Psalms 18
18
Psalm 18#18:0 Psalm 18 is virtually identical in wording to 2 Samuel 22.
For the choir director; by David, the servant of the Lord. He sang this song to the Lord when the Lord rescued him from all his enemies, especially from Saul. He said,
1I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my Savior,
my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the strength of my salvation,
my stronghold.
3The Lord should be praised.
I called on him, and I was saved from my enemies.
4The ropes of death had become tangled around me.
The torrents of destruction had overwhelmed me.
5The ropes of the grave had surrounded me.
The clutches of death had confronted me.
6I called on the Lord in my distress.
I cried to my God for help.
He heard my voice from his temple,
and my cry for help reached his ears.
7Then the earth shook and quaked.
Even the foundations of the mountains trembled.
They shook violently because he was angry.
8Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and a raging fire came out of his mouth.
Glowing coals flared up from it.
9He spread apart the heavens
and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.
10He rode on one of the angels #18:10 Or “cherubim.” as he flew,
and he soared on the wings of the wind.
11He made the darkness his hiding place,
the dark rain clouds his covering.
12Out of the brightness in front of him,
those rain clouds passed by with hailstones and lightning.
13The Lord thundered in the heavens.
The Most High made his voice heard with hailstones and lightning.
14He shot his arrows and scattered them.
He flashed streaks of lightning and threw them into confusion.
15Then the ocean floor could be seen.
The foundations of the earth were laid bare
at your stern warning, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath from your nostrils.
16He reached down from high above and took hold of me.
He pulled me out of the raging water.
17He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
because they were too strong for me.
18On the day when I faced disaster, they confronted me,
but the Lord came to my defense.
19He brought me out to a wide-open place.
He rescued me because he was pleased with me.
20The Lord rewarded me
because of my righteousness,
because my hands are clean.
He paid me back
21because I have kept the ways of the Lord
and I have not wickedly turned away from my God,
22because all his judgments are in front of me
and I have not turned away from his laws.
23I was innocent as far as he was concerned.
I have kept myself from guilt.
24The Lord paid me back
because of my righteousness,
because he can see that my hands are clean.
25 ⌞In dealing⌟ with faithful people you are faithful,
with innocent people you are innocent,
26with pure people you are pure.
⌞In dealing⌟ with devious people you are clever.
27You save humble people,
but you bring down a conceited look.
28O Lord, you light my lamp.
My God turns my darkness into light.
29With you I can attack a line of soldiers.
With my God I can break through barricades.
30God’s way is perfect!
The promise of the Lord has proven to be true.
He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
31Who is God but the Lord?
Who is a rock except our God?
32God arms me with strength
and makes my way perfect.
33He makes my feet like those of a deer
and gives me sure footing on high places.
34He trains my hands for battle
so that my arms can bend an ⌞archer’s⌟ bow of bronze.
35You have given me the shield of your salvation.
Your right hand supports me.
Your gentleness makes me great.
36You make a wide path for me to walk on
so that my feet do not slip.
37I chased my enemies and caught up with them.
I did not return until I had ended their lives.
38I wounded them so badly that they were unable to get up.
They fell under my feet.
39You armed me with strength for battle.
You made my opponents bow at my feet.
40You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and I destroyed those who hated me.
41They cried out for help, but there was no one to save them.
They cried out to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
42I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust blown by the wind.
I threw them out as though they were dirt on the streets.
43You rescued me from my conflicts with the people.
You made me the leader of nations.
A people I did not know will serve me:
44As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me.
Foreigners will cringe in front of me.
45Foreigners will lose heart,
and they will tremble when they come out of their fortifications.
46The Lord lives!
Thanks be to my rock!
May God my Savior be honored.
47God gives me vengeance!
He brings people under my authority.
48He saves me from my enemies.
You lift me up above my opponents.
You rescue me from violent people.
49That is why I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nations
and make music to praise your name.
50He gives great victories to his king.
He shows mercy to his anointed,
to David, and to his descendant #18:50 Or “to his descendants.” forever.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Psalms 18
18
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.#2Sm 22 He said:
1I love you, Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock,
my fortress, and my deliverer,#Ps 62:7; 94:22
my God, my rock where I seek refuge,
my shield#Gn 15:1; Dt 33:29; Ps 3:3; 5:12; 28:7; 119:114 and the horn of my salvation,#1Sm 2:1,10; Lk 1:69
my stronghold.
3I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,#Ps 48:1; 96:4; 145:3
and I was saved from my enemies.#Ps 138:7
4The ropes of death were wrapped around me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.#Ps 124:4
5The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.#Ps 116:3
6I called to the Lord in my distress,
and I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,#Ps 3:4
and my cry to him reached his ears.#Ps 34:15
7Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the mountains trembled;#Is 13:13; Hg 2:6
they shook because he burned with anger.
