2 Samuel 22
1 And David spake unto YHWH the words of this song in the day that YHWH had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
After Yahweh had rescued David from Saul and his other enemies, David sang a song to Yahweh.
2 And he said, YHWH is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
[This is what] he sang: Yahweh, you are like a [huge overhanging] rock [under which I can hide] [MET]; you are like my fortress, and you rescue me.
3 The Elohim 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 saviour; thou savest me from violence.
Yahweh, you protect me; you are like a shield; you are the powerful one [MET] who saves me; you are like a place where I (find refuge/am safe). You save me from those who act violently toward me.
4 I will call on YHWH, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
I call out to you, Yahweh; you deserve to be praised, and you rescue me from my enemies.
5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of wicked men made me afraid;
“almost died [PRS]; it was like [MET] a huge wave had crashed over me, and almost destroyed me like a flood.
I thought that I would die; it was as though death wrapped ropes around me; it was as though I was in a trap where I would surely die. [PRS, MET] (Sheol h7585)
7 In my distress I called upon YHWH, and cried to my Elohim: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.
But when I was (very distressed/in great trouble), I called out to you, Yahweh; I cried out to you, my God. And from your temple you heard me; you listened when I called to you to help me.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
“Then [it was as though] the earth quaked and shook; [it was as though] the foundations that ([held up/supported]) the sky trembled, because you were angry.
9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
[It was as though] smoke poured out of your nostrils and burning coals and fire that burns everything came out of your mouth.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
You tore open the sky and came down; there was a thick dark [cloud] under your feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
You rode [through the sky] on a winged creature; the wind enabled you to travel [swiftly] [MET], like a bird.
12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
The darkness surrounded you, like a blanket; thick clouds that were full of water also surrounded you.
13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
Out of the lightning in front of you fire from burning coals flamed.
14 YHWH thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
Then, Yahweh, you spoke like thunder from the sky; it was your voice, God, you who are greater than all other gods, that was heard.
15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
When you sent flashes of lightning, [it was as though] [MET] you shot your arrows and scattered your enemies.
16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of YHWH, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
Then the bottom of the ocean was uncovered; the foundations of the world could be seen when you rebuked [your enemies] with a snort from your nostrils.
17 He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
“Yahweh, you reached down from heaven and lifted me up; you pulled me up from the deep water.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
You rescued me from my strong enemies, from those who hated me; [I could not defeat them because] they were very strong.
19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but YHWH was my stay.
They attacked me when I was experiencing troubles/difficulties, but Yahweh, you protected me.
20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
You brought me to a place where I was safe; you rescued me because you were pleased with me.
21 YHWH rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
“Yahweh, you rewarded me because I do what is right; you did good things for me because I (was innocent/had not done things that are wrong).
22 For I have kept the ways of YHWH, and have not wickedly departed from my Elohim.
Yahweh, I have obeyed your laws; I have not turned away from you, my God.
23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
All of your regulations were in my mind, and I did not turn away from [obeying] all your statutes.
24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.
You know that I have not done anything that is evil; I have kept myself from doing things for which I should be punished.
25 Therefore YHWH hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
So you have rewarded me in return for my doing what is right, because [you know that] I (am innocent of doing/have not done) wrong things.
26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
“Yahweh, you are faithful/loyal to those who always trust in you; you always do what is good to those whose behavior is always good.
27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.
You act sincerely toward those whose inner beings are pure, but you are hostile to those who are perverse/wicked.
28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.
You rescue those who are humble, but you watch [MTY] those who are proud and humiliate them.
29 For thou art my lamp, O YHWH: and YHWH will lighten my darkness.
Yahweh, you are [like] [MET] a lamp that causes it to become light when I am in the dark.
30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my Elohim have I leaped over a wall.
With your strength/help I can run through a line of enemy soldiers and I can climb over the wall [that surrounds their city].
31 As for El, his way is perfect; the word of YHWH is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
“My God whom I worship, everything that you do is perfect; you always do what you promise that you will do. You are like a shield [MET] to all those who request you to protect them.
32 For who is El, save YHWH? and who is a rock, save our Elohim?
Yahweh, you are [RHQ] the only one who is God; only you are like a huge rock [MET] [under which we are protected/safe].
33 El is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
God, you [whom I worship] are a strong refuge for me; you keep me safe on the roads that I [walk on].
34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.
[When I walk] in the mountains, you enable me to walk safely, without stumbling [MET] like a deer runs.
35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
You teach me [how to fight] in a battle in order that I can shoot arrows well from a very strong bow.
36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.
[It is as though] [MET] you have given me a shield by which you have saved/rescued me, and you have answered my prayers and caused me to become famous/great.
37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
You have not allowed [my enemies] to capture me [IDM], and I have not fallen down [during battles].
38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
“pursued my enemies and defeated them; I did not stop [fighting them] until they were all killed.
39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.
I struck them down; I stabbed them with my sword; they fell down at my feet and did not stand up again.
40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
You have given me strength for fighting battles and caused those who were attacking me to fall down, and I trampled on them.
41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
You caused my enemies to turn and run away from me; I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto YHWH, but he answered them not.
They (looked for/wanted) someone to rescue them, but no one did. They cried out to you, Yahweh, [for help, ] but you did not answer them.
43 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.
I crushed them, and as a result they became like [SIM] tiny particles of dust. I trampled them, and they became like [SIM] mud in the streets.
44 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.
“You rescued me from those who tried to rebel [against me], and you appointed me to rule many nations; people whom I did not know previously are now (under my authority/my slaves).
45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.
Foreigners humbly bowed down in front of me; as soon as they heard about me, they obeyed me.
46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.
They became afraid, and they came to me, trembling, from the places where they were hiding.
47 YHWH liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the Elohim of the rock of my salvation.
“Yahweh, you are alive! I praise you! You are like [MET] a [huge overhanging] rock under which I am safe/protected! You are the one who rescues me [MET]. Everyone should exalt/honor/praise you.
48 El who avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me,
You enable me to conquer my enemies; you cause people of [other] nations to be (under my authority/my slaves).
49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
You delivered me from my enemies; you caused me to be honored more than they were; you rescued me from men who [always] acted violently.
50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O YHWH, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
Because of all that, I exalt you among many people-groups and I sing to praise you.
51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.
You enable me, whom you appointed to be king, to powerfully conquer [my enemies]; you faithfully love me, David, and you will love my descendants forever.
