2 Samuel 22

New International Version

David’s Song of Praise^(A)

22 David sang^(B) to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. ²He said:

“The Lord is my rock,^(C) my fortress^(D) and my deliverer;^(E)
³    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,^(F)
    my shield^[a]^(G) and the horn^[b]^(H) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,^(I) my refuge and my savior—
    from violent people you save me.

⁴“I called to the Lord, who is worthy^(J) of praise,
    and have been saved from my enemies.
⁵The waves^(K) of death swirled about me;
    the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
⁶The cords of the grave^(L) coiled around me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

⁷“In my distress^(M) I called^(N) to the Lord;
    I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
    my cry came to his ears.
⁸The earth^(O) trembled and quaked,^(P)
    the foundations^(Q) of the heavens^[c] shook;
    they trembled because he was angry.
⁹Smoke rose from his nostrils;
    consuming fire^(R) came from his mouth,
    burning coals^(S) blazed out of it.
¹⁰He parted the heavens and came down;
    dark clouds^(T) were under his feet.
¹¹He mounted the cherubim^(U) and flew;
    he soared^[d] on the wings of the wind.^(V)
¹²He made darkness^(W) his canopy around him—
    the dark^[e] rain clouds of the sky.
¹³Out of the brightness of his presence
    bolts of lightning^(X) blazed forth.
¹⁴The Lord thundered^(Y) from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
¹⁵He shot his arrows^(Z) and scattered the enemy,
    with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
¹⁶The valleys of the sea were exposed
    and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke^(AA) of the Lord,
    at the blast^(AB) of breath from his nostrils.

¹⁷“He reached down from on high^(AC) and took hold of me;
    he drew^(AD) me out of deep waters.
¹⁸He rescued^(AE) me from my powerful enemy,
    from my foes, who were too strong for me.
¹⁹They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
    but the Lord was my support.^(AF)
²⁰He brought me out into a spacious^(AG) place;
    he rescued^(AH) me because he delighted^(AI) in me.^(AJ)

²¹“The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;^(AK)
    according to the cleanness^(AL) of my hands^(AM) he has rewarded me.
²²For I have kept^(AN) the ways of the Lord;
    I am not guilty of turning from my God.
²³All his laws are before me;^(AO)
    I have not turned^(AP) away from his decrees.
²⁴I have been blameless^(AQ) before him
    and have kept myself from sin.
²⁵The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,^(AR)
    according to my cleanness^[f] in his sight.

²⁶“To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
    to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
²⁷to the pure^(AS) you show yourself pure,
    but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.^(AT)
²⁸You save the humble,^(AU)
    but your eyes are on the haughty^(AV) to bring them low.^(AW)
²⁹You, Lord, are my lamp;^(AX)
    the Lord turns my darkness into light.
³⁰With your help I can advance against a troop^[g];
    with my God I can scale a wall.

³¹“As for God, his way is perfect:^(AY)
    The Lord’s word is flawless;^(AZ)
    he shields^(BA) all who take refuge in him.
³²For who is God besides the Lord?
    And who is the Rock^(BB) except our God?^(BC)
³³It is God who arms me with strength^[h]
    and keeps my way secure.
³⁴He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;^(BD)
    he causes me to stand on the heights.^(BE)
³⁵He trains my hands^(BF) for battle;
    my arms can bend a bow^(BG) of bronze.
³⁶You make your saving help my shield;^(BH)
    your help has made^[i] me great.
³⁷You provide a broad path^(BI) for my feet,
    so that my ankles do not give way.

³⁸“I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
    I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
³⁹I crushed^(BJ) them completely, and they could not rise;
    they fell beneath my feet.
⁴⁰You armed me with strength for battle;
    you humbled my adversaries before me.^(BK)
⁴¹You made my enemies turn their backs^(BL) in flight,
    and I destroyed my foes.
⁴²They cried for help,^(BM) but there was no one to save them—^(BN)
    to the Lord, but he did not answer.^(BO)
⁴³I beat them as fine as the dust^(BP) of the earth;
    I pounded and trampled^(BQ) them like mud^(BR) in the streets.

⁴⁴“You have delivered^(BS) me from the attacks of the peoples;
    you have preserved^(BT) me as the head of nations.
People^(BU) I did not know now serve me,
⁴⁵    foreigners cower^(BV) before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.^(BW)
⁴⁶They all lose heart;
    they come trembling^[j]^(BX) from their strongholds.

⁴⁷“The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted^(BY) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!^(BZ)
⁴⁸He is the God who avenges^(CA) me,^(CB)
    who puts the nations under me,
⁴⁹    who sets me free from my enemies.^(CC)
You exalted me^(CD) above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
⁵⁰Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises^(CE) of your name.^(CF)

⁵¹“He gives his king great victories;^(CG)
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,^(CH)
to David^(CI) and his descendants forever.”^(CJ)

Footnotes

2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
2 Samuel 22:33 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Septuagint manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:32); Masoretic Text who is my strong refuge
2 Samuel 22:36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to make
2 Samuel 22:46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselves

Ephesians 5

New International Version

5 ¹Follow God’s example,^(A) therefore, as dearly loved children^(B) ²and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us^(C) and gave himself up for us^(D) as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.^(E)

³But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality,^(F) or of any kind of impurity, or of greed,^(G) because these are improper for God’s holy people. ⁴Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk^(H) or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.^(I) ⁵For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater^(J)—has any inheritance^(K) in the kingdom of Christ and of God.^[a]^(L) ⁶Let no one deceive you^(M) with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath^(N) comes on those who are disobedient.^(O) ⁷Therefore do not be partners with them.

⁸For you were once^(P) darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light^(Q) ⁹(for the fruit^(R) of the light consists in all goodness,^(S) righteousness and truth) ¹⁰and find out what pleases the Lord.^(T) ¹¹Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,^(U) but rather expose them. ¹²It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. ¹³But everything exposed by the light^(V) becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. ¹⁴This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,^(W)
rise from the dead,^(X)
and Christ will shine on you.”^(Y)

¹⁵Be very careful, then, how you live^(Z)—not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of every opportunity,^(AA) because the days are evil.^(AB) ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.^(AC) ¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine,^(AD) which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,^(AE) ¹⁹speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.^(AF) Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰always giving thanks^(AG) to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Instructions for Christian Households^(AH)

²¹Submit to one another^(AI) out of reverence for Christ.

²²Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands^(AJ) as you do to the Lord.^(AK) ²³For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church,^(AL) his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands^(AM) in everything.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives,^(AN) just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her^(AO) ²⁶to make her holy,^(AP) cleansing^[b] her by the washing^(AQ) with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself^(AR) as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.^(AS) ²⁸In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives^(AT) as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰for we are members of his body.^(AU) ³¹“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^[c]^(AV) ³²This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³However, each one of you also must love his wife^(AW) as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.