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2 Samuel 22:17-42

2 Samuel 22:17-46 The Message (MSG)

But me he caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; he pulled me out Of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but GOD stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved! GOD made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I cleaned up my act, he gave me a fresh start. Indeed, I’ve kept alert to GOD’s ways; I haven’t taken God for granted. Every day I review the ways he works, I try not to miss a trick. I feel put back together, and I’m watching my step. GOD rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes. You stick by people who stick with you, you’re straight with people who’re straight with you, You’re good to good people, you shrewdly work around the bad ones. You take the side of the down-and-out, but the stuck-up you take down a peg. Suddenly, GOD, your light floods my path, GOD drives out the darkness. I smash the bands of marauders, I vault the high fences. What a God! His road stretches straight and smooth. Every GOD-direction is road-tested. Everyone who runs toward him Makes it. Is there any god like GOD? Are we not at bedrock? Is not this the God who armed me well, then aimed me in the right direction? Now I run like a deer; I’m king of the mountain. He shows me how to fight; I can bend a bronze bow! You protect me with salvation-armor; you touch me and I feel ten feet tall. You cleared the ground under me so my footing was firm. When I chased my enemies I caught them; I didn’t let go till they were dead men. I nailed them; they were down for good; then I walked all over them. You armed me well for this fight; you smashed the upstarts. You made my enemies turn tail, and I wiped out the haters. They cried “uncle” but Uncle didn’t come; They yelled for GOD and got no for an answer. I ground them to dust; they gusted in the wind. I threw them out, like garbage in the gutter. You rescued me from a squabbling people; you made me a leader of nations. People I’d never heard of served me; the moment they got wind of me they submitted. They gave up; they came trembling from their hideouts.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 King James Version (KJV)

He sent from above, he took me; He drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, And from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me. They prevented me in the day of my calamity: But the LORD was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place: He delivered me, because he delighted in me. The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his judgments were before me: And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also upright before him, And have kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness; According to my cleanness in his eye sight. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, And with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; And with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury. And the afflicted people thou wilt save: But thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down. For thou art my lamp, O LORD: And the LORD will lighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop: By my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect; The word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all them that trust in him. For who is God, save the LORD? And who is a rock, save our God? God is my strength and power: And he maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: And setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war; So that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: And thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; So that my feet did not slip. I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; And turned not again until I had consumed them. And I have consumed them, and wounded them, that they could not arise: Yea, they are fallen under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength to battle: Them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me. Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies, That I might destroy them that hate me. They looked, but there was none to save; Even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 New American Standard Bible - NASB 1995 (NASB1995)

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 strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. He also brought me forth into a broad place; He rescued 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 acted wickedly against my God. For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless toward Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness before His eyes. With the kind You show Yourself kind, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless; With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the perverted You show Yourself astute. And You save an afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase. For You are my lamp, O LORD; And the LORD illumines my darkness. For by You I can run upon a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him. For who is God, besides the LORD? And who is a rock, besides our God? God is my strong fortress; And He sets the blameless in His way. He makes my feet like hinds’ feet, And sets me on my high places. He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help makes me great. You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed. And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; And they fell under my feet. For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me. They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 New Century Version (NCV)

“The LORD reached down from above and took me; he pulled me from the deep water. He saved me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me. They attacked me at my time of trouble, but the LORD supported me. He took me to a safe place. Because he delights in me, he saved me. “The LORD spared me because I did what was right. Because I have not done evil, he has rewarded me. I have followed the ways of the LORD; I have not done evil by turning from my God. I remember all his laws and have not broken his rules. I am innocent before him; I have kept myself from doing evil. The LORD rewarded me because I did what was right, because I did what the LORD said was right. “LORD, you are loyal to those who are loyal, and you are good to those who are good. You are pure to those who are pure, but you are against those who are evil. You save the humble, but you bring down those who are proud. LORD, you give light to my lamp. The LORD brightens the darkness around me. With your help I can attack an army. With God’s help I can jump over a wall. “The ways of God are without fault; the LORD’s words are pure. He is a shield to those who trust him. Who is God? Only the LORD. Who is the Rock? Only our God. God is my protection. He makes my way free from fault. He makes me like a deer that does not stumble; he helps me stand on the steep mountains. He trains my hands for battle so my arms can bend a bronze bow. You protect me with your saving shield. You have stooped to make me great. You give me a better way to live, so I live as you want me to. I chased my enemies and destroyed them. I did not quit till they were destroyed. I destroyed and crushed them so they couldn’t rise up again. They fell beneath my feet. You gave me strength in battle. You made my enemies bow before me. You made my enemies turn back, and I destroyed those who hated me. They called for help, but no one came to save them. They called to the LORD, but he did not answer them.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 American Standard Version (ASV)

