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Psalm 18
EasyEnglish Bible

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![a]

18 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.[b]
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.[c]

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.[d]
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.[e]
He will continue to be kind to me
    and to my descendants for ever.

Footnotes

  1. 18:1 This Psalm also comes in 2 Samuel 22. You can read there about the things that happened when David sang this song.
  2. 18:2 David calls God his ‘rock’ because a rock is a safe, strong place. If an enemy is chasing you, a rock is a good place to hide.
  3. 18:29 When an army attacked a city, the soldiers had to knock down the walls of the city or climb over them.
  4. 18:34 David would need to be very strong to bend a metal bow and shoot an arrow.
  5. 18:50 The Hebrew word for a king that God has chosen is ‘Messiah’. When we call Jesus Christ God's Messiah, we are saying that he is the special King that God has chosen. He is a descendant of King David.
Listen to Psalm 18
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Psalm 18
New International Version

Psalm 18[a](A)

For the director of music. Of David the servant of the Lord. He sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

1 I love you, Lord, my strength.(B)

2 The Lord is my rock,(C) my fortress(D) and my deliverer;(E)
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,(F)
    my shield[b](G) and the horn[c] of my salvation,(H) my stronghold.

3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,(I)
    and I have been saved from my enemies.(J)
4 The cords of death(K) entangled me;
    the torrents(L) of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
    the snares of death(M) confronted me.

6 In my distress(N) I called to the Lord;(O)
    I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;(P)
    my cry came(Q) before him, into his ears.
7 The earth trembled(R) and quaked,(S)
    and the foundations of the mountains shook;(T)
    they trembled because he was angry.(U)
8 Smoke rose from his nostrils;(V)
    consuming fire(W) came from his mouth,
    burning coals(X) blazed out of it.
9 He parted the heavens and came down;(Y)
    dark clouds(Z) were under his feet.
10 He mounted the cherubim(AA) and flew;
    he soared(AB) on the wings of the wind.(AC)
11 He made darkness his covering,(AD) his canopy(AE) around him—
    the dark rain clouds of the sky.
12 Out of the brightness of his presence(AF) clouds advanced,
    with hailstones(AG) and bolts of lightning.(AH)
13 The Lord thundered(AI) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.[d]
14 He shot his arrows(AJ) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning(AK) he routed them.(AL)
15 The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations(AM) of the earth laid bare
at your rebuke,(AN) Lord,
    at the blast of breath from your nostrils.(AO)

16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
    he drew me out of deep waters.(AP)
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,(AQ)
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.(AR)
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,(AS)
    but the Lord was my support.(AT)
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;(AU)
    he rescued me because he delighted in me.(AV)

20 The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(AW)
    according to the cleanness of my hands(AX) he has rewarded me.(AY)
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;(AZ)
    I am not guilty of turning(BA) from my God.
22 All his laws are before me;(BB)
    I have not turned away from his decrees.
23 I have been blameless(BC) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
24 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(BD)
    according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

25 To the faithful(BE) you show yourself faithful,(BF)
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
26 to the pure(BG) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(BH)
27 You save the humble(BI)
    but bring low those whose eyes are haughty.(BJ)
28 You, Lord, keep my lamp(BK) burning;
    my God turns my darkness into light.(BL)
29 With your help(BM) I can advance against a troop[e];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

30 As for God, his way is perfect:(BN)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;(BO)
    he shields(BP) all who take refuge(BQ) in him.
31 For who is God besides the Lord?(BR)
    And who is the Rock(BS) except our God?
32 It is God who arms me with strength(BT)
    and keeps my way secure.(BU)
33 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;(BV)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.(BW)
34 He trains my hands for battle;(BX)
    my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35 You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains(BY) me;
    your help has made me great.
36 You provide a broad path(BZ) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.(CA)

37 I pursued my enemies(CB) and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
38 I crushed them(CC) so that they could not rise;(CD)
    they fell beneath my feet.(CE)
39 You armed me with strength(CF) for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries(CG) before me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs(CH) in flight,
    and I destroyed(CI) my foes.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them(CJ)—
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.(CK)
42 I beat them as fine as windblown dust;(CL)
    I trampled them[f] like mud in the streets.
43 You have delivered me from the attacks of the people;
    you have made me the head of nations.(CM)
People I did not know(CN) now serve me,
44     foreigners(CO) cower before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
45 They all lose heart;(CP)
    they come trembling(CQ) from their strongholds.(CR)

46 The Lord lives!(CS) Praise be to my Rock!(CT)
    Exalted be God(CU) my Savior!(CV)
47 He is the God who avenges(CW) me,
    who subdues nations(CX) under me,
48     who saves(CY) me from my enemies.(CZ)
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man(DA) you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;(DB)
    I will sing(DC) the praises of your name.(DD)

50 He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed,(DE)
    to David(DF) and to his descendants forever.(DG)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 18:1 In Hebrew texts 18:1-50 is numbered 18:2-51.
  2. Psalm 18:2 Or sovereign
  3. Psalm 18:2 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  4. Psalm 18:13 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (see also 2 Samuel 22:14); most Hebrew manuscripts resounded, / amid hailstones and bolts of lightning
  5. Psalm 18:29 Or can run through a barricade
  6. Psalm 18:42 Many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac and Targum (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); Masoretic Text I poured them out
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