2 Samuel 22
David’s Psalm of Rescue
1David spoke the words of this song to the Lord when the Lord rescued him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2He said:
“The Lord is my rock and my fortress [on the mountain] and my rescuer;
3My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge,
My Savior—You save me from violence.
4I call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.
5For the waves of death encompassed me;
The torrents of destruction overwhelmed and terrified me.
6The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
7In my distress I called upon the Lord;
I cried out to my God,
And from His temple [in the heavens] He heard my voice;
My cry for help came into His ears.
8Then the earth shook and quaked,
The foundations of the heavens trembled
And were shaken, because He was angry.
9Smoke went up out of His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
10He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With thick darkness under His feet.
11He rode on a cherub and flew;
He appeared upon the wings of the wind.
12He made darkness canopies around Him,
A mass of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13Out of the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were set aflame.
14The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning, and confused them.
16The channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were uncovered
At the rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of great waters.
18He rescued me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
19They came upon me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
20He also brought me out to an open place;
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
21The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me.
22For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.
23For all His judgments (legal decisions) were before me,
And from His statutes I did not turn aside.
24I was also blameless before Him,
And kept myself from wrongdoing.
25Therefore the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness in His sight.
26With the loving and loyal You show Yourself loving and loyal,
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless.
27With the pure You show Yourself pure,
With the perverted You show Yourself astute.
28And You save the afflicted people;
But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase (humiliate).
29For You, O Lord, are my lamp;
The Lord illumines and dispels my darkness.
30For by You I can run upon a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
31As for God, His way is blameless and perfect;
The word of the Lord is tested.
He is a shield to all those who take refuge and trust in Him.
32For who is God, besides the Lord?
And who is a rock, besides our God?
33God is my strong fortress;
He sets the blameless in His way.
34He makes my feet like the doe’s feet [firm and swift];
He sets me [secure and confident] on my high places.
35He trains my hands for war,
So that my arms can bend (pull back) a bow of bronze.
36You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your help and gentleness make me great.
37You enlarge my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.
38I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
And I did not turn back until they were consumed (eliminated).
39I consumed them and shattered them, so that they did not rise;
They fell under my feet.
40For You have surrounded me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who stood against me.
41You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me [in retreat],
And I destroyed those who hated me.
42They looked, but there was no savior for them—
Even to the Lord [they looked], but He did not answer them.
43Then I beat them as [small as] the dust of the earth;
I crushed and stamped them as the mire (dirt, mud) of the streets.
44You also have rescued me from strife with my [own] people;
You have kept me as the head of the nations.
People whom I have not known served me.
45Foreigners pretend obedience to me;
As soon as they hear [me], they obey me.
46Foreigners lose heart;
They come trembling out of their strongholds.
47The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
And exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.
48It is God who executes vengeance for me,
And brings down [and disciplines] the peoples under me,
49Who also brings me out from my enemies.
You even lift me above those who rise up against me;
You rescue me from the violent man.
50For this I will give thanks and praise You, O Lord, among the nations;
I will sing praises to Your name.
51He is a tower of salvation and great deliverance to His king,
And shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
To David and his offspring forever.”