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2 Samuel 22
New King James Version

### Praise for God’s Deliverance(A)

22 Then David (B)spoke to the Lord the words of this song, on the day when the Lord had (C)delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. 2 And he (D)said:

(E)“The Lord is my rock and my (F)fortress and my deliverer;
3 The God of my strength, (G)in whom I will trust;
My (H)shield and the (I)horn[a] of my salvation,
My (J)stronghold and my (K)refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

5 “When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness [b]made me afraid.
6 The (L)sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.
7 In my distress (M)I called upon the Lord,
And cried out to my God;
He (N)heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.

8 “Then (O)the earth shook and trembled;
(P)The foundations of [c]heaven quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.
9 Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring (Q)fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.
10 He (R)bowed the heavens also, and came down
With (S)darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He [d]was seen (T)upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made (U)darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.

14 “The Lord (V)thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out (W)arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.
16 Then the channels of the sea (X)were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the (Y)rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

17 “He(Z) sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my (AA)support.
20 (AB)He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He (AC)delighted in me.

21 “The(AD) Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the (AE)cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.
22 For I have (AF)kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.
23 For all His (AG)judgments were before me;
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 I was also (AH)blameless before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 Therefore (AI)the Lord has [e]recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to [f]my cleanness in His eyes.

26 “With (AJ)the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;
27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And (AK)with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.
28 You will save the (AL)humble[g] people;
But Your eyes are on (AM)the haughty, that You may bring them down.

29 “For You are my (AN)lamp, O Lord;
The Lord shall enlighten my darkness.
30 For by You I can run against a troop;
By my God I can leap over a (AO)wall.
31 As for God, (AP)His way is perfect;
(AQ)The word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

32 “For (AR)who is God, except the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God?
33 [h]God is my (AS)strength and power,
And He (AT)makes [i]my way (AU)perfect.
34 He makes [j]my feet (AV)like the feet of deer,
And (AW)sets me on my high places.
35 He teaches my hands [k]to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.
37 You (AX)enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip.

38 “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.
39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen (AY)under my feet.
40 For You have (AZ)armed me with strength for the battle;
You have [l]subdued under me (BA)those who rose against me.
41 You have also [m]given me the (BB)necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was none to save;
Even (BC)to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 Then I beat them as fine (BD)as the dust of the earth;
I trod them (BE)like dirt in the streets,
And I [n]spread them out.

44 “You(BF) have also delivered me from the [o]strivings of my people;
You have kept me as the (BG)head of the nations.
(BH)A people I have not known shall serve me.
45 The foreigners submit to me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 The foreigners fade away,
And [p]come frightened (BI)from their hideouts.

47 “The Lord lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The (BJ)Rock of my salvation!
48 It is God who avenges me,
And (BK)subdues the peoples under me;
49 He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the (BL)violent man.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among (BM)the Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your (BN)name.

51 “He(BO) is the tower of salvation to His king,
And shows mercy to His (BP)anointed,
To David and (BQ)his descendants forevermore.”

#### Footnotes

1. 2 Samuel 22:3 Strength
2. 2 Samuel 22:5 Or overwhelmed
3. 2 Samuel 22:8 So with MT, LXX, Tg.; Syr., Vg. hills (cf. Ps. 18:7)
4. 2 Samuel 22:11 So with MT, LXX; many Heb. mss., Syr., Vg. flew (cf. Ps. 18:10); Tg. spoke with power
5. 2 Samuel 22:25 rewarded
6. 2 Samuel 22:25 LXX, Syr., Vg. the cleanness of my hands in His sight (cf. Ps. 18:24); Tg. my cleanness before His word
7. 2 Samuel 22:28 afflicted
8. 2 Samuel 22:33 DSS, LXX, Syr., Vg. It is God who arms me with strength (cf. Ps. 18:32); Tg. It is God who sustains me with strength
9. 2 Samuel 22:33 So with Qr., LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. (cf. Ps. 18:32); Kt. His
10. 2 Samuel 22:34 So with Qr., LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. (cf. Ps. 18:33); Kt. His
11. 2 Samuel 22:35 Lit. for the war
12. 2 Samuel 22:40 Lit. caused to bow down
13. 2 Samuel 22:41 given me victory over
14. 2 Samuel 22:43 scattered
15. 2 Samuel 22:44 contentions
16. 2 Samuel 22:46 So with LXX, Tg., Vg. (cf. Ps. 18:45); MT gird themselves

