2 Samuel 22
1 David sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.
And David spoke to the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
2 He prayed, “Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who rescues me.
And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
3 God is my rock. I take refuge in him. He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, and my refuge, the one who 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 savior; you save me from violence.
4 I will call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
I will call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death surrounded me, the rushing waters of destruction overwhelmed me.
When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me; (Sheol h7585)
7 In my distress I called to Yahweh; I called to my God; he heard my voice from his temple, and my call for help went into his ears.
In my distress I called on the LORD, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of the heavens trembled and were shaken, because God was angry.
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
9 Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
10 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew. He was seen on the wings of the wind.
And he rode on a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a tent around him, gathering heavy rain clouds in the skies.
And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the lightning before him coals of fire fell.
Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
14 Yahweh thundered from the heavens. The Most High shouted.
The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
15 He shot arrows and scattered his enemies— lightning bolts and dispersed them.
And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare at the rebuke of Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
19 They came against me on the day of my distress, but Yahweh was my support.
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
20 He also brought me out to a wide open place. He saved me because he was pleased with me.
He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
21 Yahweh has rewarded me to the measure of my righteousness; he has restored me to the measure of the cleanness of my hands.
The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not acted wickedly by turning from my God.
For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from my iniquity.
25 Therefore Yahweh has restored me to the measure of my righteousness, to the degree of my cleanness in his sight.
Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
26 To one who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
With the merciful you will show yourself merciful, and with the upright man you will show yourself upright.
27 With the pure you show yourself pure, but you are perverse to the twisted.
With the pure you will show yourself pure; and with the fraudulent you will show yourself unsavory.
28 You save afflicted people, but your eyes are against the proud, and you bring them down.
And the afflicted people you will save: but your eyes are on the haughty, that you may bring them down.
29 For you are my lamp, Yahweh. Yahweh lights up my darkness.
For you are my lamp, O LORD: and the LORD will lighten my darkness.
30 For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
For by you I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect. The word of Yahweh is pure. He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.
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 Yahweh, and who is a rock except our God?
For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God?
33 God is my refuge, and he leads the blameless person on his path.
God is my strength and power: and he makes my way perfect.
34 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the high hills.
He makes my feet like hinds’ feet: and sets me on my high places.
35 He trains my hands for war, and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
He teaches my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by my arms.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your favor has made me great.
You have also given me the shield of your salvation: and your gentleness has made me great.
37 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me, so my feet have not slipped.
You have enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I have pursued my enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
39 I devoured them and smashed them; they cannot rise. They have fallen under my feet.
And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yes, they are fallen under my feet.
40 You put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.
For you have girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me have you subdued under me.
41 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
You have also given me the necks of my enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
42 They cried for help, but no one saved them; they cried out to Yahweh, 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 beat them into fine pieces like dust on the ground, I pulverized them like mud in the streets.
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.
44 You also have rescued me from the disputes of my own people. You have kept me as the head of nations. A people that I have not known serves me.
You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people, you have kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.
45 Foreigners were forced to bow to me. As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
Strangers shall submit themselves to me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient to me.
46 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.
47 Yahweh lives! May my rock be praised. May God be exalted, the rock of my salvation.
The LORD lives; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
48 This is the God who executes vengeance for me, the one who brings down peoples under me.
It is God that avenges me, and that brings down the people under me.
49 He sets me free from my enemies. Indeed, you lifted me up above those who rose up against me. You rescue me from violent men.
And that brings me forth from my enemies: you also have lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: you have delivered me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.
Therefore I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises to your name.
51 God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.”
He is the tower of salvation for his king: and shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for ever more.
