2 Samuel 22

The Victory Song of David

22Then David spoke to Yahweh the words of this song,^a on the day Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

²And he said:

“Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.

³I take refuge in God, my rock,^b my shield, and the strength^c of my salvation.

My stronghold and my refuge, O my savior, you will save me from violence!

⁴I call upon Yahweh who is praiseworthy,

and I am saved from those who hate me.

⁵For the breaker waves of death engulfed me;

the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.

⁶The ropes of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

⁷In my distress I called upon Yahweh, and to my God I called.

He heard my voice from his temple,

and my cry for help was to his ears.

⁸The earth heaved and shook,

the foundations of heaven trembled and heaved

because he was angry.^d

⁹Smoke went up from his nostrils and fire from his mouth.

Burning coals devoured, they burned from him.

¹⁰He bowed the heavens and came down;

a very thick cloud was under his feet.

¹¹He rode upon a cherub and flew;

he was seen on the wings of the wind.

¹²He put darkness as a canopy all around him,

a collection of thick rain clouds.^e

¹³From the brightness before him

flamed burning coals of fire.

¹⁴Yahweh thundered from heaven,

and the Most High uttered his voice.^f

¹⁵He sent arrows and he scattered them,

lightning, and he directed them.

¹⁶Then the channels of water of the sea were exposed,

the foundations of the world,

at the rebuke of Yahweh,

from the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷He sent from a high position and took me;

he drew me from mighty waters.

¹⁸He delivered me from my strong enemies,

from those who hate me, for they were mightier than I.

¹⁹They approached me on the day of my disaster,

but Yahweh was my support.

²⁰He brought me out to a spacious place.

He delivered me because he delighted in me.

²¹Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

²²For I have kept the ways of Yahweh;

I have not acted wickedly against my God.

²³For all of his ordinances were before me,

and I did not turn aside from his statutes.

²⁴I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁵Yahweh has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

according to my cleanness before his eyes.

²⁶With the loyal, you act as loyal,

and with the blameless, you show yourself blameless.

²⁷With the pure, you show yourself pure,

but with the crooked, you appear as a fool.

²⁸Humble people you will deliver,

but your eyes are on the haughty, whom you bring down.

²⁹For you, O Yahweh are my lamp,

and Yahweh lightens my darkness.

³⁰For by you I can run a raid;

by my God I can leap over a wall.

³¹This God, his way is blameless;

the promise of Yahweh is flawless.

He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.

³²For who is God apart from Yahweh?

And who is a rock apart from our God?

³³God is my strong refuge,

he has fully opened my way.^g

³⁴He makes my feet^h like a doe deer,

and on my high places he has set me.

³⁵He trains my hands for the war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁶You have given me the shield of your salvation;

your willingness to help has made me great.

³⁷You have broadened my steps beneath me;

my ankles have not wobbled.

³⁸I pursued those who hate me, and I destroyed them.

I did not turn back until finishing them.

³⁹I wiped them out and I smashed them;

they did not get up; they fell under my feet.

⁴⁰You have girded me with physical strength for the battle;

you caused those who rose up against me to kneel under me.

⁴¹My enemies you cause to retreat from me;ⁱ

I destroy those who hate me.

⁴²They looked out, but there was no deliverer,

even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.

⁴³I beat them fine, like the dust of the earth;

like the mire of the streets, I crushed them, I stamped them down.

⁴⁴You delivered me from the strife of my people;

you preserved me as the head of the nations.

A people I had not known served me.

⁴⁵Children of a foreign land came cringing to me;

when they heard of me,^j they became obedient to me.

⁴⁶Children of a foreign land lost heart

and came trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁷Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock!

May God, the rock of my salvation, be exalted!

⁴⁸God does vengeance for me,

bringing down peoples under me.

⁴⁹He brings me out from my enemies,

and from those who rose up against me you lift me up,

and from men of violence you rescue me.

⁵⁰Therefore I will extol you, Yahweh, among the nations!

I will sing praises to your name!

⁵¹He makes great salvation for his king

and shows loyal love to his anointed one, David

and to his descendants forever.”