2 Samuel 22:1–51

David’s Song of Praise

22:1–51pp—Ps 18:1–50

22David sang^d 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. ²He said:

“The Lord is my rock,^e my fortress^f and my deliverer;^g

³my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,^h

my shield^ai and the horn^bj of my salvation.

He is my stronghold,^k my refuge and my savior—

from violent people you save me.

⁴“I called to the Lord, who is worthy^l of praise,

and have been saved from my enemies.

⁵The waves^m of death swirled about me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

⁶The cords of the graveⁿ coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

⁷“In my distress^o I called^p to the Lord;

I called out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came to his ears.

⁸The earth^q trembled and quaked,^r

the foundations^s of the heavens^c shook;

they trembled because he was angry.

⁹Smoke rose from his nostrils;

consuming fire^t came from his mouth,

burning coals^u blazed out of it.

¹⁰He parted the heavens and came down;

dark clouds^v were under his feet.

¹¹He mounted the cherubim^w and flew;

he soared^d on the wings of the wind.^x

¹²He made darkness^y his canopy around him—

the dark^e rain clouds of the sky.

¹³Out of the brightness of his presence

bolts of lightning^z blazed forth.

¹⁴The Lord thundered^a from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded.

¹⁵He shot his arrows^b and scattered the enemy,

with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

¹⁶The valleys of the sea were exposed

and the foundations of the earth laid bare

at the rebuke^c of the Lord,

at the blast^d of breath from his nostrils.

¹⁷“He reached down from on high^e and took hold of me;

he drew^f me out of deep waters.

¹⁸He rescued^g me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

¹⁹They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the Lord was my support.^h

²⁰He brought me out into a spaciousⁱ place;

he rescued^j me because he delighted^k in me.^l

²¹“The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;^m

according to the cleannessⁿ of my hands^o he has rewarded me.

²²For I have kept^p the ways of the Lord;

I am not guilty of turning from my God.

²³All his laws are before me;^q

I have not turned^r away from his decrees.

²⁴I have been blameless^s before him

and have kept myself from sin.

²⁵The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,^t

according to my cleanness^f in his sight.

²⁶“To the faithful you show yourself faithful,

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

²⁷to the pure^u you show yourself pure,

but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^v

²⁸You save the humble,^w

but your eyes are on the haughty^x to bring them low.^y

²⁹You, Lord, are my lamp;^z

the Lord turns my darkness into light.

³⁰With 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:^a

The Lord’s word is flawless;^b

he shields^c all who take refuge in him.

³²For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock^d except our God?^e

³³It is God who arms me with strength^h

and keeps my way secure.

³⁴He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;^f

he causes me to stand on the heights.^g

³⁵He trains my hands^h for battle;

my arms can bend a bowⁱ of bronze.

³⁶You make your saving help my shield;^j

your help has madeⁱ me great.

³⁷You provide a broad path^k 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.

³⁹I crushed^l them completely, and they could not rise;

they fell beneath my feet.

⁴⁰You armed me with strength for battle;

you humbled my adversaries before me.^m

⁴¹You made my enemies turn their backsⁿ in flight,

and I destroyed my foes.

⁴²They cried for help,^o but there was no one to save them—^p

to the Lord, but he did not answer.^q

⁴³I beat them as fine as the dust^r of the earth;

I pounded and trampled^s them like mud^t in the streets.

⁴⁴“You have delivered^u me from the attacks of the peoples;

you have preserved^v me as the head of nations.

People^w I did not know now serve me,

⁴⁵foreigners cower^x before me;

as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.^y

⁴⁶They all lose heart;

they come trembling^jz from their strongholds.

⁴⁷“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!

Exalted^a be my God, the Rock, my Savior!^b

⁴⁸He is the God who avenges^c me,^d

who puts the nations under me,

⁴⁹who sets me free from my enemies.^e

You exalted me^f above my foes;

from a violent man you rescued me.

⁵⁰Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;

I will sing the praises^g of your name.^h

⁵¹“He gives his king great victories;ⁱ

he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,^j

to David^k and his descendants forever.”^l