Parallel
Psalms 18
World English Bible British Edition · Berean Standard Bible
I love you, LORD, my strength.
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.
The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;
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.
I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.
The cords of death surrounded me.
The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol were around me.
The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called on the LORD,
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.
Then the earth shook and trembled.
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.
Smoke went out of his nostrils.
Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down.
He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
He rode on a cherub, and flew.
He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him,
He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,
From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire (note: Or bolts of lightning; also in verse 13).
The LORD also thundered in the sky.
The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded—hailstones and coals of fire (note: Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX do not include —hailstones and coals of fire; see 2 Samuel 22:14.).
He sent out his arrows, and scattered them.
He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.
Then the channels of waters appeared.
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.
He sent from on high.
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.
He delivered me from my strong enemy,
He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.
They came on me in the day of my calamity,
They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.
He brought me out also into a large place.
He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness.
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his ordinances were before me.
For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.
I was also blameless with him.
And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.
Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.
To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
With the pure, you will show yourself pure.
to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.
For you will save the afflicted people,
For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
For you will light my lamp, LORD.
For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.
For by you, I advance through a troop.
For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect.
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.
For who is God, except the LORD?
For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?
It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
He makes my feet like deer’s feet,
He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.
You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me (note: Or and Your help exalts me or and You stoop down to make me great).
You have enlarged my steps under me,
You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.
I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them.
I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise.
I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.
For you have armed me with strength to the battle.
You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.
You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
You have made my enemies retreat before me; I destroyed those who hated me.
They cried, but there was no one to save;
They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—to the LORD, but He did not answer.
Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind.
I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them (note: Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); MT I poured them out) like mud in the streets.
You have delivered me from the strivings of the people.
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.
As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me.
When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.
The foreigners shall fade away,
Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.
The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock.
The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—
even the God who executes vengeance for me,
the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,
He rescues me from my enemies.
who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.
Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, amongst the nations,
Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name (note: Cited in Romans 15:9).
He gives great deliverance to his king,
Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.