Psalm 18

This song is for the music leader.

The Lord's servant, David, wrote it.

David sang these words to the Lord when the Lord saved him from the power of his enemies. This was at the time when Saul was king.

Thank you, Lord!

1 I love you, Lord.

You make me strong.

2 The Lord keeps me safe.

He is my great rock and my strong place.

God is my high rock.

I run to him to hide and be safe.

He keeps me safe like a soldier's shield.

He is the strong place where I can hide safely.

3 I praise the Lord because he deserves it!

When I called to him for help,

he saved me from my enemies.

4 Death was near enough to catch me!

Danger was like a river that poured over me.

5 Death was tying me up with ropes,

to pull me into the deep hole of the grave.

6 In my trouble, I prayed to the Lord.

I called to my God to help me.

He heard my voice from his home in heaven.

My prayer reached his ears.

7 Then the earth moved and it shook.

Even the strong mountains shook,

because God was angry.

8 He breathed out smoke from his nose.

Fire and hot coals came out from his mouth,

to destroy his enemies.

9 God caused the sky to bend as he came down.

Dark clouds were under his feet.

10 He sat on a cherub and he flew.

The wind carried him as he travelled.

11 God covered himself with darkness.

He hid himself in dark clouds that held rain.

12 Bright light went in front of him.

Hail and lightning fell from the clouds.

13 The Lord sent thunder from the sky.

People everywhere heard the voice of the Most High God.

14 The Lord shot his arrows of lightning.

He caused his enemies to run away.

15 When you shouted against your enemies, Lord,

even the bottom of the deep sea appeared.

People could see the foundations of the earth,

when you breathed out in anger.

16 The Lord reached down to me from above.

He took hold of me and he pulled me up out of the deep water.

17 Yes, he saved me from my powerful enemies.

The people who hated me were too strong for me,

but the Lord saved me from their power.

18 They attacked me when I was in trouble,

but the Lord helped me.

19 He led me out to a place where I would be safe.

He saved me because I made him happy.

20 The Lord was kind to me

because I do things that please him.

He blesses me

because I am not guilty of bad things.

21 I have obeyed the Lord's commands.

I have not turned against my God.

22 I understand all his rules,

and I do not refuse to obey them.

23 He knows that I have done nothing that is wrong.

I kept away from any sin.

24 The Lord has been kind to me,

because I did good things.

He sees that I am not guilty.

25 Lord, if people are faithful to you,

then you are faithful to them.

If people do nothing that is bad,

they can trust you to do nothing bad to them.

26 If people always do what is right,

they can trust you to be kind to them.

But if people are wicked,

you turn against them.

27 You save people who are humble.

But if people are proud, you bring them down very low.

28 Lord, you make my lamp burn brightly.

My God is my light in the dark.

29 You make me strong,

so that I can attack a whole army!

With the help of my God,

I can climb over any high wall.

30 God's way is perfect.

Yes, the Lord's promises are always true.

He keeps safe everyone who goes to him for help,

like a shield that keeps a soldier safe.

31 We know that the Lord is God,

and no one else.

Only our God can keep us safe,

like a strong rock!

32 It is God who makes me strong.

He shows me the safe way through my life.

33 He makes my feet stand strongly on the ground.

Like a deer,

I can stand on high mountains and not fall.

34 He teaches me how to fight in war.

He makes my arms strong

to shoot arrows from a metal bow.

35 Lord, your power has helped me to be strong.

You have kept me safe, like a shield.

Your kind help has made me great.

36 You have helped me to move safely,

so that my feet do not slip.

37 I ran after my enemies and I caught them.

I did not turn back until I had killed them.

38 I knocked them down to the ground.

They could not get up again.

They fell under my feet.

39 You have made me strong to fight battles,

so that I win against my enemies.

40 You cause my enemies to turn around,

and they run away from me.

I can destroy those who hate me.

41 They call out for help,

but nobody is there to help them.

They call to the Lord,

but he does not answer them.

42 I beat them into dust

that the wind blows away.

I walk over them,

like dirt that lies on the streets.

43 You have saved me from people who attacked me.

You made me a ruler of other nations.

People that I did not know before

now serve me as their ruler.

44 When foreign people hear about me,

they choose to obey me.

They cannot stand against me

because they are afraid.

45 They are not brave enough to fight me.

They shake with fear,

as they come out of their strong cities.

46 The Lord is alive! He is my strong Rock!

Everyone should praise him!

He rules as king!

He is the God who saves me.

47 He is the true God who punishes my enemies.

He makes the nations obey me.

48 He is the one who saves me from my enemies.

Yes, God, you give me power

to win against those who attack me.

You keep me safe from angry and cruel men.

49 Lord, I will thank you,

so that all the nations know about you.

I will sing to praise your name.

50 Yes, the Lord gives power to me, David, his king.

He gives me great strength to win against my enemies.

I am the special king that he has chosen.

He will continue to be kind to me

and to my descendants for ever.