2 Samuel 22
Common English Bible
David’s thanksgiving psalm
22 [a] David spoke the words of this song to the Lord after the Lord delivered him from the power of all his enemies and from Saul.
2 He said:
The Lord is my solid rock, my fortress, my rescuer.
3 My God is my rock—I take refuge in him!—
he’s my shield and my salvation’s strength,
my place of safety and my shelter.
My savior! Save me from violence!
4 Because he is praiseworthy,[b]
I cried out to the Lord,
and I was saved from my enemies.
5 Death’s waves were all around me;
rivers of wickedness terrified me.
6 The cords of the grave[c] surrounded me;
death’s traps held me tight.
7 In my distress I cried out to the Lord;
I cried out to my God.
God heard my voice from his temple;
my cry for help reached his ears.
8 The earth rocked and shook;
the sky’s foundations trembled
and reeled because of God’s anger.
9 Smoke went up from God’s nostrils;
out of his mouth came a devouring fire;
flaming coals blazed out in front of him!
10 God parted the skies and came down;
thick darkness was beneath his feet.
11 God mounted the heavenly creatures and flew;
he was seen on the wind’s wings.
12 God made darkness his covering;
water gathered in dense clouds!
13 Coals of fire blazed out of the brightness before him.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High made his voice heard.
15 God shot arrows, scattering the enemy;
he sent the lightning and whipped them into confusion.
16 The seabeds were exposed;
the earth’s foundations were laid bare at the Lord’s rebuke,
at the angry blast of air coming from his nostrils.
17 From on high God reached down and grabbed me;
he took me out of deep waters.
18 God saved me from my powerful enemy,
saved me from my foes, who were too much for me.
19 They came at me on the very day of my distress,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out to wide-open spaces;
he pulled me out, because he is pleased with me.
21 The Lord rewarded me for my righteousness;
he restored me because my hands are clean,
22 because I have kept the Lord’s ways.
I haven’t acted wickedly against my God.
23 All his rules are right in front of me;
I haven’t turned away from any of his laws.
24 I have lived with integrity before him;
I’ve kept myself from wrongdoing.
25 And so the Lord restored me for my righteousness,
because I am clean in his eyes.
26 You deal faithfully with the faithful;
you show integrity toward the one who has integrity.
27 You are pure toward the pure,
but toward the crooked, you are tricky.
28 You are the one who saves people who suffer,
but your eyes are against the proud.
You bring them down!
29 You are my lamp, Lord;
the Lord illumines my darkness.
30 With you I can charge into battle;
with my God I can leap over a wall.
31 God! His way is perfect;
the Lord’s word is tried and true.
He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
32 Now really, who is divine except the Lord?
And who is a rock except our God?
33 Only God! My mighty fortress,
who makes my way[d] perfect,
34 who makes my step[e] as sure as the deer’s,
who lets me stand securely on the heights,
35 who trains my hands for war
so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You’ve given me the shield of your salvation;
your help has made me great.
37 You’ve let me walk fast and safe,
without even twisting an ankle.
38 I chased my enemies and destroyed them!
I didn’t come home until I finished them off.
39 I ate them up! I struck them down!
They couldn’t get up;
they fell under my feet.
40 You equipped me with strength for war;
you brought my adversaries down underneath me.
41 You made my enemies turn tail from me;
I destroyed my foes.
42 They looked around, but there was no one to save them.
They looked to the Lord, but he wouldn’t answer them.
43 I crushed them like dust on the ground;
I stomped on them, trampled them like mud dumped in the streets.
44 You delivered me from struggles with many people;
you appointed me the leader of many nations.
Strangers come to serve me.
45 Foreigners grovel before me;
after hearing about me, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose their nerve;
they come trembling out of their fortresses.[f]
47 The Lord lives! Bless God, my rock!
Let my God, the rock of my salvation, be lifted high!
