2 Samuel 22
1 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul,
And David made a song to the Lord in these words, on the day when the Lord made him free from the hands of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul:
2 And he said: The Lord is my rock, and my strength, and my saviour.
And he said, The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour, even mine;
3 God is my strong one, in him will I trust: my shield, and the horn of my salvation: he lifteth me up, and is my refuge: my saviour, thou wilt deliver me from iniquity.
My God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my safe place; my saviour, who keeps me safe from the violent man.
4 I will call on the Lord who is worthy to be praised: and I shall be saved from my enemies.
I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.
5 For the pangs of death have surrounded me: the floods of Belial have made me afraid.
For the waves of death came round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear;
The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me. (Sheol h7585)
7 In my distress I will call upon the Lord, and I will cry to my God: and he will hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry shall come to his ears.
In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came to his ears.
8 The earth shook and trembled, the foundations of the mountains were moved, and shaken, because he was angry with them.
Then the earth was moved with a violent shock; the bases of heaven were moved and shaking, because he was angry.
9 A smoke went up from his nostrils, and a devouring fire out of his mouth: coals were kindled by it.
There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: coals were lighted by it.
10 He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.
11 And he rode upon the cherubims, and flew: and slid upon the wings of the wind.
And he went through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a covering round about him: dropping waters out of the clouds of the heavens.
And he made the dark his tent round him, a mass of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13 By the brightness before him, the coals of fire were kindled.
Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and coals of fire.
14 The Lord shall thunder from heaven: and the most high shall give forth his voice.
The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out.
15 He shot arrows and scattered them: lightning, and consumed them.
And he sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.
16 And the overflowings of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid open at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the spirit of his wrath.
Then the deep beds of the sea were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of the Lord's wrath, because of the breath of his mouth.
17 He sent from on high, and took me, and drew me out of many waters.
He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.
18 He delivered me from my most mighty enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
He made me free from my strong hater, from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.
19 He prevented me in the day of my affliction, and the Lord became my stay.
They came on me in the day of my trouble: but the Lord was my support.
20 And he brought me forth into a large place, he delivered me, because I pleased him.
He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.
21 The Lord will reward me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands he will render to me.
The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.
22 Because I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.
23 For all his judgments are in my sight: and his precepts I have not removed from me.
For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.
24 And I shall be perfect with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.
And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.
25 And the Lord will recompense me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands in the sight of his eyes.
Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.
26 With the holy one thou wilt be holy: and with the valiant perfect.
On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;
27 With the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.
He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.
28 And the poor people thou wilt save: and with thy eyes thou wilt humble the haughty.
For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but your eyes are on men of pride, to make them low.
29 For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and thou, O Lord, wilt enlighten my darkness.
For you are my light, O Lord; and the Lord will make the dark bright for me.
30 For in thee I will run girded: in my God I will leap over the wall.
By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in: by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.
31 God, his way is immaculate, the word of the Lord is tried by fire: he is the shield of all that trust in him.
As for God, his way is all good: the word of the Lord is tested; he is a safe cover for all those who put their faith in him.
32 Who is God but the Lord: and who is strong but our God?
For who is God but the Lord? and who is a Rock but our God?
33 God who hath girded me with strength, and made my way perfect.
God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.
34 Making my feet like the feet of harts, and setting me upon my high places.
He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.
35 He teacheth my bands to war: and maketh my arms like a bow of brass.
He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.
36 Thou hast given me the shield of my salvation: and thy mildness hath multiplied me.
You have given me the breastplate of your salvation, and your mercy has made me great.
37 Thou shalt enlarge my steps under me: and my ankles shall not fail.
You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet make no slip.
38 I will pursue after my enemies, and crush them: and will not return again till I consume them.
I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.
39 I will consume them and break them in pieces, so that they shall not rise: they shall fall under my feet.
I have sent destruction on them and given them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.
40 Thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast made them that resisted me to bow under me.
For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who came out against me.
41 My enemies thou hast made to turn their back to me: them that hated me, and I shall destroy them.
By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.
42 They shall cry, and there shall be none to save: to the Lord, and he shall not hear them.
They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.
43 I shall beat them as small as the dust of the earth: I shall crush them and spread them abroad like the mire of the streets.
Then they were crushed as small as the dust of the earth, stamped down under my feet like the waste of the streets.
44 Thou wilt save me from the contradictions of my people: thou wilt keep me to be the head of the Gentiles: the people which I know not, shall serve me,
You have made me free from the fightings of my people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.
45 The sons of the stranger will resist me, at the hearing of the ear they will obey me.
Men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority: from the time when my name comes to their ears, they will be ruled by me.
46 The strangers are melted away, and shall be straitened in their distresses.
They will be wasted away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.
47 The Lord liveth, and my God is blessed: and the strong God of my salvation shall be exalted:
The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured:
48 God who giveth me revenge, and bringest down people under me,
It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.
49 Who bringest me forth from my enemies, and liftest me up from them that resist me: from the wicked man thou shalt deliver me.
He makes me free from my haters: I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.
50 Therefore will I give thanks to thee. O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to thy name.
Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.
51 Giving great salvation to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed, and to his seed for ever.
Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.
