Psalm 18
New American Standard Bible
The Lord Praised for Rescuing David.
For the music director. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, [a]who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said,
18 “I love You, Lord, (A)my strength.”
2 The Lord is (B)my rock and (C)my fortress and my (D)savior,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My (E)shield and the (F)horn of my salvation, my (G)stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is (H)worthy to be praised,
And I am (I)saved from my enemies.
4 The (J)ropes of death encompassed me,
And the (K)torrents of [b]destruction [c]terrified me.
5 The (L)ropes of [d]Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
6 In my (M)distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried to my God for help;
He heard my voice (N)from His temple,
And my (O)cry for help before Him came into His ears.
7 Then the (P)earth shook and quaked;
And the (Q)foundations of the mountains were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.
8 Smoke went up [e]out of His nostrils,
And (R)fire from His mouth was devouring;
Coals burned from it.
9 He also (S)bowed the heavens down low, and came down
With thick (T)darkness under His feet.
10 He rode on a (U)cherub and flew;
And He sped on the (V)wings of the wind.
11 He made (W)darkness His hiding place, (X)His [f]canopy around Him,
Darkness of waters, thick clouds.
12 From the (Y)brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,
Hailstones and (Z)coals of fire.
13 The Lord also (AA)thundered in the heavens,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
Hailstones and coals of fire.
14 He (AB)sent out His arrows, and scattered them,
And lightning flashes in abundance, and [g]routed them.
15 Then the (AC)channels of water appeared,
And the foundations of the world were exposed
By Your (AD)rebuke, Lord,
At the blast of the (AE)breath of Your nostrils.
16 He (AF)sent from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of (AG)many waters.
17 He (AH)saved me from my strong enemy,
And from those who hated me, for they were (AI)too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in (AJ)the day of my disaster,
But (AK)the Lord was my support.
19 He also brought me out into an (AL)open place;
He rescued me, because (AM)He delighted in me.
20 The Lord has (AN)rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the (AO)cleanness of my hands He has repaid me.
21 For I have (AP)kept the ways of the Lord,
And have (AQ)not acted wickedly against my God.
22 For all (AR)His judgments were before me,
And I did not put away His (AS)statutes from me.
23 I was also [h](AT)blameless with Him,
And I (AU)kept myself from my wrongdoing.
24 Therefore the Lord has (AV)repaid me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes.
25 With (AW)the faithful You show Yourself faithful;
With the [i]blameless (AX)You prove Yourself blameless;
26 With the pure You show Yourself (AY)pure,
And with the crooked (AZ)You show Yourself [j]astute.
27 For You (BA)save an afflicted people,
But You humiliate (BB)haughty eyes.
28 For You (BC)light my lamp;
The Lord my God (BD)illumines my darkness.
29 For by You I can (BE)run at a [k]troop of warriors;
And by my God I can (BF)leap over a wall.
30 As for God, His way is [l](BG)blameless;
The (BH)word of the Lord is refined;
He is a (BI)shield to all who take refuge in Him.
31 For (BJ)who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a (BK)rock, except our God,
32 The God who (BL)encircles me with strength,
And [m]makes my way [n](BM)blameless?
33 He (BN)makes my feet like deer’s feet,
And (BO)sets me up on my high places.
34 He (BP)trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can (BQ)bend a bow of bronze.
35 You have also given me (BR)the shield of Your salvation,
And Your (BS)right hand upholds me;
And (BT)Your [o]gentleness makes me great.
36 You (BU)enlarge my steps under me,
And my [p](BV)feet have not slipped.
37 I (BW)pursued my enemies and overtook them,
And I did not turn back (BX)until they were consumed.
38 I shattered them, so that they were (BY)not able to rise;
They fell (BZ)under my feet.
39 For You have (CA)encircled me with strength for battle;
You have forced those who rose up against me (CB)to bow down under me.
40 You have also made my enemies (CC)turn their backs to me,
And I [q](CD)destroyed those who hated me.
41 They cried for help, but there was (CE)no one to save,
They cried to the Lord, but (CF)He did not answer them.
42 Then I beat them fine like the (CG)dust before the wind;
I emptied them out like the mud of the streets.
43 You have rescued me from the (CH)contentions of the people;
You have placed me as (CI)head of the nations;
A (CJ)people whom I have not known serve me.
44 As soon as they hear, they obey me;
Foreigners (CK)pretend to obey me.
45 Foreigners (CL)lose heart,
And (CM)come trembling out of their [r]fortresses.
46 The Lord (CN)lives, and blessed be (CO)my rock;
And exalted be (CP)the God of my salvation,
47 The God who (CQ)executes vengeance for me,
And (CR)subdues peoples under me.
48 He (CS)rescues me from my enemies;
You indeed (CT)lift me above those who rise up against me;
You rescue me from a (CU)violent man.
49 Therefore I will (CV)give thanks to You among the nations, Lord,
And I will (CW)sing praises to Your name.
50 He gives great [s](CX)salvation to His king,
And shows faithfulness to (CY)His anointed,
To David and (CZ)his [t]descendants forever.
