me from violent men.(BO)
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord;
I will sing praises about your name.(BP)
50 He gives great victories to his king;(BQ)
he shows loyalty to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.(BR)

Footnotes

  1. 18:8 Or him
  2. 18:13 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Jer; other Hb mss read in
  3. 18:13 Some Hb mss read voice, with hail and blazing coals
  4. 18:14 Or multiplied
  5. 18:22 Lit Indeed, all his ordinances have been in front of me
  6. 18:29 Or a ridge, or raiders
  7. 18:33 Or on my high places
  8. 18:40 Or You gave me the necks of my enemies
  9. 18:42 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg; other Hb mss read I poured them out