2 Samuel 22

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,

₃my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation,

my stronghold and my refuge,

my savior; you save me from violence.

₄I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

and I am saved from my enemies.

₅“For the waves of death encompassed me,

the torrents of destruction assailed me;

₆the cords of Sheol entangled me;

the snares of death confronted me.

₇“In my distress I called upon the Lord;

to my God I called.

From his temple he heard my voice,

and my cry came to his ears.

₈“Then the earth reeled and rocked;

the foundations of the heavens trembled

and quaked, because he was angry.

₉Smoke went up from his nostrils,

and devouring fire from his mouth;

glowing coals flamed forth from him.

₁₀He bowed the heavens and came down;

thick darkness was under his feet.

₁₁He rode on a cherub and flew;

he was seen on the wings of the wind.

₁₂He made darkness around him his canopy,

thick clouds, a gathering of water.

₁₃Out of the brightness before him

coals of fire flamed forth.

₁₄The Lord thundered from heaven,

and the Most High uttered his voice.

₁₅And he sent out arrows and scattered them;

lightning, and routed them.

₁₆Then the channels of the sea were seen;

the foundations of the world were laid bare,

at the rebuke of the Lord,

at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

₁₇“He sent from on high, he took me;

he drew me out of many waters.

₁₈He rescued me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me,

for they were too mighty for me.

₁₉They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the Lord was my support.

₂₀He brought me out into a broad place;

he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

₂₁“The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

₂₂For I have kept the ways of the Lord

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

₂₃For all his rules were before me,

and from his statutes I did not turn aside.

₂₄I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from guilt.

₂₅And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to my cleanness in his sight.

₂₆“With the merciful you show yourself merciful;

with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;

₂₇with the purified you deal purely,

and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.

₂₈You save a humble people,

but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.

₂₉For you are my lamp, O Lord,

and my God lightens my darkness.

₃₀For by you I can run against a troop,

and by my God I can leap over a wall.

₃₁This God—his way is perfect;

the word of the Lord proves true;

he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

₃₂“For who is God, but the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

₃₃This God is my strong refuge

and has made my way blameless.

₃₄He made my feet like the feet of a deer

and set me secure on the heights.

₃₅He trains my hands for war,

so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

₃₆You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your gentleness made me great.

₃₇You gave a wide place for my steps under me,

and my feet did not slip;

₃₈I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,

and did not turn back until they were consumed.

₃₉I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise;

they fell under my feet.

₄₀For you equipped me with strength for the battle;

you made those who rise against me sink under me.

₄₁You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

those who hated me, and I destroyed them.

₄₂They looked, but there was none to save;

they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

₄₃I beat them fine as the dust of the earth;

I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.

₄₄“You delivered me from strife with my people;

you kept me as the head of the nations;

people whom I had not known served me.

₄₅Foreigners came cringing to me;

as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.

₄₆Foreigners lost heart

and came trembling out of their fortresses.

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

and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

₄₈the God who gave me vengeance

and brought down peoples under me,

₄₉who brought me out from my enemies;

you exalted me above those who rose against me;

you delivered me from men of violence.

₅₀“For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,

and sing praises to your name.

₅₁Great salvation he brings to his king,

and shows steadfast love to his anointed,

to David and his offspring forever.”