Psalm 18 (ASV) - For the Chief Musician. [A

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of Jehovah, who spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and he said,

I love thee, O Jehovah, my strength.

Psa 18:2

Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

My God, my rock, in whom I will take refuge;

My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

Psa 18:3

I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:

So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Psa 18:4

The cords of death compassed me,

And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

Psa 18:5

The cords of Sheol were round about me;

The snares of death came upon me.

Psa 18:6

In my distress I called upon Jehovah,

And cried unto my God:

He heard my voice out of his temple,

And my cry before him came into his ears.

Psa 18:7

Then the earth shook and trembled;

The foundations also of the mountains quaked

And were shaken, because he was wroth.

Psa 18:8

There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,

And fire out of his mouth devoured:

Coals were kindled by it.

Psa 18:9

He bowed the heavens also, and came down;

And thick darkness was under his feet.

Psa 18:10

And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;

Yea, he soared upon the wings of the wind.

Psa 18:11

He made darkness his hiding-place, his pavilion round about him,

Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

Psa 18:12

At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

Psa 18:13

Jehovah also thundered in the heavens,

And the Most High uttered his voice,

Hailstones and coals of fire.

Psa 18:14

And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them;

Yea, lightnings manifold, and discomfited them.

Psa 18:15

Then the channels of waters appeared,

And the foundations of the world were laid bare,

At thy rebuke, O Jehovah,

At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

Psa 18:16

He sent from on high, he took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

Psa 18:17

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

And from them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

Psa 18:18

They came upon me in the day of my calamity;

But Jehovah was my stay.

Psa 18:19

He brought me forth also into a large place;

He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

Psa 18:20

Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

Psa 18:21

For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

Psa 18:22

For all his ordinances were before me,

And I put not away his statutes from me.

Psa 18:23

I was also perfect with him,

And I kept myself from mine iniquity.

Psa 18:24

Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

Psa 18:25

With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;

With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;

Psa 18:26

With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;

And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.

Psa 18:27

For thou wilt save the afflicted people;

But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down.

Psa 18:28

For thou wilt light my lamp:

Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness.

Psa 18:29

For by thee I run upon a troop;

And by my God do I leap over a wall.

Psa 18:30

As for God, his way is perfect:

The word of Jehovah is tried;

He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.

Psa 18:31

For who is God, save Jehovah?

And who is a rock, besides our God,

Psa 18:32

The God that girdeth me with strength,

And maketh my way perfect?

Psa 18:33

He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet:

And setteth me upon my high places.

Psa 18:34

He teacheth my hands to war;

So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.

Psa 18:35

Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;

And thy right hand hath holden me up,

And thy gentleness hath made me great.

Psa 18:36

Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,

And my feet have not slipped.

Psa 18:37

I will pursue mine enemies, and overtake them;

Neither will I turn again till they are consumed.

Psa 18:38

I will smite them through, so that they shall not be able to rise:

They shall fall under my feet.

Psa 18:39

For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle:

Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

Psa 18:40

Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,

That I might cut off them that hate me.

Psa 18:41

They cried, but there was none to save;

Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.

Psa 18:42

Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind;

I did cast them out as the mire of the streets.

Psa 18:43

Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people;

Thou hast made me the head of the nations:

A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

Psa 18:44

As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me;

The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me.

Psa 18:45

The foreigners shall fade away,

And shall come trembling out of their close places.

Psa 18:46

Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock;

And exalted be the God of my salvation,

Psa 18:47

Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,

And subdueth peoples under me.

Psa 18:48

He rescueth me from mine enemies;

Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;

Thou deliverest me from the violent man.

Psa 18:49

Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations,

And will sing praises unto thy name.

Psa 18:50

Great deliverance giveth he to his king,

And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,

To David and to his seed, for evermore.

Psalm 18 :: American Standard Version (ASV)

Jehovah praised for giving Victory and Dominion.