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2 Samuel 22
International Standard Version

David’s Psalm of Deliverance

22 David composed the words of this song to the Lord the very day the Lord delivered him from the domination[a] of all of his enemies, including from Saul’s hands. 2 This is what[b] he said:

Lord, you are[c] my stone stronghold
    and my fortified place;
        you are continuously delivering[d] me.
3 He is my God,
    my strong stone—
        in him I will find my refuge—
my shield,
    the strength[e] of my salvation,
        my high tower,
my way of escape,
    and the one who is saving me.
        You will save me from violence.
4 As I am praising him,[f]
    I will call out to the Lord,
        and I will be saved from my enemies.

5 Because deadly breakers[g] engulfed me,
    while torrents of abuse[h] from the ungodly overwhelmed[i] me.
6 Binding ropes from Sheol entangled me
    while lethal snares hindered me.

7 I cried out to the Lord in the middle of my troubles;
    I cried out to my God.
He listened to my voice from his sanctuary,
    and my call for help was heard.

8 Just then the earth shook and trembled!
    The foundations of heaven reeled and quaked
        because the Lord[j] was angry.
9 Smoke poured out of his nostrils,
    and fire from his mouth
        kindling coals to flame by it.
10 He deformed heaven itself as he descended.
    Thick darkness enveloped his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew,
    soaring on the wings of the wind!
12 The darkness around him was his canopies—
    amassed water was his overhanging clouds!
13 From the shining light[k] that was his presence[l]
    coals of fire blazed into flame!

14 The Lord roared from heaven!
    The Most High let his voice be heard!
15 He launched his arrows and scattered them—
    his lightning routed them.
16 The currents of the sea were revealed
    and the foundations of the world were exposed
at the rebuke of the Lord
    and at the blazing breath from his nostrils!
17 He sent for me from on high!
    He grabbed hold of me,
        drawing me out of deep water.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy—
    from those who hate me continually,
        since they were stronger than I.
19 They confronted me when I was in trouble,[m]
    but the Lord remained my support!
20 He brought me to a wide open area,
    rescuing me because he was pleased with me!

21 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness,
    rewarding me according to the degree of my innocence,[n]
22 because I have kept the Lord’s way—
    I haven’t willfully abandoned my God—
23 and because all of his decrees remain in my thoughts,[o]
    I have not turned aside from his statutes,
24 I have been innocent before him,
    and I’ve kept myself from incurring[p] guilt.
25 The Lord has repaid me according to my righteousness,
    that is, according to my clean standing as he[q] looks at me.[r]

26 In the company of the gracious
    you demonstrate your gracious love.
In the company of the blamelessly valiant
    you demonstrate your blamelessness.
27 In the company of the pure
    you demonstrate your purity.
In the company of the perverted
    you will appear to be perverse.

28 You save the nation who is humble
    but your eyes watch the proud,
        to bring them down.
29 For you are my lamp, Lord,
    the Lord who illuminates my darkness.
30 By you I devastate armies,
    by my God I scale walls.
31 This God! His way is perfect!
    What the Lord declares proves true.
        He shields[s] everyone who flees for protection to him!

32 For who is God apart from the Lord?
    And who is a Rock, apart from our God?
33 This God is my strong place of valor!
    He has made my life[t] blameless.
34 He has made my feet like those of a deer,
    setting me secure on his high places!
35 He has trained my hands for battle readiness—
    I can bend a bow made out of bronze.
36 He has equipped me with the shield that is your salvation,
    Your gentleness[u] has made me great.
37 You’ve made room beneath me for my footsteps,
    and my feet didn’t slip.
38 I pursued my enemies and conquered them;
    I didn’t return until they were consumed.
39 I devoured them,
    striking them down
until they could not get up again.
    They fell beneath my feet.
40 You strengthened me with valor sufficient for the battle;
    you made those who rebelled against me fall beneath me.
41 You made my enemies turn and run—[v]
    that is, those who hate me—
        and I destroyed them!
42 They looked around, but there was no one to save[w] them[x]—
    they looked[y] to the Lord, but he paid no attention!
43 I pulverized them to powder,
    like the dust of the earth;
I crushed them,
    stomping on them like mud on a street.

44 You delivered me from civil war among my own people.
    You preserved me as head of the nations.
        People whom I had never known served me!
45 Foreigners[z] came cringing to me;
    they obeyed as soon as they heard[aa] me.
46 Foreigners[ab] lost their courage,
    coming trembling from their strongholds.

47 The Lord lives!
    Blessed be my Rock,
and may my God be exalted,
    the Rock who is my salvation!
48 The God who keeps on avenging me,
    subjugating people beneath me,
49 delivering me from my enemies.
You exalted me above those who rebelled against me,
    delivering me from violent men.

50 Because of all of this I will praise you among the nations, Lord,
    and I will sing praises to your name!
51 Great is the salvation he brings to his king,
    showing gracious love to his anointed,
        to David and to his offspring[ac] forever.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:1 Lit. hand
  2. 2 Samuel 22:2 The Heb. lacks This is what
  3. 2 Samuel 22:2 So LXX. MT reads The Lord is
  4. 2 Samuel 22:2 So MT LXX reads rescuing
  5. 2 Samuel 22:3 Lit. horn
  6. 2 Samuel 22:4 The Heb. lacks him
  7. 2 Samuel 22:5 Or currents
  8. 2 Samuel 22:5 The Heb. lacks of abuse
  9. 2 Samuel 22:5 Or terrified
  10. 2 Samuel 22:8 Lit. because he
  11. 2 Samuel 22:13 Or the brightness
  12. 2 Samuel 22:13 Or counterpart; MT word is perhaps a word play on the noun shining light
  13. 2 Samuel 22:19 Lit. in the day of my calamity
  14. 2 Samuel 22:21 Lit. the cleanness of my hands
  15. 2 Samuel 22:23 Lit. presence
  16. 2 Samuel 22:24 The Heb. lacks incurring
  17. 2 Samuel 22:25 Lit. standing to the counterpart
  18. 2 Samuel 22:25 Or standing in his eyes
  19. 2 Samuel 22:31 Lit. He is a shield for
  20. 2 Samuel 22:33 Lit. way
  21. 2 Samuel 22:36 So MT; LXX reads Obedience to you
  22. 2 Samuel 22:41 Lit. away their backs to me
  23. 2 Samuel 22:42 MT verb looked around sounds like MT verb to save
  24. 2 Samuel 22:42 The Heb. lacks them
  25. 2 Samuel 22:42 The Heb. lacks they looked
  26. 2 Samuel 22:45 Lit. Children of foreigners
  27. 2 Samuel 22:45 MT verbs obeyed and heard are identical in spelling
  28. 2 Samuel 22:46 Lit. Children of foreigners
  29. 2 Samuel 22:51 Lit. seed; MT is sing.
Listen to 2 Samuel 22
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2 Samuel 22
New International Version

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. 2 He said:

“The Lord is my rock,(C) my fortress(D) and my deliverer;(E)
3     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.

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

7 “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.
8 The earth(O) trembled and quaked,(P)
    the foundations(Q) of the heavens[c] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
9 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
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2 Samuel 21
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