48 This is the God who avenges on my behalf,
who subdues peoples before me,
49 who rescues me from my enemies.
You lifted me high above my adversaries;
you delivered me from violent people.
50 That’s why I thank you, Lord, in the presence of the nations.
That’s why I sing praises to your name.
51 You are the one who gives great victories to your king,
who shows faithful love to your anointed one—
to David and to his descendants forever.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:1 This poem also occurs in Psalm 18 with some variations.
- 2 Samuel 22:4 Heb uncertain
- 2 Samuel 22:6 Heb Sheol
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Qere; Kethib his way
- 2 Samuel 22:34 Qere; Kethib his step
- 2 Samuel 22:46 Or prisons
2 Samuel 22
Living Bible
22 David sang this song to the Lord after he had rescued him from Saul and from all his other enemies:
2 “Jehovah is my rock,
My fortress and my savior.
3 I will hide in God,
Who is my rock and my refuge.
He is my shield
And my salvation,
My refuge and high tower.
Thank you, O my Savior,
For saving me from all my enemies.
4 I will call upon the Lord,
Who is worthy to be praised;
He will save me from all my enemies.
5 The waves of death surrounded me;
Floods of evil burst upon me;
6 I was trapped and bound
By hell and death;
7 But I called upon the Lord in my distress,
And he heard me from his Temple.
My cry reached his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the heavens quaked
Because of his wrath.
9 Smoke poured from his nostrils;
Fire leaped from his mouth
And burned up all before him,
Setting fire to the world.[a]
10 He bent the heavens down and came to earth;
He walked upon dark clouds.
11 He rode upon the glorious—
On the wings of the wind.
12 Darkness surrounded him,
And clouds were thick around him;
13 The earth was radiant with his brightness.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
The God above all gods gave out a mighty shout.
15 He shot forth his arrows of lightning
And routed his enemies.
16 By the blast of his breath
Was the sea split in two.
The bottom of the sea appeared.
17 From above, he rescued me.
He drew me out from the waters;
18 He saved me from powerful enemies,
From those who hated me
And from those who were too strong for me.
19 They came upon me
In the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my salvation.
20 He set me free and rescued me,
For I was his delight.
21 The Lord rewarded me for my goodness,
For my hands were clean;
22 And I have not departed from my God.
23 I knew his laws,
And I obeyed them.
24 I was perfect in obedience
And kept myself from sin.
25 That is why the Lord has done so much for me,
For he sees that I am clean.
26 You are merciful to the merciful;
You show your perfections
To the blameless.
27 To those who are pure,
You show yourself pure;
But you destroy those who are evil.
28 You will save those in trouble,
But you bring down the haughty;
For you watch their every move.
29 O Lord, you are my light!
You make my darkness bright.
30 By your power I can crush an army;
By your strength I leap over a wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect;
The word of the Lord is true.
He shields all who hide behind him.
32 Our Lord alone is God;
We have no other Savior.[b]
33 God is my strong fortress;
He has made me safe.
34 He causes the good to walk a steady tread
Like mountain goats upon the rocks.
35 He gives me skill in war
And strength to bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
37 You have made wide steps for my feet,
To keep them from slipping.
38 I have chased my enemies
And destroyed them.
I did not stop till all were gone.
39 I have destroyed them
So that none can rise again.
They have fallen beneath my feet.
40 For you have given me strength for the battle
And have caused me to subdue
All those who rose against me.
41 You have made my enemies
Turn and run away;
I have destroyed them all.
42 They looked in vain for help;
They cried to God,
But he refused to answer.
43 I beat them into dust;
I crushed and scattered them
Like dust along the streets.
44 You have preserved me
From the rebels of my people;
You have preserved me
As the head of the nations.
Foreigners shall serve me
45 And shall quickly submit to me
When they hear of my power.
46 They shall lose heart
And come, trembling,
From their hiding places.
47 The Lord lives.
Blessed be my Rock.
