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
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
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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