Psalm 18
American Standard Version
Jehovah praised for giving victory and dominion.
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of Jehovah, [a]who spake unto 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,
18 I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.
2 Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
3 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4 The cords of death compassed me,
And the floods of [b]ungodliness made me afraid.
5 The cords of Sheol were round about me;
The snares of death came upon me.
6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah,
And cried unto my God:
He heard my voice out of his temple,
And my cry before him came into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations also of the mountains quaked
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
8 There went up a smoke [c]out of his nostrils,
And fire out of 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, and did fly;
Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him,
Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
13 Jehovah also thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered his voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;
[d]Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared,
And the foundations of the world were laid bare,
At thy rebuke, O Jehovah,
At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.
16 He sent from on high, he took me;
He drew me out of [e]many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
And from them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
18 They came upon 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 hath rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me,
And I put not away his statutes from me.
23 I was also perfect with him,
And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
24 Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
25 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;
With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;
26 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;
And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.
27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people;
But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.
28 For thou wilt light my lamp:
Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.
29 For by thee I run [f]upon a troop;
And by my God do I leap over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of Jehovah is tried;
He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.
31 For who is God, save Jehovah?
And who is a rock, besides our God,
32 The God that girdeth me with strength,
And maketh my way perfect?
33 He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet:
And setteth me upon my high places.
34 He teacheth my hands to war;
So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;
And thy right hand hath holden me up,
And thy [g]gentleness hath made me great.
36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,
And my [h]feet have not slipped.
37 I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them;
Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.
38 I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise:
They shall fall under my feet.
39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle:
Thou hast [i]subdued under me those that rose up against me.
40 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,
That I might cut off them that hate me.
41 They cried, but there was none to save;
Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.
42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind;
I did [j]cast them out as the mire of the streets.
43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people;
Thou [k]hast 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 foreigners shall [l]submit themselves unto me.
45 The foreigners shall fade away,
And shall come trembling out of their close places.
46 Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,
And subdueth peoples under me.
48 He rescueth me from mine enemies;
Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;
Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations,
And will sing praises unto thy name.
50 Great [m]deliverance giveth he to his king,
And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,
To David and to his seed, for evermore.
Footnotes
- Psalm 18:1 See 2 Sam. 22:1–51.
- Psalm 18:4 Hebrew Belial.
- Psalm 18:8 Or, in his wrath
- Psalm 18:14 Or, And he shot out lightnings
- Psalm 18:16 Or, great
- Psalm 18:29 Or, through
- Psalm 18:35 Or, condescension
- Psalm 18:36 Hebrew ankles.
- Psalm 18:39 Hebrew caused to bow.
- Psalm 18:42 Hebrew empty.
- Psalm 18:43 Or, wilt make
- Psalm 18:44 Or, yield feigned obedience. Hebrew lie.
- Psalm 18:50 Hebrew salvations.
Psalm 18
Lexham English Bible
Praise to God for His Deliverance
For the music director. Of David, the servant of Yahweh,
who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song
when[a] Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies,
and from the hand of Saul.[b]
18 And he said:
“I love you, O Yahweh, my strength.”
2 Yahweh is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I have taken refuge,
my shield and the horn of my deliverance, my stronghold.
3 I called upon Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised,
and I was saved from my enemies.
4 The ropes of death encircled me,
and streams of ruin overwhelmed me.
5 The ropes of Sheol surrounded me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my trouble I called on Yahweh,
and to my God I cried for help.
He heard my voice from his temple,
and my cry for help
came up before his presence into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and quaked,
and the foundations of the mountains trembled,
and they staggered because he was angry.
8 Smoke went forth from his nose,
and fire from his mouth consumed.
Burning coals blazed from him.
9 So he bowed the heavens and came down
with a thick cloud under his feet.
10 And he mounted a cherub and flew,
and he swooped down on wings of wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding place;
all about him his covering
was a darkness of waters, thick clouds.[c]
12 From the brightness before him
his clouds passed over
with hail and coals of fire.
13 And Yahweh thundered from the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice
with hail and coals of fire.
14 And he shot his arrows and scattered them,[d]
and many lightning bolts and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea became visible,
and the foundations of the world were uncovered
by your rebuke, O Yahweh,
by the blast[e] of the wind of your nose.
16 He reached[f] from on high; he seized me.
He drew me from many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
and from those who hated me
because they were stronger than I.
18 They confronted me on the day of disaster,
but Yahweh was my support.
19 So he brought me out to a spacious place.
He delivered me because he delighted in me.
20 Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
he has repaid me.
21 Because I have kept the ways of Yahweh,
and have not acted wickedly against my God,
22 because all his ordinances are before me,
and his statutes I have not removed from me,
23 and I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 Therefore Yahweh has repaid me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25 To the loyal you show yourself loyal.
To the blameless you show yourself blameless.
26 To the pure you show yourself pure.
but to the wicked you show yourself shrewd.
27 For you deliver humble people,
but haughty eyes you humiliate.
28 For you light my lamp;
Yahweh, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 For with you I can charge a troop,
and with my God I can scale a wall.
