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22 David spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul, and he said:

“Yahweh is my rock,
    my fortress,
    and my deliverer, even mine;
God is my rock in whom I take refuge;
    my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
    my high tower, and my refuge.
    My savior, you save me from violence.
I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised;
    So shall I be saved from my enemies.
For the waves of death surrounded me.
    The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.
The cords of Sheol[a] were around me.
    The snares of death caught me.
In my distress, I called on Yahweh.
    Yes, I called to my God.
He heard my voice out of his temple.
    My cry came into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled.
    The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken,
    because he was angry.
Smoke went up out of his nostrils.
    Consuming fire came out of his mouth.
    Coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down.
    Thick darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub, and flew.
    Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a shelter around himself:
    gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.
13 At the brightness before him,
    coals of fire were kindled.
14 Yahweh thundered from heaven.
    The Most High uttered his voice.
15 He sent out arrows and scattered them,
    lightning and confused them.
16 Then the channels of the sea appeared.
    The foundations of the world were laid bare by Yahweh’s rebuke,
    at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He sent from on high and he took me.
    He drew me out of many waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
    from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
19 They came on me in the day of my calamity,
    but Yahweh was my support.
20 He also brought me out into a large place.
    He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
21 Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness.
    He rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.
22 For I have kept Yahweh’s ways,
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his ordinances were before me.
    As for his statutes, I didn’t depart from them.
24 I was also perfect toward him.
    I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    According to my cleanness in his eyesight.
26 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.
    With the perfect man you will show yourself perfect.
27     With the pure you will show yourself pure.
    With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.
28 You will save the afflicted people,
    But your eyes are on the arrogant, that you may bring them down.
29 For you are my lamp, Yahweh.
    Yahweh will light up my darkness.
30 For by you, I run against a troop.
    By my God, I leap over a wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect.
    Yahweh’s word is tested.
    He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God, besides Yahweh?
    Who is a rock, besides our God?
33 God is my strong fortress.
    He makes my way perfect.
34 He makes his feet like hinds’ feet,
    and sets me on my high places.
35 He teaches my hands to war,
    so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have also given me the shield of your salvation.
    Your gentleness has made me great.
37 You have enlarged my steps under me.
    My feet have not slipped.
38 I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them.
    I didn’t turn again until they were consumed.
39 I have consumed them,
    and struck them through,
    so that they can’t arise.
    Yes, they have fallen under my feet.
40 For you have armed me with strength for the battle.
    You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
41 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
    that I might cut off those who hate me.
42 They looked, but there was no one to save;
    even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.
43 Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth.
    I crushed them as the mire of the streets, and spread them abroad.
44 You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people.
    You have kept me to be the head of the nations.
    A people whom I have not known will serve me.
45 The foreigners will submit themselves to me.
    As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me.
46 The foreigners will fade away,
    and will come trembling out of their close places.
47 Yahweh lives!
    Blessed be my rock!
Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
48     even the God who executes vengeance for me,
    who brings down peoples under me,
49     who brings me away from my enemies.
Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.
    You deliver me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,
    and will sing praises to your name.
51 He gives great deliverance to his king,
    and shows loving kindness to his anointed,
    to David and to his offspring, forever more.”

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Footnotes

  1. 22:6 Sheol is the place of the dead.

