New King James Version

English Standard Version

God the Sovereign Savior

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:

I will love You, O Lord, my strength.

1

The Lord Is My Rock and My Fortress

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said:

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

2

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my [a]strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the [b]horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

2

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

3

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

3

I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.

4

The pangs of death surrounded me,
And the floods of [c]ungodliness made me afraid.

4

The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;a

5

The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

5

the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.

6

In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

6

In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

7

Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.

7

Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.

8

Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.

8

Smoke went up from his nostrils,b
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.

9

He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.

9

He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.

10

And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
He flew upon the wings of the wind.

10

He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.

11

He made darkness His secret place;
His canopy around Him was dark waters
And thick clouds of the skies.

11

He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.

12

From the brightness before Him,
His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.

12

Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13

The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
[d]Hailstones and coals of fire.

13

The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.

14

He sent out His arrows and scattered [e]the foe,
Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

14

And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.

15

Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered
At Your rebuke, O Lord,
At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

15

Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16

He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.

16

He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.

17

He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.

17

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

18

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.

18

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.

19

He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

19

He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

20

The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.

20

The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

21

For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.

21

For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22

For all His judgments were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.

22

For all his rulesc were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.

23

I was also blameless [f]before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.

23

I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.

24

Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

24

So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25

With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

25

With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

26

With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

26

with the purified you show yourself pure;
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

27

For You will save the humble people,
But will bring down haughty looks.

27

For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.

28

For You will light my lamp;
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

28

For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.

29

For by You I can [g]run against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.

29

For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.

30

As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is [h]proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

30

This God — his way is perfect;d
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

31

For who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?

31

For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God? —

32

It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.

32

the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.

33

He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.

33

He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.

34

He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

34

He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

35

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.

35

You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.

36

You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.

36

You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.

37

I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

37

I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.

38

I have wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.

38

I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.

39

For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have [i]subdued under me those who rose up against me.

39

For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.

40

You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.

40

You made my enemies turn their backs to me,e
and those who hated me I destroyed.

41

They cried out, but there was none to save;
Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.

41

They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

42

Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;
I cast them out like dirt in the streets.

42

I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.

43

You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
You have made me the head of the [j]nations;
A people I have not known shall serve me.

43

You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.

44

As soon as they hear of me they obey me;
The foreigners [k]submit to me.

44

As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.

45

The foreigners fade away,
And come frightened from their hideouts.

45

Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.

46

The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.

46

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation —

47

It is God who avenges me,
And subdues the peoples under me;

47

the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,

48

He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the violent man.

48

who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from the man of violence.

49

Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the [l]Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.

49

For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing to your name.

50

Great deliverance He gives to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
To David and his [m]descendants forevermore.

50

Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Parallel

New King James Version

English Standard Version

Psalms 18

Psalms 18