30 This[g] God—his way is blameless.
The word of Yahweh is flawless.[h]
He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
31 For who is God apart from Yahweh,
and who is a rock except our God?
32 The God who girded me with strength,
and made safe[i] my way,
33 he made my feet like the deer’s,
and on my high places he makes me stand.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You also gave me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your humility made me great.
36 You enlarged my step under me,
and my ankles did not slip.
37 I chased my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back until they were finished off.
38 I struck them and they were not able to stand up;
they fell under my feet.
39 And you girded me with strength for the battle;
those rising against me you made to kneel under me.
40 And you made my enemies turn their backs,[j]
then I destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried out but there was no rescuer,
even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
42 And I ground them like dust in the wind,[k]
I emptied them[l] out like mud of the streets.
43 You rescued me from strife with people;
you set me as head (over) nations.
People I did not know served me;
44 as soon as they heard,[m] they obeyed me.
The children of a foreign land feigned obedience before me.
45 The children of a foreign land lost heart,[n]
and they came trembling from their strongholds.
46 Yahweh lives, and blessed be my rock,
and may the God of my salvation be exalted—
47 the God who executed vengeance for me,
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who delivered me from my enemies.
Indeed, you exalted me higher than those who rose against me.
You delivered me from the man of violence.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, O Yahweh,
and I will sing the praise of your name:
50 the one who makes great victories for his king,
and who shows loyal love for his anointed,
to David and to his descendants forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 18:1 Literally “on the day”
- Psalm 18:1 The Hebrew Bible counts the superscription as the first verse of the psalm; the English verse number is reduced by one
- Psalm 18:11 Literally “clouds of clouds”
- Psalm 18:14 That is, the enemy
- Psalm 18:15 Or “breath”
- Psalm 18:16 Or “sent”
- Psalm 18:30 Hebrew “The”
- Psalm 18:30 Or “refined”
- Psalm 18:32 Or “blameless”
- Psalm 18:40 Literally “turned to me my enemies’ neck”
- Psalm 18:42 Literally “on the face of the wind”
- Psalm 18:42 Many Hebrew manuscripts, the LXX, Syriac, and 2 Sam 22:43 read “I crushed them”
- Psalm 18:44 Literally “hearing of ear”
- Psalm 18:45 Literally “sunk down”
2 Samuel 22
American Standard Version
22 And David spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: 2 and he said,
Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;
3 God, my rock, in him will I take refuge;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge;
My saviour, thou savest me from violence.
4 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
5 For the waves of death compassed me;
The floods of [a]ungodliness made me afraid:
6 The cords of Sheol were round about me;
The snares of death came upon me.
7 In my distress I called upon Jehovah;
Yea, I called unto my God:
And he heard my voice out of his temple,
And my cry came into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled,
The foundations of heaven quaked
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
9 There went up a smoke [b]out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured:
Coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down;
And thick darkness was under his feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;
Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him,
Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13 At the brightness before him
Coals of fire were kindled.
14 Jehovah thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them;
Lightning, and discomfited them.
16 Then the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were laid bare,
By the rebuke of Jehovah,
At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He sent from on high, he took me;
He drew me out of [c]many waters;
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
19 They came upon me in the day of my calamity;
But Jehovah was my stay.
20 He brought me forth also into a large place;
He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
21 Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his ordinances were before me;
And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I was also perfect toward him;
And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
25 Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness in his eyesight.
26 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;
With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;
27 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;
And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself [d]froward.
28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save;
But thine eyes are upon the haughty, [e]that thou mayest bring them down.
29 For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah;
And Jehovah will lighten my darkness.
30 For by thee I run [f]upon a troop;
By my God do I leap over a wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of Jehovah is tried;
He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.
32 For who is God, save Jehovah?
And who is a rock, save our God?
33 God is my strong fortress;
And he [g]guideth the perfect in his way.
34 He maketh [h]his feet like hinds’ feet,
And setteth me upon my high places.
35 He teacheth my hands to war,
So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;
And thy [i]gentleness hath made me great.
37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me;
And my [j]feet have not slipped.
38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them;
Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
39 And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, so that they cannot arise:
Yea, they are fallen under my feet.
40 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle;
Thou hast [k]subdued under me those that rose up against me.
41 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,
That I might cut off them that hate me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;
Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.
43 Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,
I did crush them as the mire of the streets, and did spread them abroad.
44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people;
Thou [l]hast kept me to be the head of the nations:
A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
45 The foreigners shall [m]submit themselves unto me:
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.
46 The foreigners shall fade away,
And shall [n]come trembling out of their close places.
47 Jehovah liveth; And blessed be my rock;
And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
48 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,
And that bringeth down peoples under me,
49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies:
Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;
Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations,
And will sing praises unto thy name.
51 [o]Great [p]deliverance giveth he to his king,
And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,
To David and to his seed, for evermore.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:5 Hebrew Belial.
- 2 Samuel 22:9 Or, in his wrath
- 2 Samuel 22:17 Or, great
- 2 Samuel 22:27 So Ps. 18:26. The text has unsavory.
