Psalms 18

¹The title of the eiytenthe salm. To victorie, the salm of Dauid.

²Heuenes tellen out the glorie of God; and the firmament tellith the werkis of hise hondis.

³The dai tellith out to the dai a word; and the nyyt schewith kunnyng to the nyyt.

⁴No langagis ben, nether wordis; of whiche the voices of hem ben not herd.

⁵The soun of hem yede out in to al erthe; and the wordis of hem `yeden out in to the endis of the world.

⁶In the sunne he hath set his tabernacle; and he as a spouse comynge forth of his chaumbre. He fulli ioyede, as a giaunt, to renne his weie;

⁷his goynge out was fro hiyeste heuene. And his goyng ayen was to the hiyeste therof; and noon is that hidith hym silf fro his heet.

⁸The lawe of the Lord is with out wem, and conuertith soulis; the witnessyng of the Lord is feithful, and yyueth wisdom to litle children.

⁹The riytfulnessis of the Lord ben riytful, gladdynge hertis; the comaundement of the Lord is cleere, liytnynge iyen.

¹⁰The hooli drede of the Lord dwellith in to world of world; the domes of the Lord ben trewe, iustified in to hem silf.

¹¹Desirable more than gold, and a stoon myche preciouse; and swettere than hony and honycoomb.

¹²`Forwhi thi seruaunt kepith thoo; myche yeldyng is in tho to be kept.

¹³Who vndurstondith trespassis? make thou me cleene fro my priuy synnes;

¹⁴and of alien synnes spare thi seruaunt. `If the forseid defautis ben not, Lord, of me, than Y schal be with out wem; and Y schal be clensid of the mooste synne.

¹⁵And the spechis of my mouth schulen be, that tho plese; and the thenkynge of myn herte euere in thi siyt. Lord, myn helpere; and myn ayenbiere.

Psalms 18

¹I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.

²The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

³I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

⁴The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

⁵The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

⁶In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

⁷Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.

⁸There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

⁹He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

¹⁰And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

¹¹He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

¹²At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

¹³The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

¹⁴Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

¹⁵Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

¹⁶He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

¹⁷He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

¹⁸They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

¹⁹He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²⁰The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

²¹For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

²²For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

²³I was also upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.

²⁴Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

²⁵With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright;

²⁶With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

²⁷For thou wilt save the afflicted people; but wilt bring down high looks.

²⁸For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

²⁹For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.

³⁰As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

³¹For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God?

³²It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.

³³He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet, and setteth me upon my high places.

³⁴He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

³⁵Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

³⁶Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.

³⁷I have pursued mine enemies, and overtaken them: neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

³⁸I have wounded them that they were not able to rise: they are fallen under my feet.

³⁹For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

⁴⁰Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies; that I might destroy them that hate me.

⁴¹They cried, but there was none to save them: even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.

⁴²Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind: I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets.

⁴³Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; and thou hast made me the head of the heathen: a people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁴As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me: the strangers shall submit themselves unto me.

⁴⁵The strangers shall fade away, and be afraid out of their close places.

⁴⁶The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

⁴⁷It is God that avengeth me, and subdueth the people under me.

⁴⁸He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

⁴⁹Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.

⁵⁰Great deliverance giveth he to his king; and sheweth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.