2 Samuel 22 :: New King James Version (NKJV)

Praise for God’s Deliverance

David’s Song of Deliverance

(Ps. 18:1–50 )

2Sa 22:1Then David spoke to the LORD the words of this song, on the day when the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.

2Sa 22:2

2Sa 22:2And he said:[fn]

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

2Sa 22:3

2Sa 22:3The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.

2Sa 22:4

2Sa 22:4I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

2Sa 22:5

2Sa 22:5“When the waves of death surrounded me,
The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

2Sa 22:6

2Sa 22:6The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;
The snares of death confronted me.

2Sa 22:7

2Sa 22:7In my distress I called upon the LORD,
And cried out to my God;
He heard my voice from His temple,
And my cry entered His ears.

2Sa 22:8

2Sa 22:8“Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations of heaven[fn] quaked and were shaken,
Because He was angry.

2Sa 22:9

2Sa 22:9Smoke went up from His nostrils,
And devouring fire from His mouth;
Coals were kindled by it.

2Sa 22:10

2Sa 22:10He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With darkness under His feet.

2Sa 22:11

2Sa 22:11He rode upon a cherub, and flew;
And He was seen[fn] upon the wings of the wind.

2Sa 22:12

2Sa 22:12He made darkness canopies around Him,
Dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

2Sa 22:13

2Sa 22:13From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.

2Sa 22:14

2Sa 22:14“The LORD thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.

2Sa 22:15

2Sa 22:15He sent out arrows and scattered them;
Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.

2Sa 22:16

2Sa 22:16Then the channels of the sea were seen,
The foundations of the world were uncovered,
At the rebuke of the LORD,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.

2Sa 22:17

2Sa 22:17“He sent from above, He took me,
He drew me out of many waters.

2Sa 22:18

2Sa 22:18He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me;
For they were too strong for me.

2Sa 22:19

2Sa 22:19They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the LORD was my support.

2Sa 22:20

2Sa 22:20He also brought me out into a broad place;
He delivered me because He delighted in me.

2Sa 22:21

2Sa 22:21“The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands
He has recompensed me.

2Sa 22:22

2Sa 22:22For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
And have not wickedly departed from my God.

2Sa 22:23

2Sa 22:23For all His judgments were before me;
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

2Sa 22:24

2Sa 22:24I was also blameless before Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.

2Sa 22:25

2Sa 22:25Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness in His eyes.[fn]

2Sa 22:26

2Sa 22:26“With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful;
With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless;

2Sa 22:27

2Sa 22:27With the pure You will show Yourself pure;
And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

2Sa 22:28

2Sa 22:28You will save the humble people;
But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down.

2Sa 22:29

2Sa 22:29“For You are my lamp, O LORD;
The LORD shall enlighten my darkness.

2Sa 22:30

2Sa 22:30For by You I can run against a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.

2Sa 22:31

2Sa 22:31As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

2Sa 22:32

2Sa 22:32“For who is God, except the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?

2Sa 22:33

2Sa 22:33God is my strength and power,[fn]
And He makes my[fn] way perfect.

2Sa 22:34

2Sa 22:34He makes my[fn] feet like the feet of deer,
And sets me on my high places.

2Sa 22:35

2Sa 22:35He teaches my hands to make war,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

2Sa 22:36

2Sa 22:36“You have also given me the shield of Your salvation;
Your gentleness has made me great.

2Sa 22:37

2Sa 22:37You enlarged my path under me;
So my feet did not slip.

2Sa 22:38

2Sa 22:38“I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them;
Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed.

2Sa 22:39

2Sa 22:39And I have destroyed them and wounded them,
So that they could not rise;
They have fallen under my feet.

2Sa 22:40

2Sa 22:40For You have armed me with strength for the battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose against me.

2Sa 22:41

2Sa 22:41You have also given me the necks of my enemies,
So that I destroyed those who hated me.

2Sa 22:42

2Sa 22:42They looked, but there was none to save;
Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

2Sa 22:43

2Sa 22:43Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;
I trod them like dirt in the streets,
And I spread them out.

2Sa 22:44

2Sa 22:44“You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people;
You have kept me as the head of the nations.
A people I have not known shall serve me.

2Sa 22:45

2Sa 22:45The foreigners submit to me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.

2Sa 22:46

2Sa 22:46The foreigners fade away,
And come frightened[fn] from their hideouts.

2Sa 22:47

2Sa 22:47“The LORD lives!
Blessed be my Rock!
Let God be exalted,
The Rock of my salvation!

2Sa 22:48

2Sa 22:48It is God who avenges me,
And subdues the peoples under me;

2Sa 22:49

2Sa 22:49He delivers me from my enemies.
You also lift me up above those who rise against me;
You have delivered me from the violent man.

2Sa 22:50

2Sa 22:50Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles,
And sing praises to Your name.

2Sa 22:51

2Sa 22:51“He is the tower of salvation to His king,
And shows mercy to His anointed,
To David and his descendants forevermore.”

See the NKJV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NKJV Footnotes

(22:2)

Compare Psalm 18

(22:8)

Following Masoretic Text, Septuagint, and Targum; Syriac and Vulgate read hills (compare Psalm 18:7).

(22:11)

Following Masoretic Text and Septuagint; many Hebrew manuscripts, Syriac, and Vulgate read He flew (compare Psalm 18:10); Targum reads He spoke with power.

(22:25)

Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read the cleanness of my hands in His sight (compare Psalm 18:24); Targum reads my cleanness before His word.

(22:33)

Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate read It is God who arms me with strength (compare Psalm 18:32); Targum reads It is God who sustains me with strength.

(22:33)

Following Qere, Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate (compare Psalm 18:32); Kethib reads His.

(22:34)

Following Qere, Septuagint, Syriac, Targum, and Vulgate (compare Psalm 18:33); Kethib reads His.

(22:46)

Following Septuagint, Targum, and Vulgate (compare Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text reads gird themselves.

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For more information on this translation, see the NKJV Preface.