2 Samuel 22

David Sings to the LORD

1David spoke to the LORD the words of this song on the day the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2He said:

The LORD is my rock,
my stronghold,
and my rescuer. 3My God is my rock;
in him I take refuge—
my shield,
the horn of my salvation,
my high fortress
and my refuge,
my savior;
you save me from violence. 4I call upon the LORD,
who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved
from my enemies.

The Waves of Death Surrounded Me

5For the waves of death surrounded me;
torrents of destruction
terrified me. 6The cords of Sheol surrounded me;
the snares of death
confronted me. 7In my distress I called upon the LORD,
and to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry
came into his ears.

The LORD Came Down

8Then the earth shook and trembled;
the foundations of the heavens quaked
and shook
because he was angry. 9Smoke rose from his nostrils,
and consuming fire from his mouth;
coals burned
from it. 10He bent the heavens
and came down,
and thick darkness
was under his feet. 11He rode upon a cherub
and flew;
he was seen
upon the wings of the wind. 12He made darkness
booths around him,
a gathering of waters,
thick clouds of the skies. 13From the brightness before him
coals of fire
burned. 14The LORD thundered
from the heavens,
and the Most High
gave his voice. 15He sent arrows
and scattered them,
lightning
and confused them. 16Then the channels of the sea appeared;
the foundations of the world
were uncovered
at the rebuke of the LORD,
at the blast
of the breath of his nostrils.

He Drew Me Out of Great Waters

17He sent from on high;
he took me.
He drew me out
of great waters. 18He rescued me
from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me. 19They confronted me
on the day of my disaster,
but the LORD
was my support. 20He brought me out
into a broad place;
he rescued me
because he delighted in me.

The LORD Rewarded Me according to My Righteousness

21The LORD dealt with me
according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands
he returned to me. 22For I have kept
the ways of the LORD
and have not acted wickedly
away from my God. 23For all his judgments
were before me,
and as for his statutes,
I did not turn away from them. 24I was blameless toward him,
and I guarded myself
from my guilt. 25So the LORD returned to me
according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness
before his eyes.

With the Faithful You Show Yourself Faithful

26With the faithful
you show yourself faithful;
with the blameless mighty one
you show yourself blameless. 27With the pure
you show yourself pure,
but with the twisted
you show yourself shrewd. 28You save
an afflicted people,
but your eyes are upon the proud
to bring them low. 29For you are my lamp, O LORD,
and the LORD illumines
my darkness. 30For by you
I run against a troop;
by my God
I leap over a wall.

The Word of the LORD Is Refined

31As for God,
his way is blameless.
The word of the LORD
is refined.
He is a shield
to all who take refuge in him. 32For who is God
besides the LORD?
And who is a rock
besides our God? 33God is my strong fortress,
and he makes my way
blameless. 34He makes my feet
like the feet of deer
and makes me stand
upon my heights. 35He trains my hands for battle,
so that my arms
bend a bow of bronze. 36You have given me
the shield of your salvation,
and your answering care
has made me great. 37You make a broad place
for my steps beneath me,
and my ankles
do not slip.

I Pursued My Enemies

38I pursued my enemies
and destroyed them,
and I did not turn back
until they were consumed. 39I consumed them
and shattered them
so that they did not rise;
they fell
under my feet. 40You girded me with strength
for battle;
you made those who rose against me
bow beneath me. 41You made my enemies
turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me
I destroyed. 42They looked,
but there was no one to save;
to the LORD,
but he did not answer them. 43I beat them fine
like the dust of the earth;
like mud of the streets
I crushed them
and stamped them down.

You Have Kept Me as Head of Nations

44You rescued me
from the disputes of my people;
you kept me
as head of nations.
A people I had not known
served me. 45Foreigners came cringing to me;
as soon as their ear heard,
they obeyed me. 46Foreigners faded
and came trembling
from their strongholds.

The LORD Lives

47The LORD lives!
Blessed be my rock!
Exalted be God,
the rock of my salvation— 48the God who gives
vengeance for me
and brings peoples
down beneath me, 49who brings me out
from my enemies.
You exalted me
above those who rose against me;
from the man of violence
you rescued me.

I Will Praise Your Name among the Nations

50Therefore I will give thanks to you, O LORD,
among the nations,
and to your name
I will sing. 51He is a tower of salvation
for his king
and shows steadfast love
to his anointed,
to David and to his offspring
forever.