2 Samuel 22 - International Standard Version (ISV)

David’s Psalm of Deliverance

22 David composed the words of this song to the Lord the very day the Lord delivered him from the domination^[a] of all of his enemies, including from Saul’s hands. ² This is what^[b] he said:

Lord, you are^[c] my stone stronghold
and my fortified place;
you are continuously delivering^[d] me.
³ He is my God,
my strong stone—
in him I will find my refuge—
my shield,
the strength^[e] of my salvation,
my high tower,
my way of escape,
and the one who is saving me.
You will save me from violence.
⁴ As I am praising him,^[f]
I will call out to the Lord,
and I will be saved from my enemies.

⁵ Because deadly breakers^[g] engulfed me,
while torrents of abuse^[h] from the ungodly overwhelmed^[i] me.
⁶ Binding ropes from Sheol entangled me
while lethal snares hindered me.

⁷ I cried out to the Lord in the middle of my troubles;
I cried out to my God.
He listened to my voice from his sanctuary,
and my call for help was heard.

⁸ Just then the earth shook and trembled!
The foundations of heaven reeled and quaked
because the Lord^[j] was angry.
⁹ Smoke poured out of his nostrils,
and fire from his mouth
kindling coals to flame by it.
¹⁰ He deformed heaven itself as he descended.
Thick darkness enveloped his feet.
¹¹ He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind!
¹² The darkness around him was his canopies—
amassed water was his overhanging clouds!
¹³ From the shining light^[k] that was his presence^[l]
coals of fire blazed into flame!

¹⁴ The Lord roared from heaven!
The Most High let his voice be heard!
¹⁵ He launched his arrows and scattered them—
his lightning routed them.
¹⁶ The currents of the sea were revealed
and the foundations of the world were exposed
at the rebuke of the Lord
and at the blazing breath from his nostrils!
¹⁷ He sent for me from on high!
He grabbed hold of me,
drawing me out of deep water.
¹⁸ He rescued me from my strong enemy—
from those who hate me continually,
since they were stronger than I.
¹⁹ They confronted me when I was in trouble,^[m]
but the Lord remained my support!
²⁰ He brought me to a wide open area,
rescuing me because he was pleased with me!

²¹ The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness,
rewarding me according to the degree of my innocence,^[n]
22 because I have kept the Lord’s way—
I haven’t willfully abandoned my God—
²³ and because all of his decrees remain in my thoughts,^[o]
I have not turned aside from his statutes,
²⁴ I have been innocent before him,
and I’ve kept myself from incurring^[p] guilt.
²⁵ The Lord has repaid me according to my righteousness,
that is, according to my clean standing as he^[q] looks at me.^[r]

²⁶ In the company of the gracious
you demonstrate your gracious love.
In the company of the blamelessly valiant
you demonstrate your blamelessness.
²⁷ In the company of the pure
you demonstrate your purity.
In the company of the perverted
you will appear to be perverse.

²⁸ You save the nation who is humble
but your eyes watch the proud,
to bring them down.
²⁹ For you are my lamp, Lord,
the Lord who illuminates my darkness.
³⁰ By you I devastate armies,
by my God I scale walls.
³¹ This God! His way is perfect!
What the Lord declares proves true.
He shields^[s] everyone who flees for protection to him!

³² For who is God apart from the Lord?
And who is a Rock, apart from our God?
³³ This God is my strong place of valor!
He has made my life^[t] blameless.
³⁴ He has made my feet like those of a deer,
setting me secure on his high places!
³⁵ He has trained my hands for battle readiness—
I can bend a bow made out of bronze.
³⁶ He has equipped me with the shield that is your salvation,
Your gentleness^[u] has made me great.
³⁷ You’ve made room beneath me for my footsteps,
and my feet didn’t slip.
³⁸ I pursued my enemies and conquered them;
I didn’t return until they were consumed.
³⁹ I devoured them,
striking them down
until they could not get up again.
They fell beneath my feet.
⁴⁰ You strengthened me with valor sufficient for the battle;
you made those who rebelled against me fall beneath me.
⁴¹ You made my enemies turn and run—^[v]
that is, those who hate me—
and I destroyed them!
⁴² They looked around, but there was no one to save^[w] them^[x]—
they looked^[y] to the Lord, but he paid no attention!
⁴³ I pulverized them to powder,
like the dust of the earth;
I crushed them,
stomping on them like mud on a street.

⁴⁴ You delivered me from civil war among my own people.
You preserved me as head of the nations.
People whom I had never known served me!
⁴⁵ Foreigners^[z] came cringing to me;
they obeyed as soon as they heard^[aa] me.
⁴⁶ Foreigners^[ab] lost their courage,
coming trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁷ The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock,
and may my God be exalted,
the Rock who is my salvation!
⁴⁸ The God who keeps on avenging me,
subjugating people beneath me,
⁴⁹ delivering me from my enemies.
You exalted me above those who rebelled against me,
delivering me from violent men.

⁵⁰ Because of all of this I will praise you among the nations, Lord,
and I will sing praises to your name!
⁵¹ Great is the salvation he brings to his king,
showing gracious love to his anointed,
to David and to his offspring^[ac] forever.

Footnotes

1. 2 Samuel 22:1 Lit. hand
2. 2 Samuel 22:2 The Heb. lacks This is what
3. 2 Samuel 22:2 So LXX. MT reads The Lord is
4. 2 Samuel 22:2 So MT LXX reads rescuing
5. 2 Samuel 22:3 Lit. horn
6. 2 Samuel 22:4 The Heb. lacks him
7. 2 Samuel 22:5 Or currents
8. 2 Samuel 22:5 The Heb. lacks of abuse
9. 2 Samuel 22:5 Or terrified
10. 2 Samuel 22:8 Lit. because he
11. 2 Samuel 22:13 Or the brightness
12. 2 Samuel 22:13 Or counterpart; MT word is perhaps a word play on the noun shining light
13. 2 Samuel 22:19 Lit. in the day of my calamity
14. 2 Samuel 22:21 Lit. the cleanness of my hands
15. 2 Samuel 22:23 Lit. presence
16. 2 Samuel 22:24 The Heb. lacks incurring
17. 2 Samuel 22:25 Lit. standing to the counterpart
18. 2 Samuel 22:25 Or standing in his eyes
19. 2 Samuel 22:31 Lit. He is a shield for
20. 2 Samuel 22:33 Lit. way
21. 2 Samuel 22:36 So MT; LXX reads Obedience to you
22. 2 Samuel 22:41 Lit. away their backs to me
23. 2 Samuel 22:42 MT verb looked around sounds like MT verb to save
24. 2 Samuel 22:42 The Heb. lacks them
25. 2 Samuel 22:42 The Heb. lacks they looked
26. 2 Samuel 22:45 Lit. Children of foreigners
27. 2 Samuel 22:45 MT verbs obeyed and heard are identical in spelling
28. 2 Samuel 22:46 Lit. Children of foreigners
29. 2 Samuel 22:51 Lit. seed; MT is sing.