2 Samuel 22

David sings to praise God

1 David wrote this song when the Lord saved him from the power of his enemies when Saul was king.

2 This is what he sang:

‘The Lord keeps me safe.

He is my great rock and my strong place.

3 My God is my high rock.

I run to him to hide and be safe.

He keeps me safe like a soldier's shield.

He is the strong place where I can hide safely.

God, you have saved me from men who want to attack me.

4 I praise the Lord because he deserves it!

When I called to him for help,

he saved me from my enemies.

5 Death was near enough to catch me!

Danger was like a river that wanted to drown me.

6 Death was tying me up with ropes,

to pull me into the deep hole of the grave.

7 In my trouble I prayed to the Lord.

I called to my God to help me.

He heard my voice from his home in heaven.

My prayer reached his ears.

8 Then the earth moved and it shook.

Even the sky shook,

because God was angry.

9 He breathed out smoke from his nose.

Fire and hot coals came out from his mouth,

to destroy his enemies.

10 God caused the sky to bend as he came down.

Dark clouds were under his feet.

11 He sat on a cherub and he flew.

He flew like the wind.

12 God put darkness all round him.

He hid himself under dark clouds that held rain.

13 Bright light went in front of him.

There was lightning like hot coals!

14 The Lord sent thunder from the sky.

People everywhere heard the voice of the Most High God.

15 The Lord shot arrows of lightning.

He caused his enemies to run away.

16 When the Lord shouted against his enemies,

even the bottom of the deep sea appeared.

People could see the deepest places of the earth,

when he breathed out in anger.

17 The Lord reached down to me from above.

He took hold of me and he pulled me up out of the deep water.

18 Yes, he saved me from my powerful enemies.

The people who hated me were too strong for me,

but the Lord saved me from their power.

19 They attacked me when I was in trouble,

but the Lord helped me.

20 He led me out to an open place where I would be safe.

He saved me because I made him happy.

21 The Lord was kind to me

because I do things that please him.

He blesses me

because I am not guilty of bad things.

22 I have obeyed the Lord's commands.

I have not turned against my God.

23 I understand all his rules,

and I do not refuse to obey them.

24 He knows that I have done nothing that is wrong.

I kept away from any sin.

25 The Lord was kind to me,

because I did good things.

He sees that I am not guilty.

26 Lord, if people are faithful to you,

then you are faithful to them.

If people do nothing that is bad,

they can trust you to do nothing bad to them.

27 If people keep themselves pure,

they can trust you to do only good things.

But if people are wicked,

you turn against them.

28 You save people who are humble.

But if people are proud, you cause them to fall.

29 Lord, you make my lamp burn brightly.

You are my light in the dark.

30 You make me strong,

so that I can chase a whole army!

With the help of my God,

I can climb over any high wall.

31 God's way is perfect.

The Lord's promises are always true.

He keeps safe everyone who goes to him for help,

like a shield that keeps a soldier safe.

32 We know that the Lord is God,

and no one else.

Only our God can keep us safe,

like a strong rock!

33 It is God who makes me strong.

He shows me the safe way through my life.

34 He makes my feet stand strongly on the ground.

Like a deer,

I can stand on high hills and not fall.

35 He teaches me how to fight in war.

He makes my arms strong

to shoot arrows from a metal bow.

36 You keep me safe in the battle,

like a shield.

Your kind help has made me great.

37 You have helped me to move safely,

so that my feet do not slip.

38 I ran after my enemies and I destroyed them.

I did not turn back until I had killed them.

39 I destroyed them completely.

I knocked them down to the ground.

They could not get up again.

They fell under my feet.

40 You have made me strong to fight battles

so that I win against my enemies.

41 You caused my enemies to turn their backs,

and they ran away from me.

I destroyed those who hate me.

42 They called out for help,

but nobody was there to save them.

They called to the Lord,

but he did not answer them.

43 I beat them until they became like dust.

I walked over them,

like dirt that lies on the streets.

44 You have saved me when my people were attacking me.

You have made me a ruler of other nations.

People that I did not know before

now serve me as their ruler.

45 Foreign people cannot stand against me,

because they are afraid.

When they hear about me,

they choose to obey me.

46 They are not brave enough to fight me.

They shake with fear

as they leave their strong cities.

47 The Lord is alive! He is my strong Rock!

Everyone should praise him!

He rules as king!

He is the strong God who saves me.

48 He is the true God who punishes my enemies.

He makes the nations obey me.

49 He is the one who saves me from my enemies.

Yes, God, you give me power

to win against those who attack me.

You keep me safe from angry and cruel men.

50 Lord, I will thank you,

so that all the nations know about you.

I will sing to praise your name.

51 Yes, the Lord gives power to me, David, his king.

He gives me great strength to win against my enemies.

I am the special king that he has chosen.

He will continue to be kind to me

and to my descendants for ever.’