God the Sovereign Savior
(2 Sam. 22:1–51)
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord, who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. And he said:
1I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
2The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my 18:2 Lit. rockstrength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the 18:2 Strengthhorn of my salvation, my stronghold.
So shall I be saved from my enemies.
4The pangs of death surrounded me,
And the floods of 18:4 Lit. Belialungodliness made me afraid.
5The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
6In my distress I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.
7Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of the hills also quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
8Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
9He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.
10And He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
He flew upon the wings of the wind.
11He made darkness His secret place;
His canopy around Him was dark waters
And thick clouds of the skies.
12From the brightness before Him,
His thick clouds passed with hailstones and coals of fire.
13The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice,
18:13 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; a few Heb. mss., LXX omit Hailstones and coals of fireHailstones and coals of fire.
14He sent out His arrows and scattered 18:14 Lit. themthe foe,
Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.
15Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered
At Your rebuke, O Lord,
At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
16He sent from above, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
17He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me,
For they were too strong for me.
18They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.
19He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.
20The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.
21For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
22For all His judgments were before me,
And I did not put away His statutes from me.
23I was also blameless 18:23 withbefore Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
24Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.
25With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
26With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
27For You will save the humble people,
But will bring down haughty looks.
28For You will light my lamp;
The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.
29For by You I can 18:29 Or run throughrun against a troop,
By my God I can leap over a wall.
The word of the Lord is 18:30 Lit. refinedproven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.
And who is a rock, except our God?
32It is God who arms me with strength,
And makes my way perfect.
33He makes my feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.
34He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
35You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your right hand has held me up,
Your gentleness has made me great.
36You enlarged my path under me,
So my feet did not slip.
37I have pursued my enemies and overtaken them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
38I have wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.
39For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have 18:39 Lit. caused to bowsubdued under me those who rose up against me.
40You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
41They cried out, but there was none to save;
Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
42Then I beat them as fine as the dust before the wind;
I cast them out like dirt in the streets.
43You have delivered me from the strivings of the people;
You have made me the head of the 18:43 Gentilesnations;
A people I have not known shall serve me.
44As soon as they hear of me they obey me;
The foreigners 18:44 feign submissionsubmit to me.
45The foreigners fade away,
And come frightened from their hideouts.
46The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let the God of my salvation be exalted.
47It is God who avenges me,
And subdues the peoples under me;
48He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the violent man.
And sing praises to Your name.
50Great deliverance He gives to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
To David and his 18:50 Lit. seeddescendants forevermore.
New King James Version®, Copyright© 1982, Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
