Psalms 18:20-36
Psalms 18:20-42 The Message (MSG)
GOD made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I got my act together, he gave me a fresh start. Now I’m alert to GOD’s ways; I don’t take God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works; I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step. GOD rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes. The good people taste your goodness, The whole people taste your health, The true people taste your truth, The bad ones can’t figure you out. You take the side of the down-and-out, But the stuck-up you take down a notch. Suddenly, GOD, you floodlight my life; I’m blazing with glory, God’s glory! I smash the bands of marauders, I vault the highest fences. What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every GOD-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him Makes it. Is there any god like GOD? Are we not at bedrock? Is not this the God who armed me, then aimed me in the right direction? Now I run like a deer; I’m king of the mountain. He shows me how to fight; I can bend a bronze bow! You protect me with salvation-armor; you hold me up with a firm hand, caress me with your gentle ways. You cleared the ground under me so my footing was firm. When I chased my enemies I caught them; I didn’t let go till they were dead men. I nailed them; they were down for good; then I walked all over them. You armed me well for this fight, you smashed the upstarts. You made my enemies turn tail, and I wiped out the haters. They cried “uncle” but Uncle didn’t come; They yelled for GOD and got no for an answer. I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind. I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter.
Psalms 18:20-36 King James Version (KJV)
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me, And I did not put away his statutes from me. I was also upright before him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; With an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; And with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. For thou wilt save the afflicted people; But wilt bring down high looks. For thou wilt light my candle: The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop; And by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: The word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the LORD? Or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, And maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, And setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war, So that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. 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. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, That my feet did not slip.
Psalms 18:20-36 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)
The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His ordinances were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless with Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His eyes. With the kind You show Yourself kind; With the blameless You show Yourself blameless; With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the crooked You show Yourself astute. For You save an afflicted people, But haughty eyes You abase. For You light my lamp; The LORD my God illumines my darkness. For by You I can run upon a troop; And by my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God, The God who girds me with strength And makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me upon my high places. He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds me; And Your gentleness makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
Psalms 18:20-36 New Century Version (NCV)
The LORD spared me because I did what was right. Because I have not done evil, he has rewarded me. I have followed the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning away from my God. I remember all his laws and have not broken his rules. I am innocent before him; I have kept myself from doing evil. The LORD rewarded me because I did what was right, because I did what the LORD said was right. LORD, you are loyal to those who are loyal, and you are good to those who are good. You are pure to those who are pure, but you are against those who are bad. You save the humble, but you bring down those who are proud. LORD, you give light to my lamp. My God brightens the darkness around me. With your help I can attack an army. With God’s help I can jump over a wall. The ways of God are without fault. The LORD’s words are pure. He is a shield to those who trust him. Who is God? Only the LORD. Who is the Rock? Only our God. God is my protection. He makes my way free from fault. He makes me like a deer that does not stumble; he helps me stand on the steep mountains. He trains my hands for battle so my arms can bend a bronze bow. You protect me with your saving shield. You support me with your right hand. You have stooped to make me great. You give me a better way to live, so I live as you want me to.
Psalms 18:20-36 American Standard Version (ASV)
Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his ordinances were before me, And I put not away his statutes from me. I was also perfect with him, And I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight. With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect; With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward. For thou wilt save the afflicted people; But the haughty eyes thou wilt bring down. For thou wilt light my lamp: Jehovah my God will lighten my darkness. For by thee I run upon a troop; And by my God do I leap over a wall. 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. For who is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, besides our God, The God that girdeth me with strength, And maketh my way perfect? He maketh my feet like hinds’ feet: And setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war; So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass. 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. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.
Psalms 18:20-36 New International Version (Anglicised) (NIVUK)
The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I am not guilty of turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless, to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble but bring low those whose eyes are haughty. You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: the LORD’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield, and your right hand sustains me; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way.
Psalms 18:20-36 New King James Version (NKJV)
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip.
Psalms 18:20-36 Amplified Bible (AMP)
¶The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity); According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His ordinances were before me, And I did not put away His statutes from me. I was blameless before Him, And I kept myself free from my sin. Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness (moral character, spiritual integrity), According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight. ¶With the kind (merciful, faithful, loyal) You show Yourself kind, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless, With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the crooked You show Yourself astute. For You save an afflicted and humble people, But bring down those [arrogant fools] with haughty eyes. For You cause my lamp to be lighted and to shine; The LORD my God illumines my darkness. For by You I can crush a troop, And by my God I can leap over a wall. ¶As for God, His way is blameless. The word of the LORD is tested [it is perfect, it is faultless]; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, but the LORD? Or who is a rock, except our God, The God who encircles me with strength And makes my way blameless? He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly and tread safely on paths of testing and trouble]; He sets me [securely] upon my high places. He trains my hands for war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your right hand upholds and sustains me; Your gentleness [Your gracious response when I pray] makes me great. You enlarge the path beneath me and make my steps secure, So that my feet will not slip.
Psalms 18:20-36 New Living Translation (NLT)
The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. The LORD rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence. To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. You have given me your shield of victory. Your right hand supports me; your help has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.
Psalms 18:20-36 The Passion Translation (TPT)
He rewarded me for doing what’s right and staying pure. I will follow his commands and I’ll not sin by ceasing to follow him, no matter what. For I’ve kept my eyes focused on his righteous words, and I’ve obeyed everything that he’s told me to do. I’ve been blameless before him and followed all his ways, keeping my heart pure. And so YAHWEH has rewarded me according to my righteousness, because I kept my heart clean before his eyes. Good people will taste your goodness. And to those who are loyal to you, you love to prove that you are loyal and true. And for those who are purified, they find you always pure. But you’ll outwit the crooked and cunning with your craftiness. To the humble you bring heaven’s deliverance, but the proud and haughty you disregard. God, all at once you turned on a floodlight for me! You are the revelation-light in my darkness, and in your brightness I can see the path ahead. With you as my strength I can crush an enemy horde, advancing through every stronghold that stands in front of me. YAHWEH, what a perfect God you are! All YAHWEH’s promises have proven true. What a secure shelter for all those who turn to hide themselves in you, the wraparound God. Could there be any other god like YAHWEH? For there is not a more secure foundation than you. God, you have wrapped me in power and made my way perfect. Through you I ascend to the highest peaks to stand strong and secure in you. You’ve trained me with the weapons of warfare-worship; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You empower me for victory with your wraparound presence. Your power within makes me strong to subdue. By stooping down in gentleness, you made me great! You’ve set me free, and now I’m standing complete, ready to fight some more!
Psalms 18:20-36 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)
The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me. I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt. So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. For it is you who light my lamp; the LORD my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?— the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.