Chronological
22 David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
2 He said: The Lord is my Rock [of escape from Saul] and my Fortress [in the wilderness] and my Deliverer;(A)
3 My God, my Rock, in Him will I take refuge; my Shield and the Horn of my salvation; my Stronghold and my Refuge, my Savior—You save me from violence.(B)
4 I call on the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death enveloped me; the torrents of destruction made me afraid.
6 The cords of Sheol were entangling me; I encountered the snares of death.
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord; I cried to my God, and He heard my voice from His temple; my cry came into His ears.
8 Then the earth reeled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens trembled and shook because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up from His nostrils, and devouring fire from His mouth; coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under His feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew; He was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness His canopy around Him, gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13 Out of the brightness before Him coals of fire flamed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning confused and troubled them.
16 The channels of the sea were visible, the foundations of the world were uncovered at the rebuke 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 great waters.
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.
20 He brought me forth into a large place; He delivered me because He delighted in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me according to my uprightness with Him; He compensated and benefited me according to the cleanness of my hands.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all His ordinances were before me; and from His statutes I did not turn aside.
24 I was also blameless before Him and kept myself from guilt and iniquity.
25 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His [holy] sight.
26 Toward the loving and loyal You will show Yourself loving and loyal, and with the upright and blameless You will show Yourself upright and blameless.
27 To the pure You will show Yourself pure, and to the willful You will show Yourself willful.
28 And the afflicted people You will deliver, but Your eyes are upon the haughty, whom You will bring down.
29 For You, O Lord, are my Lamp; the Lord lightens my darkness.
30 For by You I run through a troop; by my God I leap over a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried. He is a Shield to all those who trust and take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God but the Lord? And who is a Rock except our God?
33 God is my strong Fortress; He guides the blameless in His way and sets him free.
34 He makes my feet like the hinds’ [firm and able]; He sets me secure and confident upon the heights.
35 He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; and Your condescension and gentleness have made me great.
37 You have enlarged my steps under me, so that my feet have not slipped.
38 I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; and I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them and thrust them through, so that they did not arise; they fell at my feet.
40 For You girded me with strength for the battle; those who rose up against me You subdued under me.
41 You have made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save—even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 Then I beat them small as the dust of the earth; I crushed them as the mire of the street and scattered them abroad.
44 You also have delivered me from strife with my people; You kept me as the head of the nations. People whom I had not known served me.
45 Foreigners yielded feigned obedience to me; as soon as they heard of me, they became obedient to me.
46 Foreigners faded away; they came limping and trembling from their strongholds.
47 The Lord lives; blessed be my Rock, and exalted be God, the Rock of my salvation.
48 It is God Who executes vengeance for me and Who brought down [and disciplined] the peoples under me,
49 Who brought me out from my enemies. You also lifted me up above those who rose up against me; You delivered me from the violent man.
50 For this I will give thanks and extol You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.
51 He is a Tower of salvation and great deliverance to His king, and shows loving-kindness to His anointed, to David and his offspring forever.
23 Now these are the last words of David: David son of Jesse says, and the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, says,
2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke in and by me, and His word was upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me, When one rules over men righteously, ruling in the fear of God,
4 He dawns on them like the morning light when the sun rises on a cloudless morning, when the tender grass springs out of the earth through clear shining after rain.
5 Truly does not my house stand so with God? For He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. For will He not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?
6 But wicked, godless, and worthless lives are all like thorns to be thrust away, because they cannot be taken with the hand.
7 But the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire on the spot.
8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite, chief of the Three [heroes], known also as Adino the Eznite; he wielded his spear and went against 800 men, who were slain at one time.(C)
9 Next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines assembled there for battle, and the men of Israel had departed.
10 [Eleazar] arose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword. The Lord wrought a great deliverance and victory that day; the men returned after him only to take the spoil.
11 Next to [Eleazar] was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines were gathered at Lehi on a piece of ground full of lentils; and the [Israelites] fled from the Philistines.
12 But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it and slew the Philistines; and the Lord wrought a great victory.
13 And three of the thirty chief men went down at harvest time to David in the cave of Adullam, and a troop of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
14 And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15 And David said longingly, Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate!
16 And the three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem by the gate and brought it to David. But he would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord.
17 And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, to drink this. Is it not [the same as] the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives? So he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
18 Now Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He wielded his spear against 300 men and slew them, and won a name beside the Three.
19 Was he not most renowned of the Three? So he was their captain; however, he did not attain to the Three.
20 And Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many notable acts, slew two lionlike men of Moab. He went down also and slew a lion in a pit on a snowy day.
21 And he slew an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew the man with his own spear.
22 These things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, and won a name beside the three mighty men.
23 He was more renowned than the Thirty, but he attained not to the [first] Three. David set him over his guard or council.
24 Asahel brother of Joab was one of the Thirty; then Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
25 Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod,
26 Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa,
27 Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah,
29 Heleb son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjamites.
30 Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,
31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32 Eliahba of Shaalbon, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,
33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai, son of Maacah, Eliam son of Ahithophel of Giloh,
35 Hezro (Hezrai) of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
39 Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.
Psalm 57
To the Chief Musician; [set to the tune of] “Do Not Destroy.” A record of memorable thoughts of David when he fled from Saul in the cave.
1 Be merciful and gracious to me, O God, be merciful and gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge and finds shelter and confidence in You; yes, in the shadow of Your wings will I take refuge and be confident until calamities and destructive storms are passed.
2 I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!
3 He will send from heaven and save me from the slanders and reproaches of him who would trample me down or swallow me up, and He will put him to shame. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! God will send forth His mercy and loving-kindness and His truth and faithfulness.
4 My life is among lions; I must lie among those who are aflame—the sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let Your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set a net for my steps; my very life was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is steadfast and confident! I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my glory (my inner self); awake, harp and lyre! I will awake right early [I will awaken the dawn]!
9 I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations.
10 For Your mercy and loving-kindness are great, reaching to the heavens, and Your truth and faithfulness to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.
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