2 Samuel 22
1 David spoke to YHWH the words of this song in the day that YHWH 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 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.
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 call on YHWH, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
I call out to you, Yahweh; you deserve to be praised, and you rescue me from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death surrounded me, and the currents of ungodliness overwhelmed me.
“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 I cried out to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came 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 the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
“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 Smoke went up out of his nostrils. 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. Thick darkness was under his feet.
You tore open the sky and came down; there was a thick dark [cloud] under your feet.
11 He rode on a cherub, and flew; and he soared on 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 He made darkness his hiding place, his canopy around him thick clouds dark with water.
The darkness surrounded you, like a blanket; thick clouds that were full of water also surrounded you.
13 From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed on, with hailstones and coals of fire.
Out of the lightning in front of you fire from burning coals flamed.
14 YHWH thundered from heaven. 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, and he shot lightning bolts and routed them.
When you sent flashes of lightning, [it was as though] [MET] you shot your arrows and scattered your enemies.
16 Then the channels of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare by the rebuke 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 on high and 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, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty 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 came on me in the day of my calamity, but YHWH was my support.
They attacked me when I was experiencing troubles/difficulties, but Yahweh, you protected me.
20 He also brought me out 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. He rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.
“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 God.
Yahweh, I have obeyed your laws; I have not turned away from you, my God.
23 For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
All of your regulations were in my mind, and I did not turn away from [obeying] all your statutes.
24 I was also perfect toward him. I kept myself from my 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 has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his 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 faithful you show yourself faithful. With the innocent you show yourself innocent.
“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 you show yourself pure. And with the crooked you show yourself tortuous.
You act sincerely toward those whose inner beings are pure, but you are hostile to those who are perverse/wicked.
28 You save a humble people, but the eyes of the proud you will bring low.
You rescue those who are humble, but you watch [MTY] those who are proud and humiliate them.
29 For you light my lamp. YHWH my God lights up my darkness.
Yahweh, you are [like] [MET] a lamp that causes it to become light when I am in the dark.
30 For by you, I run against a troop. By my God, I leap 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 God, his way is perfect. The word of YHWH is pure. He is a shield to all those who take refuge 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 God, besides YHWH? Who is a rock, besides our God,
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 the God who girds me with strength, and makes my way blameless?
God, you [whom I worship] are a strong refuge for me; you keep me safe on the roads that I [walk on].
34 He makes my feet like those of a deer, and sets me on my high places.
[When I walk] in the mountains, you enable me to walk safely, without stumbling [MET] like a deer runs.
35 He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
You teach me [how to fight] in a battle in order that I can shoot arrows well from a very strong bow.
36 You have also given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand holds me up, and your help has 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 You have enlarged my steps under me. My feet have not slipped.
You have not allowed [my enemies] to capture me [IDM], and I have not fallen down [during battles].
38 I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
“pursued my enemies and defeated them; I did not stop [fighting them] until they were all killed.
39 And I consumed them, and struck them through, so that they did not rise. And they fell beneath 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 you have equipped me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against 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 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
You caused my enemies to turn and run away from me; I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They cry out, but there was none to save; even to YHWH, but he did not answer them.
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 I ground them as fine as the dust on the surface of a path. Like the mud in the streets, I trampled them.
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 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.
“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 As soon as they hear of me they obey me. Foreigners come cringing to me;
Foreigners humbly bowed down in front of me; as soon as they heard about me, they obeyed me.
46 they are not bound in chains.
They became afraid, and they came to me, trembling, from the places where they were hiding.
47 YHWH lives. Blessed be my rock. Exalted be God, 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 even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me,
You enable me to conquer my enemies; you cause people of [other] nations to be (under my authority/my slaves).
49 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.
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 praise you, YHWH, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.
Because of all that, I exalt you among many people-groups and I sing to praise you.
51 He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his descendants, until forever."
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.
