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 from the hand of all his enemies, and from 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 preserver; 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.
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 encompassed me; the snares of death seized 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, and cried to my God: and he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry [entered] 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 upon a cherub, and flew: and 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 around 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 laid open, 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, 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 fell upon me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my support.
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 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 hath 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 thou wilt show thyself merciful, [and] with the upright man thou wilt 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 wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt contend.
28 You save the humble, but your eyes watch the proud to bring them down.
And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thy eyes [are] upon the haughty, [that] thou mayest bring [them] down.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
For thou [art] 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 thee 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 maketh my way perfect.
34 He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
He maketh my feet like hinds' [feet]: 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.
He teacheth 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.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.
37 You gave me room to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that 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 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: yea, they have 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 to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
41 You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
Thou hast 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 I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I stamped them as the mire of the street, [and] 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.
Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast 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 tremble from 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 of the rock of my salvation.
48 God avenges me, he puts peoples under me,
It [is] God that avengeth me, and that bringeth 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 bringeth me forth from my enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast 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 thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises to thy 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 [he] showeth mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore.
