The Bible - read online Recovery Version

Psa. 18

To the choir director. ^aOf David, the servant of Jehovah, ^bwho ¹spoke to Jehovah the words of this song on the day when Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul, and he said:

Psa. 18 :1 18:1 I love You, O Jehovah, my ^1astrength.

Psa. 18 :2 18:2 ^aJehovah is my crag and my ^bfortress and my Deliverer;
My God, my ^crock, in whom I ^dtake refuge;
My ^eshield and the ^fhorn of my salvation, my ^ghigh retreat.

Psa. 18 :3 18:3 I called upon Jehovah, who is worthy of praise,
And from my enemies I was saved.

Psa. 18 :4 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me;
And the torrents of destruction assailed me.

Psa. 18 :5 18:5 The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

Psa. 18 :6 18:6 In my distress I ¹called upon Jehovah
And cried out to my God.
He heard my voice from His ^atemple,
And my cry before Him came to His ears.

Psa. 18 :7 18:7 Then the earth shook and quaked,
And the foundations of the mountains trembled and shook about,
For He was furious.

Psa. 18 :8 18:8 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And fire from His mouth devoured;
Coals blazed forth from Him.

Psa. 18 :9 18:9 He ^abowed the heavens and descended,
And deep darkness was under His feet.

Psa. 18 :10 18:10 He rode upon a ^acherub and did fly;
He darted upon the ^bwings of the wind.

Psa. 18 :11 18:11 He made darkness His hiding place, His pavilion around Him:
Dark waterclouds, thick clouds of the skies.

Psa. 18 :12 18:12 Out of the brightness before Him there broke through His clouds
^aHail and fiery coals.

Psa. 18 :13 18:13 Then Jehovah thundered in heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice¹.

Psa. 18 :14 18:14 And He sent forth His arrows and scattered ¹my enemies;
And He shot forth lightning bolts and discomfited them.

Psa. 18 :15 18:15 The channels of the ^1asea were seen,
And the foundations of the habitable land were laid bare
At Your rebuke, O Jehovah,
At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

Psa. 18 :16 18:16 He reached forth from on high; He took me;
He drew me out of great waters.

Psa. 18 :17 18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy
And from those who hate me, for they were too mighty for me.

Psa. 18 :18 18:18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But Jehovah became my support.

Psa. 18 :19 18:19 He brought me forth to a place broad and free;
He rescued me, for He took delight in me.

Psa. 18 :20 18:20 Jehovah has ¹recompensed me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands He has ¹repaid me.

Psa. 18 :21 18:21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah
And have not acted wickedly by turning away from my God.

Psa. 18 :22 18:22 For all His judgments were before me,
And I did not turn His statutes away from me.

Psa. 18 :23 18:23 I was perfect toward Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.

Psa. 18 :24 18:24 Therefore Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

Psa. 18 :25 18:25 ^aWith the faithful You show Yourself faithful,
With a perfect man You show Yourself perfect,

Psa. 18 :26 18:26 With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the perverse You show Yourself contrary.

Psa. 18 :27 18:27 For it is You who save the afflicted people,
But the haughty eyes You bring down;

Psa. 18 :28 18:28 For it is You who light my ^alamp;
Jehovah my God lights up my darkness;

Psa. 18 :29 18:29 For by You I can run up against a troop;
Indeed by my God I can ^aleap over a wall.

Psa. 18 :30 18:30 As for God — His way is perfect;
The word of Jehovah is ^atried.
He is a ^bshield to all who ^ctake refuge in Him.

Psa. 18 :31 18:31 For who is God other than Jehovah,
And who is a ^arock but our God?

Psa. 18 :32 18:32 The God who girds me with strength
And makes my way perfect,

Psa. 18 :33 18:33 Who makes my feet like ^ahinds’ feet
And sets me on my ^bhigh places,

Psa. 18 :34 18:34 Who ^ateaches my hands to wage war
So that my arms may bend a bronze bow.

Psa. 18 :35 18:35 And You have given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your right hand supports me;
And Your condescending gentleness has made me great.

Psa. 18 :36 18:36 You have broadened the places of my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.

Psa. 18 :37 18:37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
And I did not turn back until they were consumed.

Psa. 18 :38 18:38 I shattered them, so that they were not able to rise up;
They fell under my feet.

Psa. 18 :39 18:39 And You girded me with strength for war;
You brought down under me those who rose up against me.

Psa. 18 :40 18:40 You also made my enemies turn their back to me,
And I annihilated those who hated me.

Psa. 18 :41 18:41 They cried out, but there was no one to save them;
They cried out to Jehovah, but He did not answer them.

Psa. 18 :42 18:42 Then I beat them like dust before the wind;
Like the mud of the streets I ¹pounded them.

Psa. 18 :43 18:43 You rescued me from the strivings of the people;
You have made me the ^ahead of the nations;
A people whom I had ^bnot known serves me.

Psa. 18 :44 18:44 At the mere hearing of a report, they obey me;
Foreigners come ^acringing to me;

Psa. 18 :45 18:45 Foreigners are discouraged
And come ^aquaking out of their fortresses.

Psa. 18 :46 18:46 Jehovah lives; and blessed be my ^arock,
And exalted be the ^bGod of my salvation,

Psa. 18 :47 18:47 The God who executes vengeance for me
And subdues peoples under me,

Psa. 18 :48 18:48 Who rescues me from my enemies.
Indeed You exalted me above those who rise up against me;
From the violent man You delivered me.

Psa. 18 :49 18:49 ^aTherefore I give thanks to You among the nations, O Jehovah;
And I will ^bsing psalms to Your name.

Psa. 18 :50 18:50 It is He who magnifies salvation to His king
And executes lovingkindness to His anointed,
To David and to his ¹seed ^aforever.