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David’s Song of Deliverance(A)

22 David sang this song to Yahweh when Yahweh rescued him from all his enemies, especially from Saul. He said,

Yahweh is my rock and my Metsuda and my Savior,
my Elohim, my rock in whom I take refuge, my Magen,
    the strength of my salvation, my stronghold,
        my refuge, and my Savior who saved me from violence.
Yahweh should be praised.
    I called on him, and I was saved from my enemies.

The waves of death had surrounded me.
    The torrents of destruction had overwhelmed me.
The ropes of the grave had surrounded me.
    The clutches of death had confronted me.

I called on Yahweh in my distress.
    I called to my Elohim for help.
        He heard my voice from his temple,
            and my cry for help reached his ears.
Then the earth shook and quaked.
    Even the foundations of the heavens trembled.
        They shook violently because he was angry.
Smoke went up from his nostrils,
    and a raging fire came out of his mouth.
        Glowing coals flared up from it.
10 He spread apart the heavens
    and came down with a dark cloud under his feet.
11 He rode on one of the angels[a] as he flew,
    and he soared on the wings of the wind.
12 He surrounded himself with darkness.
    He made the dark rain clouds his covering.
13 Out of the brightness in front of him, he made lightning.
14 Yahweh thundered from heaven.
The Elyon made his voice heard.
15 He shot arrows and scattered them.
He flashed streaks of lightning and threw them into confusion.
16 Then the ocean floor could be seen.
    The foundations of the earth were laid bare
        at Yahweh’s stern warning,
        at the blast of the breath from his nostrils.

17 He reached down from high above and took hold of me.
He pulled me out of the raging water.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me,
        because they were too strong for me.
19 On the day when I faced disaster, they confronted me,
    but Yahweh became my defense.
20 He brought me out to a wide-open place.
    He rescued me because he was pleased with me.

21 Yahweh rewarded me
    because of my righteousness,
    because my hands are clean.
He paid me back
22 because I have kept the ways of Yahweh
    and I have not wickedly turned away from my Elohim,
23 because all his judgments are in front of me
    and I have not turned away from his laws.
24 I was innocent as far as he was concerned.
    I have kept myself from guilt.
25 Yahweh paid me back
    because of my righteousness,
    because he can see that I am clean.

26 In dealing with faithful people you are faithful,
    with innocent warriors you are innocent,
27 with pure people you are pure.
In dealing with devious people you are clever.

28 You save humble people,
    but your eyes bring down arrogant people.
29 O Yahweh, you are my lamp.
    Yahweh turns my darkness into light.
30 With you I can attack a line of soldiers.
    With my Elohim I can break through barricades.

31 Elohim’s way is perfect!
    The promise of Yahweh has proven to be true.
        He is a Magen to all those who take refuge in him.
32 Who is Elohim but Yahweh?
    Who is a rock other than our Elohim?
33 El arms me with strength.[b]
His perfect way sets me free.
34 He makes my feet like those of a deer
    and gives me sure footing on high places.
35 He trains my hands for battle
    so that my arms can bend an archer’s bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation.
Your help makes me great.
37 You make a wide path for me to walk on
    so that my feet do not slip.
38 I chased my enemies and destroyed them.
I did not return until I had ended their lives.
39 I ended their lives by shattering them.
    They were unable to get up.
    They fell under my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle.
You made my opponents bow at my feet.
41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
    and I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them.
They looked to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
43 I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust on the ground.
    I crushed them and stomped on them like the dirt on the streets.
44 You rescued me from my conflicts with my people.
You kept me as the leader of nations.
    A people I did not know will serve me.
45 Foreigners will cringe in front of me.
    As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me.
46 Foreigners will lose heart,
    although they are armed[c] in their fortifications.

47 Yahweh lives!
    Thanks be to my rock!
        May Elohim, the rock of my salvation, be glorified.
48 El gives me vengeance!
    He brings people under my authority.
49 He frees me from my enemies.
    You lift me up above my opponents.
        You rescue me from violent people.
50 That is why I will give thanks to you, O Yahweh, among the nations
    and make music to praise your name.
51 He gives great victories to his king.
He shows mercy to his anointed,
    to David, and to his descendant[d] forever.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:11 Or “cherubim.”
  2. 2 Samuel 22:33 Dead Sea Scrolls, Psalm 18:33, Greek, Syriac, Latin; Masoretic Text “my refuge is strength.”
  3. 2 Samuel 22:46 Hebrew meaning uncertain.
  4. 2 Samuel 22:51 Or “to his descendants.”

22 And David spake unto 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:

And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

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 saviour; thou savest me from violence.

I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

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;

In my distress I called upon 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.

Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.

There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

10 He bowed the heavens also, 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 pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.

14 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.

15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.

16 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 sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;

18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.

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

21 The Lord 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 the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.

25 Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.

26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.

27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.

28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.

29 For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten 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 the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.

32 For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?

33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.

34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.

35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.

36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.

37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.

38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.

39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.

40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.

41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.

42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.

43 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 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.

45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.

46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.

47 The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.

48 It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me.

49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.

50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.

51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.