2 Samuel 22

New International Version

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. ²He said:

“The Lord is my rock,^(C) my fortress^(D) and my deliverer;^(E)
³    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.

⁴“I called to the Lord, who is worthy^(J) of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.
⁵The waves^(K) of death swirled about me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁶The cords of the grave^(L) coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁷“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.
⁸The earth^(O) trembled and quaked,^(P)
    the foundations^(Q) of the heavens^[c] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁹Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire^(R) came from his mouth,
    burning coals^(S) blazed out of it.
¹⁰He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds^(T) were under his feet.
¹¹He mounted the cherubim^(U) and flew;
    he soared^[d] on the wings of the wind.^(V)
¹²He made darkness^(W) his canopy around him—
    the dark^[e] rain clouds of the sky.
¹³Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning^(X) blazed forth.
¹⁴The Lord thundered^(Y) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
¹⁵He shot his arrows^(Z) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁶The 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.
¹⁸He rescued^(AE) me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁹They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.^(AF)
²⁰He 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.
²²For I have kept^(AN) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²³All his laws are before me;^(AO)
    I have not turned^(AP) away from his decrees.
²⁴I have been blameless^(AQ) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁵The 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,
²⁷to the pure^(AS) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^(AT)
²⁸You save the humble,^(AU)
    but your eyes are on the haughty^(AV) to bring them low.^(AW)
²⁹You, Lord, are my lamp;^(AX)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
³⁰With 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.
³²For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock^(BB) except our God?^(BC)
³³It is God who arms me with strength^[h]
    and keeps my way secure.
³⁴He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;^(BD)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.^(BE)
³⁵He trains my hands^(BF) for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow^(BG) of bronze.
³⁶You make your saving help my shield;^(BH)
    your help has made^[i] me great.
³⁷You provide a broad path^(BI) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁸“I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁹I crushed^(BJ) them completely, and they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
⁴⁰You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.^(BK)
⁴¹You made my enemies turn their backs^(BL) in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴²They cried for help,^(BM) but there was no one to save them—^(BN)
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.^(BO)
⁴³I beat them as fine as the dust^(BP) of the earth;
    I pounded and trampled^(BQ) them like mud^(BR) in the streets.

⁴⁴“You have delivered^(BS) me from the attacks of the peoples;
    you have preserved^(BT) me as the head of nations.
People^(BU) I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁵    foreigners cower^(BV) before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.^(BW)
⁴⁶They all lose heart;
    they come trembling^[j]^(BX) from their strongholds.

⁴⁷“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted^(BY) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!^(BZ)
⁴⁸He is the God who avenges^(CA) me,^(CB)
    who puts the nations under me,
⁴⁹    who sets me free from my enemies.^(CC)
You exalted me^(CD) above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁵⁰Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises^(CE) of your name.^(CF)

⁵¹“He gives his king great victories;^(CG)
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,^(CH)
to David^(CI) and his descendants forever.”^(CJ)

Footnotes

2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
2 Samuel 22:33 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Septuagint manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:32); Masoretic Text who is my strong refuge
2 Samuel 22:36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to make
2 Samuel 22:46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselves

Daniel 12

New International Version

The End Times

12 “At that time Michael,^(A) the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress^(B) such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book^(C)—will be delivered.^(D) ²Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake:^(E) some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.^(F) ³Those who are wise^[a]^(G) will shine^(H) like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness,^(I) like the stars for ever and ever.^(J) ⁴But you, Daniel, roll up and seal^(K) the words of the scroll until the time of the end.^(L) Many will go here and there^(M) to increase knowledge.”

⁵Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.^(N) ⁶One of them said to the man clothed in linen,^(O) who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”^(P)

⁷The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand^(Q) and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever,^(R) saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.^[b]^(S) When the power of the holy people^(T) has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.^(U)”

⁸I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?”

⁹He replied, “Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed^(V) until the time of the end.^(W) ¹⁰Many will be purified, made spotless and refined,^(X) but the wicked will continue to be wicked.^(Y) None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.^(Z)

¹¹“From the time that the daily sacrifice^(AA) is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation^(AB) is set up, there will be 1,290 days.^(AC) ¹²Blessed is the one who waits^(AD) for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.^(AE)

¹³“As for you, go your way till the end.^(AF) You will rest,^(AG) and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.^(AH)”

Footnotes

Daniel 12:3 Or who impart wisdom
Daniel 12:7 Or a year, two years and half a year

1 Timothy 4

New International Version

4 The Spirit^(A) clearly says that in later times^(B) some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits^(C) and things taught by demons. ²Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.^(D) ³They forbid people to marry^(E) and order them to abstain from certain foods,^(F) which God created^(G) to be received with thanksgiving^(H) by those who believe and who know the truth. ⁴For everything God created is good,^(I) and nothing is to be rejected^(J) if it is received with thanksgiving, ⁵because it is consecrated by the word of God^(K) and prayer.

⁶If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,^[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith^(L) and of the good teaching that you have followed.^(M) ⁷Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales;^(N) rather, train yourself to be godly.^(O) ⁸For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,^(P) holding promise for both the present life^(Q) and the life to come.^(R) ⁹This is a trustworthy saying^(S) that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God,^(T) who is the Savior of all people,^(U) and especially of those who believe.

¹¹Command and teach these things.^(V) ¹²Don’t let anyone look down on you^(W) because you are young, but set an example^(X) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith^(Y) and in purity. ¹³Until I come,^(Z) devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,^(AA) to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy^(AB) when the body of elders^(AC) laid their hands on you.^(AD)

¹⁵Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save^(AE) both yourself and your hearers.