David’s Psalm of Deliverance

22 (A)Now David spoke (B)the words of this song to the Lord on the day that the Lord had saved him from the [a]hand of all his enemies and from the [b]hand of Saul. He said,

(C)The Lord is my [c]rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
[d](D)My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
My (E)shield and (F)the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and (G)my refuge;
My savior, You save me from violence.
I call upon the Lord, (H)who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.
For (I)the waves of death encompassed me;
(J)The floods of [e]destruction terrified me;
(K)The ropes of [f]Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
(L)In my distress I called upon the Lord,
Yes, I called out to my God;
And from His temple He heard my voice,
And my cry for help came into His ears.
Then (M)the earth shook and quaked,
(N)The foundations of heaven were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.
Smoke went up [g]out of His nostrils,
(O)And fire from His mouth was devouring;
(P)Coals were kindled by it.
10 He also bowed the heavens down low, and came down
With (Q)thick darkness under His feet.
11 (R)He rode on a cherub and flew;
He [h]appeared on (S)the wings of the wind.
12 (T)He made darkness canopies around Him,
A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.
13 From the brightness before Him
(U)Coals of fire were kindled.
14 (V)The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 (W)And He shot arrows and scattered them,
Lightning, and [i]routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were exposed
By the rebuke of the Lord,
(X)From the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 (Y)He sent from on high, He took me;
(Z)He drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me on the day of my disaster,
(AA)But the Lord was my support.
20 (AB)He also brought me out into an open place;
He rescued me, (AC)because He delighted in me.
21 (AD)The Lord has treated me in accordance with my righteousness;
(AE)In accordance with the cleanliness of my hands He has repaid me.
22 (AF)For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.
23 (AG)For all His ordinances were before me,
And as for His statutes, I did not deviate from [j]them.
24 (AH)I was also [k]blameless toward Him,
And I have kept myself from my wrongdoing.
25 (AI)So the Lord has repaid me in accordance with my righteousness,
In accordance with my cleanliness before His eyes.
26 (AJ)With the one who is faithful You show Yourself faithful,
With the [l]blameless one You prove Yourself [m]blameless;
27 (AK)With the one who is pure You show Yourself pure,
(AL)But with the perverted You [n]show Yourself astute.
28 (AM)And You save an afflicted people;
(AN)But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You humiliate.
29 (AO)For You are my lamp, Lord;
And the Lord illuminates my darkness.
30 (AP)For by You I can run at a [o]troop of warriors;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
31 (AQ)As for God, His way is [p]blameless;
(AR)The word of the Lord is refined;
(AS)He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:1 Lit palm
  2. 2 Samuel 22:1 Lit palm
  3. 2 Samuel 22:2 Lit crag
  4. 2 Samuel 22:3 As in LXX; MT God of my rock
  5. 2 Samuel 22:5 Or wickedness; Heb Belial
  6. 2 Samuel 22:6 I.e., the netherworld
  7. 2 Samuel 22:9 I.e., in his anger
  8. 2 Samuel 22:11 Many mss glided
  9. 2 Samuel 22:15 Lit confused
  10. 2 Samuel 22:23 Lit it
  11. 2 Samuel 22:24 Lit complete; or having integrity
  12. 2 Samuel 22:26 Lit complete; or having integrity
  13. 2 Samuel 22:26 Lit complete; or having integrity
  14. 2 Samuel 22:27 As in two Heb mss and Ps 18:26; MT pretend stupidity
  15. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or wall
  16. 2 Samuel 22:31 Lit complete; or having integrity

David’s Song of Praise(A)

22 David sang(B) 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,(C) my fortress(D) and my deliverer;(E)
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,(F)
    my shield[a](G) and the horn[b](H) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,(I) my refuge and my savior—
    from violent people you save me.

“I called to the Lord, who is worthy(J) of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.
The waves(K) of death swirled about me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave(L) coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

“In my distress(M) I called(N) to the Lord;
    I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came to his ears.
The earth(O) trembled and quaked,(P)
    the foundations(Q) of the heavens[c] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire(R) came from his mouth,
    burning coals(S) blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds(T) were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim(U) and flew;
    he soared[d] on the wings of the wind.(V)
12 He made darkness(W) his canopy around him—
    the dark[e] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning(X) blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered(Y) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows(Z) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke(AA) of the Lord,
    at the blast(AB) of breath from his nostrils.

17 “He reached down from on high(AC) and took hold of me;
    he drew(AD) me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued(AE) me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.(AF)
20 He brought me out into a spacious(AG) place;
    he rescued(AH) me because he delighted(AI) in me.(AJ)

21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(AK)
    according to the cleanness(AL) of my hands(AM) he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept(AN) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;(AO)
    I have not turned(AP) away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless(AQ) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(AR)
    according to my cleanness[f] in his sight.

26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure(AS) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(AT)
28 You save the humble,(AU)
    but your eyes are on the haughty(AV) to bring them low.(AW)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;(AX)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With 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:(AY)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;(AZ)
    he shields(BA) all who take refuge in him.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
  2. 2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  3. 2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
  4. 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
  5. 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
  6. 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
  7. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade