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2 Samuel 22-23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
2 Samuel 22-23
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
David’s Song of Thanksgiving
22 David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.(A) 2 He said,
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,(B)
3 my God, my rock in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.(C)
4 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.(D)
5 For the waves of death encompassed me;
the torrents of perdition assailed me;(E)
6 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.(F)
7 In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I called.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry came to his ears.(G)
8 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations of the heavens trembled
and reeled because he was angry.(H)
9 Smoke went up from his nostrils
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.(I)
10 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.(J)
11 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he was seen upon the wings of the wind.(K)
12 He made darkness around him a canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.(L)
13 Out of the brightness before him
coals of fire flamed forth.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the Most High uttered his voice.(M)
15 He sent out arrows and scattered them,
lightning and routed them.
16 Then the channels of the sea were seen;
the foundations of the world were laid bare
at the rebuke of the Lord,
at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.(N)
17 He reached from on high; he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.(O)
18 He delivered me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
19 They came upon me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my stay.(P)
20 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me because he delighted in me.(Q)
21 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.(R)
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.(S)
23 For all his ordinances were before me,
and from his statutes I did not turn aside.(T)
24 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from guilt.(U)
25 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.(V)
26 With the loyal you show yourself loyal;
with the blameless[a] you show yourself blameless;(W)
27 with the pure you show yourself pure,
and with the crooked you show yourself shrewd.(X)
28 You deliver a humble people,
but your eyes are upon the haughty to bring them down.(Y)
29 Indeed, you are my lamp, O Lord;
the Lord lightens my darkness.(Z)
30 By you I can outrun a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 This God—his way is perfect;
the promise of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.(AA)
32 For who is God but the Lord?
And who is a rock except our God?(AB)
33 The God who has girded me with strength[b]
has opened wide my path.[c](AC)
34 He made my feet like the feet of deer
and set me secure on the heights.(AD)
35 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.(AE)
36 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your help[d] has made me great.
37 You have made me stride freely,
and my feet do not slip;(AF)
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them; I struck them down so that they did not rise;
they fell under my feet.(AG)
40 For you girded me with strength for the battle;
you made my assailants sink under me.(AH)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
those who hated me, and I destroyed them.(AI)
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them;
they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.(AJ)
43 I beat them fine like the dust of the earth;
I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.(AK)
44 You delivered me from strife with the peoples;[e]
you kept me as the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.(AL)
45 Foreigners came cringing to me;
as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.(AM)
46 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out[f] of their strongholds.(AN)
47 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,
and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,(AO)
48 the God who gave me vengeance
and brought down peoples under me,(AP)
49 who brought me out from my enemies;
you exalted me above my adversaries;
you delivered me from the violent.(AQ)
50 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations
and sing praises to your name.(AR)
51 He is a tower of salvation for his king
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.”(AS)
The Last Words of David
23 Now these are the last words of David:
The oracle of David, son of Jesse,
the oracle of the man whom God exalted,[g]
the anointed of the God of Jacob,
the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:(AT)
2 The spirit of the Lord speaks through me;
his word is upon my tongue.(AU)
3 The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
“One who rules over people justly,
ruling in the fear of God,(AV)
4 is like the light of morning,
like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,
gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.”(AW)
5 Is not my house like this with God?
For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
Will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?(AX)
6 But the godless[h] are all like thorns that are thrown away,
for they cannot be picked up with the hand;(AY)
7 to touch them one uses an iron bar
or the shaft of a spear.
And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.[i]
David’s Mighty Men
8 These are the names of the warriors whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the Three;[j] he wielded his spear[k] against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.
9 Next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. The Israelites withdrew,(AZ) 10 but he stood his ground. He struck down the Philistines until his arm grew weary, though his hand clung to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. Then the people came back to him—but only to strip the dead.(BA)
11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the army fled from the Philistines.(BB) 12 But he took his stand in the middle of the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines, and the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Toward the beginning of harvest three of the thirty chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.(BC) 14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.(BD) 15 David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, 17 for he said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.(BE)
18 Now Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty.[l] With his spear he fought against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the Three.(BF) 19 He was the most renowned of the Thirty[m] and became their commander, but he did not attain to the Three.
