1David 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.2He said: ‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;3my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield[1] and the horn[2] of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my saviour – from violent people you save me.4‘I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.5The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.6The 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.8The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens[3] shook; they trembled because he was angry. (Ps 18:7)9Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.10He parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.11He mounted the cherubim and flew; he soared[4] on the wings of the wind. (Ps 18:10)12He made darkness his canopy around him – the dark[5] rain clouds of the sky. (Ps 18:11)13Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth.14The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.15He shot his arrows 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 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.18He rescued 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.20He 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.22For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I am not guilty of turning from my God.23All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees.24I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.25The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness[6] in his sight. (Ps 18:24)26‘To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless,27to the pure you show yourself pure, but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.28You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.29You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light.30With your help I can advance against a troop[7]; 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.32For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?33It is God who arms me with strength[8] and keeps my way secure. (Ps 18:32)34He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.35He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.36You make your saving help my shield; your help has made[9] me great.37You 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.39I crushed 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.41You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes.42They cried for help, but there was no-one to save them – to the Lord, but he did not answer.43I 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,45foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.46They all lose heart; they come trembling[10] from their strongholds. (Ps 18:45)47‘The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Saviour!48He is the God who avenges me, who puts the nations under me,49who sets me free from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from a violent man you rescued me.50Therefore 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 for ever.’
2 Samuel 22
English Standard Version
David’s Song of Deliverance
1And David spoke 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. (Ex 15:1; Jud 5:1; 1Ch 16:7)2He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, (De 32:4; Ps 18:2; Ps 31:3; Ps 71:3; Ps 91:2; Ps 144:2)3my[1] God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. (Ge 15:1; 2Sa 22:31; 2Sa 22:32; 2Sa 22:47; Ps 9:9; Ps 14:6; Ps 46:7; Ps 46:11; Ps 59:9; Ps 59:16; Ps 62:2; Ps 62:6; Ps 71:7; Pr 18:10; Jer 16:19; Lu 1:69; Heb 2:13)4I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. (1Ch 16:25; Ps 48:1; Ps 96:4)5“For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;[2] (Ps 42:7; Ps 93:4; Jon 2:3)6the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. (Ps 116:3)7“In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. (Ps 18:6; Ps 116:4; Ps 120:1; Jon 2:2)8“Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry. (Jud 5:4; Job 26:11; Ps 77:18; Ps 97:4)9Smoke went up from his nostrils,[3] and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. (2Sa 22:13)10He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. (Ex 20:21; 1Ki 8:12; Ps 97:2; Ps 144:5; Isa 64:1)11He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on the wings of the wind. (Ps 104:3)12He made darkness around him his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water. (2Sa 22:10; Job 36:29)13Out of the brightness before him coals of fire flamed forth. (2Sa 22:9)14The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice. (Job 37:4; Ps 29:3)15And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them. (De 32:23; Ps 7:13; Ps 77:17; Ps 144:6; Hab 3:11)16Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils. (Ex 15:8)17“He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. (Ps 144:7)18He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.19They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.20He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. (2Sa 15:26; Ps 31:8; Ps 118:5)21“The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. (1Sa 26:23; 1Ki 8:32; Ps 7:8; Ps 24:4)22For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God. (Ge 18:19; Pr 8:32)23For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside. (Ps 119:30; Ps 119:102)24I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. (Ge 6:9; Ge 17:1; Job 1:1)25And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. (2Sa 22:21)26“With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; (2Sa 22:24; Mt 5:7)27with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.28You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. (Ps 72:12; Isa 2:11; Isa 2:17; Lu 1:51)29For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness. (2Sa 21:17; Job 29:3; Ps 27:1)30For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.31This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (De 32:4; 2Sa 22:3; Ps 5:12; Ps 33:20; Ps 59:11; Ps 84:9; Pr 30:5; Mt 5:48)32“For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? (2Sa 22:2)33This God is my strong refuge and has made my[4] way blameless.[5] (2Sa 22:2; Ps 28:8; Ps 31:3)34He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. (De 32:13; De 33:29; 2Sa 2:18; Isa 58:14)35He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. (Ps 144:1)36You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.37You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet[6] did not slip; (Pr 4:12)38I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed.39I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet. (Mal 4:3)40For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. (Ps 44:5; Ps 59:1)41You made my enemies turn their backs to me,[7] those who hated me, and I destroyed them. (Ex 23:27)42They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them. (1Sa 28:6; Pr 1:28; Isa 1:15; Mic 3:4)43I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets. (2Ki 13:7; Isa 10:6; Mic 7:10; Zec 10:5)44“You delivered me from strife with my people;[8] you kept me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me. (2Sa 8:1; Isa 55:5)45Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.46Foreigners lost heart and came trembling[9] out of their fortresses. (Mic 7:17)47“The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation, (De 32:15; 2Sa 22:3; 2Sa 22:32; Ps 89:26; Ps 95:1)48the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me, (Ps 144:2)49who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above those who rose against me; you delivered me from men of violence. (2Sa 22:40; Ps 140:1)50“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. (Ro 15:9)51Great salvation he brings[10] to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.” (1Sa 16:12; 2Sa 7:12; Ps 89:20; Ps 89:29; Ps 144:10)