2 Samuel 22

David’s Song of Praise

22:1-51^pp — Ps 18:1–50

David sang^a 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,^b my fortress^c and my deliverer;^d

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,^e

my shield^f and the horn^g of my salvation.

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

from violent people you save me.

“I called to the Lord, who is worthyⁱ of praise,

and have been saved from my enemies.

The waves^j of death swirled about me;

the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

The cords of the grave^k coiled around me;

the snares of death confronted me.

“In my distress^l I called^m to the Lord;

I called out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry came to his ears.

The earthⁿ trembled and quaked,^o

the foundations^p of the heavens shook;

they trembled because he was angry.

Smoke rose from his nostrils;

consuming fire^q came from his mouth,

burning coals^r blazed out of it.

He parted the heavens and came down;

dark clouds^s were under his feet.

He mounted the cherubim^t and flew;

he soared on the wings of the wind.^u

He made darkness^v his canopy around him—

the dark rain clouds of the sky.

Out of the brightness of his presence

bolts of lightning^w blazed forth.

The Lord thundered^x from heaven;

the voice of the Most High resounded.

He shot his arrows^y and scattered the enemy,

with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

The valleys of the sea were exposed

and the foundations of the earth laid bare

at the rebuke^z of the Lord,

at the blast^a of breath from his nostrils.

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

he drew^c me out of deep waters.

He rescued^d me from my powerful enemy,

from my foes, who were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my disaster,

but the Lord was my support.^e

He brought me out into a spacious^f place;

he rescued^g me because he delighted^h in me.ⁱ

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

according to the cleanness^k of my hands^l he has rewarded me.

For I have kept^m the ways of the Lord;

I am not guilty of turning from my God.

All his laws are before me;ⁿ

I have not turned^o away from his decrees.

I have been blameless^p before him

and have kept myself from sin.

The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,^q

according to my cleanness in his sight.

“To the faithful you show yourself faithful,

to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

to the pure^r you show yourself pure,

but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^s

You save the humble,^t

but your eyes are on the haughty^u to bring them low.^v

You, Lord, are my lamp;^w

the Lord turns my darkness into light.

With your help I can advance against a troop;

with my God I can scale a wall.

“As for God, his way is perfect;^x

the Lord’s word is flawless.^y

He shields^z all who take refuge in him.

For who is God besides the Lord?

And who is the Rock^a except our God?^b

It is God who arms me with strength

and keeps my way secure.

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer^c

and causes me to stand on the heights.^d

He trains my hands^e for battle;

my arms can bend a bow^f of bronze.

You make your saving help my shield;^g

your help has made me great.

You provide a broad path^h for my feet,

so that my ankles do not give way.

“I pursued my enemies and crushed them;

I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

I crushedⁱ them completely, and they could not rise;

they fell beneath my feet.

You armed me with strength for battle;

you humbled my adversaries before me.^j

You made my enemies turn their backs^k in flight,

and I destroyed my foes.

They cried for help,^l but there was no one to save them—^m

to the Lord, but he did not answer.ⁿ

I beat them as fine as the dust^o of the earth;

I pounded and trampled^p them like mud^q in the streets.

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

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

People^t I did not know now serve me,

foreigners cower^u before me;

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

They all lose heart;

they come trembling^w from their strongholds.

“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!

Exalted^x be my God, the Rock, my Savior!^y

He is the God who avenges^z me,^a

who puts the nations under me,

who sets me free from my enemies.^b

You exalted me^c above my foes;

from violent people you rescued me.

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

I will sing the praises^d of your name.^e

“He gives his king great victories;^f

he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,^g

to David^h and his descendants forever.”ⁱ