2 Samuel 22
22
David’s Song of Praise
1David sang this song to the Lord when the Lord saved him from Saul and all his other enemies. 2He said:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my Savior.
3My God is my rock.
I can run to him for safety.
He is my shield and my saving strength,
my defender and my place of safety.
The Lord saves me from those who want to harm me.
4I will call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I will be saved from my enemies.
5“The waves of death came around me;
the deadly rivers overwhelmed me.
6The ropes of death wrapped around me.
The traps of death were before me.
7In my trouble I called to the Lord;
I cried out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my call for help reached his ears.
8“The earth trembled and shook.
The foundations of heaven began to shake.
They trembled because the Lord was angry.
9Smoke came out of his nose,
and burning fire came out of his mouth.
Burning coals went before him.
10He tore open the sky and came down
with dark clouds under his feet.
11He rode a creature with wings and flew.
He raced on the wings of the wind.
12He made darkness his shelter,
surrounded by fog and clouds.
13Out of the brightness of his presence
came flashes of lightning.
14The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High raised his voice.
15He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies.
His bolts of lightning confused them with fear.
16The Lord spoke strongly.
The wind blew from his nose.
Then the valleys of the sea appeared,
and the foundations of the earth were seen.
17“The Lord reached down from above and took me;
he pulled me from the deep water.
18He saved me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.
19They attacked me at my time of trouble,
but the Lord supported me.
20He took me to a safe place.
Because he delights in me, he saved me.
21“The Lord spared me because I did what was right.
Because I have not done evil, he has rewarded me.
22I have followed the ways of the Lord;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23I remember all his laws
and have not broken his rules.
24I am innocent before him;
I have kept myself from doing evil.
25The Lord rewarded me because I did what was right,
because I did what the Lord said was right.
26“Lord, you are loyal to those who are loyal,
and you are good to those who are good.
27You are pure to those who are pure,
but you are against those who are evil.
28You save the humble,
but you bring down those who are proud.
29Lord, you give light to my lamp.
The Lord brightens the darkness around me.
30With your help I can attack an army.
With God’s help I can jump over a wall.
31“The ways of God are without fault;
the Lord’s words are pure.
He is a shield to those who trust him.
32Who is God? Only the Lord.
Who is the Rock? Only our God.
33God is my protection.
He makes my way free from fault.
34He makes me like a deer that does not stumble;
he helps me stand on the steep mountains.
35He trains my hands for battle
so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36You protect me with your saving shield.
You have stooped to make me great.
37You give me a better way to live,
so I live as you want me to.
38I chased my enemies and destroyed them.
I did not quit till they were destroyed.
39I destroyed and crushed them
so they couldn’t rise up again.
They fell beneath my feet.
40You gave me strength in battle.
You made my enemies bow before me.
41You made my enemies turn back,
and I destroyed those who hated me.
42They called for help,
but no one came to save them.
They called to the Lord,
but he did not answer them.
43I beat my enemies into pieces,
like dust on the ground.
I poured them out and walked on them
like mud in the streets.
44“You saved me when my people attacked me.
You kept me as the leader of nations.
People I never knew serve me.
45Foreigners obey me.
As soon as they hear me, they obey me.
46They all become afraid
and tremble in their hiding places.
47“The Lord lives!
May my Rock be praised!
Praise God, the Rock, who saves me!
48God gives me victory over my enemies
and brings people under my rule.
49He frees me from my enemies.
“You set me over those who hate me.
You saved me from violent people.
50So I will praise you, Lord, among the nations.
I will sing praises to your name.
51The Lord gives great victories to his king.
He is loyal to his appointed king,
to David and his descendants forever.”
Currently Selected:
2 Samuel 22: NCV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New Century Version, Copyright © 2005 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
2 Samuel 22
22
Two poems by David
David sings to the LORD
(Psalms 18.1-50)
1David 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:
2Our LORD and our God,
you are my mighty rock,#22.2 mighty rock: The Hebrew text has “rock”, which is sometimes used in poetry to compare the LORD to a mountain where his people can run for protection from their enemies.
my fortress, my protector.