20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant warrior[n] from Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of Ariel[o] of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.(BG) 21 And he killed an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went against him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did and won a name beside the three warriors. 23 He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.(BH)
24 Among the Thirty were Asahel brother of Joab; Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem;(BI) 25 Shammah of Harod; Elika of Harod;(BJ) 26 Helez the Paltite; Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa; 27 Abiezer of Anathoth; Mebunnai the Hushathite; 28 Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai of Netophah; 29 Heleb son of Baanah of Netophah; Ittai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites; 30 Benaiah of Pirathon; Hiddai of the wadis of Gaash; 31 Abi-albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth of Bahurim;[p] 32 Eliahba of Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen: Jonathan 33 son of[q] Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite; 34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai of Maacah; Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite; 35 Hezro[r] of Carmel; Paarai the Arbite; 36 Igal son of Nathan of Zobah; Bani the Gadite; 37 Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah; 38 Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;(BK) 39 Uriah the Hittite—thirty-seven in all.(BL)
Footnotes
- 22.26 Heb mss Gk: MT blameless warrior
- 22.33 Q ms Gk Syr Vg: MT God is my strong refuge
- 22.33 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 22.36 Q ms: MT your answering
- 22.44 Heb mss Q ms Gk: MT my people
- 22.46 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 23.1 Q ms: MT who was raised on high
- 23.6 Heb worthless
- 23.7 Heb in sitting
- 23.8 Gk Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 23.8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
- 23.18 Heb mss Syr: MT Three
- 23.19 Heb ms Syr: Heb Was he the most renowned of the Three?
- 23.20 Another reading is the son of Ish-hai
- 23.20 Gk: Heb lacks sons of
- 23.31 Cn: Heb the Barhumite
- 23.33 Gk: Heb lacks son of
- 23.35 Another reading is Hezrai
2 Samuel 22-23
New International Version
2 Samuel 22-23
New International Version
David’s Song of Praise(A)
22 David sang(B) to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock,(C) my fortress(D) and my deliverer;(E)
3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,(F)
my shield[a](G) and the horn[b](H) of my salvation.
He is my stronghold,(I) my refuge and my savior—
from violent people you save me.
4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy(J) of praise,
and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves(K) of death swirled about me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave(L) coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress(M) I called(N) to the Lord;
I called out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came to his ears.
8 The earth(O) trembled and quaked,(P)
the foundations(Q) of the heavens[c] shook;
they trembled because he was angry.
9 Smoke rose from his nostrils;
consuming fire(R) came from his mouth,
burning coals(S) blazed out of it.
10 He parted the heavens and came down;
dark clouds(T) were under his feet.
11 He mounted the cherubim(U) and flew;
he soared[d] on the wings of the wind.(V)
12 He made darkness(W) his canopy around him—
the dark[e] rain clouds of the sky.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
bolts of lightning(X) blazed forth.
14 The Lord thundered(Y) from heaven;
the voice of the Most High resounded.
15 He shot his arrows(Z) and scattered the enemy,
with great bolts of lightning he routed them.
16 The valleys of the sea were exposed
and the foundations of the earth laid bare
at the rebuke(AA) of the Lord,
at the blast(AB) of breath from his nostrils.
17 “He reached down from on high(AC) and took hold of me;
he drew(AD) me out of deep waters.
18 He rescued(AE) me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the Lord was my support.(AF)
20 He brought me out into a spacious(AG) place;
he rescued(AH) me because he delighted(AI) in me.(AJ)
21 “The Lord has dealt with me according to my righteousness;(AK)
according to the cleanness(AL) of my hands(AM) he has rewarded me.
22 For I have kept(AN) the ways of the Lord;
I am not guilty of turning from my God.
23 All his laws are before me;(AO)
I have not turned(AP) away from his decrees.
24 I have been blameless(AQ) before him
and have kept myself from sin.
25 The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,(AR)
according to my cleanness[f] in his sight.
26 “To the faithful you show yourself faithful,
to the blameless you show yourself blameless,
27 to the pure(AS) you show yourself pure,
but to the devious you show yourself shrewd.(AT)
28 You save the humble,(AU)
but your eyes are on the haughty(AV) to bring them low.(AW)
29 You, Lord, are my lamp;(AX)
the Lord turns my darkness into light.
30 With your help I can advance against a troop[g];
with my God I can scale a wall.
31 “As for God, his way is perfect:(AY)
The Lord’s word is flawless;(AZ)
he shields(BA) all who take refuge in him.
32 For who is God besides the Lord?
And who is the Rock(BB) except our God?(BC)
33 It is God who arms me with strength[h]
and keeps my way secure.
34 He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;(BD)
he causes me to stand on the heights.(BE)
35 He trains my hands(BF) for battle;
my arms can bend a bow(BG) of bronze.
36 You make your saving help my shield;(BH)
your help has made[i] me great.
37 You provide a broad path(BI) for my feet,
so that my ankles do not give way.
38 “I pursued my enemies and crushed them;
I did not turn back till they were destroyed.
39 I crushed(BJ) them completely, and they could not rise;
they fell beneath my feet.
40 You armed me with strength for battle;
you humbled my adversaries before me.(BK)
41 You made my enemies turn their backs(BL) in flight,
and I destroyed my foes.
42 They cried for help,(BM) but there was no one to save them—(BN)
to the Lord, but he did not answer.(BO)
43 I beat them as fine as the dust(BP) of the earth;
I pounded and trampled(BQ) them like mud(BR) in the streets.
44 “You have delivered(BS) me from the attacks of the peoples;
you have preserved(BT) me as the head of nations.
