2 Samuel 22

David’s Song of Praise

¹David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul. ²He sang: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;

³my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.

⁴I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.

⁵“The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me.

⁶The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.

⁷But in my distress I cried out to the Lord; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.

⁸“Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger.

⁹Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him.

¹⁰He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.

¹¹Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.

¹²He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.

¹³A great brightness shone around him, and burning coals blazed forth.

¹⁴The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

¹⁵He shot arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were confused.

¹⁶Then at the command of the Lord, at the blast of his breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.

¹⁷“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.

¹⁸He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.

¹⁹They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me.

²⁰He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.

²¹The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence.

²²For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.

²³I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees.

²⁴I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.

²⁵The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.

²⁶“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.

²⁷To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

²⁸You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.

²⁹O Lord, you are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.

³⁰In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.

³¹“God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

³²For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?

³³God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect.

³⁴He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

³⁵He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

³⁶You have given me your shield of victory; your help has made me great.

³⁷You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.

³⁸“I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered.

³⁹I consumed them; I struck them down so they did not get up; they fell beneath my feet.

⁴⁰You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.

⁴¹You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me.

⁴²They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer.

⁴³I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trampled them in the gutter like dirt.

⁴⁴“You gave me victory over my accusers. You preserved me as the ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me.

⁴⁵Foreign nations cringe before me; as soon as they hear of me, they submit.

⁴⁶They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁷“The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted!

⁴⁸He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he brings down the nations under me

⁴⁹and delivers me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.

⁵⁰For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.

⁵¹You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever.”

2 Samuel 22 (NLT)

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2 Samuel

Chapter 22

22 of 24