Books

Psalms 18

Holman Christian Standard Bible, 2009 (HCSB)

Back to Bible

Switch Version:

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

¹ ⓐ I love You, LORD, my strength.

² The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, ⓑ my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield ⓒ and the horn of my salvation, ⓓ my stronghold.

³ I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, ⓔ and I was saved from my enemies. ⓕ

⁴ The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. ⓖ

⁵ The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. ⓗ

⁶ I called to the LORD in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, ⓘ and my cry to Him reached His ears. ⓙ

⁷ Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled; ⓚ they shook because He burned with anger.

⁸ Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; coals were set ablaze by it. [1] ⓛ

⁹ He parted the heavens and came down, ⓜ a dark cloud beneath His feet.

¹⁰ He rode on a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. ⓝ

¹¹ He made darkness His hiding place, dark storm clouds His canopy around Him. ⓞ

¹² From the radiance of His presence, ⓟ His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.

¹³ The LORD thundered from [2] heaven; the Most High projected His voice. [3] ⓠ

¹⁴ He shot His arrows and scattered them; He hurled [4] lightning bolts and routed them. ⓡ

¹⁵ The depths of the sea became visible, the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. ⓢ

¹⁶ He reached down from heaven and took hold of me; He pulled me out of deep waters. ⓣ

¹⁷ He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. ⓤ

¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my distress, but the LORD was my support. ⓥ

¹⁹ He brought me out to a spacious place; ⓦ He rescued me because He delighted in me. ⓧ

²⁰ The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; ⓨ He repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. ⓩ

²¹ For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not turned from my God to wickedness. ⓐ

²² Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind [5] and have not disregarded His statutes. ⓑ

²³ I was blameless toward Him ⓒ and kept myself from sinning.

²⁴ So the LORD repaid me according to my righteousness, ⓓ according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. ⓔ

²⁵ With the faithful You prove Yourself faithful; with the blameless man You prove Yourself blameless;

²⁶ with the pure You prove Yourself pure, but with the crooked You prove Yourself shrewd. ⓕ

²⁷ For You rescue an afflicted people, ⓖ but You humble those with haughty eyes. ⓗ

²⁸ LORD, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness. ⓘ

²⁹ With You I can attack a barrier, [6] and with my God I can leap over a wall. ⓙ

³⁰ God — His way is perfect; ⓚ the word of the LORD is pure. ⓛ He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. ⓜ

³¹ For who is God besides Yahweh? ⓝ And who is a rock? Only our God. ⓞ

³² God — He clothes me with strength ⓟ and makes my way perfect.

³³ He makes my feet like the feet of a deer ⓠ and sets me securely on the heights. [7] ⓡ

³⁴ He trains my hands for war; ⓢ my arms can bend a bow of bronze. ⓣ

³⁵ You have given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand upholds me, ⓤ and Your humility exalts me.

³⁶ You widen a place beneath me for my steps, ⓥ and my ankles do not give way. ⓦ

³⁷ I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out. ⓧ

³⁸ I crush them, and they cannot get up; they fall beneath my feet. ⓨ

³⁹ You have clothed me with strength for battle; ⓩ You subdue my adversaries beneath me. ⓐ

⁴¹ They cry for help, but there is no one to save them ⓓ — they cry to the LORD, but He does not answer them. ⓔ

⁴² I pulverize them like dust before the wind; ⓕ I trample them [9] like mud in the streets. ⓖ

⁴³ You have freed me from the feuds among the people; You have appointed me the head of nations; ⓗ a people I had not known serve me. ⓘ

⁴⁴ Foreigners submit to me grudgingly; as soon as they hear, [10] they obey me. ⓙ

⁴⁵ Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their fortifications. ⓚ

⁴⁶ The LORD lives — may my rock be praised! The God of my salvation is exalted. ⓛ

⁴⁷ God — He gives me vengeance ⓜ and subdues peoples under me. ⓝ

⁴⁸ He frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my adversaries; You rescue me from violent men. ⓞ

⁴⁹ Therefore I will praise You, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing about Your name. ⓟ

⁵⁰ He gives great victories to His king; ⓠ He shows loyalty to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever. ⓡ