He sent from on high, he took me; He drew me out of many waters; He delivered me from my strong enemy, From them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me. They came upon me in the day of my calamity; But Jehovah was my stay. He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because he delighted in me. Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his ordinances were before me; And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also perfect toward him; And I kept myself from mine iniquity. Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in his eyesight. With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful; With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect; With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward. And the afflicted people thou wilt save; But thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down. For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah; And Jehovah will lighten my darkness. For by thee I run upon a troop; By my God do I leap over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him. For who is God, save Jehovah? And who is a rock, save our God? God is my strong fortress; And he guideth the perfect in his way. He maketh his feet like hinds’ feet, And setteth me upon my high places. He teacheth my hands to war, So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation; And thy gentleness hath made me great. Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; And my feet have not slipped. I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them; Neither did I turn again till they were consumed. And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, so that they cannot arise: Yea, they are fallen under my feet. For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle; Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me. Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me, That I might cut off them that hate me. They looked, but there was none to save; Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 New International Version (Anglicised) (NIVUK)

‘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 my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me. ‘The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I am not guilty of turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin. The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness 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 devious you show yourself shrewd. You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low. You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. ‘As for God, his way is perfect: the LORD’s word is flawless; he shields 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 keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You make your saving help my shield; your help has made me great. You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way. ‘I pursued my enemies and crushed them; I did not turn back till they were destroyed. I crushed them completely, and they could not rise; they fell beneath my feet. You armed me with strength for battle; you humbled my adversaries before me. You made my enemies turn their backs in flight, and I destroyed my foes. They cried for help, but there was no-one to save them – to the LORD, but he did not answer.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 New King James Version (NKJV)

“He sent from above, 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 strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. “The LORD 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 judgments were before me; And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes. “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people; But Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down. “For You are my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. “For who is God, except the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? God is my strength and power, And He makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places. He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me; So my feet did not slip. “I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 Amplified Bible (AMP)

“He sent from above, He took me; He drew me out of great waters. “He rescued me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. “They came upon me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. “He also brought me out to an open place; He rescued me because He delighted in me. “The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me. “For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not acted wickedly against my God. “For all His judgments (legal decisions) were before me, And from His statutes I did not turn aside. “I was also blameless before Him, And kept myself from wrongdoing. “Therefore the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His sight. “With the loving and loyal You show Yourself loving and loyal, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless. “With the pure You show Yourself pure, With the perverted You show Yourself astute. “And You save the afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase (humiliate). “For You, O LORD, are my lamp; The LORD illumines and dispels my darkness. “For by You I can run upon a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. “As for God, His way is blameless and perfect; The word of the LORD is tested. He is a shield to all those who take refuge and trust in Him. “For who is God, besides the LORD? And who is a rock, besides our God? [1 Sam 2:2] “God is my strong fortress; He sets the blameless in His way. “He makes my feet like the doe’s feet [firm and swift]; He sets me [secure and confident] on my high places. “He trains my hands for war, So that my arms can bend (pull back) a bow of bronze. “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help and gentleness make me great. “You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped. “I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed (eliminated). “I consumed them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; They fell under my feet. “For You have surrounded me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who stood against me. “You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me [in retreat], And I destroyed those who hated me. “They looked, but there was no savior for them— Even to the LORD [they looked], but He did not answer them.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 New Living Translation (NLT)

“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the LORD supported me. He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. The LORD rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence. “To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them. O LORD, you are my lamp. The LORD lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. “God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock? God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. You have given me your shield of victory; your help has made me great. You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping. “I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered. I consumed them; I struck them down so they did not get up; they fell beneath my feet. You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet. You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me. They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the LORD, but he refused to answer.

2 Samuel 22:17-42 English Standard Version 2016 (ESV)

“He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me. “The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his rules were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside. I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. And the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. For you are my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness. For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. “For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God? This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip; I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, and did not turn back until they were consumed. I consumed them; I thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet. For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them. They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.