2 Samuel 22
1 David sang the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord saved him from all his enemies, and from Saul.
And David spoke unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul;
2 He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior.
and he said: The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
3 He is my God, my rock who protects me. He shields me from harm, his power saves me, he keeps me safe. He is my protector; he is my savior; he saves me from violence.
The God who is my rock, in Him I take refuge; my shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower, and my refuge; my saviour, Thou savest me from violence.
4 I call for help from the Lord, who should be praised, and he saves me from those who hate me.
Praised, I cry, is the LORD, and I am saved from mine enemies.
5 The waves of death swept over me; surging waters of destruction flooded over me;
For the waves of Death compassed me. The floods of Belial assailed me.
The cords of Sheol surrounded me; the snares of Death confronted me. (Sheol h7585)
7 In my despair I called on the Lord; I called out to my God. He heard my voice from his Temple; my cry for help reached his ears.
In my distress I called upon the LORD, yea, I called unto my God; and out of His temple He heard my voice, and my cry did enter into His ears.
8 The earth shook to and fro; the foundations of the heavens trembled, shaking because of his anger.
Then the earth did shake and quake, the foundations of heaven did tremble; they were shaken, because He was wroth.
9 Smoke came out of his nostrils, and fire from his mouth, burning coals that blazed before him.
Smoke arose up in His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth did devour; coals flamed forth from Him.
10 He pushed aside the heavens and came down, with dark clouds beneath his feet.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.
11 Riding on a heavenly being he flew, swooping on the wings of the wind.
And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, He was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 He hid himself in darkness, covering himself with black rainclouds.
And He made darkness pavilions round about Him, gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13 Burning coals blazed out of his brightness.
At the brightness before Him coals of fire flamed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High gave forth His voice.
15 He fired his arrows, scattering his enemies, he routed them with his lightning bolts.
And He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
16 The Lord roared, and by the wind from the breath of his nostrils the valleys of the sea could be seen and the foundations of the earth were uncovered.
And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were laid bare by the rebuke of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 He reached down his hand from above and grabbed hold of me. He dragged me out of the deep water.
He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters;
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and who were much stronger than me.
He delivered me from mine enemy most strong, from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
19 They came at me at my worst possible moment, but the Lord supported me.
They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was a stay unto me.
20 He set me free, he rescued me because he's happy with me.
He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me because I do what's right; he repaid me because I am innocent.
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.
22 For I have followed the Lord's ways; I have not sinned by turning away from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 I have kept all his laws in mind; I have not ignored his commandments.
For all His ordinances were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I am blameless in his sight; I keep myself from sinning.
And I was single-hearted toward Him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
25 The Lord rewarded me for doing what's right. I am innocent in his sight.
Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His eyes.
26 You show trust to those who are trusting; you show integrity to those with integrity,
With the merciful Thou dost show Thyself merciful, with the upright man Thou dost show Thyself upright,
27 You show yourself pure to those who are pure, but you show yourself astute to those who are crafty.
With the pure Thou dost show myself pure; and with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself subtle.
28 You save the humble, but your eyes watch the proud to bring them down.
And the afflicted people Thou dost save; but Thine eyes are upon the haughty, that Thou mayest humble them.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
For Thou art my lamp, O LORD; and the LORD doth lighten my darkness.
30 With you, I can charge down a troop of soldiers; with you, my God, I can climb a fortress wall.
For by Thee I run upon a troop; by my God do I scale a wall.
31 God's way is absolutely right. What the Lord says is trustworthy. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God except the Lord? Who is a Rock, except our God?
For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a Rock, save our God?
33 God makes me strong and keeps me safe.
The God who is my strong fortress, and who letteth my way go forth straight;
34 He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
Who maketh my feet like hinds', and setteth me upon my high places;
35 He teaches me how to fight in battle; he gives me the strength to draw a bronze bow.
Who traineth my hands for war, so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
36 You protect me with the shield of your salvation; your help has made me great.
Thou hast also given me Thy shield of salvation; and Thy condescension hath made me great.
37 You gave me room to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
38 I chased my enemies, and caught up with them. I did not turn around until I had destroyed them.
I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; neither did I turn back till they were consumed.
39 I struck them down—they couldn't get up. They fell at my feet.
And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, that they cannot arise; yea, they are fallen under my feet.
40 You made me strong for the battle; you made those who rose up against me kneel low before me.
For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
41 You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me; yea, them that hate me, that I might cut them off.
42 They cried out for help, but no one came to rescue them. They even called out to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but He answered them not.
43 I ground them into dust, like the dust of the earth. I crushed them and threw them out like mud in the street.
Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the streets, and did tread them down.
44 You rescued me from rebellious people; you have kept me as ruler over nations—people I didn't know now serve me.
Thou also hast delivered me from the contentions of my people; Thou hast kept me to be the head of the nations; a people whom I have not known serve me.
45 Foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey.
The sons of the stranger dwindle away before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
46 They lose heart, and come trembling in surrender from their strongholds.
The sons of the stranger fade away, and come halting out of their close places.
47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! May the God who saves me be praised!
The LORD liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God, my Rock of salvation;
48 God avenges me, he puts peoples under me,
Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and bringeth down peoples under me,
49 He frees me from those who hate me. You keep me safe from those who rebel against me, you save me from violent men.
And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies; yea, Thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me; Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
50 That's why I will praise you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about who you are.
Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto Thy name.
51 You have saved the king so often, showing your trustworthy love to David, your anointed, and to his descendants forever.”
A tower of salvation is He to His king; and showeth mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