#	HCSB
1	ⓐ I love You, LORD, my strength.
2	The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, ⓑ my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield ⓒ and the horn of my salvation, ⓓ my stronghold.
3	I called to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, ⓔ and I was saved from my enemies. ⓕ
4	The ropes of death were wrapped around me; the torrents of destruction terrified me. ⓖ
5	The ropes of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. ⓗ
6	I called to the LORD in my distress, and I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, ⓘ and my cry to Him reached His ears. ⓙ
7	Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the mountains trembled; ⓚ they shook because He burned with anger.
8	Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; coals were set ablaze by it. [1] ⓛ
9	He parted the heavens and came down, ⓜ a dark cloud beneath His feet.
10	He rode on a cherub and flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. ⓝ
11	He made darkness His hiding place, dark storm clouds His canopy around Him. ⓞ
12	From the radiance of His presence, ⓟ His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals.
13	The LORD thundered from [2] heaven; the Most High projected His voice. [3] ⓠ
14	He shot His arrows and scattered them; He hurled [4] lightning bolts and routed them. ⓡ
15	The depths of the sea became visible, the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils. ⓢ
16	He reached down from heaven and took hold of me; He pulled me out of deep waters. ⓣ
17	He rescued me from my powerful enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me. ⓤ
18	They confronted me in the day of my distress, but the LORD was my support. ⓥ
19	He brought me out to a spacious place; ⓦ He rescued me because He delighted in me. ⓧ
20	The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; ⓨ He repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands. ⓩ
21	For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not turned from my God to wickedness. ⓐ
22	Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances in mind [5] and have not disregarded His statutes. ⓑ
23	I was blameless toward Him ⓒ and kept myself from sinning.
24	So the LORD repaid me according to my righteousness, ⓓ according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. ⓔ
25	With the faithful You prove Yourself faithful; with the blameless man You prove Yourself blameless;
26	with the pure You prove Yourself pure, but with the crooked You prove Yourself shrewd. ⓕ
27	For You rescue an afflicted people, ⓖ but You humble those with haughty eyes. ⓗ
28	LORD, You light my lamp; my God illuminates my darkness. ⓘ
29	With You I can attack a barrier, [6] and with my God I can leap over a wall. ⓙ
30	God — His way is perfect; ⓚ the word of the LORD is pure. ⓛ He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. ⓜ
31	For who is God besides Yahweh? ⓝ And who is a rock? Only our God. ⓞ
32	God — He clothes me with strength ⓟ and makes my way perfect.
33	He makes my feet like the feet of a deer ⓠ and sets me securely on the heights. [7] ⓡ
34	He trains my hands for war; ⓢ my arms can bend a bow of bronze. ⓣ
35	You have given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand upholds me, ⓤ and Your humility exalts me.
36	You widen a place beneath me for my steps, ⓥ and my ankles do not give way. ⓦ
37	I pursue my enemies and overtake them; I do not turn back until they are wiped out. ⓧ
38	I crush them, and they cannot get up; they fall beneath my feet. ⓨ
39	You have clothed me with strength for battle; ⓩ You subdue my adversaries beneath me. ⓐ
40	You have made my enemies retreat before me; [8] ⓑ I annihilate those who hate me. ⓒ
41	They cry for help, but there is no one to save them ⓓ — they cry to the LORD, but He does not answer them. ⓔ
42	I pulverize them like dust before the wind; ⓕ I trample them [9] like mud in the streets. ⓖ
43	You have freed me from the feuds among the people; You have appointed me the head of nations; ⓗ a people I had not known serve me. ⓘ
44	Foreigners submit to me grudgingly; as soon as they hear, [10] they obey me. ⓙ
45	Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their fortifications. ⓚ
46	The LORD lives — may my rock be praised! The God of my salvation is exalted. ⓛ
47	God — He gives me vengeance ⓜ and subdues peoples under me. ⓝ
48	He frees me from my enemies. You exalt me above my adversaries; You rescue me from violent men. ⓞ
49	Therefore I will praise You, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing about Your name. ⓟ
50	He gives great victories to His king; ⓠ He shows loyalty to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever. ⓡ

Footnotes & Cross-References

Cross-References

^{Psalms 18:2 [25]} Or sovereign

^{Psalms 18:2 [26]} Horn here symbolizes strength.

^{Psalms 18:13 [27]} Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Samuel 22:14); most Hebrew manuscripts resounded, / amid hailstones and bolts of lightning

^{Psalms 18:29 [28]} Or can run through a barricade

^{Psalms 18:42 [29]} Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Targum (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); Masoretic Text I poured them out

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Holy Bible

Psalms 18

Cross-References

Select Commentary