The In-Dept Study of the Bible
Psalms 018
For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the
words of this song in the day that Yahweh
delivered him from the hand of all his
enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He
said,
1 I love you, Yahweh, my strength.
2 Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my
deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take
refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.
3 I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be
praised; and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death surrounded me.
The floods of ungodliness made me
afraid.
5 The cords of Sheol† were around me.
The snares of death came on me.
6 In my distress I called on Yahweh,
and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple.
My cry before him came into his ears.
7 Then the earth shook and trembled.
The foundations also ofthe mountains
quaked and were shaken,
because he was angry.
8 Smoke went out of his nostrils.
Consumingfire came out of his mouth.
Coals were kindled by it.
9 He bowed the heavens also, and came
down. Thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub, and flew.
Yes, he soared on the wings of the
wind.
11 He made darkness his hiding place, his
pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the
skies.
12 At the brightness before him his thick
clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.
13 Yahweh also thundered in the sky.
The Most High uttered his voice:
hail stones and coals of fire.
14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered
them. He routed them with great lightning
bolts.
15 Then the channels of waters appeared.
The foundations of the world were
laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me; for they
were too mighty for me.
18 They came on me in the day of my
calamity, but Yahweh was my support.
19 He brought me out also into a large place.
He delivered me, because he delighted
in me.
20 Yahweh has rewarded me according to
my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my
hands, he has recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,
and have not wickedly departed from
my God.
22 For all his ordinances were before me.
I didn’t put away his statutes from me.
23 I was also blameless with him.
I kept myself from my iniquity.
24 Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my right eousness,
according to the cleanness of my
hands in his eyesight.
25 With the merciful you will show your self
merciful. With the perfect man, you will show
your self perfect.
26 With the pure, you will show yourself
pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
27 For you will save the afflicted people,
but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.
28 For you will light my lamp, Yahweh.
My God will light up my darkness.
29 For by you, I advance through a troop.
By my God, I leap over a wall.
30 As for God, his way is perfect.
Yahweh’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take
refuge in him.
31 For who is God, except Yahweh?
Who is a rock, besides our God,
32 the God who arms me with strength,
and makes my way perfect?
33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet,
and sets me on my high places.
34 He teaches my hands to war,
so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
35 Youhave also givenme the shield of your
salvation. Your right hand sustains me.
Your gentleness has made me great.
36 You have enlarged my steps under me,
My feet have not slipped.
37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake
them. I won’t turn away until they are consumed.
38 I will strike them through, so that they
will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.
39 For you have armed me with strength to
the battle. You have subdued under me those
who rose up against me.
40 You have also made my enemies turn
their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
41 They cried, but there was no one to save;
even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.
42 Then I beatthem small as the dust before
the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the
streets.
43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people.
You have made me the head of the nations.
A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
44 As soon as they hear of me they shall
obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.
45 The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their
strong holds.
46 Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock.
Exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 even the God who executes vengeance
for me, and subdues peoples under me.
48 He rescues me from my enemies.
Yes, you lift me up above those who
rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.
49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,
and will sing praises to your name.
50 He gives great deliverance to his king,
and shows loving kindness to his anointed,
to David and to his offspring,‡ forever
more.