< 2 Samuel 22 >
1 And David spake unto Yahweh, the words of this song, in the day when Yahweh had rescued 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, —Yahweh, was my mountain crag and my stronghold, and my deliverer—mine;
He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior.
3 My God, was my rock, I sought refuge in him, —My shield, and my horn of salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, My Saviour! from violence, thou didst save me.
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 As one worthy to be praised, called I on Yahweh, —And, from my foes, was I saved.
I call for help from the Lord, who should be praised, and he saves me from those who hate me.
5 When the breakers of death had encompassed me, —the torrents of perdition, made me afraid, —
The waves of death swept over me; surging waters of destruction flooded over me;
6 the meshes of hades, had surrounded me, —the snares of death had confronted me, (Sheol )
The grave wound its ropes around me; death set snares for me. (Sheol )
7 In my distress, called I on Yahweh, Yea, unto my God, did I call, —and he hearkened, out of his temple, unto my voice, and, my cry for help, was in 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 did the earth shake and quake, the foundations of the heavens, were deeply moved, —yea they did shake, because he was angry,
The earth shook to and fro; the foundations of the heavens trembled, shaking because of his anger.
9 There went up a smoke in his nostrils, and, a fire out of his mouth, devoured, —live coals, were kindled from it:
Smoke came out of his nostrils, and fire from his mouth, burning coals that blazed before him.
10 Then he stretched out the heavens, and came down, —and, thick gloom, was under his feet;
He pushed aside the heavens and came down, with dark clouds beneath his feet.
11 Then he rode on a cherub, and flew, —and was seen on the wings of the wind;
Riding on a heavenly being he flew, swooping on the wings of the wind.
12 And made of the darkness around him, pavilions, —gathering of waters, clouds of vapours.
He hid himself in darkness, covering himself with black rainclouds.
13 Out of the brightness before him, were kindled live coals of fire;
Burning coals blazed out of his brightness.
14 Thunder from the heavens, did Yahweh give forth, —yea, the Highest, uttered his voice;
The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 And he sent forth arrows, and scattered them, —lightning, and confused them;
He fired his arrows, scattering his enemies, he routed them with his lightning bolts.
16 Then appeared the channels of the sea, were uncovered the foundations of the world, —at the rebuke of Yahweh, 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 rescued me from my foe, in his might, —from them who hated me, because they were too strong 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 necessity, —then became Yahweh my stay:
They came at me at my worst possible moment, but the Lord supported me.
20 And brought out, into a large place, even me, —he delivered me, because he delighted in me:
He set me free, he rescued me because he's happy with me.
21 Yahweh rewarded me, according to my righteousness—according to the cleanness of my hands, he repaid me:
The Lord rewarded me because I do what's right; he repaid me because I am innocent.
22 For I had kept the ways of Yahweh, —and not broken away 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 regulations, were before me, —and, as for his statutes, I turned not from them.
I have kept all his laws in mind; I have not ignored his commandments.
24 So became I blameless towards him, —and kept myself from mine iniquity:
I am blameless in his sight; I keep myself from sinning.
25 Yahweh therefore repaid me, according to my righteousness, —according to my pureness before his eyes.
The Lord rewarded me for doing what's right. I am innocent in his sight.
26 With the loving, thou didst show thyself loving, —with the blameless hero, thou didst show thyself blameless;
You show trust to those who are trusting; you show integrity to those with integrity,
27 With the pure, thou didst show thyself pure, —but, with the perverse, thou didst shew thyself ready to contend:
You show yourself pure to those who are pure, but you show yourself astute to those who are crafty.
28 And, a patient people, thou didst save, —but, thine eyes, were on the lofty—thou layedst them low;
You save the humble, but your eyes watch the proud to bring them down.
29 For, thou, wast my lamp, O Yahweh, —and, Yahweh, enlightened my darkness;
You, Lord, are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
30 For, by thee, I ran through a troop, —by my God, I leapt over 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, blameless is his way, —the speech of Yahweh, hath been proved, a shield, he is to all who seek 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 a GOD, save Yahweh? and who a Rock, save our God?
For who is God except the Lord? Who is a Rock, except our God?
33 GOD, is my fortress of strength, —and shewed to the blameless his way;
God makes me strong and keeps me safe.
34 Planting my feet like the hinds’, —yea, on my high places, he caused me to stand;
He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
35 Teaching my hands, to war, —so that a bow of bronze was bent by mine arms;
He teaches me how to fight in battle; he gives me the strength to draw a bronze bow.
36 Thus didst thou grant me, as a shield, thy salvation, —and, thy condescension, made me great.
You protect me with the shield of your salvation; your help has made me great.
37 Thou didst widen my stepping-places, under me, —so that mine ankles faltered not:
You gave me room to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
38 I pursued my foes, and destroyed them, —and returned not, till they were consumed;
I chased my enemies, and caught up with them. I did not turn around until I had destroyed them.
39 So I consumed them, and crushed them, and they rose not again, —thus fell they under my feet:
I struck them down—they couldn't get up. They fell at my feet.
40 Thus didst thou gird me with strength, for the battle, —thou subduedst mine assailants under me:
You made me strong for the battle; you made those who rose up against me kneel low before me.
41 And, as for my foes, thou didst give me their neck, —yea, them who hated me, that I might destroy them:
You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
42 They cried out, but there was none to save, —unto Yahweh, 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 in pieces, like the dust of the earth, —like the clay of the lanes, did I crush them, stamp 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 Thus didst thou rescue me from the contentions of my people, didst keep me to be the head of nations: —a people whom I had not known, served 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 foreigner, came cringing unto me, —at the hearing of the ear, they submitted to me, —
Foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey.
46 The sons of the foreigner, were disheartened, and came quaking, out of their fortresses.
They lose heart, and come trembling in surrender from their strongholds.
47 Yahweh liveth, and blessed be my rock, —and exalted be the God (of the rock) of my salvation: —
The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! May the God who saves me be praised!
48 The GOD who hath avenged me, and brought down peoples under me;
God avenges me, he puts peoples under me,
49 And brought me forth from among my foes, —yea, from mine assailants, hast thou set me on high, from the man of violence, hast thou delivered me.
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 For this cause, will I praise thee, O Yahweh, among the nations, —and, to thy name, will I touch the strings: —
That's why I will praise you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about who you are.
51 Who hath made great the victories of his King, —and shown lovingkindness to his Anointed One, to David and to his Seed, unto times age-abiding.
You have saved the king so often, showing your trustworthy love to David, your anointed, and to his descendants forever.”