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 to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had 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 of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call for help from the Lord, who should be praised, and he saves me from those who hate me.
I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swept over me; surging waters of destruction flooded over me;
When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented 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 on the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, 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 shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
9 Smoke came out of his nostrils, and fire from his mouth, burning coals that blazed before him.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
10 He pushed aside the heavens and came down, with dark clouds beneath his feet.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
11 Riding on a heavenly being he flew, swooping on the wings of the wind.
And he rode on a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen on the wings of the wind.
12 He hid himself in darkness, covering himself with black rainclouds.
And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
13 Burning coals blazed out of his brightness.
Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered 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 discovered, at the rebuking 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 above, 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 my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
19 They came at me at my worst possible moment, but the Lord supported me.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
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 has 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 judgments 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.
I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from my iniquity.
25 The Lord rewarded me for doing what's right. I am innocent in his sight.
Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
26 You show trust to those who are trusting; you show integrity to those with integrity,
With the merciful you will show yourself merciful, and with the upright man you will show yourself upright.
27 You show yourself pure to those who are pure, but you show yourself astute to those who are crafty.
With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the fraudulent you will show yourself unsavory.
28 You save the humble, but your eyes watch the proud to bring them down.
And the afflicted people you will save: but your eyes are on the haughty, that you may bring them down.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
For you are my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will 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 you I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over 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 buckler to all them that trust 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.
God is my strength and power: and he makes my way perfect.
34 He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
He makes my feet like hinds’ feet: and sets me on my high places.
35 He teaches me how to fight in battle; he gives me the strength to draw a bronze bow.
He teaches my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms.
36 You protect me with the shield of your salvation; your help has made me great.
You have also given me the shield of your salvation: and your gentleness has made me great.
37 You gave me room to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
You have enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
38 I chased my enemies, and caught up with them. I did not turn around until I had destroyed them.
I have pursued my enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
39 I struck them down—they couldn't get up. They fell at my feet.
And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yes, 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 you have girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me have you subdued under me.
41 You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
You have also given me the necks of my enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
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 to 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 as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
44 You rescued me from rebellious people; you have kept me as ruler over nations—people I didn't know now serve me.
You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people, you have kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.
45 Foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey.
Strangers shall submit themselves to me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient to me.
46 They lose heart, and come trembling in surrender from their strongholds.
Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.
47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! May the God who saves me be praised!
The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
48 God avenges me, he puts peoples under me,
It is God that avenges me, and that brings down the people 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 brings me forth from my enemies: you also have lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: you have delivered 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 to you, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises to your name.
51 You have saved the king so often, showing your trustworthy love to David, your anointed, and to his descendants forever.”
He is the tower of salvation for his king: and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever more.
