Psalm 18 (ARST)

1Yahweh, I love you, the one who enables me to be strong.For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength.

2Yahweh is like a huge rock; when I am on top of it, my enemies cannot reach me. He is like a strong fortress; I run into it to be safe. He protects me like a shield protects a soldier; he is the one whom I trust to keep me safe; he defends me by his great power!The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3I called out to Yahweh, who deserves for me to praise him, and he rescued me from my enemies.I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

4All around me were dangerous situations in which I might die; it was as though there were huge waves that almost crashed on me and killed me.The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

5It was as though the place where dead people are had ropes that were wrapped around me, or it was as though there was a trap that would seize and kill me.The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

6But when I was very distressed, I called out to Yahweh, and far off in his temple he heard me. He listened to me when I cried out for help.In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.

7Then Yahweh became angry, and the earth quaked, and the mountains shook to their very foundations!Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.

8He was so angry that it was as though smoke poured out from his nostrils, as though burning coals came out of his mouth!Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.

9He opened the sky and came down with a black cloud under his feet.He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.

10He flew, riding on the back of an angel traveling fast, which the wind was blowing along.He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.

11Darkness was all around him like a blanket; dark clouds, full of water moisture, covered him.He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.

12Hailstones and flashes of lightning were around him; hail and burning coals fell down from the sky.From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.

13Then Yahweh shouted loudly from the sky, and to his enemies, it sounded like thunder. Yahweh, the Supreme God, rained hailstones on them and caused lightning to flash against them.The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded—hailstones and coals of fire.

14He shot his arrows at them and caused them to scatter; his flashes of lightning caused them to become very confused.He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.

15The bottom of the ocean became visible, and the water uncovered the foundations of the earth when Yahweh rebuked his enemies with the breath that came in his anger!The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

16It was as though he reached down from heaven and grabbed me and pulled me up out of the deep ocean.He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.

17He rescued me from my strong enemies who hated me; they were very strong, and I could not defeat them by myself.He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.

18When I was distressed, they attacked me, but Yahweh defended me.They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.

19He made me completely safe; he rescued me because he was pleased with me.He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.

20Yahweh has rewarded me because I do what is right; he has blessed me because I am innocent.The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

21I have obeyed Yahweh’ s laws; I have not abandoned him.For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22I have followed his decrees; I have not stopped obeying them.For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.

23He knows that I have not done what is wrong and that I have kept myself from sinning.And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.

24So he rewards me because I do what is right; he knows that I have not committed sins.So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

25Yahweh, you are faithful to those who faithfully do your covenant; you always do what is good to those who do not do evil.To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;

26You are kind to those who are honest toward others, but you act wisely toward those who act dishonestly.to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.

27You save those who are humble, but you humiliate those who are proud.For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.

28You keep me alive, and you will continue to do so.For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.

29You enable me to be strong, so that I can attack and defeat a line of enemy soldiers; with your help I can scale the walls that surround my enemies’ cities.For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.

30Everything that Yahweh my God does is perfect. We can depend on him to do what he promises. He is like a shield to protect all those who go to him to be safe.As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

31Yahweh is the only one who is God; only he is like a huge rock on top of which we can be safe.For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

32God is the one who enables me to be strong and who keeps me safe on the roads that I walk on.It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.

33He enables me to walk swiftly without stumbling as a deer walks in the mountains.He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.

34He teaches me how to use a strong bow in order that I can use it to fight in battles.He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35Yahweh, you protect and save me with your shield; you are strong and have therefore kept me safe. I have become strong because you have helped me.You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.

36You have made a safe path for me, with the result that now I do not slip.You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.

37I pursued my enemies and caught them; I did not stop until I had defeated them all.I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.

38When I strike them, they are not able to get up again; they lie on the ground, defeated.I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.

39You have enabled me to be strong in order that I can fight battles and defeat my enemies.You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

40You delivered my enemies to me, for me to strike them on their necks. I have gotten rid of all those who hated me.You have made my enemies retreat before me; I destroyed those who hated me.

41They shouted for someone to help them, but no one saved them. They shouted out to Yahweh, but he did not help them.They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer.

42I crushed them to powder, and they became like the dust that the wind blows away; I threw them out like people throw dirt out into the streets.I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them like mud in the streets.

43You enabled me to defeat those who fought against me and appointed me to be the ruler of many nations; people whom I did not know about previously are now slaves in my kingdom.You have delivered me from the strife of the people; You have made me the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.

44When foreigners hear about me, they cringe and they obey me.When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.

45They are no longer courageous, and from their holes where they were hiding they come to me trembling.Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.

46Yahweh is alive! Praise the one who is like a huge rock on top of which I am safe! Exalt the God who saves me!The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—

47He enables me to get revenge on my enemies; he causes me to defeat nations and to rule over them.the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,

48it is Yahweh who rescues me from my enemies. He has lifted me up high so that violent men could not reach me and harm me.who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.

49So I praise him, and I tell the nations the great things that he has done.Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.

50He has enabled me, his king, to powerfully defeat my enemies; he faithfully loves me as he promised in his covenant. He loves me, David, the one he has chosen to be king, and he will faithfully love my descendants forever.Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

Psalm 18

You’ve read Psalm 18

Go Deeper

Psalm 18

You’ve read Psalm 18

Go Deeper