2 Samuel 22
DAVID’S SONG OF THANKSGIVING
David spoke the words of this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from the grasp of all his enemies and from the grasp of Saul.
2 He said:
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,
3 my God, my rock where I seek refuge.
My shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge,
and my Savior, you save me from violence.
4 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I was saved from my enemies.
5 For the waves of death engulfed me;
the torrents of destruction terrified me.
6 The ropes of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 I called to the Lord in my distress;
I called to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry for help reached his ears.
8 Then the earth shook and quaked;
the foundations of the heavens trembled;
they shook because he burned with anger.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils,
and consuming fire came from his mouth;
coals were set ablaze by it.
10 He bent the heavens and came down,
total darkness beneath his feet.
11 He rode on a cherub and flew,
soaring on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness a canopy around him,
a gathering of water and thick clouds.
13 From the radiance of his presence,
blazing coals were ignited.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High made his voice heard.
15 He shot arrows and scattered them;
he hurled lightning bolts and routed them.
16 The depths of the sea became visible,
the foundations of the world were exposed
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
17 He reached down from on high
and took hold of me;
he pulled me out of deep water.
18 He rescued me from my powerful enemy
and 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 support.
20 He brought me out to a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
21 The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness;
he repaid me
according to the cleanness of my hands.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not turned from my God to wickedness.
23 Indeed, I let all his ordinances guide me
and have not disregarded his statutes.
24 I was blameless before him
and kept myself from my iniquity.
25 So the Lord repaid me
according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
26 With the faithful
you prove yourself faithful,
with the blameless
you prove yourself blameless,
27 with the pure
you prove yourself pure,
but with the crooked
you prove yourself shrewd.
28 You rescue an oppressed people,
but your eyes are set against the proud —
you humble them.
29 Lord, you are my lamp;
the Lord illuminates my darkness.
30 With you I can attack a barricade, 22:30 Or ‘a ridge’, or ‘raiders’
and with my God I can leap over a wall.
31 God — his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord is pure.
He is a shield to all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is a rock? Only our God.
33 God is my strong refuge;
he makes my way perfect.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer
and sets me securely on the heights.
35 He trains my hands for war;
my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation;
your help exalts me.
37 You make a spacious place beneath me for my steps,
and my ankles do not give way.
38 I pursue my enemies and destroy them;
I do not turn back until they are wiped out.
39 I wipe them out and crush them,
and they do not rise;
they fall beneath my feet.
40 You have clothed me with strength for battle;
you subdue my adversaries beneath me.
41 You have made my enemies retreat before me;
I annihilate those who hate me.
42 They look, but there is no one to save them —
they look to the Lord, but he does not answer them.
43 I pulverize them like dust of the earth;
I crush them and trample them like mud in the streets.
44 You have freed me from the feuds among my people;
you have preserved me as head of nations;
a people I had not known serve me.
45 Foreigners submit to me cringing;
as soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart
and come trembling from their fortifications.
47 The Lord lives — blessed be my rock!
God, the rock of my salvation, is exalted.
48 God — he grants me vengeance
and casts down peoples under me.
49 He frees me from my enemies.
You exalt me above my adversaries;
you rescue me from violent men.
50 Therefore I will give thanks to you among the nations, Lord;
I will sing praises about your name.
51 He is a tower of salvation for his king;
he shows loyalty to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.
2 Samuel 23
DAVID’S LAST WORDS
These are the last words of David:
The declaration of David son of Jesse,
the declaration of the man raised on high,
the one anointed by the God of Jacob.
This is the most delightful of Israel’s songs.
2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me,
his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke;
the Rock of Israel said to me,
“The one who rules the people with justice,
who rules in the fear of God,
4 is like the morning light when the sun rises
on a cloudless morning,
the glisten of rain on sprouting grass.”
5 Is it not true my house is with God?
For he has established a permanent covenant with me,
ordered and secured in every detail.
Will he not bring about
my whole salvation and my every desire?
6 But all the wicked are like thorns raked aside;
they can never be picked up by hand.
7 The man who touches them
must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear.
They will be completely burned up on the spot.
EXPLOITS OF DAVID’S WARRIORS
8 These are the names of David’s warriors:
Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the officers. He wielded his spear against eight hundred men that he killed at one time.
9 After him, Eleazar son of Dodo son of an Ahohite was among the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines. The men of Israel retreated in the place they had gathered for battle, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and attacked the Philistines until his hand was tired and stuck to his sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. Then the troops came back to him, but only to plunder the dead.
11 After him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had assembled in formation where there was a field full of lentils. The troops fled from the Philistines, 12 but Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field, defended it, and struck down the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Three of the thirty leading warriors went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was camping in Rephaim Valley. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 15 David was extremely thirsty and said, “If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem! ” 16 So three of the warriors broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord. 17 David said, “Lord, I would never do such a thing! Is this not the blood of men who risked their lives? ” So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.
18 Abishai, Joab’s brother and son of Zeruiah, was leader of the Three. He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three. 19 Was he not more honored than the Three? He became their commander even though he did not become one of the Three.
20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the son of a brave man from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons of Ariel of Moab, and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 He also killed an Egyptian, an impressive man. Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went down to him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and then killed him with his own spear. 22 These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors. 23 He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
24 Among the Thirty were
Joab’s brother Asahel,
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite,
Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez the Paltite,
Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27 Abiezer the Anathothite,
Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite,
Maharai the Netophathite,
29 Heleb son of Baanah the Netophathite,
Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,
Hiddai from the wadis of Gaash,
31 Abi-albon the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
the sons of Jashen,
Jonathan son of 33 Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai son of the Maacathite,
Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
35 Hezro the Carmelite,
Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,
Bani the Gadite,
37 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer for Joab son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite,
Gareb the Ithrite,
39 and Uriah the Hethite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
Psalm 57
PRAISE FOR GOD’S PROTECTION
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. When he fled before Saul into the cave.
Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me,
for I take refuge in you.
I will seek refuge in the shadow of your wings
until danger passes.
2 I call to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He reaches down from heaven and saves me,
challenging the one who tramples me. Selah
God sends his faithful love and truth.
4 I am surrounded by lions;
I lie down among devouring lions —
people whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 God, be exalted above the heavens;
let your glory be over the whole earth.
6 They prepared a net for my steps;
I was despondent.
They dug a pit ahead of me,
but they fell into it! Selah
7 My heart is confident, God, my heart is confident.
I will sing; I will sing praises.
8 Wake up, my soul!
Wake up, harp and lyre!
I will wake up the dawn.
9 I will praise you, Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your faithful love is as high as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches the clouds.
11 God, be exalted above the heavens;
let your glory be over the whole earth.
— 2 Samuel 22-23; Psalm 57 (CSB)