2 Samuel 22
New American Standard Bible
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. 2 He said,
“(C)The Lord is my [c]rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 [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.
4 I call upon the Lord, (H)who is worthy to be praised,
And I am saved from my enemies.
5 For (I)the waves of death encompassed me;
(J)The floods of [e]destruction terrified me;
6 (K)The ropes of [f]Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
7 (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.
8 Then (M)the earth shook and quaked,
(N)The foundations of heaven were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.
9 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.
32 (AT)For who is God, except the Lord?
(AU)And who is a rock, except our God?
33 (AV)God is my strong fortress;
And He [q]sets the [r]blameless on [s]His way.
34 (AW)He makes [t]my feet like deer’s feet,
(AX)And sets me on my high places.
35 (AY)He trains my hands for battle,
(AZ)So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have also given me (BA)the shield of Your salvation,
And Your [u]help makes me great.
37 (BB)You enlarge my steps under me,
And my [v]feet have not slipped.
38 I pursued my enemies and (BC)eliminated them,
And I did not turn back until they were finished off.
39 And I have devoured them and smashed them, so that they would not rise;
And (BD)they fell under my feet.
40 For You have encircled me with strength for battle;
You have forced (BE)those who rose up against me to bow down under me.
41 You have also (BF)made my enemies turn their backs to me,
And I [w]destroyed those who hated me.
42 (BG)They looked, but there was no one to save them;
(BH)Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 (BI)Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth;
(BJ)I crushed and trampled them like the mud of the streets.
44 (BK)You have also saved me from the contentions of my people;
(BL)You have kept me as head of the nations;
(BM)A people I have not known serve me.
45 (BN)Foreigners pretend to obey me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart,
(BO)And [x]come trembling out of their fortresses.
47 The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock;
And exalted be [y](BP)my God, the rock of my salvation,
48 (BQ)The God who executes vengeance for me,
(BR)And brings down peoples under me,
49 Who also brings me out from my enemies;
You also raise me above (BS)those who rise up against me;
(BT)You rescue me from the violent person.
50 (BU)Therefore I will [z]give thanks to You, Lord, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Your name.
51 (BV)He is a tower of [aa]salvation to His king,
And (BW)shows favor to His anointed,
(BX)To David and his [ab]descendants forever.”
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:1 Lit palm
- 2 Samuel 22:1 Lit palm
- 2 Samuel 22:2 Lit crag
- 2 Samuel 22:3 As in LXX; MT God of my rock
- 2 Samuel 22:5 Or wickedness; Heb Belial
- 2 Samuel 22:6 I.e., the netherworld
- 2 Samuel 22:9 I.e., in his anger
- 2 Samuel 22:11 Many mss glided
- 2 Samuel 22:15 Lit confused
- 2 Samuel 22:23 Lit it
- 2 Samuel 22:24 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:26 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:26 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:27 As in two Heb mss and Ps 18:26; MT pretend stupidity
- 2 Samuel 22:30 Or wall
- 2 Samuel 22:31 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Or sets free
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Lit complete; or having integrity
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Another reading is my
- 2 Samuel 22:34 Another reading is His
- 2 Samuel 22:36 Lit answering
- 2 Samuel 22:37 Lit ankles
- 2 Samuel 22:41 Or silenced
- 2 Samuel 22:46 Reading based on Ps 18:45; MT belt up themselves
- 2 Samuel 22:47 As in LXX; MT the God of the rock
- 2 Samuel 22:50 Or praise
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Lit acts of salvation
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Lit seed
2 Samuel 22
Holman Christian Standard Bible
David’s Song of Thanksgiving
22 David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:(A)
The Lord is my rock, my fortress,(B) and my deliverer,
3 my God, my mountain[a] where I seek refuge.
My shield, the horn of my salvation,(C) my stronghold,(D) my refuge,(E)
and my Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,(F)
and I was saved from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death engulfed me;(G)
the torrents of destruction terrified me.
6 The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(H)
7 I called to the Lord in my distress;
I called to my God.(I)
From His temple He heard my voice,
and my cry for help reached His ears.
