- 2 Samuel
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22
1 David sang the words of this song to the Lord on the day when the Lord saved him from all his enemies, and from Saul.* This passage parallels Psalms 18. 2 He sang:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Savior.
3 He is my God, my rock who protects me. He shields me from harm, his power saves me,† Literally, “horn of my salvation.” he keeps me safe. He is my protector; he is my savior; he saves me from violence.
4 I call for help from the Lord, who should be praised, and he saves me from those who hate me.
5 The waves of death swept over me; surging waters of destruction flooded over me;
6 The grave wound its ropes around me; death set snares for me.
7 In my despair I called on the Lord; I called out to my God. He heard my voice from his Temple; my cry for help reached his ears.
8 The earth shook to and fro; the foundations of the heavens trembled, shaking because of his anger.
9 Smoke came out of his nostrils, and fire from his mouth, burning coals that blazed before him.
10 He pushed aside the heavens and came down, with dark clouds beneath his feet.
11 Riding on a heavenly being‡ Literally, “cherub,” but in English this has become associated with an angelic baby. he flew, swooping on the wings of the wind.
12 He hid himself in darkness, covering himself with black rainclouds.
13 Burning coals blazed out of his brightness.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He fired his arrows, scattering his enemies,§ Implied. he routed them with his lightning bolts.
16 The Lord roared, and by the wind from the breath of his nostrils the valleys of the sea could be seen and the foundations of the earth were uncovered.
17 He reached down his hand from above and grabbed hold of me. He dragged me out of the deep water.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and who were much stronger than me.
19 They came at me at my worst possible moment,* Literally, “my day of disaster.” but the Lord supported me.
20 He set me free,† Literally, “brought me out to a spacious place.” he rescued me because he's happy with me.‡ Or “he delights in me.”
21 The Lord rewarded me because I do what's right; he repaid me because I am innocent.§ Literally, “because of the cleanness of my hands.”
22 For I have followed the Lord's ways; I have not sinned by turning away from my God.
23 I have kept all his laws in mind; I have not ignored his commandments.
24 I am blameless in his sight; I keep myself from sinning.
25 The Lord rewarded me for doing what's right. I am innocent in his sight.
26 You show trust to those who are trusting; you show integrity to those with integrity,* The word used here means “complete” or “sound.”
27 You show yourself pure to those who are pure, but you show yourself astute to those who are crafty.
28 You save the humble, but your eyes watch the proud to bring them down.
29 You, Lord, are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness.
30 With you, I can charge down a troop of soldiers; with you, my God, I can climb a fortress wall.
31 God's way is absolutely right.† The word used here, often translated as “perfect,” is the same as in 18:25. What the Lord says is trustworthy. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.
32 For who is God except the Lord? Who is a Rock, except our God?
33 God makes me strong and keeps me safe.
34 He makes me surefooted like the deer, able to walk the heights in safety.
35 He teaches me how to fight in battle; he gives me the strength to draw a bronze bow.
36 You protect me with the shield of your salvation; your help has made me great.
37 You gave me room to walk, and prevented my feet from slipping.
38 I chased my enemies, and caught up with them. I did not turn around until I had destroyed them.
39 I struck them down—they couldn't get up. They fell at my feet.
40 You made me strong for the battle; you made those who rose up against me kneel low before me.
41 You made my enemies run away; I destroyed all my enemies.
42 They cried out for help, but no one came to rescue them. They even called out to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
43 I ground them into dust, like the dust of the earth. I crushed them and threw them out like mud in the street.
44 You rescued me from rebellious people; you have kept me as ruler over nations—people I didn't know now serve me.
45 Foreigners cower before me; as soon as they hear of me, they obey.
46 They lose heart, and come trembling in surrender from their strongholds.
47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! May the God who saves me be praised!
48 God avenges me, he puts peoples under me,
49 He frees me from those who hate me. You keep me safe from those who rebel against me, you save me from violent men.
50 That's why I will praise you among the nations, Lord; I will sing praises about who you are.‡ “Of who you are”: literally, “to your name”: the concept of name in Hebrew is far more than a simple designation; it refers to the character of the person.
51 You have saved the king so often,§ Or “You have given many victories to the king.” showing your trustworthy love to David, your anointed, and to his descendants forever.”

- 2 Samuel
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*22:1 This passage parallels Psalms 18.

†22:3 Literally, “horn of my salvation.”

‡22:11 Literally, “cherub,” but in English this has become associated with an angelic baby.

§22:15 Implied.

*22:19 Literally, “my day of disaster.”

†22:20 Literally, “brought me out to a spacious place.”

‡22:20 Or “he delights in me.”

§22:21 Literally, “because of the cleanness of my hands.”

*22:26 The word used here means “complete” or “sound.”

†22:31 The word used here, often translated as “perfect,” is the same as in 18:25.

‡22:50 “Of who you are”: literally, “to your name”: the concept of name in Hebrew is far more than a simple designation; it refers to the character of the person.

§22:51 Or “You have given many victories to the king.”

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher