Add parallel Print Page Options

22 David composed the following song of praise to the Eternal because He delivered him from all of his enemies and especially from Saul.

At last the day comes when David has conquered—at least, temporarily—all his enemies, and he marks this day by rejoicing. In the same way that he composed songs to lament Saul’s and Jonathan’s deaths, David composes a psalm of joy to the Lord who is his strong fortress and his security. He gives God the credit, but he also claims—and rightly, of course, in spite of his occasional transgressions—that he has tried to do what God asked him to do, has tried to keep the ways of God.

David: The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
        He is my True God, my stronghold in whom I take refuge,
    My strong shield, my horn that calls forth rescue,
        my tall-walled tower and strong refuge,
    My savior from violence.
    I call on the Eternal, who is worthy to be praised,
        and I have been rescued from my enemies.
    The waves of death surrounded me;
        the torrents of terror tugged at me.
    The sorrows of the grave[a] tightly tangled me;
        the snares of death met me.
    In my time of need I called upon the Eternal One;
        I called to my True God for help.
    He heard my voice from His temple,
        and my cry came to His ears.

    Because of His great anger,
        the earth shook and staggered;
        the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked.
    Smoke billowed out from His nostrils
        and devouring fire from His mouth;
        glowing coals flamed from Him.
10     He bent the heavens and descended;
        darkness is beneath His feet.
11     He rode upon a heavenly creature,[b] flying;
        He soared swiftly on the wings of the wind.
12     He placed darkness around Him like a canopy
        and made His home in dark watery clouds of the sky.
13     Out from His brightness,
        hailstones and burning coals flared forth.
14     The Eternal thundered in the heavens,
        the voice of the Most High speaking.
15     He shot forth His arrows and scattered the wicked;
        He flung forth His lightning and struck them.
16     Then the deepest channels of the seas were revealed;
        and the foundations of the world were uncovered
    At Your rebuke, O Eternal One,
        at the blast of wind breathed from Your nostrils.
17     He reached down from above me, He held me;
        He pulled me from the raging waters.
18     He rescued me from my strong enemy
        and from all those who hated me,
        for they would have overwhelmed me.
19     When my enemies came for me on the day of my destruction,
        the Eternal stepped in to support me.
20     He led me out onto a broad plain;
        He delivered me because of His delight in me.

21     The Eternal One rewarded me because I sought righteousness;
        He rewarded me because I kept my hands clean.
22     He rewarded me because I kept the ways of the Eternal
        and have not walked away from my True God in wickedness.
23     For all His laws were there before me,
        and I did not push His statutes away.
24     I made myself blameless before Him;
        I kept myself from guilt and shame.
25     That’s why the Eternal has rewarded me for seeking righteousness;
        He’s rewarded me because He sees I have remained pure.
26     To the good, You show Your goodness;
        to the blameless, You prove to be blameless;
27     To the pure, You show Your purity;
        to the crooked, You make Yourself twisted.
28     For You rescue weak people,
        but the proud You bring low.
29     You are the lamp who lights my way, O Eternal One,
        the Eternal, who lights up my darkness.
30     With Your help, I can conquer an army;
        with Your help, I can vault over walls.
31     God has made an upright way;
        the promise of the Eternal rings true;
        He stands and shields all who hide in Him.
32     Who is the True God except the Eternal One?
        Who stands like a rock except our God?
33     The True God who circled me with strength
        puts the upright on His way.
34     He made me sure-footed as a deer
        and placed me high up and safe.
35     He teaches me to fight
        so that my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36     You have given me the shield of Your salvation,
        and Your support has made me strong.
37     You taught me how to walk with care
        so my feet would not slip.
38     I pursued my enemies and defeated them
        and did not stop until all were destroyed.
39     When I eliminated them, they fell down beneath my feet
        so they could not rise again.
40     For You equipped me with strength for battle,
        and You made my enemies fall beneath me.
41     You made my enemies turn and run,
        and all who hated me, I destroyed.
42     They looked everywhere, but no one came to save them;
        they asked the Eternal for help, but He did not answer them.
43     I beat them until they were as small as the dust of the earth;
        I flung them away and beat them down like mud in the gutters.
44     You delivered me from conflict with the peoples;
        you raised me up to rule over nations;
        people whom I did not know came to serve me.
45     Strangers came to me, cringing and afraid;
        as soon as they heard about me, they obeyed me.
46     Strangers had their courage shrivel before them
        and came fearfully to me from behind their high walls.

47     The Eternal One is alive! May my Rock be blessed;
        and the True God, the Rock of my deliverance be exalted,
48     The God who avenged me
        and tamed the peoples under me,
49     Who rescued me from all my foes.
        You raised me up above my enemies;
        You saved me from the violent ones.
50     For this, I will praise You, O Eternal One, among the nations
        and sing praises to Your name.[c]
51     He is a tower of salvation for His king
        and shows His loyal love to His anointed,
        to David and his descendants, continually.[d]

Footnotes

  1. 22:6 Hebrew, sheol
  2. 22:11 Hebrew, cherub
  3. 22:50 Romans 15:9
  4. 22:2–51 Psalm 18

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. He said:

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

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

“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.
The earth(O) trembled and quaked,(P)
    the foundations(Q) of the heavens[c] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire(R) came from his mouth,
    burning coals(S) blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds(T) were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim(U) and flew;
    he soared[d] on the wings of the wind.(V)
12 He made darkness(W) his canopy around him—
    the dark[e] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning(X) blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered(Y) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows(Z) 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(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.
18 He rescued(AE) 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.(AF)
20 He 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.
22 For I have kept(AN) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;(AO)
    I have not turned(AP) away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless(AQ) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
25 The 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,
27 to the pure(AS) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(AT)
28 You save the humble,(AU)
    but your eyes are on the haughty(AV) to bring them low.(AW)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;(AX)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With 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.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock(BB) except our God?(BC)
33 It is God who arms me with strength[h]
    and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;(BD)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.(BE)
35 He trains my hands(BF) for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow(BG) of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;(BH)
    your help has made[i] me great.
37 You 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.
39 I crushed(BJ) 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.(BK)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs(BL) in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help,(BM) but there was no one to save them—(BN)
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.(BO)
43 I 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)
46 They 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)
48 He 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.
50 Therefore 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

  1. 2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
  2. 2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
  3. 2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
  4. 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
  5. 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
  6. 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
  7. 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
  8. 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
  9. 2 Samuel 22:36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to make
  10. 2 Samuel 22:46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselves