Add parallel Print Page Options

Chapter 22

Song of Thanksgiving.[a] David proclaimed the words of this song to the Lord when the Lord had rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the grasp of Saul.(A) He said:(B)

O Lord, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer,
    my God, my rock of refuge!
My shield, my saving horn,[b]
    my stronghold, my refuge,
    my savior, from violence you keep me safe.(C)
Praised be the Lord, I exclaim!
    I have been delivered from my enemies.

The breakers of death surged round about me,
    the menacing floods[c] terrified me;
The cords of Sheol tightened;
    the snares of death lay in wait for me.
In my distress I called out: Lord!
    I cried out to my God;
From his temple[d] he heard my voice,
    my cry reached his ears.

The earth rocked and shook;[e]
    the foundations of the heavens trembled;
    they shook as his wrath flared up.
Smoke rose in his nostrils,
    a devouring fire from his mouth;
    it kindled coals into flame.
10 He parted the heavens and came down,
    a dark cloud under his feet.(D)
11 Mounted on a cherub[f] he flew,
    borne along on the wings of the wind.(E)
12 He made darkness the cover about him,
    a mass of water, heavy thunderheads.
13 From the brightness of his presence
    coals were kindled to flame.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the Most High made his voice resound.
15 He let fly arrows and scattered them;
    lightning, and dispersed them.(F)
16 Then the bed of the sea appeared;
    the world’s foundations lay bare,
At the roar of the Lord,
    at the storming breath of his nostrils.(G)
17 He reached down from on high and seized me,
    drew me out of the deep waters.(H)
18 He rescued me from my mighty enemy,
    from foes too powerful for me.
19 They attacked me on a day of distress,
    but the Lord came to my support.
20 He set me free in the open;
    he rescued me because he loves me.

21 The Lord acknowledged my righteousness;
    rewarded my clean hands.
22 For I kept the ways of the Lord;
    I was not disloyal to my God.
23 His laws were all before me,
    his decrees I did not cast aside.
24 I was honest toward him;
    I was on guard against sin.
25 So the Lord rewarded my righteousness,
    the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
26 (I)Toward the faithful you are faithful;[g]
    to the honest you are honest;
27 Toward the sincere you are sincere;
    but to the perverse you are devious.
28 Humble people you save,
    though on the haughty your eyes look down.
29 You are my lamp, O Lord!
    My God brightens the darkness about me.
30 With you I can rush an armed band,
    with my God to help I can leap a wall.
31 God’s way is unerring;
    the Lord’s promise is tried and true;
    he is a shield for all who trust in him.(J)

32 Truly, who is God except the Lord?
    Who but our God is the rock?
33 This God who girded me with might,
    kept my way unerring,
34 Who made my feet swift as a deer’s,
    set me safe on the heights,(K)
35 Who trained my hands for war,
    my arms to bend even a bow of bronze.

36 You have given me your protecting shield,
    and your help has made me great.
37 You gave me room to stride;
    my feet never stumbled.
38 I pursued my enemies and overtook them;
    I did not turn back till I destroyed them.
39 I struck them down, and they did not rise;
    they fell dead at my feet.
40 You girded me with strength for war;
    subdued adversaries at my feet.
41 My foes you put to flight before me;
    those who hated me I destroyed.
42 They cried for help, but no one saved them,
    cried to the Lord but got no answer.
43 I ground them fine as the dust of the earth;
    like mud in the streets I trod them down.
44 You rescued me from the strife of my people;
    you made me head over nations.
A people I had not known became my slaves;
45 Foreigners cringed before me;
    as soon as they heard of me they obeyed.
46 Their courage failed;
    they came trembling from their fortresses.
47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock!
    Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation.
48 O God who granted me vindication,
    subdued peoples under me,
49     and helped me escape from my enemies,
Truly you have exalted me above my adversaries,
    from the violent you have rescued me.
50 Thus I will proclaim you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises of your name.(L)
51 You have given great victories to your king,
    and shown kindness to your anointed,
    to David and his posterity forever.

Footnotes

  1. 22:1–51 This psalm of thanksgiving also appears in the Psalter, with a few small variants, as Ps 18. In both places it is attributed to David. Two main sections can be distinguished. In the first part, after an introductory stanza of praise to God (vv. 2–4), the writer describes the peril he was in (vv. 5–7), and then poetically depicts, under the form of a theophany, God’s intervention in his behalf (vv. 8–20), concluding with an acknowledgment of God’s justice (vv. 21–31). In the second part, God is praised for having prepared the psalmist for war (vv. 32–35), given him victory over his enemies (vv. 36–39), whom he put to flight (vv. 40–43), and bestowed on him dominion over many peoples (vv. 44–46). The entire song ends with an expression of grateful praise (vv. 47–51).
  2. 22:3 My saving horn: my strong savior. The horn, such as that of an enraged bull, was a symbol of strength; cf. Lk 1:69.
  3. 22:5–6 Breakers…floods: traditional Old Testament imagery for lethal danger, from which the Lord is uniquely able to rescue; cf. Ps 69:2, 15–16; 89:10–11; Jon 2:3–6.
  4. 22:7 His temple: his heavenly abode.
  5. 22:8–10 The Lord’s coming is depicted by means of a storm theophany, including earthquake (vv. 8, 16) and thunderstorm (vv. 9–15); cf. Jgs 5:4–5; Ps 29; 97:2–6; Hb 3.
  6. 22:11 Mounted on a cherub: in the traditional storm theophany, as here, the Lord appears with thunder, lightning, earthquake, rain, darkness, cloud, and wind. Sometimes these are represented as his retinue; sometimes he is said to ride upon the clouds or “the wings of the wind” (Ps 104:3). The parallelism in v. 11 suggests that the winged creatures called cherubim are imagined as bearing the Lord aloft. In the iconography of the ark of the covenant, the Lord was “enthroned upon the cherubim”; cf. Ex 37:7–9; 1 Sm 4:4; 2 Sm 6:2; 2 Kgs 19:15; Ps 80:2; 99:1.
  7. 22:26–27 People are treated by God in the same way they treat him and other people.

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