2 Samuel 22

Listen to 2 Samuel 22

David's Song of Deliverance

1 And David spoke 1to the LORD the words of this song on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
2 2He said, 3"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
3 4my[a] God, my rock, 5in whom I take refuge, 6my shield, and 7the horn of my salvation, 8my stronghold and 9my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence.
4 I call upon the LORD, who is 10worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.
5 11"For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;[b]
6 12the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
7 13"In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry 14came to his ears.
8 "Then 15the earth reeled and rocked; 16the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils,[c] and devouring fire from his mouth; 17glowing coals flamed forth from him.
10 18He bowed the heavens and 19came down; 20thick darkness was under his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew; he was seen on 21the wings of the wind.
12 He made 22darkness around him 23his canopy, thick clouds, a gathering of water.
13 Out of the brightness before him 24coals of fire flamed forth.
14 25The LORD thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered his voice.
15 And he sent out 26arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the LORD, at the 27blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 28"He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.
20 29He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because 30he delighted in me.
21 "The LORD 31dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the 32cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
22 33For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 34For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside.
24 I was 35blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.
25 36And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 37"With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the 38blameless man you show yourself blameless;
27 with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.
28 39You save a humble people, 40but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
29 41For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.
30 For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God--42his way is perfect; the 43word of the LORD proves true; he is 44a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
32 "For who is God, but the LORD? 45And who is a rock, except our God?
33 This God is my 46strong refuge and has made my[d] way blameless.[e]
34 47He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure 48on the heights.
35 49He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great.
37 50You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet[f] did not slip;
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell 51under my feet.
40 For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made 52those who rise against me sink under me.
41 You 53made my enemies turn their backs to me,[g] those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
42 They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but 54he did not answer them.
43 I beat them fine 55as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down 56like the mire of the streets.
44 "You delivered me from strife with my people;[h] you kept me as the head of 57the nations; 58people whom I had not known served me.
45 Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.
46 Foreigners lost heart and came trembling[i]59out of their fortresses.
47 "The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be 60my God, 61the rock of my salvation,
48 the God who gave me vengeance and 62brought down peoples under me,
49 who brought me out from my enemies; you exalted me above 63those who rose against me; you delivered me from 64men of violence.
50 65"For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.
51 66Great salvation he brings[j] to his king, and shows steadfast love to 67his anointed, to David and his offspring 68forever."

Images for 2 Samuel 22

Cross References 68

  • 1. [Exodus 15:1; Judges 5:1; 1 Chronicles 16:7]
  • 2. For ver. 1-51, see Psalms 18:2-50
  • 3. Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalms 31:3; Psalms 71:3; Psalms 91:2; Psalms 144:2
  • 4. ver. 32, 47
  • 5. [Hebrews 2:13]
  • 6. ver. 31; Genesis 15:1
  • 7. Luke 1:69
  • 8. Psalms 9:9; Psalms 59:9, 16, 17; Psalms 62:2, 6; [Proverbs 18:10]
  • 9. Psalms 14:6; Psalms 46:7, 11; Psalms 71:7; Jeremiah 16:19
  • 10. 1 Chronicles 16:25; Psalms 48:1; Psalms 96:4
  • 11. [Psalms 42:7; Psalms 93:4; Jonah 2:3]
  • 12. Psalms 116:3
  • 13. Psalms 116:4; Psalms 120:1; Jonah 2:2
  • 14. Psalms 18:6
  • 15. Judges 5:4; Psalms 77:18; Psalms 97:4
  • 16. [Job 26:11]
  • 17. ver. 13
  • 18. Psalms 144:5
  • 19. Isaiah 64:1
  • 20. [Exodus 20:21; 1 Kings 8:12; Psalms 97:2]
  • 21. Psalms 104:3
  • 22. [See ver. 10 above]
  • 23. Job 36:29
  • 24. ver. 9
  • 25. Job 37:4; Psalms 29:3
  • 26. Deuteronomy 32:23; Psalms 7:13; Psalms 77:17; Psalms 144:6; Habakkuk 3:11
  • 27. Exodus 15:8
  • 28. Psalms 144:7
  • 29. Psalms 31:8; Psalms 118:5
  • 30. See 2 Samuel 15:26
  • 31. 1 Samuel 26:23; 1 Kings 8:32; Psalms 7:8
  • 32. [Psalms 24:4]
  • 33. Genesis 18:19; Proverbs 8:32
  • 34. Psalms 119:30, 102
  • 35. [Genesis 6:9; Genesis 17:1; Job 1:1]
  • 36. [See ver. 21 above]
  • 37. [Matthew 5:7]
  • 38. [See ver. 24 above]
  • 39. [Psalms 72:12, 13]
  • 40. [Isa. 2:11, 12, 17; Luke 1:51]
  • 41. Job 29:3; Psalms 27:1; [2 Samuel 21:17]
  • 42. Deuteronomy 32:4; Matthew 5:48
  • 43. Proverbs 30:5
  • 44. ver. 3; Psalms 5:12; Psalms 33:20; Psalms 59:11; Psalms 84:9
  • 45. See ver. 2
  • 46. ver. 2; Psalms 28:8; Psalms 31:3, 4
  • 47. See 2 Samuel 2:18
  • 48. Deuteronomy 32:13; Deuteronomy 33:29; Isaiah 58:14
  • 49. Psalms 144:1
  • 50. Proverbs 4:12
  • 51. [Malachi 4:3]
  • 52. Psalms 44:5; Psalms 59:1
  • 53. Exodus 23:27
  • 54. 1 Samuel 28:6; Proverbs 1:28; [Isaiah 1:15; Micah 3:4]
  • 55. 2 Kings 13:7
  • 56. Isaiah 10:6; Micah 7:10; Zechariah 10:5
  • 57. See 2 Samuel 8:1-14
  • 58. Isaiah 55:5
  • 59. Micah 7:17
  • 60. ver. 3, 32
  • 61. Deuteronomy 32:15; Psalms 89:26; Psalms 95:1
  • 62. Psalms 144:2
  • 63. [See ver. 40 above]
  • 64. Psalms 140:1
  • 65. Cited Romans 15:9
  • 66. [Psalms 144:10]
  • 67. [1 Samuel 16:12, 13; Psalms 89:20]
  • 68. 2 Samuel 7:12, 13; Psalms 89:29

Footnotes 10

  • [a]. Septuagint (compare Psalm 18:2); Hebrew lacks my
  • [b]. Or terrified me
  • [c]. Or in his wrath
  • [d]. Or his; also verse 34
  • [e]. Compare Psalm 18:32; Hebrew he has blamelessly set my way free, or he has made my way spring up blamelessly
  • [f]. Hebrew ankles
  • [g]. Or You gave me my enemies' necks
  • [h]. Septuagint with the peoples
  • [i]. Compare Psalm 18:45; Hebrew equipped themselves
  • [j]. Or He is a tower of salvation

2 Samuel 22 Commentaries

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.