2 Samuel 22
1 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;
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.
2 and he said: The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior.
3 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.
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.
4 Praised, I cry, is the LORD, and I am saved from mine enemies.
I call for help from the Lord, who should be praised, and he saves me from those who hate me.
5 For the waves of Death compassed me. The floods of Belial assailed me.
The waves of death swept over me; surging waters of destruction flooded over me;
The grave wound its ropes around me; death set snares for me. (Sheol h7585)
7 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.
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.
8 Then the earth did shake and quake, the foundations of heaven did tremble; they were shaken, because He was wroth.
The earth shook to and fro; the foundations of the heavens trembled, shaking because of his anger.
9 Smoke arose up in His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth did devour; coals flamed forth from Him.
Smoke came out of his nostrils, and fire from his mouth, burning coals that blazed before him.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under His feet.
He pushed aside the heavens and came down, with dark clouds beneath his feet.
11 And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, He was seen upon the wings of the wind.
Riding on a heavenly being he flew, swooping on the wings of the wind.
12 And He made darkness pavilions round about Him, gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
He hid himself in darkness, covering himself with black rainclouds.
13 At the brightness before Him coals of fire flamed forth.
Burning coals blazed out of his brightness.
14 The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High gave forth His voice.
The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 And He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
He fired his arrows, scattering his enemies, he routed them with his lightning bolts.
16 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.
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.
17 He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters;
He reached down his hand from above and grabbed hold of me. He dragged me out of the deep water.
18 He delivered me from mine enemy most strong, from them that hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and who were much stronger than me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was a stay unto me.
They came at me at my worst possible moment, but the Lord supported me.
20 He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.
He set me free, he rescued me because he's happy with me.
21 The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath He recompensed me.
The Lord rewarded me because I do what's right; he repaid me because I am innocent.
22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
For I have followed the Lord's ways; I have not sinned by turning away from my God.
23 For all His ordinances were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
I have kept all his laws in mind; I have not ignored his commandments.
24 And I was single-hearted toward Him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity.
I am blameless in his sight; I keep myself from sinning.
25 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His eyes.
The Lord rewarded me for doing what's right. I am innocent in his sight.
26 With the merciful Thou dost show Thyself merciful, with the upright man Thou dost show Thyself upright,
You show trust to those who are trusting; you show integrity to those with integrity,
27 With the pure Thou dost show myself pure; and with the crooked Thou dost show Thyself subtle.
You show yourself pure to those who are pure, but you show yourself astute to those who are crafty.
28 And the afflicted people Thou dost save; but Thine eyes are upon the haughty, that Thou mayest humble them.
You save the humble, but your eyes watch the proud to bring them down.
29 For Thou art my lamp, O LORD; and the LORD doth lighten my darkness.
You, Lord, are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
30 For by Thee I run upon a troop; by my God do I scale a wall.
With you, I can charge down a troop of soldiers; with you, my God, I can climb a fortress wall.
31 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.
God's way is absolutely right. What the Lord says is trustworthy. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
32 For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a Rock, save our God?
For who is God except the Lord? Who is a Rock, except our God?
33 The God who is my strong fortress, and who letteth my way go forth straight;
God makes me strong and keeps me safe.
34 Who maketh my feet like hinds', and setteth me upon my high places;
He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
35 Who traineth my hands for war, so that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
He teaches me how to fight in battle; he gives me the strength to draw a bronze bow.
36 Thou hast also given me Thy shield of salvation; and Thy condescension hath made me great.
You protect me with the shield of your salvation; your help has made me great.
37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped.
You gave me room to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; neither did I turn back till they were consumed.
I chased my enemies, and caught up with them. I did not turn around until I had destroyed them.
39 And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, that they cannot arise; yea, they are fallen under my feet.
I struck them down—they couldn't get up. They fell at my feet.
40 For Thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.
You made me strong for the battle; you made those who rose up against me kneel low before me.
41 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me; yea, them that hate me, that I might cut them off.
You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the LORD, but He answered them not.
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.
43 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.
I ground them into dust, like the dust of the earth. I crushed them and threw them out like mud in the street.
44 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.
You rescued me from rebellious people; you have kept me as ruler over nations—people I didn't know now serve me.
45 The sons of the stranger dwindle away before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.
Foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey.
46 The sons of the stranger fade away, and come halting out of their close places.
They lose heart, and come trembling in surrender from their strongholds.
47 The LORD liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God, my Rock of salvation;
The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! May the God who saves me be praised!
48 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me, and bringeth down peoples under me,
God avenges me, he puts peoples under me,
49 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.
He frees me from those who hate me. You keep me safe from those who rebel against me, you save me from violent men.
50 Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises unto Thy name.
That's why I will praise you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about who you are.
51 A tower of salvation is He to His king; and showeth mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed, for evermore.
You have saved the king so often, showing your trustworthy love to David, your anointed, and to his descendants forever.”
