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22 And David spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.

And he said, Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

God is my rock, in him will I trust—My shield, and the horn of my salvation, My high tower, and my refuge, My saviour: thou wilt save me from violence.

I will call upon Jehovah, who is to be praised; So shall I be saved from mine enemies.

For the waves of death encompassed me, Torrents of Belial made me afraid.

The bands of Sheol surrounded me; The cords of death encountered me;

In my distress I called upon Jehovah, And I cried to my God; And he heard my voice out of his temple, And my cry [came] into his ears.

Then the earth shook, and quaked; The foundations of the heavens trembled And shook because he was wroth.

There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, And fire out of his mouth devoured: Coals burned forth from it.

10 And he bowed the heavens, and came down; And darkness was under his feet.

11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; And he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

12 And he made darkness round about him a tent, Gatherings of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

13 From the brightness before him Burned forth coals of fire.

14 Jehovah thundered from the heavens, And the Most High uttered his voice.

15 And he sent arrows, and scattered [mine enemies]; Lightning, and discomfited them.

16 And the beds of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered At the rebuke of Jehovah, At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

17 He reached forth from above, he took me, He drew me out of great waters;

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, From them that hated me; For they were mightier than I.

19 They encountered me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay.

20 And he brought me forth into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

21 Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.

22 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all his ordinances were before me, And his statutes, I did not depart from them,

24 And I was upright before him, And kept myself from mine iniquity.

25 And Jehovah hath recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in his sight.

26 With the gracious thou dost shew thyself gracious; With the upright man thou dost shew thyself upright;

27 With the pure thou dost shew thyself pure; And with the perverse thou dost shew thyself contrary.

28 And the afflicted people thou dost save; And thine eyes are upon the haughty, [whom] thou bringest down.

29 For thou art my lamp, Jehovah; And Jehovah enlighteneth my darkness.

30 For by thee 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 Jehovah is tried: He is a shield to all that trust in him.

32 For who is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God?

33 God is my strong fortress, And he maketh my way perfectly smooth.

34 He maketh my feet like hinds' [feet], And setteth me upon my high places.

35 He teacheth my hands to war, And mine arms bend a bow of brass.

36 And thou didst give me the shield of thy salvation, And thy condescending gentleness hath made me great.

37 Thou enlargedst my steps under me; And mine ankles did not slip.

38 I pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them, And I turned not again till they were consumed.

39 And I have consumed them and have crushed them, and they rose not again; Yea, they fell under my feet.

40 And thou girdedst me with strength to battle: Thou didst subdue under me those that rose up against me.

41 And mine enemies didst thou make to turn their backs unto me, And those that hated me I destroyed.

42 They looked, and there was none to save—Unto Jehovah, and he answered them not.

43 And I did beat them small as the dust of the earth, I trod them as the mire of the streets; I stamped upon them.

44 And thou hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, Thou hast kept me to be head of the nations: A people I knew not doth serve me:

45 Strangers come cringing unto me: At the hearing of the ear, they obey me.

46 Strangers have faded away, And they come trembling forth from their close places.

47 Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; And exalted be the God, the rock of my salvation,

48 The God who hath avenged me, And hath brought the peoples under me.

49 He brought me forth from mine enemies: Yea, thou hast lifted me up above them that rose up against me; From the man of violence hast thou delivered me.

50 Therefore will I give thanks to thee, Jehovah, among the nations, And will sing psalms to thy name.

51 [It is he] who giveth great deliverances to his king, And sheweth loving-kindness to his anointed, To David, and to his seed for evermore.

David’s Song of Praise(A)

22 David sang(B) to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:

“The Lord is my rock,(C) my fortress(D) and my deliverer;(E)
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,(F)
    my shield[a](G) and the horn[b](H) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,(I) my refuge and my savior—
    from violent people you save me.

“I called to the Lord, who is worthy(J) of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.
The waves(K) of death swirled about me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave(L) coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

“In my distress(M) I called(N) to the Lord;
    I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came to his ears.
The earth(O) trembled and quaked,(P)
    the foundations(Q) of the heavens[c] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire(R) came from his mouth,
    burning coals(S) blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds(T) were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim(U) and flew;
    he soared[d] on the wings of the wind.(V)
12 He made darkness(W) his canopy around him—
    the dark[e] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning(X) blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered(Y) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows(Z) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke(AA) of the Lord,
    at the blast(AB) of breath from his nostrils.

17 “He reached down from on high(AC) and took hold of me;
    he drew(AD) me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued(AE) me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.(AF)
20 He brought me out into a spacious(AG) place;
    he rescued(AH) me because he delighted(AI) in me.(AJ)

21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(AK)
    according to the cleanness(AL) of my hands(AM) he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept(AN) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;(AO)
    I have not turned(AP) away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless(AQ) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(AR)
    according to my cleanness[f] in his sight.

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure(AS) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(AT)
28 You save the humble,(AU)
    but your eyes are on the haughty(AV) to bring them low.(AW)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;(AX)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop[g];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

31 “As for God, his way is perfect:(AY)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;(AZ)
    he shields(BA) all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock(BB) except our God?(BC)
33 It is God who arms me with strength[h]
    and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;(BD)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.(BE)
35 He trains my hands(BF) for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow(BG) of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;(BH)
    your help has made[i] me great.
37 You provide a broad path(BI) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

38 “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39 I crushed(BJ) them completely, and they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.(BK)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs(BL) in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help,(BM) but there was no one to save them—(BN)
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.(BO)
43 I beat them as fine as the dust(BP) of the earth;
    I pounded and trampled(BQ) them like mud(BR) in the streets.

44 “You have delivered(BS) me from the attacks of the peoples;
    you have preserved(BT) me as the head of nations.
People(BU) I did not know now serve me,
45     foreigners cower(BV) before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.(BW)
46 They all lose heart;
    they come trembling[j](BX) from their strongholds.

47 “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted(BY) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!(BZ)
48 He is the God who avenges(CA) me,(CB)
    who puts the nations under me,
49     who sets me free from my enemies.(CC)
You exalted me(CD) above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
50 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises(CE) of your name.(CF)

51 “He gives his king great victories;(CG)
    he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,(CH)
    to David(CI) and his descendants forever.”(CJ)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
  2. 2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  3. 2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
  4. 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
  5. 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
  6. 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
  7. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
  8. 2 Samuel 22:33 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Septuagint manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:32); Masoretic Text who is my strong refuge
  9. 2 Samuel 22:36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to make
  10. 2 Samuel 22:46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselves