Chapter 22

¹David spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul: ²and he said,

Yahweh is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;

³God, my rock, in him will I take refuge;

My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge;

My savior, you save me from violence.

⁴I will call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised:

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

⁵For the waves of death compassed me;

The floods of ungodliness made me afraid:

⁶The cords of Sheol were round about me;

The snares of death came on me.

⁷In my distress I called on Yahweh;

Yes, I called to my God:

He heard my voice out of his temple,

My cry came into his ears.

⁸Then the earth shook and trembled,

The foundations of heaven quaked

Were shaken, because he was angry.

⁹There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,

Fire out of his mouth devoured:

Coals were kindled by it.

¹⁰He bowed the heavens also, and came down;

Thick darkness was under his feet.

¹¹He rode on a cherub, and did fly;

Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.

¹²He made darkness pavilions round about him,

Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

¹³At the brightness before him

Coals of fire were kindled.

¹⁴Yahweh thundered from heaven,

The Most High uttered his voice.

¹⁵He sent out arrows, and scattered them;

Lightning, and confused them.

¹⁶Then the channels of the sea appeared,

The foundations of the world were laid bare,

By the rebuke of Yahweh,

At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷He sent from on high, he took me;

He drew me out of many waters;

¹⁸He delivered me from my strong enemy,

From those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁹They came on me in the day of my calamity;

But Yahweh was my stay.

²⁰He brought me forth also into a large place;

He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²¹Yahweh rewarded me according to my righteousness;

According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

²²For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

²³For all his ordinances were before me;

As for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

²⁴I was also perfect toward him;

I kept myself from my iniquity.

²⁵Therefore has Yahweh recompensed me according to my righteousness,

According to my cleanness in his eyesight.

²⁶With the merciful you will show yourself merciful;

With the perfect man you will show yourself perfect;

²⁷With the pure you will show yourself pure;

With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

²⁸The afflicted people you will save;

But your eyes are on the haughty, that you may bring them down.

²⁹For you are my lamp, Yahweh;

Yahweh will lighten my darkness.

³⁰For by you I run on a troop;

By my God do I leap over a wall.

³¹As for God, his way is perfect:

The word of Yahweh is tried;

He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

³²For who is God, save Yahweh?

Who is a rock, save our God?

³³God is my strong fortress;

He guides the perfect in his way.

³⁴He makes his feet like hinds’ feet,

Sets me on my high places.

³⁵He teaches my hands to war,

So that my arms do bend a bow of brass.

³⁶You have also given me the shield of your salvation;

Your gentleness has made me great.

³⁷You have enlarged my steps under me;

My feet have not slipped.

³⁸I have pursued my enemies, and destroyed them;

Neither did I turn again until they were consumed.

³⁹I have consumed them, and struck them through, so that they can’t arise:

Yes, they are fallen under my feet.

⁴⁰For you have girded me with strength to the battle;

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

⁴¹You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,

That I might cut off those who hate me.

⁴²They looked, but there was none to save;

Even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.

⁴³Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,

I did crush them as the mire of the streets, and did spread them abroad.

⁴⁴You also have delivered me from the strivings of my people;

You have kept me to be the head of the nations:

A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

⁴⁵The foreigners shall submit themselves to me:

As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.

⁴⁶The foreigners shall fade away,

Shall come trembling out of their close places.

⁴⁷Yahweh lives; Blessed be my rock;

Exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,

⁴⁸Even the God who executes vengeance for me,

Who brings down peoples under me,

⁴⁹Who brings me forth from my enemies:

Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me;

You deliver me from the violent man.

⁵⁰Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,

Will sing praises to your name.

⁵¹Great deliverance gives he to his king,

Shows loving kindness to his anointed,

To David and to his seed, forevermore.