Psalm 18
New International Reader's Version
For the director of music. A psalm of David, the servant of the Lord. He sang the words of this song to the Lord. He sang them when the Lord saved him. He saved him from the power of all his enemies and of Saul. David said,
18 I love you, Lord.
You give me strength.
2 The Lord is my rock and my place of safety. He is the God who saves me.
My God is my rock. I go to him for safety.
He is like a shield to me. He’s the power that saves me. He’s my place of safety.
3 I called out to the Lord. He is worthy of praise.
He saved me from my enemies.
4 The ropes of death were almost wrapped around me.
A destroying flood swept over me.
5 The ropes of the grave were tight around me.
Death set its trap in front of me.
6 When I was in trouble, I called out to the Lord.
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice.
My cry for help reached his ears.
7 The earth trembled and shook.
The base of the mountains rocked back and forth.
It trembled because the Lord was angry.
8 Smoke came out of his nose.
Flames of fire came out of his mouth.
Burning coals blazed out of it.
9 He opened the heavens and came down.
Dark clouds were under his feet.
10 He stood on the cherubim and flew.
The wings of the wind lifted him up.
11 He covered himself with darkness.
The dark rain clouds of the sky were like a tent around him.
12 Clouds came out of the brightness that was all around him.
They came with hailstones and flashes of lightning.
13 The Lord thundered from heaven.
The voice of the Most High God was heard.
14 He shot his arrows and scattered our enemies.
He sent great flashes of lightning and chased the enemies away.
15 The bottom of the sea could be seen.
The foundations of the earth were uncovered.
Lord, it happened when your anger blazed out.
It came like a blast of breath from your nose.
16 He reached down from heaven. He took hold of me.
He lifted me out of deep waters.
17 He saved me from my powerful enemies.
He set me free from those who were too strong for me.
18 They opposed me when I was in trouble.
But the Lord helped me.
19 He brought me out into a wide and safe place.
He saved me because he was pleased with me.
20 The Lord has been good to me because I do what is right.
He has rewarded me because I lead a pure life.
21 I have lived the way the Lord wanted me to.
I am not guilty of turning away from my God.
22 I keep all his laws in mind.
I haven’t turned away from his commands.
23 He knows that I am without blame.
He knows I’ve kept myself from sinning.
24 The Lord has rewarded me for doing what is right.
He has rewarded me because I haven’t done anything wrong.
25 Lord, to those who are faithful you show that you are faithful.
To those who are without blame you show that you are without blame.
26 To those who are pure you show that you are pure.
But to those whose paths are crooked you show that you are clever.
27 You save those who aren’t proud.
But you bring down those whose eyes are proud.
28 Lord, you keep the lamp of my life burning brightly.
You are my God. You bring light into my darkness.
29 With your help I can attack a troop of soldiers.
With the help of my God I can climb over a wall.
30 God’s way is perfect.
The Lord’s word doesn’t have any flaws.
He is like a shield
to all who go to him for safety.
31 Who is God except the Lord?
Who is the Rock except our God?
32 God gives me strength for the battle.
He keeps my way secure.
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer.
He causes me to stand on the highest places.
34 He trains my hands to fight every battle.
My arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 Lord, you are like a shield that keeps me safe.
Your strong right hand keeps me going.
Your help has made me great.
36 You give me a wide path to walk on
so that I don’t twist my ankles.
37 I chased my enemies and caught them.
I didn’t turn back until they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them so that they couldn’t get up.
They fell under my feet.
39 Lord, you gave me strength to fight the battle.
You made my enemies humble in front of me.
40 You made them turn their backs and run away.
So I destroyed my enemies.
41 They cried out for help. But there was no one to save them.
They called out to the Lord. But he didn’t answer them.
42 I beat them as fine as dust blown by the wind.
I stomped on them like mud in the streets.
43 You saved me when my own people attacked me.
You made me the ruler over nations.
People I didn’t know serve me now.
44 People from other lands bow down to me in fear.
As soon as they hear me, they obey me.
45 All of them give up hope.
They come trembling out of their hiding places.
46 The Lord lives! Give praise to my Rock!
Give honor to God my Savior!
47 He is the God who pays back my enemies.
He brings the nations under my control.
48 He saves me from my enemies.
You have honored me more than them.
You have saved me from a man who wanted to hurt me.
49 Lord, I will praise you among the nations.
I will sing the praises of your name.
50 The Lord helps his king win great battles.
He shows his faithful love to his anointed king.
He shows it to David and to his family forever.
