2 Samuel 22

English Standard Version

^(C)“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
^{3     (D)}my^[a] God, my rock, ^(E)in whom I take refuge,
^(F)my shield, and ^(G)the horn of my salvation,
    ^(H)my stronghold and ^(I)my refuge,
    my savior; you save me from violence.
⁴ I call upon the Lord, who is ^(J)worthy to be praised,
    and I am saved from my enemies.

^5 (K)“For the waves of death encompassed me,
    the torrents of destruction assailed me;^[b]
6 (L)the cords of Sheol entangled me;
    the snares of death confronted me.

^7 (M)“In my distress I called upon the Lord;
    to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
    and my cry ^(N)came to his ears.

⁸ “Then ^(O)the earth reeled and rocked;
    ^(P)the foundations of the heavens trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
⁹ Smoke went up from his nostrils,^[c]
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    ^(Q)glowing coals flamed forth from him.
^10 (R)He bowed the heavens and ^(S)came down;
    ^(T)thick darkness was under his feet.
¹¹ He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he was seen on ^(U)the wings of the wind.
¹² He made ^(V)darkness around him ^(W)his canopy,
    thick clouds, a gathering of water.
¹³ Out of the brightness before him
    ^(X)coals of fire flamed forth.
^14 (Y)The Lord thundered from heaven,
    and the Most High uttered his voice.
¹⁵ And he sent out ^(Z)arrows and scattered them;
    lightning, and routed them.
¹⁶ Then the channels of the sea were seen;
    the foundations of the world were laid bare,
at the rebuke of the Lord,
    at the ^(AA)blast of the breath of his nostrils.

^17 (AB)“He sent from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of many waters.
¹⁸ He rescued me from my strong enemy,
    from those who hated me,
    for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
^20 (AC)He brought me out into a broad place;
    he rescued me, because ^(AD)he delighted in me.

²¹ “The Lord ^(AE)dealt with me according to my righteousness;
    according to the ^(AF)cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
^22 (AG)For I have kept the ways of the Lord
    and have not wickedly departed from my God.
^23 (AH)For all his rules were before me,
    and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
²⁴ I was ^(AI)blameless before him,
    and I kept myself from guilt.
^25 (AJ)And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
    according to my cleanness in his sight.

^26 (AK)“With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
    with the ^(AL)blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁷ with the purified you deal purely,
    and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
^28 (AM)You save a humble people,
    ^(AN)but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
^29 (AO)For you are my lamp, O Lord,
    and my God lightens my darkness.
³⁰ For by you I can run against a troop,
    and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³¹ This God—^(AP)his way is perfect;
    the ^(AQ)word of the Lord proves true;
    he is ^(AR)a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

³² “For who is God, but the Lord?
    ^(AS)And who is a rock, except our God?
³³ This God is my ^(AT)strong refuge
    and has made my^[d] way blameless.^[e]
34 (AU)He made my feet like the feet of a deer
    and set me secure ^(AV)on the heights.
^35 (AW)He trains my hands for war,
    so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁶ You have given me the shield of your salvation,
    and your gentleness made me great.
^37 (AX)You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
    and my feet^[f] did not slip;
³⁸ I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
    and did not turn back until they were consumed.
³⁹ I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;
    they fell ^(AY)under my feet.
⁴⁰ For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
    you made ^(AZ)those who rise against me sink under me.
⁴¹ You ^(BA)made my enemies turn their backs to me,^[g]
    those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
⁴² They looked, but there was none to save;
    they cried to the Lord, but ^(BB)he did not answer them.
⁴³ I beat them fine ^(BC)as the dust of the earth;
    I crushed them and stamped them down ^(BD)like the mire of the streets.

⁴⁴ “You delivered me from strife with my people;^[h]
    you kept me as the head of ^(BE)the nations;
    ^(BF)people whom I had not known served me.
⁴⁵ Foreigners came cringing to me;
    as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
⁴⁶ Foreigners lost heart
    and came trembling^{[i] (BG)}out of their fortresses.

⁴⁷ “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
    and exalted be ^(BH)my God, ^(BI)the rock of my salvation,
⁴⁸ the God who gave me vengeance
    and ^(BJ)brought down peoples under me,
⁴⁹ who brought me out from my enemies;
    you exalted me above ^(BK)those who rose against me;
    you delivered me from ^(BL)men of violence.

^50 (BM)“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
    and sing praises to your name.
^51 (BN)Great salvation he brings^[j] to his king,
    and shows steadfast love to ^(BO)his anointed,
    to David and his offspring ^(BP)forever.”