Friday, November 21, 2008

Psalm 18

Is this a new category of psalm or another Royal? I am inclined to put it in the growing pile of Royal psalms and let it drag 144 with it. And it was so.

For the leader
of a servant of יְהוָה
of David who spoke to יְהוָה the words of this particular song in the day יְהוָה delivered him from the slap of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul and he said

I will love you יְהוָה my strength
יְהוָה my cliff and my fortress and my security
my God my rock
I will take refuge in him
my shield and the horn of my salvation
my retreat

Praising I will call יְהוָה
and from my enemies I will be saved
The sorrows of death surrounded me
and floods of destruction terrify me
The sorrows of a grave encompassed me
The snares of death confronted me
In my distress I call upon יְהוָה
and to my God I cry for help
He hears my voice from his temple
and my cry comes before his face to his very ears

And the earth shakes and trembles
and the foundations of the hills move and are shaken
for he was burning with anger

A smoke arises from his nostril
and fire from his mouth devours
coals were kindled from it
and he bends heavens and descends
with dark turbulence under his feet
and he rides on a cherub and he flies
he darts on the wings of the wind
he makes darkness his covering
round about him his booth
dark waters, clouds of the skies

At the light before him his clouds passed
hail and coals of fire
And יְהוָה thunders in the heavens
and the Highest gives his voice
hail and coals of fire
and he sends his arrows and scatters them
and he shoots out lightnings and confuses them
Then channels of waters are seen
and the foundations of the world are discovered at your rebuke יְהוָה
at the breath of the wind of your nostrils

He will send from above
He will take me
he will draw me out of many waters
He will deliver me from my strong enemy
and from those hating me
for they were too hard for me

They will confront me in a day of my burden
but יְהוָה becomes my support
He will bring me into extraordinary space
he will rescue me for he delighted in me

יְהוָה will be sufficient with me for my righteousness
for the cleanness of my hands he will turn to me
for I have kept the ways of יְהוָה
and I have not been evil with my God
for all his judgments before me
and his statutes I will not put from me
and I will be complete in him
and I will keep myself from my guilt

and יְהוָה returned to me for my righteousness
for the cleanness of my hands in front of his eyes
with the kind you show yourself kind
with one complete you show yourself complete
with the pure you show yourself pure
and with the devious you show yourself tortuous

for you will save the poor people
and the eyes of of pride you will humble
for you will light my lamp יְהוָה
my God make light my darkness
for with you I have raced an army
and by my God I have leaped a wall

This God, his way is complete
the word of יְהוָה refined
he is a shield to all taking refuge in him
for who is God apart from יְהוָה
and who a rock except our God

This God clothes me in strength
and he will make my way complete
establishing my feet as the deer
and on my mountains he stands me
in teaching my hands to war
and he has broken the bow of steel by my arms
and you gave me the shield of your salvation
and your right hand holds me
and your gentleness makes me great

You will enlarge my steps under me
lest my limbs stumble
I will pursue my enemies and will overtake them
and I will not turn back until they are finished
I will shatter them and they will not be able to rise
they will fall under my feet
and you will clothe me with strength for the battle
you will subdue beneath me those rising against me
and the necks of my enemies you have given to me
and I will destroy those hating me

they will cry out for help and there is no salvation
to יְהוָה and he did not respond
and I pulverized them like dust in the face of a wind
as dirt of the streets I cast them out

you will secure me in the disputes of the people
you will make me as the beginning of nations
a people I did not know will serve me
hearing by ear they will hear of me
the children of aliens feign obedience to me
the children of aliens will languish and will quake in their fortresses
יְהוָה lives and blessed is my rock
the God of my salvation will be lifted up

This God gives me my vengeance
and he commands the peoples under me
he secures me from my enemies
surely you will lift me up from those rising against me
from the violent you will deliver me
therefore I will give you thanks among the nations יְהוָה
and to your name I will sing praises
Great victories he makes for his king
and he makes loving kindness for his anointed David and his seed for ever

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