#### Cross references

1. 2 Samuel 22:1 : Ps. 18:1–50
2. 2 Samuel 22:1 : Ex. 15:1; Deut. 31:30; Judg. 5:1
3. 2 Samuel 22:1 : Ps. 18:title; 34:19
4. 2 Samuel 22:2 : Ps. 18
5. 2 Samuel 22:2 : Deut. 32:4; 1 Sam. 2:2
6. 2 Samuel 22:2 : Ps. 91:2
7. 2 Samuel 22:3 : Ps. 7:1; Heb. 2:13
8. 2 Samuel 22:3 : Gen. 15:1; Deut. 33:29; Ps. 84:11
9. 2 Samuel 22:3 : Luke 1:69
10. 2 Samuel 22:3 : Prov. 18:10
11. 2 Samuel 22:3 : Ps. 9:9; 46:1, 7, 11; Jer. 16:19
12. 2 Samuel 22:6 : Ps. 116:3
13. 2 Samuel 22:7 : Ps. 116:4; 120:1
14. 2 Samuel 22:7 : Ex. 3:7; Ps. 34:6, 15
15. 2 Samuel 22:8 : Judg. 5:4; Ps. 77:18; 97:4
16. 2 Samuel 22:8 : Job 26:11
17. 2 Samuel 22:9 : Deut. 32:22; Ps. 97:3, 4; Heb. 12:29
18. 2 Samuel 22:10 : Ex. 19:16–20; Is. 64:1
19. 2 Samuel 22:10 : Ex. 20:21
20. 2 Samuel 22:11 : Ps. 104:3
21. 2 Samuel 22:12 : Job 36:29; Ps. 97:2
22. 2 Samuel 22:14 : 1 Sam. 2:10; Job 37:2–5; Ps. 29:3
23. 2 Samuel 22:15 : Deut. 32:23; Josh. 10:10; 1 Sam. 7:10; Ps. 7:13
24. 2 Samuel 22:16 : Nah. 1:4
25. 2 Samuel 22:16 : Ex. 15:8
26. 2 Samuel 22:17 : Ps. 144:7; Is. 43:2
27. 2 Samuel 22:19 : Is. 10:20
28. 2 Samuel 22:20 : Ps. 31:8; 118:5
29. 2 Samuel 22:20 : 2 Sam. 15:26
30. 2 Samuel 22:21 : 1 Sam. 26:23; [Ps. 7:8]
31. 2 Samuel 22:21 : [Job 17:9]; Ps. 24:4
32. 2 Samuel 22:22 : Gen. 18:19; 2 Chr. 34:33; Ps. 119:3
33. 2 Samuel 22:23 : [Deut. 6:6–9; 7:12]; Ps. 119:30, 102
34. 2 Samuel 22:24 : Gen. 6:9; 7:1; Job 1:1; [Eph. 1:4; Col. 1:21, 22]
35. 2 Samuel 22:25 : 2 Sam. 22:21
36. 2 Samuel 22:26 : [Matt. 5:7]
37. 2 Samuel 22:27 : [Lev. 26:23, 24; Rom. 1:28]
38. 2 Samuel 22:28 : Ps. 72:12
39. 2 Samuel 22:28 : Job 40:11
40. 2 Samuel 22:29 : Ps. 119:105; 132:17
41. 2 Samuel 22:30 : 2 Sam. 5:6–8
42. 2 Samuel 22:31 : [Deut. 32:4]; Dan. 4:37; [Matt. 5:48]
43. 2 Samuel 22:31 : Ps. 12:6; [Prov. 30:5]
44. 2 Samuel 22:32 : Is. 45:5, 6
45. 2 Samuel 22:33 : Ps. 27:1
46. 2 Samuel 22:33 : [Heb. 13:21]
47. 2 Samuel 22:33 : Ps. 101:2, 6
48. 2 Samuel 22:34 : 2 Sam. 2:18; Hab. 3:19
49. 2 Samuel 22:34 : Is. 33:16
50. 2 Samuel 22:37 : 2 Sam. 22:20; Prov. 4:12
51. 2 Samuel 22:39 : Mal. 4:3
52. 2 Samuel 22:40 : [Ps. 18:32]
53. 2 Samuel 22:40 : [Ps. 44:5]
54. 2 Samuel 22:41 : Gen. 49:8; Josh. 10:24
55. 2 Samuel 22:42 : 1 Sam. 28:6; Prov. 1:28; Is. 1:15
56. 2 Samuel 22:43 : 2 Kin. 13:7; Ps. 18:42
57. 2 Samuel 22:43 : Is. 10:6
58. 2 Samuel 22:44 : 2 Sam. 3:1
59. 2 Samuel 22:44 : Deut. 28:13
60. 2 Samuel 22:44 : [Is. 55:5]
61. 2 Samuel 22:46 : 1 Sam. 14:11; [Mic. 7:17]
62. 2 Samuel 22:47 : [2 Sam. 22:3]; Ps. 89:26
63. 2 Samuel 22:48 : 1 Sam. 24:12; Ps. 144:2
64. 2 Samuel 22:49 : Ps. 140:1, 4, 11
65. 2 Samuel 22:50 : 2 Sam. 8:1–14
66. 2 Samuel 22:50 : Ps. 57:7; Rom. 15:9
67. 2 Samuel 22:51 : Ps. 144:10
68. 2 Samuel 22:51 : Ps. 89:20
69. 2 Samuel 22:51 : 2 Sam. 7:12–16; Ps. 89:29

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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