8 Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the heavens[b] trembled;(J)
they shook because He burned with anger.(K)
9 Smoke rose from His nostrils,
and consuming fire came from His mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.[c]
10 He parted the heavens and came down,(L)
a dark cloud beneath His feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring[d] on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a canopy around Him,
a gathering[e] of water and thick clouds.(M)
13 From the radiance of His presence,
flaming coals were ignited.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High projected His voice.(N)
15 He shot arrows and scattered them;(O)
He hurled lightning bolts and routed them.(P)
16 The depths of the sea became visible,
the foundations of the world were exposed
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of the breath(Q) of His nostrils.(R)
17 He reached down from heaven
and took hold of me;
He pulled me out of deep waters.(S)
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my distress,
but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me out to a spacious place;(T)
He rescued me because He delighted in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness;(U)
He repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.(V)
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord(W)
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.
23 Indeed, I have kept all His ordinances(X) in mind[f]
and have not disregarded His statutes.
24 I was blameless before Him
and kept myself from sinning.
25 So the Lord repaid me
according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness[g] in His sight.
26 With the faithful
You prove Yourself faithful;
with the blameless man
You prove Yourself blameless;
27 with the pure
You prove Yourself pure,
but with the crooked
You prove Yourself shrewd.
28 You rescue an afflicted people,(Y)
but Your eyes are set against the proud—
You humble them.(Z)
29 Lord, You are my lamp;
the Lord illuminates my darkness.(AA)
30 With You I can attack a barrier,[h]
and with my God I can leap over a wall.(AB)
31 God—His way is perfect;(AC)
the word of the Lord is pure.(AD)
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is a rock? Only our God.
33 God is my strong refuge;[i]
He makes my way perfect.[j]
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer
and sets me securely on the[k] heights.[l]
35 He trains my hands for war;(AE)
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of Your salvation;(AF)
Your help[m] exalts me.
37 You widen a place beneath me for my steps,
and my ankles do not give way.
38 I pursue my enemies and destroy them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.
39 I wipe them out and crush them,
and they do not rise;
they fall beneath my feet.
40 You have clothed me with strength for battle;
You subdue my adversaries beneath me.(AG)
41 You have made my enemies retreat before me;[n]
I annihilate those who hate me.
42 They look, but there is no one to save them—
they look to the Lord, but He does not answer them.(AH)
43 I pulverize them like dust of the earth;
I crush them and trample them like mud in the streets.(AI)
44 You have freed me from the feuds among my people;(AJ)
You have appointed me the head of nations;
a people I had not known serve me.(AK)
45 Foreigners submit to me grudgingly;
as soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.(AL)
47 The Lord lives—may my rock be praised!
God, the rock of my salvation,(AM) is exalted.
48 God—He gives me vengeance
and casts down peoples under me.(AN)
49 He frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my adversaries;
You rescue me from violent men.(AO)
50 Therefore I will praise You, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing about Your name.(AP)
51 He is a tower of salvation for[o] His king;
He shows loyalty to His anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.(AQ)
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:3 LXX; MT reads God of my mountain; Ps 18:2
- 2 Samuel 22:8 Some Hb mss, Syr, Vg read mountains; Ps 18:7
- 2 Samuel 22:9 Or ablaze from Him
- 2 Samuel 22:11 Some Hb mss; other Hb mss, Syr, Tg read He was seen
- 2 Samuel 22:12 Or sieve, or mass; Hb obscure
- 2 Samuel 22:23 Lit Indeed, all His ordinances have been in front of me
- 2 Samuel 22:25 LXX, Syr, Vg read to the cleanness of my hands; Ps 18:24
- 2 Samuel 22:30 Or ridge
- 2 Samuel 22:33 DSS, some LXX mss, Syr, Vg read God clothes me with strength; Ps 18:32
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Some LXX mss, Syr; MT reads He sets free the blameless His way; Hb obscure
- 2 Samuel 22:34 LXX; some Hb mss read my; other Hb mss read His
- 2 Samuel 22:34 Or on my high places
- 2 Samuel 22:36 LXX reads humility; Ps 18:35
- 2 Samuel 22:41 Lit You gave me the neck of my enemies
- 2 Samuel 22:51 DSS read He gives great victory to
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