- 2 Samuel 22:28 Or, whom thou wilt bring down
- 2 Samuel 22:30 Or, through
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Or, setteth free. According to another reading, guideth my way in perfectness
- 2 Samuel 22:34 Another reading is, my
- 2 Samuel 22:36 Or, condescension
- 2 Samuel 22:37 Hebrew ankles.
- 2 Samuel 22:40 Hebrew caused to bow.
- 2 Samuel 22:44 Or, wilt keep
- 2 Samuel 22:45 Or, yield feigned obedience. Hebrew lie.
- 2 Samuel 22:46 So Ps. 18:45. The text has gird themselves.
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Another reading is, He is a tower of deliverance.
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Hebrew salvations.
2 Samuel 22
Lexham English Bible
The Victory Song of David
22 Then David spoke to Yahweh the words of this song,[a] on the day Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
2 And he said:
“Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.
3 I take refuge in God, my rock,[b] my shield, and the strength[c] of my salvation.
My stronghold and my refuge, O my savior, you will save me from violence!
4 I call upon Yahweh who is praiseworthy,
and I am saved from those who hate me.
5 For the breaker waves of death engulfed me;
the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.
6 The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress I called upon Yahweh, and to my God I called.
He heard my voice from his temple,
and my cry for help was to his ears.
8 The earth heaved and shook,
the foundations of heaven trembled and heaved
because he was angry.[d]
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils and fire from his mouth.
Burning coals devoured, they burned from him.
10 He bowed the heavens and came down;
a very thick cloud was under his feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub and flew;
he was seen on the wings of the wind.
12 He put darkness as a canopy all around him,
a collection of thick rain clouds.[e]
13 From the brightness before him
flamed burning coals of fire.
14 Yahweh thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered his voice.[f]
15 He sent arrows and he scattered them,
lightning, and he directed them.
16 Then the channels of water of the sea were exposed,
the foundations of the world,
at the rebuke of Yawheh,
from the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He sent from a high position and took me;
he drew me from mighty waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemies,
from those who hate me, for they were mightier than I.
19 They approached me on the day of my disaster,
but Yahweh was my support.
20 He brought me out to a spacious place.
He delivered me because he delighted in me.
21 Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh;
I have not acted wickedly against my God.
23 For all of his ordinances were before me,
and I did not turn aside from his statutes.
24 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 Yahweh has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness before his eyes.
26 With the loyal, you act as loyal,
and with the blameless, you show yourself blameless.
27 With the pure, you show yourself pure,
but with the crooked, you appear as a fool.
28 Humble people you will deliver,
but your eyes are on the haughty, whom you bring down.
29 For you, O Yahweh are my lamp,
and Yahweh lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run a raid;
by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God, his way is blameless;
the promise of Yahweh is flawless.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God apart from Yahweh?
And who is a rock apart from our God?
33 God is my strong refuge,
he has fully opened my way.[g]
34 He makes my feet[h] like a doe deer,
and on my high places he has set me.
35 He trains my hands for the war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation;
your willingness to help has made me great.
37 You have broadened my steps beneath me;
my ankles have not wobbled.
38 I pursued those who hate me, and I destroyed them.
I did not turn back until finishing them.
39 I wiped them out and I smashed them;
they did not get up; they fell under my feet.
40 You have girded me with physical strength for the battle;
you caused those who rose up against me to kneel under me.
41 My enemies you cause to retreat from me;[i]
I destroy those who hate me.
42 They looked out, but there was no deliverer,
even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
43 I beat them fine, like the dust of the earth;
like the mire of the streets, I crushed them, I stamped them down.
44 You delivered me from the strife of my people;
you preserved me as the head of the nations.
A people I had not known served me.
45 Children of a foreign land came cringing to me;
when they heard of me,[j] they became obedient to me.
46 Children of a foreign land lost heart
and came trembling from their strongholds.
47 Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock!
May God, the rock of my salvation, be exalted!
48 God does vengeance for me,
bringing down peoples under me.
49 He brings me out from my enemies,
and from those who rose up against me you lift me up,
and from men of violence you rescue me.
50 Therefore I will extol you, Yahweh, among the nations!
I will sing praises to your name!
51 He makes great salvation for his king
and shows loyal love to his anointed one, David
and to his descendants forever.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:1 This same song is recorded in Psa 18, with minor differences
- 2 Samuel 22:3 So many LXX mss, Targum, Vulgate, and Psa 18:3. MT has “the God of my rock”
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Literally “horn”
- 2 Samuel 22:8 Literally “it was hot for him”
- 2 Samuel 22:12 Literally “clouds of thick clouds”
- 2 Samuel 22:14 Literally “gave his voice”
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Thus Qere; Kethib has “his way”
- 2 Samuel 22:34 Thus Qere; Kethib has “his feet”
- 2 Samuel 22:41 Literally “Those who hate me you give to me back”
- 2 Samuel 22:45 Literally “at the hearing of an ear”
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