The Victory Song of David

22 Then David spoke to Yahweh the words of this song,[a] on the day Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

And he said:
    “Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.
I take refuge in God, my rock,[b] my shield, and the strength[c] of my salvation.
    My stronghold and my refuge, O my savior, you will save me from violence!
I call upon Yahweh who is praiseworthy,
    and I am saved from those who hate me.
For the breaker waves of death engulfed me;
    the currents of chaos overwhelmed me.
The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called upon Yahweh, and to my God I called.
    He heard my voice from his temple,
    and my cry for help was to his ears.
The earth heaved and shook,
    the foundations of heaven trembled and heaved
    because he was angry.[d]
Smoke went up from his nostrils and fire from his mouth.
    Burning coals devoured, they burned from him.
10 He bowed the heavens and came down;
    a very thick cloud was under his feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub and flew;
    he was seen on the wings of the wind.
12 He put darkness as a canopy all around him,
    a collection of thick rain clouds.[e]
13 From the brightness before him
    flamed burning coals of fire.
14 Yahweh thundered from heaven,
    and the Most High uttered his voice.[f]
15 He sent arrows and he scattered them,
    lightning, and he directed them.
16 Then the channels of water of the sea were exposed,
    the foundations of the world,
    at the rebuke of Yawheh,
    from the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He sent from a high position and took me;
    he drew me from mighty waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemies,
    from those who hate me, for they were mightier than I.
19 They approached me on the day of my disaster,
    but Yahweh was my support.
20 He brought me out to a spacious place.
    He delivered me because he delighted in me.
21 Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh;
    I have not acted wickedly against my God.
23 For all of his ordinances were before me,
    and I did not turn aside from his statutes.
24 I was blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 Yahweh has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
    according to my cleanness before his eyes.
26 With the loyal, you act as loyal,
    and with the blameless, you show yourself blameless.
27 With the pure, you show yourself pure,
    but with the crooked, you appear as a fool.
28 Humble people you will deliver,
    but your eyes are on the haughty, whom you bring down.
29 For you, O Yahweh are my lamp,
    and Yahweh lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run a raid;
    by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God, his way is blameless;
    the promise of Yahweh is flawless.
    He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God apart from Yahweh?
    And who is a rock apart from our God?
33 God is my strong refuge,
    he has fully opened my way.[g]
34 He makes my feet[h] like a doe deer,
    and on my high places he has set me.
35 He trains my hands for the war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation;
    your willingness to help has made me great.
37 You have broadened my steps beneath me;
    my ankles have not wobbled.
38 I pursued those who hate me, and I destroyed them.
    I did not turn back until finishing them.
39 I wiped them out and I smashed them;
    they did not get up; they fell under my feet.
40 You have girded me with physical strength for the battle;
    you caused those who rose up against me to kneel under me.
41 My enemies you cause to retreat from me;[i]
    I destroy those who hate me.
42 They looked out, but there was no deliverer,
    even to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
43 I beat them fine, like the dust of the earth;
    like the mire of the streets, I crushed them, I stamped them down.
44 You delivered me from the strife of my people;
    you preserved me as the head of the nations.
    A people I had not known served me.
45 Children of a foreign land came cringing to me;
    when they heard of me,[j] they became obedient to me.
46 Children of a foreign land lost heart
    and came trembling from their strongholds.
47 Yahweh lives! Blessed be my rock!
    May God, the rock of my salvation, be exalted!
48 God does vengeance for me,
    bringing down peoples under me.
49 He brings me out from my enemies,
    and from those who rose up against me you lift me up,
    and from men of violence you rescue me.
50 Therefore I will extol you, Yahweh, among the nations!
    I will sing praises to your name!
51 He makes great salvation for his king
    and shows loyal love to his anointed one, David
    and to his descendants forever.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 22:1 This same song is recorded in Psa 18, with minor differences
  2. 2 Samuel 22:3 So many LXX mss, Targum, Vulgate, and Psa 18:3. MT has “the God of my rock”
  3. 2 Samuel 22:3 Literally “horn”
  4. 2 Samuel 22:8 Literally “it was hot for him”
  5. 2 Samuel 22:12 Literally “clouds of thick clouds”
  6. 2 Samuel 22:14 Literally “gave his voice”
  7. 2 Samuel 22:33 Thus Qere; Kethib has “his way”
  8. 2 Samuel 22:34 Thus Qere; Kethib has “his feet”
  9. 2 Samuel 22:41 Literally “Those who hate me you give to me back”
  10. 2 Samuel 22:45 Literally “at the hearing of an ear”