2 Samuel 22

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
³     my 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.
⁴ I 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.
⁶ The grave^[a] wrapped its ropes around me;
    death laid a trap in my path.
⁷ But 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.
⁹ Smoke poured from his nostrils;
    fierce flames leaped from his mouth.
    Glowing coals blazed forth from him.
¹⁰ He opened the heavens and came down;
    dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.
¹¹ Mounted on a mighty angelic being,^[b] he flew,
    soaring^[c] on the wings of the wind.
¹² He shrouded himself in darkness,
    veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.
¹³ A great brightness shone around him,
    and burning coals^[d] blazed forth.
¹⁴ The Lord thundered from heaven;
    the voice of the Most High resounded.
¹⁵ He shot arrows and scattered his enemies;
    his lightning flashed, and they were confused.
¹⁶ Then 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.
¹⁸ He rescued me from my powerful enemies,
    from those who hated me and were too strong for me.
¹⁹ They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress,
    but the Lord supported me.
²⁰ He led me to a place of safety;
    he rescued me because he delights in me.
²¹ The Lord rewarded me for doing right;
    he restored me because of my innocence.
²² For I have kept the ways of the Lord;
    I have not turned from my God to follow evil.
²³ I have followed all his regulations;
    I have never abandoned his decrees.
²⁴ I am blameless before God;
    I have kept myself from sin.
²⁵ The 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.
²⁷ To the pure you show yourself pure,
    but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.
²⁸ You rescue the humble,
    but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.
²⁹ O Lord, you are my lamp.
    The Lord lights up my darkness.
³⁰ In 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.
³² For who is God except the Lord?
    Who but our God is a solid rock?
³³ God is my strong fortress,
    and he makes my way perfect.
³⁴ He makes me as surefooted as a deer,
    enabling me to stand on mountain heights.
³⁵ He trains my hands for battle;
    he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.
³⁶ You have given me your shield of victory;
    your help^[e] has made me great.
³⁷ You 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.
³⁹ I consumed them;
    I struck them down so they did not get up;
    they fell beneath my feet.
⁴⁰ You have armed me with strength for the battle;
    you have subdued my enemies under my feet.
⁴¹ You placed my foot on their necks.
    I have destroyed all who hated me.
⁴² They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue.
    They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer.
⁴³ I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth;
    I trampled them^[f] 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.
⁴⁵ Foreign nations cringe before me;
    as soon as they hear of me, they submit.
⁴⁶ They all lose their courage
    and come trembling^[g] from their strongholds.

⁴⁷ “The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock!
    May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted!
⁴⁸ He is the God who pays back those who harm me;
    he brings down the nations under me
⁴⁹     and delivers me from my enemies.
You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies;
    you save me from violent opponents.
⁵⁰ For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations;
    I will sing praises to your name.
⁵¹ You give great victories to your king;
    you show unfailing love to your anointed,
    to David and all his descendants forever.”