Psalm 18
Complete Jewish Bible
18 (0) For the leader. By David the servant of Adonai, who addressed the words of this song to Adonai on the day when Adonai delivered him from the power of all his enemies, including from the power of Sha’ul. 2 He said:
(1) “I love you, Adonai, my strength!
3 (2) “Adonai is my Rock, my fortress and deliverer,
my God, my Rock, in whom I find shelter,
my shield, the power that saves me,
my stronghold.
4 (3) I call on Adonai, who is worthy of praise;
and I am saved from my enemies.
5 (4) “For the cords of death surrounded me,
the floods of B’liya‘al terrified me,
6 (5) the ropes of Sh’ol were wrapped around me,
the snares of death lay there before me.
7 (6) In my distress I called to Adonai;
I cried out to my God.
Out of his temple he heard my voice;
my cry reached his ears.
8 (7) “Then the earth quaked and shook,
the foundations of the mountains trembled.
They were shaken because he was angry.
9 (8) Smoke arose in his nostrils;
out of his mouth came devouring fire;
sparks blazed forth from him.
10 (9) He lowered heaven and came down
with thick darkness under his feet.
11 (10) He rode on a keruv; he flew,
swooping down on the wings of the wind.
12 (11) He made darkness his hiding-place,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.
13 (12) From the brightness before him,
there broke through his thick clouds
hailstones and fiery coals.
14 (13) “Adonai also thundered in heaven,
Ha‘Elyon sounded his voice —
hailstones and fiery coals.
15 (14) He sent out arrows and scattered them,
shot out lightning and routed them.
16 (15) The channels of water appeared,
the foundations of the world were exposed
at your rebuke, Adonai,
at the blast of breath from your nostrils.
17 (16) “He sent from on high, he took me
and pulled me out of deep water;
18 (17) he rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were stronger than I.
19 (18) They came against me on my day of disaster,
but Adonai was my support.
20 (19) He brought me out to an open place;
he rescued me, because he took pleasure in me.
21 (20) Adonai rewarded me for my uprightness,
he repaid me because my hands were clean.
22 (21) “For I have kept the ways of Adonai,
I have not done evil by leaving my God;
23 (22) for all his rulings were before me,
I did not distance his regulations from me.
24 (23) I was pure-hearted with him
and kept myself from my sin.
25 (24) “Hence Adonai repaid me for my uprightness,
according to the purity of my hands in his view.
26 (25) With the merciful, you are merciful;
with a man who is sincere, you are sincere;
27 (26) with the pure, you are pure;
but with the crooked you are cunning.
28 (27) People afflicted, you save;
but haughty eyes, you humble.
29 (28) “For you, Adonai, light my lamp;
Adonai, my God, lights up my darkness.
30 (29) With you I can run through a whole troop of men,
with my God I can leap a wall.
31 (30) “As for God, his way is perfect,
the word of Adonai has been tested by fire;
he shields all who take refuge in him.
32 (31) “For who is God but Adonai?
Who is a Rock but our God?
33 (32) “It is God who girds me with strength;
he makes my way go straight.
34 (33) He makes me swift, sure-footed as a deer,
and enables me to stand on my high places.
35 (34) He trains my hands for war
until my arms can bend a bow of bronze;
36 (35) “You give me your shield, which is salvation,
your right hand holds me up,
your humility makes me great.
37 (36) You lengthen the steps I can take,
yet my ankles do not turn.
38 (37) “I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
without turning back until they were destroyed.
39 (38) I crushed them, so that they can’t get up;
they have fallen under my feet.
40 (39) “For you braced me with strength for the battle
and bent down my adversaries beneath me.
41 (40) You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed those who hated me.
42 (41) “They cried out, but there was no one to help,
even to Adonai, but he didn’t answer.
43 (42) I pulverized them like dust in the wind,
threw them out like mud in the streets.
44 (43) “You also freed me from the quarrels of my people.
You made me head of the nations;
a people I did not know now serve me —
45 (44) the moment they hear of me, they obey me,
foreigners come cringing to me.
46 (45) Foreigners lose heart
as they come trembling from their fortresses.
47 (46) “Adonai is alive! Blessed is my Rock!
Exalted be the God of my salvation,
48 (47) the God who avenges me
and subdues peoples under me.
49 (48) He delivers me from my enemies.
You lift me high above my enemies,
you rescue me from violent men.
50 (49) “So I give thanks to you, Adonai, among the nations;
I sing praises to your name.
51 (50) Great salvation he gives to his king;
he displays grace to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.”
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Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.