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 unto the Lord the words of this song, and on 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, Lord, my rock, 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.
God, my rock, in whom I trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour! from violence dost thou save me!
4 I will call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
Praised, I cried, be the Lord, and from my enemies was I saved.
5 For the waves of death surrounded me, the rushing waters of destruction overwhelmed me.
For the waves of death encompassed me, the floods of destruction made me afraid;
The bonds of hell encircled me, the snares of death seized on 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.
[When] in my distress I called upon the Lord, and to my God I cried; and he heard from his temple my voice, and my complaint [entered] into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of the heavens trembled and were shaken, because God was angry.
Then shook and trembled the earth; the foundations of the heavens were moved; and they 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.
Smoke went up in his anger, and consuming fire out of his mouth, coals flamed forth from him.
10 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
And he bent the heavens, and came down, and thick 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 upon a cherub, and flew along, and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a tent around him, gathering heavy rain clouds in the skies.
And he made darkness round about him into pavilions, heavy masses of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the lightning before him coals of fire fell.
From the brightness before him flamed forth coals of fire.
14 Yahweh thundered from the heavens. The Most High shouted.
The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered forth 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 then were seen the channels of the sea, there were laid open the foundations of the world; at the rebuke of the Lord, through 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 stretched out from above [his hand], he took me; he drew me out from the mighty 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 enemy, the strong, from those that hated me, when they were too mighty for me.
19 They came against me on the day of my distress, but Yahweh was my support.
They overcame me on the day of my calamity; but the Lord became my stay;
20 He also brought me out to a wide open place. He saved me because he was pleased with me.
And he brought me forth into a large space: he delivered me, because he had delight 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 purity of my hands did he recompense me.
22 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not acted wickedly by turning from my God.
For I had kept the ways of the Lord, and had 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 ordinances were before me, and from none of his statutes did I depart.
24 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
I was also upright toward him, and I guarded myself against my iniquity.
25 Therefore Yahweh has restored me to the measure of my righteousness, to the degree of my cleanness in his sight.
Therefore did the Lord recompense me according to my righteousness, according to my purity before his eyes.
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 kind thou wilt show thyself kind; with the upright mighty man thou wilt show thyself upright.
27 With the pure you show yourself pure, but you are perverse to the twisted.
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the perverse thou wilt wage a contest.
28 You save afflicted people, but your eyes are against the proud, and you bring them down.
And the afflicted people thou wilt save; but thy eyes are upon the haughty, [that] thou mayest bring [them] down.
29 For you are my lamp, Yahweh. Yahweh lights up my darkness.
For thou art my lamp, O Lord! and the Lord will enlighten my darkness.
30 For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
For [aided] by thee I run through a troop: [helped] by my God I leap 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 shield to all 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 rendereth free from obstruction my way.
34 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the high hills.
He maketh my feet like those of the hinds, and upon my high places he causeth me to stand.
35 He trains my hands for war, and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
He teaches my hands for the war, so that a brazen bow is bent by my arms.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your favor has made me great.
And thou gavest me the shield of thy salvation; and thy assistance hath made me great.
37 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me, so my feet have not slipped.
Thou enlargest my steps under me, so that my joints do not slip.
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I pursue my enemies and destroy them; and I return not again until I have made an end of them.
39 I devoured them and smashed them; they cannot rise. They have fallen under my feet.
And I make an end of them, and I crush them, that they cannot rise; and they fall 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 thou hast girded me with strength for the war; thou subduest my opponents under me.
41 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
And my enemies thou causest to turn their back to me; those that hate me, —that I may destroy them.
42 They cried for help, but no one saved them; they cried out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
They look about, but there is none to help; unto the Lord—but he answereth them not.
43 I beat them into fine pieces like dust on the ground, I pulverized them like mud in the streets.
And I beat them small as the dust of the earth; as the mire of the street, I stamp them, I tread them down.
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.
Thou hast also delivered me from the contests of my people: thou preservest me to be the head of nations, a people which I know not shall serve me.
45 Foreigners were forced to bow to me. As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
The children of the stranger shall utter flattery unto me; as soon as their ear heareth they shall be obedient unto me.
46 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
The children of the stranger shall fade away, and come forth tottering out of their close places.
47 Yahweh lives! May my rock be praised. May God be exalted, the rock of my salvation.
The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock; and exalted be the God, the Rock of my salvation;
48 This is the God who executes vengeance for me, the one who brings down peoples under me.
The God, that granteth me vengeance, and bringeth down nations 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 bringeth me forth from my enemies: also above my opponents thou liftest me up, from the man of violence thou deliverest me.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.
Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the nations, and unto thy name will I sing praises;
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.”
[To] the tower of salvation of his king, and who showeth kindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed forever.
