2 Samuel 22

David’s Song of Deliverance

1 And David spoke *[Ex. 15:1;Judg. 5:1;1 Chr. 16:7]to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 *For ver. 1-51, see Ps. 18:2-50He said,

*Deut. 32:4;Ps. 31:3;71:3;91:2;144:2"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

3 *ver. 32, 47my*22:3 Septuagint (compare Psalm 18:2); Hebrew lacks my God, my rock, *[Heb. 2:13] in whom I take refuge,

*ver. 31;Gen. 15:1my shield, and *Luke 1:69the horn of my salvation,

*Ps. 9:9;59:9,16,17;62:2,6;[Prov. 18:10] my stronghold and *Ps. 14:6;46:7,11;71:7;Jer. 16:19my refuge,

my savior; you save me from violence.

4 I call upon the Lord, who is *1 Chr. 16:25;Ps. 48:1;96:4worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

5 *[Ps. 42:7;93:4;Jonah 2:3]"For the waves of death encompassed me,

the torrents of destruction assailed me;*22:5 Or terrified me

6 *Ps. 116:3the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

7 *Ps. 116:4;120:1;Jonah 2:2"In my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I called.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry *Ps. 18:6came to his ears.

8 "Then *Judg. 5:4;Ps. 77:18;97:4the earth reeled and rocked;

*[Job 26:11]the foundations of the heavens trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

9 Smoke went up from his nostrils,*22:9 Or in his wrath

and devouring fire from his mouth;

*ver. 13glowing coals flamed forth from him.

10 *Ps. 144:5He bowed the heavens and *Isa. 64:1came down;

*[Ex. 20:21;1 Kgs. 8:12;Ps. 97:2]thick darkness was under his feet.

11 He rode on a cherub and flew;

he was seen on *Ps. 104:3the wings of the wind.

12 He made *[See ver. 10above] darkness around him *Job 36:29his canopy,

thick clouds, a gathering of water.

13 Out of the brightness before him

*ver. 9coals of fire flamed forth.

14 *Job 37:4;Ps. 29:3The Lord thundered from heaven,

and the Most High uttered his voice.

15 And he sent out *Deut. 32:23;Ps. 7:13;77:17;144:6;Hab. 3:11arrows 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 *Ex. 15:8blast of the breath of his nostrils.

17 *Ps. 144:7"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 *Ps. 31:8;118:5He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because *See ch. 15:26he delighted in me.

21 "The Lord*1 Sam. 26:23;1 Kgs. 8:32;Ps. 7:8dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the *[Ps. 24:4]cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

22 *Gen. 18:19;Prov. 8:32For I have kept the ways of the Lord

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 *Ps. 119:30,102For all his rules were before me,

and from his statutes I did not turn aside.

24 I was *[Gen. 6:9;17:1;Job 1:1]blameless before him,

and I kept myself from guilt.

25 *[See ver. 21above]And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to my cleanness in his sight.

26 *[Matt. 5:7] "With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the *[See ver. 24above]blameless man you show yourself blameless;

27 with the purified you deal purely,

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

28 *[Ps. 72:12,13] You save a humble people,

*[Isa. 2:11,12,17;Luke 1:51]but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.

29 *Job 29:3;Ps. 27:1;[ch. 21:17]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—*Deut. 32:4;Matt. 5:48his way is perfect;

the *Prov. 30:5word of the Lord proves true;

he is *ver. 3;Ps. 5:12;33:20;59:11;84:9a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

32 "For who is God, but the Lord?

*See ver. 2And who is a rock, except our God?

33 This God is my *ver. 2;Ps. 28:8;31:3,4strong refuge

and has made my*22:33 Or his; also verse 34 way blameless.*22:33 Compare Psalm 18:32; Hebrew he has blamelessly set my way free, or he has made my way spring up blamelessly

34 *See ch. 2:18He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure *Deut. 32:13;33:29;Isa. 58:14on the heights.

35 *Ps. 144:1He 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 *Prov. 4:12You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet*22:37 Hebrew ankles 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 *[Mal. 4:3]under my feet.

40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made *Ps. 44:5;59:1those who rise against me sink under me.

41 You *Ex. 23:27made my enemies turn their backs to me,*22:41 Or You gave me my enemies’ necks

those who hated me, and I destroyed them.

42 They looked, but there was none to save;

they cried to the Lord, but *1 Sam. 28:6;Prov. 1:28;[Isa. 1:15;Mic. 3:4]he did not answer them.

43 I beat them fine *2 Kgs. 13:7as the dust of the earth;

I crushed them and stamped them down *Isa. 10:6;Mic. 7:10;Zech. 10:5like the mire of the streets.

44 "You delivered me from strife with my people;*22:44 Septuagint with the peoples

you kept me as the head of *See ch. 8:1-14the nations;

*Isa. 55:5people 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*22:46 Compare Psalm 18:45; Hebrew equipped themselves*Mic. 7:17out of their fortresses.

47 "The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,

and exalted be *ver. 3, 32my God, *Deut. 32:15;Ps. 89:26;95:1the rock of my salvation,

48 the God who gave me vengeance

and *Ps. 144:2brought down peoples under me,

49 who brought me out from my enemies;

you exalted me above *[See ver. 40above] those who rose against me;

you delivered me from *Ps. 140:1men of violence.

50 *Cited Rom. 15:9"For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,

and sing praises to your name.

51 *[Ps. 144:10] Great salvation he brings*22:51 Or He is a tower of salvation to his king,

and shows steadfast love to *[1 Sam. 16:12,13;Ps. 89:20] his anointed,

to David and his offspring *ch. 7:12,13;Ps. 89:29forever."