II Samuel 22

¹And David made a song to the Lord in these words, on the day when the Lord made him free from the hands of all his haters, and from the hand of Saul:

²And he said, The Lord is my Rock, my walled town, and my saviour, even mine;

³My God, my Rock, in him will I put my faith; my breastplate, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my safe place; my saviour, who keeps me safe from the violent man.

⁴I will send up my cry to the Lord, who is to be praised; so will I be made safe from those who are against me.

⁵For the waves of death came round me, and the seas of evil put me in fear;

⁶The cords of hell were round me: the nets of death came on me.

⁷In my trouble my voice went up to the Lord, and my cry to my God: my voice came to his hearing in his holy Temple, and my prayer came to his ears.

⁸Then the earth was moved with a violent shock; the bases of heaven were moved and shaking, because he was angry.

⁹There went up a smoke from his nose, and a fire of destruction from his mouth: coals were lighted by it.

¹⁰The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.

¹¹And he went through the air, seated on a storm-cloud: going quickly on the wings of the wind.

¹²And he made the dark his tent round him, a mass of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹³Before his shining light his dark clouds went past, raining ice and coals of fire.

¹⁴The Lord made thunder in the heavens, and the voice of the Highest was sounding out.

¹⁵And he sent out his arrows, driving them in all directions; by his flames of fire they were troubled.

¹⁶Then the deep beds of the sea were seen, and the bases of the world were uncovered, because of the Lord's wrath, because of the breath of his mouth.

¹⁷He sent from on high, he took me, pulling me out of great waters.

¹⁸He made me free from my strong hater, from those who were against me, because they were stronger than I.

¹⁹They came on me in the day of my trouble: but the Lord was my support.

²⁰He took me out into a wide place; he was my saviour because he had delight in me.

²¹The Lord gives me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean before him.

²²For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.

²³For all his decisions were before me, and I did not put away his laws from me.

²⁴And I was upright before him, and I kept myself from sin.

²⁵Because of this the Lord has given me the reward of my righteousness, because my hands are clean in his eyes.

²⁶On him who has mercy you will have mercy; to the upright you will be upright;

²⁷He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.

²⁸For you are the saviour of those who are in trouble; but your eyes are on men of pride, to make them low.

²⁹For you are my light, O Lord; and the Lord will make the dark bright for me.

³⁰By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in: by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.

³¹As for God, his way is all good: the word of the Lord is tested; he is a safe cover for all those who put their faith in him.

³²For who is God but the Lord? and who is a Rock but our God?

³³God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.

³⁴He makes my feet like roes' feet, and puts me on high places.

³⁵He makes my hands expert in war, so that a bow of brass is bent by my arms.

³⁶You have given me the breastplate of your salvation, and your mercy has made me great.

³⁷You have made my steps wide under me, so that my feet make no slip.

³⁸I go after my haters and overtake them; not turning back till they are all overcome.

³⁹I have sent destruction on them and given them wounds, so that they are not able to get up: they are stretched under my feet.

⁴⁰For I have been armed by you with strength for the fight: you have made low under me those who came out against me.

⁴¹By you their backs are turned in flight, so that my haters are cut off.

⁴²They were crying out, but there was no one to come to their help: even to the Lord, but he gave them no answer.

⁴³Then they were crushed as small as the dust of the earth, stamped down under my feet like the waste of the streets.

⁴⁴You have made me free from the fightings of my people; you have made me the head of the nations: a people of whom I had no knowledge will be my servants.

⁴⁵Men of other countries will, with false hearts, put themselves under my authority: from the time when my name comes to their ears, they will be ruled by me.

⁴⁶They will be wasted away, they will come out of their secret places shaking with fear.

⁴⁷The Lord is living; praise be to my Rock, and let the God of my salvation be honoured:

⁴⁸It is God who sends punishment on my haters, and puts peoples under my rule.

⁴⁹He makes me free from my haters: I am lifted up over those who come up against me: you have made me free from the violent man.

⁵⁰Because of this I will give you praise, O Lord, among the nations, and will make a song of praise to your name.

⁵¹Great salvation does he give to his king; he has mercy on the king of his selection, David, and on his seed for ever.

II Samuel 22

¹David spoke to the Lord the words of this song in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

²and he said, "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;

³God, my rock, in him I will take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge. My savior, you save me from violence.

⁴I will call on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: So shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁵For the waves of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

⁶The cords of Sheol were around me. The snares of death caught me.

⁷In my distress I called on the Lord. Yes, I called to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry came into his ears.

⁸Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.

⁹Smoke went up out of his nostrils. Fire out of his mouth devoured. Coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.

¹¹He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.

¹²He made darkness pavilions around himself: gathering of waters, and thick clouds of the skies.

¹³At the brightness before him, coals of fire were kindled.

¹⁴The Lord thundered from heaven. The Most High uttered his voice.

¹⁵He sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and confused them.

¹⁶Then the channels of the sea appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare by the rebuke of the Lord, At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷He sent from on high and he took me. He drew me out of many waters.

¹⁸He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁹They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support.

²⁰He also brought me out into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²¹The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness. He rewarded me according to the cleanness of my hands.

²²For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

²³For all his ordinances were before me. As for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

²⁴I was also perfect toward him. I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁵Therefore the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in his eyesight.

²⁶With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man you will show yourself perfect.

²⁷With the pure you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

²⁸You will save the afflicted people, But your eyes are on the proud, that you may bring them down.

²⁹For you are my lamp, Lord. The Lord will light up my darkness.

³⁰For by you, I run against a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

³¹As for God, his way is perfect. The word of the Lord is tested. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

³²For who is God, besides the Lord? Who is a rock, besides our God?

³³God is my strong fortress. He makes my way perfect.

³⁴He makes his feet like hinds' feet, and sets me on my high places.

³⁵He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of brass.

³⁶You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁷You have enlarged my steps under me. My feet have not slipped.

³⁸I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I did not turn again until they were consumed.

³⁹I have consumed them, and struck them through, so that they can't arise. Yes, they have fallen under my feet.

⁴⁰For you have armed me with strength for the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴¹You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

⁴²They looked, but there was none to save; even to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

⁴³Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth. I crushed them as the mire of the streets, and spread them abroad.

⁴⁴You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people. You have kept me to be the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known will serve me.

⁴⁵The foreigners will submit themselves to me. As soon as they hear of me, they will obey me.

⁴⁶The foreigners will fade away, and will come trembling out of their close places.

⁴⁷The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock! Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,

⁴⁸even the God who executes vengeance for me, who brings down peoples under me,

⁴⁹who brings me away from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.

⁵⁰Therefore I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the nations. Will sing praises to your name.

⁵¹He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his seed, forevermore."