[1] To the chief music-maker. Of the servant of the Lord, of David, who
said the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord made him
free from the hand of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul; and he
said, [2] \18:1\I will give you my love, O Lord, my strength. [3] \18:2\The
Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour; my God, my Rock, in him
will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, and my
high tower. [4] \18:3\I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be
praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me. [5]
\18:4\The cords of death were round me, and the seas of evil put me in
fear. [6] \18:5\The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on
me. [7] \18:6\In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my
God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came
before him, even into his ears. [8] \18:7\Then trouble and shock came on
the earth; and the bases of the mountains were moved and shaking, because
he was angry. [9] \18:8\There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of
destruction from his mouth: flames were lighted by it. [10] \18:9\The
heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his
feet. [11] \18:10\And he went in flight through the air, seated on a
storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind. [12] \18:11\He made
the dark his secret place; his tent round him was the dark waters and thick
clouds of the skies. [13] \18:12\Before his shining light his dark clouds
went past, raining ice and fire. [14] \18:13\The Lord made thunder in the
heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out: a rain of ice and
fire. [15] \18:14\He sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions;
by his flames of fire they were troubled. [16] \18:15\Then the deep beds of
the waters were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of
your words of wrath, O Lord, because of the breath from your mouth. [17]
\18:16\He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
[18] \18:17\He made me free from my strong hater, and from those who were
against me, because they were stronger than I. [19] \18:18\They came on me
in the day of my trouble; but the Lord was my support. [20] \18:19\He took
me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
[21] \18:20\The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my
hands are clean before him. [22] \18:21\For I have kept the ways of the
Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God. [23] \18:22\For all
his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me. [24]
\18:23\And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin. [25]
\18:24\Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my
righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes. [26] \18:25\On him
who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright; [27]
\18:26\He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way
is not straight you will be a hard judge. [28] \18:27\For you are the
saviour of those who are in trouble; but eyes full of pride will be made
low. [29] \18:28\You, O Lord, will be my light; by you, my God, the dark
will be made bright for me. [30] \18:29\By your help I have made a way
through the wall which was shutting me in; by the help of my God I have
gone over a wall. [31] \18:30\As for God, his way is completely good; the
word of the Lord is tested; he is a breastplate for all those who put their
faith in him. [32] \18:31\For who is God but the Lord? or who is a Rock but
our God? [33] \18:32\God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a
straight way. [34] \18:33\He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on
high places. [35] \18:34\He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of
brass is bent by my arms. [36] \18:35\You have given me the breastplate of
your salvation: your right hand has been my support, and your mercy has
made me great. [37] \18:36\You have made my steps wide under me, so that my
feet are kept from slipping. [38] \18:37\I go after my haters and overtake
them; not turning back till they are all overcome. [39] \18:38\I will give
them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under
my feet. [40] \18:39\For I have been armed by you with strength for the
fight: you have made low under me those who come out against me. [41]
\18:40\By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut
off. [42] \18:41\They were crying out, but there was no one to come to
their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer. [43] \18:42\Then
they were crushed as small as dust before the wind; they were drained out
like the waste of the streets. [44] \18:43\You have made me free from the
fightings of the people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people
of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants. [45] \18:44\From the time
when my name comes to their ears they will be ruled by me: men of other
countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority. [46]
\18:45\They will be wasting away, they will come out of their secret places
shaking with fear. [47] \18:46\The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock,
and let the God of my salvation be honoured. [48] \18:47\It is God who
sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule. [49]
\18:48\He makes me free from my haters; I am lifted up over those who come
up against me: you have made me free from the violent man. [50]
\18:49\Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations,
and will make a song of praise to your name. [51] \18:50\Great salvation
does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David,
and on his seed for ever.
