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.
David spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah 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, "Jehovah 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.
My God, my Rock, in him I will take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my savior; from violent people he saves me.
4 I call for help from the Lord, who should be praised, and he saves me from those who hate me.
I call on Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swept over me; surging waters of destruction flooded over me;
For the waves of death surrounded me, and the currents of ungodliness overwhelmed me.
The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death caught 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 Jehovah, and I cried out to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came 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 the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
9 Smoke came out of his nostrils, and fire from his mouth, burning coals that blazed before him.
Smoke went up out of his nostrils. 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. Thick darkness was under his feet.
11 Riding on a heavenly being he flew, swooping on the wings of the wind.
He rode on a cherub, and flew; and he soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He hid himself in darkness, covering himself with black rainclouds.
He made darkness his hiding place, his canopy around him thick clouds dark with water.
13 Burning coals blazed out of his brightness.
From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed on, with hailstones and coals of fire.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
Jehovah thundered from heaven. 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, and he shot lightning bolts and routed 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.
Then the channels of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare by the rebuke of Jehovah, 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 and 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, from those who 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 came on me in the day of my calamity, but Jehovah was my support.
20 He set me free, he rescued me because he's happy with me.
He also brought me out 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.
Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness. He rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.
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 Jehovah, 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 his statutes I did not put away from me.
24 I am blameless in his sight; I keep myself from sinning.
I was also perfect toward him. I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 The Lord rewarded me for doing what's right. I am innocent in his sight.
Therefore Jehovah has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
26 You show trust to those who are trusting; you show integrity to those with integrity,
With the faithful you show yourself faithful. With the innocent you show yourself innocent.
27 You show yourself pure to those who are pure, but you show yourself astute to those who are crafty.
With the pure you show yourself pure. And with the crooked you show yourself tortuous.
28 You save the humble, but your eyes watch the proud to bring them down.
You save a humble people, but the eyes of the proud you will bring low.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
For you light my lamp. Jehovah my God lights up 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 run against a troop. By my God, I leap 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 Jehovah is pure. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God except the Lord? Who is a Rock, except our God?
For who is God, besides Jehovah? Who is a rock, besides our God,
33 God makes me strong and keeps me safe.
the God who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless?
34 He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
He makes my feet like those of a deer, 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 my arms bend a bow of bronze.
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 right hand holds me up, and your help has made me great.
37 You gave me room to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
You have enlarged my steps under me. 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 pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
39 I struck them down—they couldn't get up. They fell at my feet.
And I consumed them, and struck them through, so that they did not rise. And they fell beneath 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 equipped me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
41 You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who 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 cry out, but there was none to save; even to Jehovah, but he did not answer them.
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 I ground them as fine as the dust on the surface of a path. Like the mud in the streets, I trampled them.
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 the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known will serve me.
45 Foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey.
As soon as they hear of me they obey me. Foreigners come cringing to me;
46 They lose heart, and come trembling in surrender from their strongholds.
they are not bound in chains.
47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! May the God who saves me be praised!
Jehovah lives. Blessed be my rock. Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
48 God avenges me, he puts peoples under me,
even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues 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.
who brings me away from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You protect 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 praise you, Jehovah, among the nations, and 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 gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his descendants, until forever."
