2 Samuel 22-23
American Standard Version
22 And David spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: 2 and he said,
Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;
3 God, my rock, in him will I take refuge;
My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge;
My saviour, thou savest me from violence.
4 I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:
So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
5 For the waves of death compassed me;
The floods of [a]ungodliness made me afraid:
6 The cords of Sheol were round about me;
The snares of death came upon me.
7 In my distress I called upon Jehovah;
Yea, I called unto my God:
And he heard my voice out of his temple,
And my cry came into his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and trembled,
The foundations of heaven quaked
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
9 There went up a smoke [b]out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured:
Coals were kindled by it.
10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down;
And thick darkness was under his feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;
Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him,
Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
13 At the brightness before him
Coals of fire were kindled.
14 Jehovah thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out arrows, and scattered them;
Lightning, and discomfited them.
16 Then the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were laid bare,
By the rebuke of Jehovah,
At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He sent from on high, he took me;
He drew me out of [c]many waters;
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
19 They came upon me in the day of my calamity;
But Jehovah was my stay.
20 He brought me forth also into a large place;
He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
21 Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all his ordinances were before me;
And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I was also perfect toward him;
And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
25 Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness in his eyesight.
26 With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;
With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;
27 With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;
And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself [d]froward.
28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save;
But thine eyes are upon the haughty, [e]that thou mayest bring them down.
29 For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah;
And Jehovah will lighten my darkness.
30 For by thee I run [f]upon a troop;
By my God do I leap over a wall.
31 As for God, his way is perfect:
The word of Jehovah is tried;
He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.
32 For who is God, save Jehovah?
And who is a rock, save our God?
33 God is my strong fortress;
And he [g]guideth the perfect in his way.
34 He maketh [h]his feet like hinds’ feet,
And setteth me upon my high places.
35 He teacheth my hands to war,
So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;
And thy [i]gentleness hath made me great.
37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me;
And my [j]feet have not slipped.
38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them;
Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
39 And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, so that they cannot arise:
Yea, they are fallen under my feet.
40 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle;
Thou hast [k]subdued under me those that rose up against me.
41 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,
That I might cut off them that hate me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;
Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.
43 Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,
I did crush them as the mire of the streets, and did spread them abroad.
44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people;
Thou [l]hast kept me to be the head of the nations:
A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
45 The foreigners shall [m]submit themselves unto me:
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.
46 The foreigners shall fade away,
And shall [n]come trembling out of their close places.
47 Jehovah liveth; And blessed be my rock;
And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
48 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,
And that bringeth down peoples under me,
49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies:
Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;
Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations,
And will sing praises unto thy name.
51 [o]Great [p]deliverance giveth he to his king,
And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,
To David and to his seed, for evermore.
23 Now these are the last words of David.
David the son of Jesse saith,
And the man who was raised on high saith,
The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And [q]the sweet psalmist of Israel:
2 The Spirit of Jehovah spake [r]by me,
And his word was upon my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spake to me:
[s]One that ruleth over men [t]righteously,
That ruleth in the fear of God,
4 He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springeth out of the earth,
Through clear shining after rain.
5 [u]Verily my house is not so with God;
Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things, and sure:
For it is all my salvation, and all my desire,
Although he maketh it not to grow.
6 But [v]the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,
Because they cannot be taken with the hand;
7 But the man that toucheth them
Must be [w]armed with iron and the staff of a spear:
And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.
8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: [x]Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.
9 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel [y]were gone away. 10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword; and Jehovah wrought a great [z]victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.
11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together [aa]into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines. 12 But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and Jehovah wrought a great [ab]victory.
13 And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 14 And David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. 15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate! 16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah. 17 And he said, Be it far from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this: shall I drink the blood of the men that went [ac]in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred [ad]and slew them, and had a name among the three. 19 Was he not most honorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.
20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of [ae]a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he slew the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. 21 And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear. 22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men. 23 He was more honorable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his [af]guard.
24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem, 25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, 26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, 27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, 28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, 29 Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, 30 Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash. 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, 32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, 33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, 34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, 35 [ag]Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, 36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, 37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, [ah]armorbearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah, 38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:5 Hebrew Belial.
- 2 Samuel 22:9 Or, in his wrath
- 2 Samuel 22:17 Or, great
- 2 Samuel 22:27 So Ps. 18:26. The text has unsavory.
- 2 Samuel 22:28 Or, whom thou wilt bring down
- 2 Samuel 22:30 Or, through
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Or, setteth free. According to another reading, guideth my way in perfectness
- 2 Samuel 22:34 Another reading is, my
- 2 Samuel 22:36 Or, condescension
- 2 Samuel 22:37 Hebrew ankles.
- 2 Samuel 22:40 Hebrew caused to bow.
- 2 Samuel 22:44 Or, wilt keep
- 2 Samuel 22:45 Or, yield feigned obedience. Hebrew lie.
- 2 Samuel 22:46 So Ps. 18:45. The text has gird themselves.
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Another reading is, He is a tower of deliverance.
- 2 Samuel 22:51 Hebrew salvations.
- 2 Samuel 23:1 Hebrew pleasant in the psalms of Israel.
- 2 Samuel 23:2 Or, in
- 2 Samuel 23:3 Or, There shall be one . . . and it shall be as etc.
- 2 Samuel 23:3 Hebrew a righteous one.
- 2 Samuel 23:5 Or, For is not my house so with God? for he . . . for all my salvation, and all my desire, will he not make it to grow?
- 2 Samuel 23:6 Hebrew Belial, that is, worthlessness.
- 2 Samuel 23:7 Hebrew filled.
- 2 Samuel 23:8 In 1 Chr. 11:11, Jashobeam. The Hebrew of this verse is obscure.
- 2 Samuel 23:9 Hebrew went up.
- 2 Samuel 23:10 Hebrew salvation.
- 2 Samuel 23:11 Or, for foraging
- 2 Samuel 23:12 Hebrew salvation.
- 2 Samuel 23:17 Hebrew with their lives.
- 2 Samuel 23:18 Hebrew slain.
- 2 Samuel 23:20 According to another reading, Ish-hai.
- 2 Samuel 23:23 Or, council
- 2 Samuel 23:35 Or, Hezrai
- 2 Samuel 23:37 Another reading is, armorbearer.
Psalm 57
American Standard Version
Prayer for rescue from persecutors.
For the Chief Musician; set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam; when he fled from Saul, in the cave.
57 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me;
For my soul taketh refuge in thee:
Yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I take refuge,
Until these [a]calamities be overpast.
2 I will cry unto God Most High,
Unto God that performeth all things for me.
3 He will send from heaven, and save me,
When he that would swallow me up reproacheth; Selah
God will send forth his lovingkindness and his truth.
4 My soul is among lions;
I [b]lie among them that are set on fire,
Even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
And their tongue a sharp sword.
5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
6 They have prepared a net for my steps;
My soul is bowed down:
They have digged a pit before me;
They are fallen into the midst thereof themselves. Selah
7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed:
I will sing, yea, I will sing praises.
8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp:
I myself [c]will awake right early.
9 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the peoples:
I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.
10 For thy lovingkindness is great unto the heavens,
And thy truth unto the skies.
11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens;
Let thy glory be above all the earth.
Footnotes
- Psalm 57:1 Or, wickednesses
- Psalm 57:4 Or, must lie
- Psalm 57:8 Or, will awake the dawn
Public Domain (Why are modern Bible translations copyrighted?)