Psalms 18

Jehovah praised for giving victory and dominion.

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of Jehovah, See 2 Sam. 22:1–51 . 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,

¹I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.

²Jehovah 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.

³I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

⁴The cords of death compassed me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁵The cords of Sheol were round about me; The snares of death came upon me.

⁶In 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.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations also of the mountains quaked And were shaken, because he was wroth.

⁸There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals were kindled by it.

⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And thick darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him, Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹²At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, Hailstones and coals of fire.

¹³Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered his voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.

¹⁴And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.

¹⁵Then 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.

¹⁶He sent from on high, he took me; He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁸They came upon me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay.

¹⁹He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

²²For all his ordinances were before me, And I put not away his statutes from me.

²³I was also perfect with him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity.

²⁴Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

²⁵With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;

²⁶With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.

²⁷For thou wilt save the afflicted people; But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.

²⁸For thou wilt light my lamp: Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.

²⁹For by thee I run upon a troop; And by my God do I leap over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.

³¹For who is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, besides our God,

³²The God that girdeth me with strength, And maketh my way perfect?

³³He maketh my feet like hinds` [feet]: And setteth me upon my high places.

³⁴He teacheth my hands to war; So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.

³⁵Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; And thy right hand hath holden me up, And thy gentleness hath made me great.

³⁶Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.

³⁷I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them; Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.

³⁸I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise: They shall fall under my feet.

³⁹For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

⁴⁰Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, That I might cut off them that hate me.

⁴¹They cried, but there was none to save; Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.

⁴²Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

⁴³Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; Thou hast made me the head of the nations: A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me; The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me.

⁴⁵The foreigners shall fade away, And shall come trembling out of their close places.

⁴⁶Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God of my salvation,

⁴⁷Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, And subdueth peoples under me.

⁴⁸He rescueth me from mine enemies; Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations, And will sing praises unto thy name.

⁵⁰Great deliverance giveth he to his king, And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed, To David and to his seed, for evermore.

Psalms 18 (ASV)

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Psalms

Chapter 18

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