Psalms 18
18
A King’s Thanksgiving for Victory
1For the leader. Of David, the servant of the Lord, who 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. 2He said:#2 Sm 22:2–51.
I
I love you, Lord, my strength,
3Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer,
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, my saving horn,#My saving horn: my strong savior. The horn referred to is the weapon of a bull and the symbol of fertility, cf. 1 Sm 2:10; Ps 132:17; Lk 1:69. my stronghold!#Ps 3:4; 31:3–4; 42:10; Gn 49:24; Dt 32:4.
4Praised be the Lord, I exclaim!
I have been delivered from my enemies.
II
5The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.
6The cords#Cords: hunting imagery, the cords of a snare. of Sheol encircled me;
the snares of death lay in wait for me.#Ps 88:8; 93:3–4; 116:3–4.
7In my distress I called out: Lord!
I cried out to my God.#Jon 2:3.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry to him reached his ears.
8#God appears in the storm, which in Palestine comes from the west. The introduction to the theophany (Ps 18:8–9) is probably a description of a violent, hot, and dry east-wind storm. In the fall transition period from the rainless summer to the rainy winter such storms regularly precede the rains, cf. Ex 14:21–22.The earth rocked and shook;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;
they shook as his wrath flared up.#Ps 97:3–4; 99:1; Jgs 5:4–5; Is 64:1; Heb 3:9–11.
9Smoke rose from his nostrils,
a devouring fire from his mouth;
it kindled coals into flame.
10He parted the heavens and came down,
a dark cloud under his feet.#Ps 104:3; 144:5; Is 63:19.
11Mounted on a cherub#Cherub: a winged creature, derived from myth, in the service of the deity (Gn 3:24; Ex 25:18–20; 37:6–9). Cherubim were the throne bearers of the deity (Ps 80:2; 99:1; 1 Kgs 6:23–28; 8:6–8). he flew,
borne along on the wings of the wind.
12He made darkness his cloak around him;
his canopy, water-darkened stormclouds.
13From the gleam before him, his clouds passed,
hail and coals of fire.#Ex 13:21; 19:16.
14The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High made his voice resound.#Ps 29; 77:19; Ex 19:19; Jb 37:3–4.
15He let fly his arrows#Arrows: lightning. and scattered them;
shot his lightning bolts and dispersed them.#Ps 144:6; Wis 5:21.
16Then the bed of the sea appeared;
the world’s foundations lay bare,#Ps 77:17; Zec 9:14.
At your rebuke, O Lord,
at the storming breath of your nostrils.
17He reached down from on high and seized me;
drew me out of the deep waters.#Ps 144:7.
18He rescued me from my mighty enemy,
from foes too powerful for me.
19They attacked me on my day of distress,
but the Lord was my support.
20He set me free in the open;
he rescued me because he loves me.
III
21The Lord acknowledged my righteousness,
rewarded my clean hands.#Ps 26; 1 Sm 26:23.
22For I kept the ways of the Lord;
I was not disloyal to my God.
23For his laws were all before me,
his decrees I did not cast aside.
24I was honest toward him;
I was on guard against sin.
25So the Lord rewarded my righteousness,
the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
26Toward the faithful you are faithful;
to the honest man you are honest;#Ps 125:4.
27Toward the pure, you are pure;
but to the perverse you are devious.
28For humble people you save;
haughty eyes you bring low.#Jb 22:29; Prv 3:34.
29For you, Lord, give light to my lamp;
my God brightens my darkness.#Ps 27:1; 36:10; 43:3; 119:105; Jb 29:3; Mi 7:8.
30With you I can rush an armed band,
with my God to help I can leap a wall.
31God’s way is unerring;
the Lord’s promise is refined;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.#Ps 12:6; 77:13; Prv 30:5.
IV
32Truly, who is God except the Lord?
Who but our God is the rock?#Is 44:8; 45:21.
33This God who girded me with might,
kept my way unerring,
34Who made my feet like a deer’s,
and set me on the heights,#Heb 3:19.
35Who trained my hands for war,
my arms to string a bow of bronze.#Bow of bronze: hyperbole for a bow difficult to bend and therefore capable of propelling an arrow with great force.#Ps 144:1.
V
36You have given me your saving shield;
your right hand has upheld me;
your favor made me great.
37You made room for my steps beneath me;
my ankles never twisted.#Ps 17:5.
38I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
I did not turn back till I destroyed them.
39I decimated them; they could not rise;
they fell at my feet.
40You girded me with valor for war,
subjugated my opponents beneath me.
41You made my foes expose their necks to me;
those who hated me I silenced.
42They cried for help, but no one saved them;
cried to the Lord but received no answer.
43I ground them to dust before the wind;
I left them like mud in the streets.
44You rescued me from the strife of peoples;
you made me head over nations.
A people I had not known served me;
45as soon as they heard of me they obeyed.
Foreigners submitted before me;
46foreigners cringed;
they came cowering from their dungeons.#Mi 7:17.
VI
47The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock!#Ps 144:1.
Exalted be God, my savior!
48O God who granted me vengeance,
made peoples subject to me,#Ps 144:2.
49and saved me from my enemies,
Truly you have elevated me above my opponents,
from a man of lawlessness you have rescued me.
50Thus I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing praises to your name.#Ps 7:18; 30:5; 57:9; 135:3; 146:2; Rom 15:9.
51You have given great victories to your king,
and shown mercy to his anointed,
to David and his posterity forever.#Ps 89:28–37; 144:10; 1 Sm 2:10.