Footnotes
- Psalm 18 Title 2 Sam 22:1-51
- Psalm 18:4 Or ungodliness; Heb Belial
- Psalm 18:4 Or were assailing; or terrifying
- Psalm 18:5 I.e., the netherworld
- Psalm 18:8 Or in His wrath
- Psalm 18:11 Or pavilion
- Psalm 18:14 Lit confused
- Psalm 18:23 Lit complete; or having integrity; or perfect
- Psalm 18:25 See note v 23
- Psalm 18:26 Lit twisted
- Psalm 18:29 Or wall
- Psalm 18:30 Or perfect
- Psalm 18:32 Or has made
- Psalm 18:32 Lit complete; or having integrity
- Psalm 18:35 Or condescension
- Psalm 18:36 Lit ankles
- Psalm 18:40 Or silenced
- Psalm 18:45 Or prisons
- Psalm 18:50 I.e., victories; lit salvations
- Psalm 18:50 Lit seed
Psalm 18
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Psalm 18
Royal Thanksgiving for Victory
To the leader. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.(A)
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
so I shall be saved from my enemies.(B)
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;(C)
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(D)
6 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.(E)
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and reeled because he was angry.(F)
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.(G)
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind.(H)
11 He made darkness his covering around him,
his canopy thick clouds dark with water.(I)
12 Out of the brightness before him
there broke through his clouds
hailstones and coals of fire.(J)
13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice.[a](K)
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.(L)
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.(M)
16 He reached down from on high; he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.(N)
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.(O)
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me because he delighted in me.(P)
20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.(Q)
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.(R)
22 For all his ordinances were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.(S)
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.(T)
25 With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless you show yourself blameless;(U)
26 with the pure you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you show yourself shrewd.(V)
27 For you deliver a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.(W)
28 It is you who light my lamp;
the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.(X)
29 By you I can outrun a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.(Y)
30 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.(Z)
31 For who is God except the Lord?
And who is a rock besides our God?(AA)
32 The God who has girded me with strength
and made my way safe.[b]
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.(AB)
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.(AC)
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand has supported me;
your help[c] has made me great.
36 You gave me a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them
and did not turn back until they were consumed.(AD)
38 I struck them down so that they were unable to rise;
they fell under my feet.(AE)
39 For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.(AF)
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.(AG)
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.(AH)
42 I beat them fine, like dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.(AI)
43 You delivered me from strife with the peoples;[d]
you made me head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.(AJ)
44 As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their strongholds.(AK)
46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation,(AL)
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,(AM)
48 who delivered me from my enemies;
indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.(AN)
2 Samuel 22
New American Standard Bible
David’s Psalm of Deliverance
22 (A)Now David spoke (B)the words of this song to the Lord on the day that the Lord had saved him from the [a]hand of all his enemies and from the [b]hand of Saul. 2 He said,
“(C)The Lord is my [c]rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 [d](D)My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My (E)shield and (F)the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and (G)my refuge;
My savior, You save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, (H)who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.
5 For (I)the waves of death encompassed me;
(J)The floods of [e]destruction terrified me;
6 (K)The ropes of [f]Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
7 (L)In my distress I called upon the Lord,
Yes, I called out to my God;
And from His temple He heard my voice,
And my cry for help came into His ears.
8 Then (M)the earth shook and quaked,
(N)The foundations of heaven were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up [g]out of His nostrils,
(O)And fire from His mouth was devouring;
(P)Coals were kindled by it.
10 He also bowed the heavens down low, and came down
With (Q)thick darkness under His feet.
11 (R)He rode on a cherub and flew;
He [h]appeared on (S)the wings of the wind.
12 (T)He made darkness canopies around Him,
A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.
13 From the brightness before Him
(U)Coals of fire were kindled.
14 (V)The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 (W)And He shot arrows and scattered them,
Lightning, and [i]routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were exposed
By the rebuke of the Lord,
(X)From the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 (Y)He sent from on high, He took me;
(Z)He drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me on the day of my disaster,
(AA)But the Lord was my support.
20 (AB)He also brought me out into an open place;
He rescued me, (AC)because He delighted in me.
21 (AD)The Lord has treated me in accordance with my righteousness;
(AE)In accordance with the cleanliness of my hands He has repaid me.
22 (AF)For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.
23 (AG)For all His ordinances were before me,
And as for His statutes, I did not deviate from [j]them.
24 (AH)I was also [k]blameless toward Him,
And I have kept myself from my wrongdoing.
25 (AI)So the Lord has repaid me in accordance with my righteousness,
In accordance with my cleanliness before His eyes.
26 (AJ)With the one who is faithful You show Yourself faithful,
With the [l]blameless one You prove Yourself [m]blameless;
27 (AK)With the one who is pure You show Yourself pure,
(AL)But with the perverted You [n]show Yourself astute.
28 (AM)And You save an afflicted people;
(AN)But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You humiliate.
29 (AO)For You are my lamp, Lord;
And the Lord illuminates my darkness.
30 (AP)For by You I can run at a [o]troop of warriors;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
31 (AQ)As for God, His way is [p]blameless;
(AR)The word of the Lord is refined;
(AS)He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 (AT)For who is God, except the Lord?