Praise to him—
The Rock of my salvation.
48 Blessed be God
Who destroys those who oppose me
49 And rescues me from my enemies.
Yes, you hold me safe above their heads.
You deliver me from violence.
50 No wonder I give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nations,
And sing praises to your name.
51 He gives wonderful deliverance to his king
And shows mercy to his anointed—
To David and his family,
Forever.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:9 Setting fire to the world, literally, “coals were kindled by it.”
- 2 Samuel 22:32 We have no other Savior, literally, “Who is a rock save our God?”
2 Samuel 22
English Standard Version
David's Song of Deliverance
22 And David spoke (A)to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 (B)He said,
(C)“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 (D)my[a] God, my rock, (E)in whom I take refuge,
(F)my shield, and (G)the horn of my salvation,
(H)my stronghold and (I)my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is (J)worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
5 (K)“For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of destruction assailed me;[b]
6 (L)the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 (M)“In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry (N)came to his ears.
8 “Then (O)the earth reeled and rocked;
(P)the foundations of the heavens trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils,[c]
and devouring fire from his mouth;
(Q)glowing coals flamed forth from him.
10 (R)He bowed the heavens and (S)came down;
(T)thick darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he was seen on (U)the wings of the wind.
12 He made (V)darkness around him (W)his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.
13 Out of the brightness before him
(X)coals of fire flamed forth.
14 (Y)The Lord thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out (Z)arrows and scattered them;
lightning, and routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen;
the foundations of the world were laid bare,
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the (AA)blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 (AB)“He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
20 (AC)He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because (AD)he delighted in me.
21 “The Lord (AE)dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the (AF)cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
22 (AG)For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 (AH)For all his rules were before me,
and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
24 I was (AI)blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
25 (AJ)And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 (AK)“With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the (AL)blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27 with the purified you deal purely,
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
28 (AM)You save a humble people,
(AN)but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 (AO)For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God—(AP)his way is perfect;
the (AQ)word of the Lord proves true;
he is (AR)a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
32 “For who is God, but the Lord?
(AS)And who is a rock, except our God?
33 This God is my (AT)strong refuge
and has made my[d] way blameless.[e]
34 (AU)He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure (AV)on the heights.
35 (AW)He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your gentleness made me great.
37 (AX)You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet[f] did not slip;
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;
they fell (AY)under my feet.
40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made (AZ)those who rise against me sink under me.
41 You (BA)made my enemies turn their backs to me,[g]
those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but (BB)he did not answer them.
43 I beat them fine (BC)as the dust of the earth;
I crushed them and stamped them down (BD)like the mire of the streets.
44 “You delivered me from strife with my people;[h]
you kept me as the head of (BE)the nations;
(BF)people whom I had not known served me.
45 Foreigners came cringing to me;
as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
46 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling[i] (BG)out of their fortresses.
47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be (BH)my God, (BI)the rock of my salvation,
48 the God who gave me vengeance
and (BJ)brought down peoples under me,
49 who brought me out from my enemies;
you exalted me above (BK)those who rose against me;
you delivered me from (BL)men of violence.
50 (BM)“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
51 (BN)Great salvation he brings[j] to his king,
and shows steadfast love to (BO)his anointed,
to David and his offspring (BP)forever.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Septuagint (compare Psalm 18:2); Hebrew lacks my
- 2 Samuel 22:5 Or terrified me
- 2 Samuel 22:9 Or in his wrath
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Or his; also verse 34
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Compare Psalm 18:32; Hebrew he has blamelessly set my way free, or he has made my way spring up blamelessly
- 2 Samuel 22:37 Hebrew ankles
- 2 Samuel 22:41 Or You gave me my enemies' necks
- 2 Samuel 22:44 Septuagint with the peoples
- 2 Samuel 22:46 Compare Psalm 18:45; Hebrew equipped themselves
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Or He is a tower of salvation
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The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