Currently Selected:
Psalms 18: NABRE
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Psalm 18
18
The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, #Ps. 36, title; 89:3, 20; [2 Sam. 3:18; 7:5] the servant of the Lord, #See 2 Sam. 22 who addressed the words of this #Ex. 15:1; Deut. 31:30song 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:
1I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my #ver. 31, 46; Ps. 19:14; 31:3 rock and my #Ps. 91:2; 144:2 fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my #ver. 31, 46; Ps. 19:14; 31:3 rock, in #[Heb. 2:13] whom I take refuge,
my #ver. 30; Gen. 15:1 shield, and #Ps. 112:9; Luke 1:69 the horn of my salvation, my #See Ps. 9:9stronghold.
3I call upon the Lord, who is #Ps. 48:1; 96:4; 113:3; 145:3worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 #
Ps. 116:3; [Ps. 119:61] The cords of death encompassed me;
# See Ps. 32:6 the torrents of destruction assailed me;#18:4 Or terrified me
5 # [See ver. 4 above] the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 #
Ps. 66:14; 102:2; 120:1; [Jonah 2:2] In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his #See Ps. 11:4temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7Then the earth #[Judg. 5:4; Acts 4:31; 16:26]reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils,#18:8 Or in his wrath
and devouring #See Ps. 21:9fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9He #Ps. 144:5 bowed the heavens and #Isa. 64:1 came down;
# See Ex. 20:21 thick darkness was under his feet.
10He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on #Ps. 104:3the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness his covering, his #Job 36:29; [Ps. 97:2] canopy around him,
thick clouds #[Ps. 29:3]dark with water.
12Out of the brightness before him
# [Ps. 148:8; Josh. 10:11] hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13The Lord also #1 Sam. 2:10; 7:10; See Job 37:4 thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his #Isa. 30:30; See Ps. 29:3-9voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14And he sent out his #Ps. 7:13; 64:7; 77:17; 144:6; Deut. 32:23, 42; Hab. 3:11 arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and #Ex. 14:24; Josh. 10:10routed them.
15Then #Ps. 42:1; Joel 1:20 (Heb.); [Job 36:30] the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your #Ps. 106:9; Nah. 1:4 rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of #[Ex. 15:8]the breath of your nostrils.
16He #[Ps. 144:7] sent from on high, he took me;
he #[Ex. 2:10] drew me out of #See Ps. 32:6; Job 22:11many waters.
17He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were #Ps. 142:6too mighty for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19He brought me out into #Ps. 31:8; 118:5; [ver. 36] a broad place;
he rescued me, because he #Ps. 22:8; 2 Sam. 15:26delighted in me.
20The Lord dealt with me #Ps. 7:8; 1 Sam. 24:19; 26:23; 1 Kgs. 8:32 according to my righteousness;
according to #See Job 22:30the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21For I have #[Gen. 18:19; Prov. 8:32]kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For #Ps. 119:30, 102all his rules#18:22 Or just decrees were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23I was #Gen. 17:1; [1 Kgs. 14:8]blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
25With #Matt. 5:7the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
26with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with #Ps. 81:12; Lev. 26:23, 24; Prov. 3:34; Acts 7:42; Rom. 1:28the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
27For you save #[Ex. 3:7] a humble people,
but #See Ps. 101:5the haughty eyes you bring down.
28For it is you who light my #Ps. 132:17; 1 Kgs. 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs. 8:19; [2 Sam. 21:17]; See Job 18:5, 6lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
29For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can #[Isa. 35:6] leap over #See 2 Sam. 5:6-9a wall.
30This God—his way is #Deut. 32:4; Dan. 4:37; Matt. 5:48; [Rev. 15:3] perfect;#18:30 Or blameless
the word of the Lord #See Ps. 12:6 proves true;
he is #ver. 2 a shield for all those who #Ps. 17:7take refuge in him.
31For #[Ps. 86:8] who is God, but the Lord?
And who is #See ver. 2a rock, except our God?—
32the God who #1 Sam. 2:4; Isa. 45:5 equipped me with strength
and made my way #Ps. 101:2, 6; 119:1; Job 22:3blameless.
33He made my feet like the feet of a #Hab. 3:19 deer
and set me secure on #Deut. 32:13; Isa. 58:14the heights.
34He #Ps. 144:1trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand #Ps. 20:2 supported me,
and your #[Isa. 63:9]gentleness made me great.
36You #Ps. 31:8; Prov. 4:12; [ver. 19]gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
37I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40You made my enemies #Ex. 23:27; [Ps. 21:12]turn their backs to me,#18:40 Or You gave me my enemies’ necks
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 # See Job 27:9 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42I beat them fine as #2 Kgs. 13:7 dust before the wind;
I cast them out like #Isa. 10:6; Mic. 7:10; Zech. 10:5the mire of the streets.
43You delivered me from #[2 Sam. 3:1; 19:9, 43; 20:1] strife with the people;
you made me #[Ps. 2:8]; See 2 Sam. 8:1-14 the head of the nations;
#
Isa. 55:5; [Ps. 22:27] people whom I had not known served me.
44As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
#
Ps. 144:7 foreigners #Ps. 66:3; 81:15; Deut. 33:29came cringing to me.
45 # [See ver. 44 above] Foreigners lost heart
and #Mic. 7:17came trembling out of their fortresses.
46The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
47the God who gave me vengeance
and #Ps. 47:3; 144:2; [Isa. 45:1]subdued peoples under me,
48who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you #Ps. 59:1 exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from #Ps. 140:1the man of violence.
49 # Cited Rom. 15:9 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and #Ps. 66:4sing to your name.
50Great #Ps. 144:10 salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his #See Ps. 2:2 anointed,
to #[Ps. 89:29; 2 Sam. 7:12, 13, 29]David and his offspring forever.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV: