2 Samuel 22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
David’s Song of Thanksgiving
22 David spoke 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.(A) 2 He said,
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,(B)
3 my 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.(C)
4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.(D)
5 For the waves of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;(E)
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(F)
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.(G)
8 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations of the heavens trembled
and reeled because he was angry.(H)
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.(I)
10 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.(J)
11 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he was seen upon the wings of the wind.(K)
12 He made darkness around him a canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.(L)
13 Out of the brightness before him
coals of fire flamed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High uttered his voice.(M)
15 He sent out 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 blast of the breath of his nostrils.(N)
17 He reached from on high; he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.(O)
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They came upon me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my stay.(P)
20 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me because he delighted in me.(Q)
21 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.(R)
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.(S)
23 For all his ordinances were before me,
and from his statutes I did not turn aside.(T)
24 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.(U)
25 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.(V)
26 With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless[a] you show yourself blameless;(W)
27 with the pure you show yourself pure,
and with the crooked you show yourself shrewd.(X)
28 You deliver a humble people,
but your eyes are upon the haughty to bring them down.(Y)
29 Indeed, you are my lamp, O Lord;
the Lord lightens my darkness.(Z)
30 By you I can outrun a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.(AA)
32 For who is God but the Lord?
And who is a rock except our God?(AB)
33 The God who has girded me with strength[b]
has opened wide my path.[c](AC)
34 He made my feet like the feet of deer
and set me secure on the heights.(AD)
35 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.(AE)
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your help[d] has made me great.
37 You have made me stride freely,
and my feet do not slip;(AF)
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them; I struck them down so that they did not rise;
they fell under my feet.(AG)
40 For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.(AH)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
those who hated me, and I destroyed them.(AI)
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.(AJ)
43 I beat them fine like the dust of the earth;
I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.(AK)
44 You delivered me from strife with the peoples;[e]
you kept me as the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.(AL)
45 Foreigners came cringing to me;
as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.(AM)
46 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out[f] of their strongholds.(AN)
47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,(AO)
48 the God who gave me vengeance
and brought down peoples under me,(AP)
49 who brought me out from my enemies;
you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.(AQ)
50 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations
and sing praises to your name.(AR)
51 He is a tower of salvation for his king
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.”(AS)
2 Samuel 22
King James Version
22 And David spake unto the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
2 And he said, The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
3 The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.
4 I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
5 When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of ungodly men made me afraid;
6 The sorrows of hell compassed me about; the snares of death prevented me;
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried to my God: and he did hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry did enter into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth.
9 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: and he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him, dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them.
16 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He sent from above, he took me; he drew me out of many waters;
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
19 They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the Lord was my stay.
20 He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his judgments were before me: and as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I was also upright before him, and have kept myself from mine iniquity.
25 Therefore the Lord hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; according to my cleanness in his eye sight.
26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright.
27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury.
28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save: but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.
29 For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness.
30 For by thee I have run through a troop: by my God have I leaped over a wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
32 For who is God, save the Lord? and who is a rock, save our God?
33 God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect.
34 He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places.
35 He teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.
36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy gentleness hath made me great.
37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip.
38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; and turned not again until I had consumed them.
39 And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: yea, they are fallen under my feet.
40 For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me.
41 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, that I might destroy them that hate me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save; even unto the Lord, but he answered them not.
43 Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I did stamp them as the mire of the street, and did spread them abroad.
44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.
45 Strangers shall submit themselves unto me: as soon as they hear, they shall be obedient unto me.
46 Strangers shall fade away, and they shall be afraid out of their close places.
47 The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation.
48 It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me.
49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.
51 He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.
Read full chapterNew Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.