People(BU) I did not know now serve me,
45 foreigners cower(BV) before me;
as soon as they hear of me, they obey me.(BW)
46 They all lose heart;
they come trembling[j](BX) from their strongholds.
47 “The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
Exalted(BY) be my God, the Rock, my Savior!(BZ)
48 He is the God who avenges(CA) me,(CB)
who puts the nations under me,
49 who sets me free from my enemies.(CC)
You exalted me(CD) above my foes;
from a violent man you rescued me.
50 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing the praises(CE) of your name.(CF)
51 “He gives his king great victories;(CG)
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,(CH)
to David(CI) and his descendants forever.”(CJ)
David’s Last Words
23 These are the last words of David:
“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
the utterance of the man exalted(CK) by the Most High,
the man anointed(CL) by the God of Jacob,
the hero of Israel’s songs:
2 “The Spirit(CM) of the Lord spoke through me;
his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock(CN) of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,(CO)
when he rules in the fear(CP) of God,(CQ)
4 he is like the light(CR) of morning(CS) at sunrise(CT)
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain(CU)
that brings grass from the earth.’
5 “If my house were not right with God,
surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,(CV)
arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
and grant me my every desire.
6 But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,(CW)
which are not gathered with the hand.
7 Whoever touches thorns
uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
they are burned up where they lie.”
David’s Mighty Warriors(CX)
8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors:(CY)
Josheb-Basshebeth,[k](CZ) a Tahkemonite,[l] was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed[m] in one encounter.
9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai(DA) the Ahohite.(DB) As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim[n] for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.
11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.
13 During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam,(DC) while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.(DD) 14 At that time David was in the stronghold,(DE) and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.(DF) 15 David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” 16 So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured(DG) it out before the Lord. 17 “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood(DH) of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.
Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.
18 Abishai(DI) the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three.[o] He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. 19 Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.
20 Benaiah(DJ) son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel,(DK) performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. 21 And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. 23 He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
24 Among the Thirty were:
Asahel(DL) the brother of Joab,
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite,(DM)
Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez(DN) the Paltite,
Ira(DO) son of Ikkesh from Tekoa,
27 Abiezer(DP) from Anathoth,(DQ)
Sibbekai[p] the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite,
Maharai(DR) the Netophathite,(DS)
29 Heled[q](DT) son of Baanah the Netophathite,
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah(DU) in Benjamin,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite,(DV)
Hiddai[r] from the ravines of Gaash,(DW)
31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite,
Azmaveth the Barhumite,(DX)
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
the sons of Jashen,
Jonathan 33 son of[s] Shammah the Hararite,
Ahiam son of Sharar[t] the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite,(DY)
Eliam(DZ) son of Ahithophel(EA) the Gilonite,
35 Hezro the Carmelite,(EB)
Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,(EC)
the son of Hagri,[u]
37 Zelek the Ammonite,
Naharai the Beerothite,(ED) the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite,(EE)
Gareb the Ithrite
39 and Uriah(EF) the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Or sovereign
- 2 Samuel 22:3 Horn here symbolizes strength.
- 2 Samuel 22:8 Hebrew; Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:7) mountains
- 2 Samuel 22:11 Many Hebrew manuscripts (see also Psalm 18:10); most Hebrew manuscripts appeared
- 2 Samuel 22:12 Septuagint (see also Psalm 18:11); Hebrew massed
- 2 Samuel 22:25 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:24) to the cleanness of my hands
- 2 Samuel 22:30 Or can run through a barricade
- 2 Samuel 22:33 Dead Sea Scrolls, some Septuagint manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Psalm 18:32); Masoretic Text who is my strong refuge
- 2 Samuel 22:36 Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text shield; / you stoop down to make
- 2 Samuel 22:46 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate (see also Psalm 18:45); Masoretic Text they arm themselves
- 2 Samuel 23:8 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts suggest Ish-Bosheth, that is, Esh-Baal (see also 1 Chron. 11:11 Jashobeam).
- 2 Samuel 23:8 Probably a variant of Hakmonite (see 1 Chron. 11:11)
- 2 Samuel 23:8 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:11); Hebrew and other Septuagint manuscripts Three; it was Adino the Eznite who killed eight hundred men
- 2 Samuel 23:9 See 1 Chron. 11:13; Hebrew gathered there.
- 2 Samuel 23:18 Most Hebrew manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:20); two Hebrew manuscripts and Syriac Thirty
- 2 Samuel 23:27 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 21:18; 1 Chron. 11:29); Hebrew Mebunnai
- 2 Samuel 23:29 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Vulgate (see also 1 Chron. 11:30); most Hebrew manuscripts Heleb
- 2 Samuel 23:30 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:32) Hurai
- 2 Samuel 23:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:34); Hebrew does not have son of.
- 2 Samuel 23:33 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:35) Sakar
- 2 Samuel 23:36 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 11:38); Hebrew Haggadi
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