2 Samuel 22
1 David sang to Yahweh the words of this song on the day that Yahweh rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.
And David spoke to the Lord the words of this canticle, in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul,
2 He prayed, “Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, the one who rescues me.
And he said: The Lord is my rock, and my strength, and my saviour.
3 God is my rock. I take refuge in him. He is my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, and my refuge, the one who saves me from violence.
God is my strong one, in him will I trust: my shield, and the horn of my salvation: he lifteth me up, and is my refuge: my saviour, thou wilt deliver me from iniquity.
4 I will call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.
I will call on the Lord who is worthy to be praised: and I shall be saved from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death surrounded me, the rushing waters of destruction overwhelmed me.
For the pangs of death have surrounded me: the floods of Belial have made me afraid.
The cords of hell compassed me: the snares of death prevented me. (Sheol h7585)
7 In my distress I called to Yahweh; I called to my God; he heard my voice from his temple, and my call for help went into his ears.
In my distress I will call upon the Lord, and I will cry to my God: and he will hear my voice out of his temple, and my cry shall come to his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of the heavens trembled and were shaken, because God was angry.
The earth shook and trembled, the foundations of the mountains were moved, and shaken, because he was angry with them.
9 Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth. Coals were ignited by it.
A smoke went up from his nostrils, and a devouring fire out of his mouth: coals were kindled by it.
10 He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.
He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew. He was seen on the wings of the wind.
And he rode upon the cherubims, and flew: and slid upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a tent around him, gathering heavy rain clouds in the skies.
He made darkness a covering round about him: dropping waters out of the clouds of the heavens.
13 From the lightning before him coals of fire fell.
By the brightness before him, the coals of fire were kindled.
14 Yahweh thundered from the heavens. The Most High shouted.
The Lord shall thunder from heaven: and the most high shall give forth his voice.
15 He shot arrows and scattered his enemies— lightning bolts and dispersed them.
He shot arrows and scattered them: lightning, and consumed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare at the rebuke of Yahweh, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
And the overflowings of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were laid open at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the spirit of his wrath.
17 He reached down from above; he took hold of me! He pulled me out of the surging water.
He sent from on high, and took me, and drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
He delivered me from my most mighty enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.
19 They came against me on the day of my distress, but Yahweh was my support.
He prevented me in the day of my affliction, and the Lord became my stay.
20 He also brought me out to a wide open place. He saved me because he was pleased with me.
And he brought me forth into a large place, he delivered me, because I pleased him.
21 Yahweh has rewarded me to the measure of my righteousness; he has restored me to the measure of the cleanness of my hands.
The Lord will reward me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands he will render to me.
22 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh and have not acted wickedly by turning from my God.
Because I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his righteous decrees have been before me; as for his statutes, I have not turned away from them.
For all his judgments are in my sight: and his precepts I have not removed from me.
24 I have also been innocent before him, and I have kept myself from sin.
And I shall be perfect with him: and shall keep myself from my iniquity.
25 Therefore Yahweh has restored me to the measure of my righteousness, to the degree of my cleanness in his sight.
And the Lord will recompense me according to my justice: and according to the cleanness of my hands in the sight of his eyes.
26 To one who is faithful, you show yourself to be faithful; to a man who is blameless, you show yourself to be blameless.
With the holy one thou wilt be holy: and with the valiant perfect.
27 With the pure you show yourself pure, but you are perverse to the twisted.
With the elect thou wilt be elect: and with the perverse thou wilt be perverted.
28 You save afflicted people, but your eyes are against the proud, and you bring them down.
And the poor people thou wilt save: and with thy eyes thou wilt humble the haughty.
29 For you are my lamp, Yahweh. Yahweh lights up my darkness.
For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and thou, O Lord, wilt enlighten my darkness.
30 For by you I can run over a barricade; by my God I can leap over a wall.
For in thee I will run girded: in my God I will leap over the wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect. The word of Yahweh is pure. He is a shield to everyone who takes refuge in him.
God, his way is immaculate, the word of the Lord is tried by fire: he is the shield of all that trust in him.
32 For who is God except Yahweh, and who is a rock except our God?
Who is God but the Lord: and who is strong but our God?
33 God is my refuge, and he leads the blameless person on his path.
God who hath girded me with strength, and made my way perfect.
34 He makes my feet swift like a deer and places me on the high hills.
Making my feet like the feet of harts, and setting me upon my high places.
35 He trains my hands for war, and my arms to bend a bow of bronze.
He teacheth my bands to war: and maketh my arms like a bow of brass.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your favor has made me great.
Thou hast given me the shield of my salvation: and thy mildness hath multiplied me.
37 You have made a wide place for my feet beneath me, so my feet have not slipped.
Thou shalt enlarge my steps under me: and my ankles shall not fail.
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them. I did not turn back until they were destroyed.
I will pursue after my enemies, and crush them: and will not return again till I consume them.
39 I devoured them and smashed them; they cannot rise. They have fallen under my feet.
I will consume them and break them in pieces, so that they shall not rise: they shall fall under my feet.
40 You put strength on me like a belt for battle; you put under me those who rise up against me.
Thou hast girded me with strength to battle: thou hast made them that resisted me to bow under me.
41 You gave me the back of my enemies' necks; I annihilated those who hated me.
My enemies thou hast made to turn their back to me: them that hated me, and I shall destroy them.
42 They cried for help, but no one saved them; they cried out to Yahweh, but he did not answer them.
They shall cry, and there shall be none to save: to the Lord, and he shall not hear them.
43 I beat them into fine pieces like dust on the ground, I pulverized them like mud in the streets.
I shall beat them as small as the dust of the earth: I shall crush them and spread them abroad like the mire of the streets.
44 You also have rescued me from the disputes of my own people. You have kept me as the head of nations. A people that I have not known serves me.
Thou wilt save me from the contradictions of my people: thou wilt keep me to be the head of the Gentiles: the people which I know not, shall serve me,
45 Foreigners were forced to bow to me. As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
The sons of the stranger will resist me, at the hearing of the ear they will obey me.
46 The foreigners came trembling out of their strongholds.
The strangers are melted away, and shall be straitened in their distresses.
47 Yahweh lives! May my rock be praised. May God be exalted, the rock of my salvation.
The Lord liveth, and my God is blessed: and the strong God of my salvation shall be exalted:
48 This is the God who executes vengeance for me, the one who brings down peoples under me.
God who giveth me revenge, and bringest down people under me,
49 He sets me free from my enemies. Indeed, you lifted me up above those who rose up against me. You rescue me from violent men.
Who bringest me forth from my enemies, and liftest me up from them that resist me: from the wicked man thou shalt deliver me.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.
Therefore will I give thanks to thee. O Lord, among the Gentiles, and will sing to thy name.
51 God gives great victory to his king, and he shows his covenant loyalty to his anointed one, to David and to his descendants forever.”
Giving great salvation to his king, and shewing mercy to David his anointed, and to his seed for ever.
