2 Samuel 22

The song of deliverance

David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. ²He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;a ³my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.b

⁴I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. ⁵“The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me. ⁶The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.

⁷But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears. ⁸“Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger. ⁹Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him.

¹⁰He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. ¹¹Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. ¹²He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.

¹³A great brightness shone around him, and burning coals blazed forth. ¹⁴The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. ¹⁵He shot arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were confused.

¹⁶Then at the command of the Lord, at the blast of his breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare. ¹⁷“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.c ¹⁸He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.

¹⁹They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. ²⁰He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. ²¹The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence.

²²For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. ²³I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. ²⁴I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.

²⁵The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence. ²⁶“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. ²⁷To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

²⁸You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them. ²⁹O Lord, you are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.d ³⁰In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.

³¹“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.e ³²For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock? ³³God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect.f

³⁴He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. ³⁵He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. ³⁶You have given me your shield of victory; your help has made me great.

³⁷You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping. ³⁸“I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered. ³⁹I consumed them; I struck them down so they did not get up; they fell beneath my feet.

⁴⁰You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet. ⁴¹You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me. ⁴²They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer.

⁴³I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trampled them in the gutter like dirt. ⁴⁴“You gave me victory over my accusers. You preserved me as the ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me. ⁴⁵Foreign nations cringe before me; as soon as they hear of me, they submit.

⁴⁶They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds. ⁴⁷“The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted! ⁴⁸He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he brings down the nations under me ⁴⁹and delivers me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.

⁵⁰For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.g ⁵¹You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever.”