The Book of Psalms

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 18 -

The Lord is my rock

(2 Samuel 22:1-51)

I love You, O LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.

The cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From His temple He heard my voice, and my cry for His help reached His ears.

Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.

Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.

He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.

He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.

From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced— hailstones and coals of fire.(a)

The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded— hailstones and coals of fire.(b)

He shot His arrows and scattered the foes; He hurled lightning and routed them.

The channels of the sea appeared, and the foundations of the world were exposed, at Your rebuke, O LORD, at the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.

He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.

He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from foes too mighty for me.

They confronted me in my day of calamity, but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out into the open; He rescued me because He delighted in me.

The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.

For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.

For all His ordinances are before me; I have not disregarded His statutes.

And I have been blameless before Him and kept myself from iniquity.

So the LORD has repaid me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.

To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;

to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.

For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.

For You, O LORD, light my lamp; my God lights up my darkness.

For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.

He makes my feet like those of a deer and stations me upon the heights.

He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

You have given me Your shield of salvation; Your right hand upholds me, and Your gentleness exalts me.(c)

You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way.

I pursued my enemies and overtook them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.

I crushed them so they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet.

You have armed me with strength for battle; You have subdued my foes beneath me.

You have made my enemies retreat before me; I put an end to those who hated me.

They cried for help, but there was no one to save them— to the LORD, but He did not answer.

I ground them as dust in the face of the wind; I trampled them

(d)

like mud in the streets.

You have delivered me from the strife of the people; You have made me the head of nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.

When they hear me, they obey me; foreigners cower before me.

Foreigners lose heart and come trembling from their strongholds.

The LORD lives, and blessed be my Rock! And may the God of my salvation be exalted—

the God who avenges me and subdues nations beneath me,

who delivers me from my enemies. You exalt me above my foes; You rescue me from violent men.

Therefore I will praise You, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to Your name.(e)

Great salvation He brings to His king. He shows loving devotion to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.

Footnotes

(a)18:12 Or bolts of lightning; also in verse 13

(b)18:13 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts and LXX do not include—hailstones and coals of fire; see 2 Samuel 22:14.

(d)18:42 Some Hebrew manuscripts, LXX, and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 22:43); MT I poured them out

(e)18:49 Cited in Romans 15:9

The Lord is my rock

(2 Samuel 22:1-51)

I love you, LORD, my strength.

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

I call on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; and I am saved from my enemies.

The cords of death surrounded me. The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

The cords of Sheol(a) were around me. The snares of death came on me.

In my distress I called on the LORD, and cried to my God. He heard my voice out of his temple. My cry before him came into his ears.

Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.

Smoke went out of his nostrils. Consuming fire came out of his mouth. Coals were kindled by it.

He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.

He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.

He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him, darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed, hailstones and coals of fire.

The LORD also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.

He sent out his arrows, and scattered them. He routed them with great lightning bolts.

Then the channels of waters appeared. The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, LORD, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

He sent from on high. He took me. He drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

They came on me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support.

He brought me out also into a large place. He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me.

For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

For all his ordinances were before me. I didn’t put away his statutes from me.

I was also blameless with him. I kept myself from my iniquity.

Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.

With the pure, you will show yourself pure. With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

For you will save the afflicted people, but the arrogant eyes you will bring down.

For you will light my lamp, LORD. My God will light up my darkness.

For by you, I advance through a troop. By my God, I leap over a wall.

As for God, his way is perfect. The LORD’s word is tried. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

For who is God, except the LORD? Who is a rock, besides our God,

the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?

He makes my feet like deer’s feet, and sets me on my high places.

He teaches my hands to war, so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.

You have also given me the shield of your salvation. Your right hand sustains me. Your gentleness has made me great.

You have enlarged my steps under me, My feet have not slipped.

I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them. I won’t turn away until they are consumed.

I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise. They shall fall under my feet.

For you have armed me with strength to the battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, that I might cut off those who hate me.

They cried, but there was no one to save; even to the LORD, but he didn’t answer them.

Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind. I cast them out as the mire of the streets.

You have delivered me from the strivings of the people. You have made me the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me. The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.

The foreigners shall fade away, and shall come trembling out of their strongholds.

The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock. Exalted be the God of my salvation,

even the God who executes vengeance for me, and subdues peoples under me.

He rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me. You deliver me from the violent man.

Therefore I will give thanks to you, LORD, among the nations, and will sing praises to your name.

He gives great deliverance to his king, and shows loving kindness to his anointed, to David and to his offspring,(b) forever more.

Footnotes

(a)18:5 Sheol is the place of the dead.

(b)18:50 or, seed