(AU)And who is a rock, except our God?
33 (AV)God is my strong fortress;
And He [q]sets the [r]blameless on [s]His way.
34 (AW)He makes [t]my feet like deer’s feet,
(AX)And sets me on my high places.
35 (AY)He trains my hands for battle,
(AZ)So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have also given me (BA)the shield of Your salvation,
And Your [u]help makes me great.
37 (BB)You enlarge my steps under me,
And my [v]feet have not slipped.
38 I pursued my enemies and (BC)eliminated them,
And I did not turn back until they were finished off.
39 And I have devoured them and smashed them, so that they would not rise;
And (BD)they fell under my feet.
40 For You have encircled me with strength for battle;
You have forced (BE)those who rose up against me to bow down under me.
41 You have also (BF)made my enemies turn their backs to me,
And I [w]destroyed those who hated me.
42 (BG)They looked, but there was no one to save them;
(BH)Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 (BI)Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth;
(BJ)I crushed and trampled them like the mud of the streets.
44 (BK)You have also saved me from the contentions of my people;
(BL)You have kept me as head of the nations;
(BM)A people I have not known serve me.
45 (BN)Foreigners pretend to obey me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart,
(BO)And [x]come trembling out of their fortresses.
47 The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock;
And exalted be [y](BP)my God, the rock of my salvation,
48 (BQ)The God who executes vengeance for me,
(BR)And brings down peoples under me,
49 Who also brings me out from my enemies;
You also raise me above (BS)those who rise up against me;
(BT)You rescue me from the violent person.
50 (BU)Therefore I will [z]give thanks to You, Lord, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Your name.
51 (BV)He is a tower of [aa]salvation to His king,
And (BW)shows favor to His anointed,
(BX)To David and his [ab]descendants forever.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:1 Lit palm
- 2 Samuel 22:1 Lit palm
- 2 Samuel 22:2 Lit crag
- 2 Samuel 22:3 As in LXX; MT God of my rock
- 2 Samuel 22:5 Or wickedness; Heb Belial
- 2 Samuel 22:6 I.e., the netherworld
- 2 Samuel 22:9 I.e., in his anger
- 2 Samuel 22:11 Many mss glided
- 2 Samuel 22:15 Lit confused
- 2 Samuel 22:23 Lit it
- 2 Samuel 22:24 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:26 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:26 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:27 As in two Heb mss and Ps 18:26; MT pretend stupidity
- 2 Samuel 22:30 Or wall
- 2 Samuel 22:31 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Or sets free
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Another reading is my
- 2 Samuel 22:34 Another reading is His
- 2 Samuel 22:36 Lit answering
- 2 Samuel 22:37 Lit ankles
- 2 Samuel 22:41 Or silenced
- 2 Samuel 22:46 Reading based on Ps 18:45; MT belt up themselves
- 2 Samuel 22:47 As in LXX; MT the God of the rock
- 2 Samuel 22:50 Or praise
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Lit acts of salvation
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Lit seed
2 Samuel 22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
David’s Song of Thanksgiving
22 David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.(A) 2 He said,
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,(B)
3 my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.(C)
4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.(D)
5 For the waves of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;(E)
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(F)
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.(G)
8 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations of the heavens trembled
and reeled because he was angry.(H)
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.(I)
10 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.(J)
11 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he was seen upon the wings of the wind.(K)
12 He made darkness around him a canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.(L)
13 Out of the brightness before him
coals of fire flamed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High uttered his voice.(M)
15 He sent out arrows and scattered them,
lightning and routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen;
the foundations of the world were laid bare
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.(N)
17 He reached from on high; he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.(O)
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They came upon me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my stay.(P)
20 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me because he delighted in me.(Q)
21 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.(R)
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.(S)
23 For all his ordinances were before me,
and from his statutes I did not turn aside.(T)
24 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.(U)
25 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.(V)
26 With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless[a] you show yourself blameless;(W)
27 with the pure you show yourself pure,
and with the crooked you show yourself shrewd.(X)
28 You deliver a humble people,
but your eyes are upon the haughty to bring them down.(Y)
29 Indeed, you are my lamp, O Lord;
the Lord lightens my darkness.(Z)
30 By you I can outrun a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.(AA)
32 For who is God but the Lord?
And who is a rock except our God?(AB)
33 The God who has girded me with strength[b]
has opened wide my path.[c](AC)
34 He made my feet like the feet of deer
and set me secure on the heights.(AD)
35 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.(AE)
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your help[d] has made me great.
37 You have made me stride freely,
and my feet do not slip;(AF)
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them; I struck them down so that they did not rise;
they fell under my feet.(AG)
40 For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.(AH)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
those who hated me, and I destroyed them.(AI)
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.(AJ)
43 I beat them fine like the dust of the earth;
I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.(AK)
44 You delivered me from strife with the peoples;[e]
you kept me as the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.(AL)
45 Foreigners came cringing to me;
as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.(AM)
46 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out[f] of their strongholds.(AN)
47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,(AO)
48 the God who gave me vengeance
and brought down peoples under me,(AP)
49 who brought me out from my enemies;
you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.(AQ)
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.