8Smoke rose from his nostrils,
and consuming fire came from his mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.#18:8 Or him#Ps 21:9; 50:3
9He bent the heavens and came down,#Ps 144:5; Is 64:1
total darkness beneath his feet.
10He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.#Ps 104:3
11He made darkness his hiding place,
dark storm clouds his canopy around him.#Ps 97:2
12From the radiance of his presence,#Ps 50:2; Is 60:3
his clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.
13The Lord thundered from#18:13 Some Hb mss, LXX, Tg, Jer; other Hb mss read in heaven;
the Most High made his voice heard.#18:13 Some Hb mss read voice, with hail and blazing coals#Ps 29:3; 104:7
14He shot his arrows and scattered them;
he hurled#18:14 Or multiplied lightning bolts and routed them.#Ps 144:6
15The 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.#Ex 15:8; Ps 106:9; Nah 1:4
16He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
he pulled me out of deep water.#Ps 144:7
17He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.#Ps 35:10; 59:1; 142:6
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.#Ps 55:22; 59:16
19He brought me out to a spacious place;#Ps 31:8; 118:5
he rescued me because he delighted in me.#Ps 41:11
20The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness;#Ps 7:8
he repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.#Ps 24:4
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.#Jb 23:11; Ps 119:101
22Indeed, I let all his ordinances guide me#18:22 Lit Indeed, all his ordinances have been in front of me
and have not disregarded his statutes.#Lv 18:4–5
23I was blameless toward him#Dt 18:13; Ps 37:18; 119:1
and kept myself from my iniquity.
24So the Lord repaid me
according to my righteousness,#2Ch 6:23
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.#Ps 24:4
25With the faithful
you prove yourself faithful,
with the blameless
you prove yourself blameless,
26with the pure
you prove yourself pure,
but with the crooked
you prove yourself shrewd.#Mt 16:27; Rv 22:12
27For you rescue an oppressed people,#Ps 72:12
but you humble those with haughty eyes.#Ps 138:6
28 Lord, you light my lamp;
my God illuminates my darkness.#Ps 112:4; Is 42:16
29With you I can attack a barricade,#18:29 Or a ridge, or raiders
and with my God I can leap over a wall.#Mt 19:26; Php 4:13
30God — his way is perfect;#Dt 32:4
the word of the Lord is pure.#Ps 19:7
He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.#Ps 91:4; 144:2
31For who is God besides the Lord?#Dt 32:39; 1Sm 2:2; Ps 86:8
And who is a rock? Only our God.#Ps 62:2
32God — he clothes me with strength#Is 45:5
and makes my way perfect.
33He makes my feet like the feet of a deer#Hab 3:19
and sets me securely on the heights.#18:33 Or on my high places#Dt 32:13; Is 58:14
34He trains my hands for war;#Ps 144:1
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.#Jb 29:20
35You have given me the shield of your salvation;
your right hand upholds me,#Ps 89:21
and your humility exalts me.
36You make a spacious place beneath me for my steps,#Ps 31:8; 118:5
and my ankles do not give way.#Ps 66:9; Pr 4:12
37I pursue my enemies and overtake them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.#Ps 44:5
38I crush them, and they cannot get up;
they fall beneath my feet.#Ps 36:12
39You have clothed me with strength for battle;#1Sm 2:4
you subdue my adversaries beneath me.#1Ch 17:10; Ps 81:14
40You have made my enemies retreat before me;#18:40 Or You gave me the necks of my enemies#Ex 23:27
I annihilate those who hate me.#Dt 7:10
41They cry for help, but there is no one to save them#Ps 50:22 —
they cry to the Lord, but he does not answer them.#Mc 3:4
42I pulverize them like dust before the wind;#2Kg 13:7
I trample them#18:42 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr, Tg; other Hb mss read I poured them out like mud in the streets.#Is 10:6; Mc 7:10
43You have freed me from the feuds among the people;
you have appointed me the head of nations;#2Sm 8:1–14
a people I had not known serve me.#Is 55:5
44Foreigners submit to me cringing;
as soon as they hear they obey me.#Dt 33:29; Ps 66:3
45Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.#Mc 7:17
46The Lord lives — blessed be my rock!
The God of my salvation is exalted.#Ps 62:2,6
47God — he grants me vengeance#2Sm 4:8; Ps 94:1
and subdues peoples under me.#Ps 47:3; 144:2
48He frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my adversaries;
you rescue me from violent men.#Ps 59:1; 140:1
49Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord;
I will sing praises about your name.#Rm 15:9
50He gives great victories to his king;#Ps 144:10
he shows loyalty to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.#2Sm 7:12–13; Ps 89:4,29
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