2 Samuel 22
22
David’s Song of Deliverance
1And David spoke #[Ex. 15:1; Judg. 5:1; 1 Chr. 16:7]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. 2#For ver. 1-51, see Ps. 18:2-50 He said,
#
Deut. 32:4; Ps. 31:3; 71:3; 91:2; 144:2 “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 # ver. 32, 47 my#22:3 Septuagint (compare Psalm 18:2); Hebrew lacks my God, my rock, #[Heb. 2:13] in whom I take refuge,
# ver. 31; Gen. 15:1 my shield, and #Luke 1:69 the horn of my salvation,
#
Ps. 9:9; 59:9, 16, 17; 62:2, 6; [Prov. 18:10] my stronghold and #Ps. 14:6; 46:7, 11; 71:7; Jer. 16:19my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
4I call upon the Lord, who is #1 Chr. 16:25; Ps. 48:1; 96:4worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
5 # [Ps. 42:7; 93:4; Jonah 2:3] “For the waves of death encompassed me,
the torrents of destruction assailed me;#22:5 Or terrified me
6 #
Ps. 116:3
the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 #
Ps. 116:4; 120:1; Jonah 2:2 “In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry #Ps. 18:6came to his ears.
8“Then #Judg. 5:4; Ps. 77:18; 97:4 the earth reeled and rocked;
# [Job 26:11] the foundations of the heavens trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
9Smoke went up from his nostrils,#22:9 Or in his wrath
and devouring fire from his mouth;
# ver. 13 glowing coals flamed forth from him.
10 #
Ps. 144:5 He bowed the heavens and #Isa. 64:1 came down;
# [Ex. 20:21; 1 Kgs. 8:12; Ps. 97:2] thick darkness was under his feet.
11He rode on a cherub and flew;
he was seen on #Ps. 104:3the wings of the wind.
12He made #[See ver. 10 above] darkness around him #Job 36:29his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.
13Out of the brightness before him
# ver. 9 coals of fire flamed forth.
14 #
Job 37:4; Ps. 29:3 The Lord thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
15And he sent out #Deut. 32:23; Ps. 7:13; 77:17; 144:6; Hab. 3:11arrows and scattered them;
lightning, and routed them.
16Then the channels of the sea were seen;
the foundations of the world were laid bare,
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the #Ex. 15:8blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 #
Ps. 144:7
“He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
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.
20 #
Ps. 31:8; 118:5 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because #See ch. 15:26he delighted in me.
21“The Lord #1 Sam. 26:23; 1 Kgs. 8:32; Ps. 7:8 dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the #[Ps. 24:4]cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
22 #
Gen. 18:19; Prov. 8:32 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 #
Ps. 119:30, 102 For all his rules were before me,
and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
24I was #[Gen. 6:9; 17:1; Job 1:1]blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.
25 # [See ver. 21 above] And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 # [Matt. 5:7] “With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the #[See ver. 24 above]blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27with the purified you deal purely,
and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
28 # [Ps. 72:12, 13] You save a humble people,
# [Isa. 2:11, 12, 17; Luke 1:51] but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 #
Job 29:3; Ps. 27:1; [ch. 21:17] For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness.
30For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31This God—#Deut. 32:4; Matt. 5:48 his way is perfect;
the #Prov. 30:5 word of the Lord proves true;
he is #ver. 3; Ps. 5:12; 33:20; 59:11; 84:9a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
32“For who is God, but the Lord?
# See ver. 2 And who is a rock, except our God?
33This God is my #ver. 2; Ps. 28:8; 31:3, 4strong refuge
and has made my#22:33 Or his; also verse 34 way blameless.#22:33 Compare Psalm 18:32; Hebrew he has blamelessly set my way free, or he has made my way spring up blamelessly
34 # See ch. 2:18 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure #Deut. 32:13; 33:29; Isa. 58:14on the heights.
35 #
Ps. 144:1
He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your gentleness made me great.
37 #
Prov. 4:12
You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet#22:37 Hebrew ankles did not slip;
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 #[Mal. 4:3]under my feet.
40For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made #Ps. 44:5; 59:1those who rise against me sink under me.
41You #Ex. 23:27made my enemies turn their backs to me,#22:41 Or You gave me my enemies’ necks
those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
42They looked, but there was none to save;
they cried to the Lord, but #1 Sam. 28:6; Prov. 1:28; [Isa. 1:15; Mic. 3:4]he did not answer them.
43I beat them fine #2 Kgs. 13:7 as the dust of the earth;
I crushed them and stamped them down #Isa. 10:6; Mic. 7:10; Zech. 10:5like the mire of the streets.
44“You delivered me from strife with my people;#22:44 Septuagint with the peoples
you kept me as the head of #See ch. 8:1-14 the nations;
#
Isa. 55:5
people whom I had not known served me.
45Foreigners came cringing to me;
as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
46Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling#22:46 Compare Psalm 18:45; Hebrew equipped themselves #Mic. 7:17out of their fortresses.
47“The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be #ver. 3, 32 my God, #Deut. 32:15; Ps. 89:26; 95:1the rock of my salvation,
48the God who gave me vengeance
and #Ps. 144:2brought down peoples under me,
49who brought me out from my enemies;
you exalted me above #[See ver. 40 above] those who rose against me;
you delivered me from #Ps. 140:1men of violence.
50 # Cited Rom. 15:9 “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
51 # [Ps. 144:10] Great salvation he brings#22:51 Or He is a tower of salvation to his king,
and shows steadfast love to #[1 Sam. 16:12, 13; Ps. 89:20] his anointed,
to David and his offspring #ch. 7:12, 13; Ps. 89:29forever.”
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2 Samuel 22: ESV
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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2 Samuel 22
22
David Sings to the Lord
(Psalm 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
safe from violence.
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.
34 #
Hb 3.19. You make my feet run as fast
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 honor 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.
50 #
Ro 15.9. I will praise you, Lord,
and I will honor you
among the nations.
51You give glorious victories
to your chosen king.
Your faithful love for David
and for his descendants
will never end.
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