3You are the rock
where I am safe.
You are my shield,
my powerful weapon,#22.3 powerful weapon: The Hebrew has “the horn”, which refers to the horn of a bull, one of the most powerful animals in ancient Palestine.
and my place of shelter.
You rescue me and keep me
from being hurt.
4I praise you, our LORD!
I prayed to you,
and you rescued me
from my enemies.
5Death, like ocean waves,
surrounded me,
and I was almost swallowed
by its flooding waters.
6Ropes from the world
of the dead
had coiled around me,
and death had set a trap
in my path.
7I was in terrible trouble
when I called out to you,
but from your temple
you heard me
and answered my prayer.
8Earth shook and shivered!
The columns supporting the sky#22.8 columns…sky: The sky was sometimes described as a dome that was held up by a foundation or pillars.
rocked back and forth.
You were angry
9and breathed out smoke.
Scorching heat and fiery flames
spewed from your mouth.
10You opened the heavens
like curtains,
and you came down
with storm clouds
under your feet.
11You rode on the backs
of flying creatures.#22.11 flying creatures: These were supernatural beings (see the note at 6.2).
You appeared#22.11 appeared: Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts “swooped down” (see Psalm 18.10).
with the wind as wings.
12Darkness was your tent!
Thunderclouds filled the sky,
hiding you from sight.
13Fiery coals lit up the sky
in front of you.
14 LORD Most High, your voice
thundered from the heavens.
15You scattered your enemies
with arrows of lightning.
16You roared at the sea,
and its deepest channels
could be seen.
You snorted,
and the earth shook
to its foundations.
17You reached down from heaven,
and you lifted me
from deep in the ocean.
18You rescued me from enemies
who were hateful
and too powerful for me.
19On the day disaster struck,
they came and attacked,
but you defended me.
20When I was fenced in,
you freed and rescued me
because you love me.
21You are good to me, LORD,
because I do right,
and you reward me
because I am innocent.
22I do what you want
and never turn to do evil.
23I keep your laws in mind
and never turn away
from your teachings.
24I obey you completely
and guard against sin.
25You have been good to me
because I do right;
you have rewarded me
for being innocent
by your standards.
26You are always loyal
to your loyal people,
and you are faithful
to the faithful.
27With all who are sincere
you are sincere,
but you treat the unfaithful
as their deeds deserve.
28You rescue the humble,
but you look for ways
to put down the proud.
29Our LORD and God,
you are my lamp.
You turn darkness to light.
30You help me defeat armies
and capture cities.
31Your way is perfect, LORD,
and your word is correct.
You are a shield for those
who run to you for help.
32You alone are God!
Only you are a mighty rock.#22.32 mighty rock: See the note at 22.2.
33You are my strong fortress,
and you set me free.
34You make my feet run as fast#He 3.19.
as those of a deer,
and you help me stand
on the mountains.
35You teach my hands to fight
and my arms to use
a bow of bronze.
36You alone are my shield,
and by coming to help me,
you have made me famous.
37You clear the way for me,
and now I won't stumble.
38I kept chasing my enemies
until I caught them
and destroyed them.
39I destroyed them!
I stuck my sword
through my enemies,
and they were crushed
under my feet.
40You helped me win victories
and forced my attackers
to fall victim to me.
41You made my enemies run,
and I killed them.
42They cried out for help,
but no one saved them;
they called out to you,
but there was no answer.
43I ground them to dust,
and I squashed them
like mud in the streets.
44You rescued me
from my stubborn people
and made me the leader
of foreign nations,
who are now my slaves.
45They obey and come crawling.
46They have lost all courage
and from their fortresses
they come trembling.
47You are the living LORD!
I will praise you!
You are a mighty rock.#22.47 mighty rock: See the note at 22.2.
I will honour you
for keeping me safe.
48You took revenge for me,
and you put nations
in my power.
49You protected me
from violent enemies,
and you made me much greater
than all of them.
50I will praise you, LORD,#Ro 15.9.
and I will honour you
among the nations.
51You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012