2 Samuel 22

David's Song of Praise

1 David sang 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.2 He said:
"The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shieldt and the hornt of my salvation.
He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior—
from violent people you save me.

4 "I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.

5 The waves of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.

6 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.

7 "In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.

8 The earth trembled and quaked,
the foundations of the heavenst shook;
they trembled because he was angry.

9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire came from his mouth,
burning coals blazed out of it.

10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds were under his feet.

11 He mounted the cherubim and flew;
he soaredt on the wings of the wind.

12 He made darkness his canopy around him—
the darkt rain clouds of the sky.

13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning blazed forth.

14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.

15 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.

16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of breath from his nostrils.

17 "He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.

19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.

20 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.

21 "The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me.

22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.

23 All his laws are before me;
I have not turned away from his decrees.

24 I have been blameless before him
and have kept myself from sin.

25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleannesst in his sight.

26 "To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,

27 to the pure you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.

28 You save the humble,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.

29 You, Lord, are my lamp;
the Lord turns my darkness into light.

30 With your help I can advance against a troopt;
with my God I can scale a wall.

31 "As for God, his way is perfect:
The Lord's word is flawless;
he shields all who take refuge in him.

32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock except our God?

33 It is God who arms me with strengtht
and keeps my way secure.

34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he causes me to stand on the heights.

35 He trains my hands for battle;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 You make your saving help my shield;
your help has madet me great.

37 You provide a broad path 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.

39 I crushed them completely, and they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.

40 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.

41 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.

42 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—
to the Lord, but he did not answer.

43 I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets.

44 "You have delivered me from the attacks of the peoples;
you have preserved me as the head of nations.
People I did not know now serve me,

45 foreigners cower before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.

46 They all lose heart;
they come tremblingt from their strongholds.

47 "The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!

48 He is the God who avenges me,
who puts the nations under me,

49 who sets me free from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.

50 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises of your name.

51 "He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever."

2 SAMUEL 22

David Sings //to the [Lord]

(Psalm 18.1-50)

1 David sang a song to the [Lord] after the [Lord] had rescued him from his enemies, especially Saul. These are the words to David's song:

2 Our [Lord] and our God,
you are my mighty rock, t
my fortress, my protector.

3 You are the rock
where I am safe.
You are my shield,
my powerful weapon, t
and my place of shelter.
You rescue me and keep me
safe from violence.

4 I praise you, our [Lord]!
I prayed to you,
and you rescued me
from my enemies.

5 Death, like ocean waves,
surrounded me,
and I was almost swallowed
by its flooding waters.

6 Ropes from the world
of the dead
had coiled around me,
and death had set a trap
in my path.

7 I was in terrible trouble
when I called out to you,
but from your temple
you heard me
and answered my prayer.

8 Earth shook and shivered!
The columns supporting the skyt
rocked back and forth.
You were angry

9 and breathed out smoke.
Scorching heat and fiery flames
spewed from your mouth.

10 You opened the heavens
like curtains,
and you came down
with storm clouds
under your feet.

11 You rode on the backs
of flying creatures.t
You appearedt
with the wind as wings.

12 Darkness was your tent!
Thunderclouds filled the sky,
hiding you from sight.

13 Fiery coals lit up the sky
in front of you.

14 [Lord] Most High, your voice
thundered from the heavens.

15 You scattered your enemies
with arrows of lightning.

16 You roared at the sea,
and its deepest channels
could be seen.
You snorted,
and the earth shook
to its foundations.

17 You reached down from heaven,
and you lifted me
from deep in the ocean.

18 You rescued me from enemies
who were hateful
and too powerful for me.

19 On the day disaster struck,
they came and attacked,
but you defended me.

20 When I was fenced in,
you freed and rescued me
because you love me.

21 You are good to me, [Lord],
because I do right,
and you reward me
because I am innocent.

22 I do what you want
and never turn to do evil.

23 I keep your laws in mind
and never turn away
from your teachings.

24 I obey you completely
and guard against sin.

25 You have been good to me
because I do right;
you have rewarded me
for being innocent
by your standards.

26 You are always loyal
to your loyal people,
and you are faithful
to the faithful.

27 With all who are sincere
you are sincere,
but you treat the unfaithful
as their deeds deserve.

28 You rescue the humble,
but you look for ways
to put down the proud.

29 Our [Lord] and God,
you are my lamp.
You turn darkness to light.

30 You help me defeat armies
and capture cities.

31 Your way is perfect, [Lord],
and your word is correct.
You are a shield for those
who run to you for help.

32 You alone are God!
Only you are a mighty rock.t

33 You are my strong fortress,
and you set me free.

34  t You make my feet run as fast
as those of a deer,
and you help me stand
on the mountains.

35 You teach my hands to fight
and my arms to use
a bow of bronze.

36 You alone are my shield,
and by coming to help me,
you have made me famous.

37 You clear the way for me,
and now I won't stumble.

38 I kept chasing my enemies
until I caught them
and destroyed them.

39 I destroyed them!
I stuck my sword
through my enemies,
and they were crushed
under my feet.

40 You helped me win victories
and forced my attackers
to fall victim to me.

41 You made my enemies run,
and I killed them.

42 They cried out for help,
but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
but there was no answer.

43 I ground them to dust,
and I squashed them
like mud in the streets.

44 You rescued me
from my stubborn people
and made me the leader
of foreign nations,
who are now my slaves.

45 They obey and come crawling.

46 They have lost all courage
and from their fortresses
they come trembling.

47 You are the living [Lord]!
I will praise you!
You are a mighty rock.t
I will honor you
for keeping me safe.

48 You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
in my power.

49 You protected me
from violent enemies,
and you made me much greater
than all of them.

50  t I will praise you, [Lord],
and I will honor you
among the nations.

51 You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.