David's Song of Deliverance

22¹ And David speaketh to Jehovah the words of this song in the day Jehovah hath delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul,

² and he saith: 'Jehovah 'is' my rock, And my bulwark, and a deliverer to me, ³ My God 'is' my rock—I take refuge in Him; My shield, and the horn of my salvation, My high tower, and my refuge! My Saviour, from violence Thou savest me! ⁴ The Praised One, I call Jehovah: And from mine enemies I am saved. ⁵ When the breakers of death compassed me, The streams of the worthless terrify me, ⁶ The cords of Sheol have surrounded me, Before me have been the snares of death. ⁷ In mine adversity I call Jehovah, And unto my God I call, And He heareth from His temple my voice, And my cry 'is' in His ears, ⁸ And shake and tremble doth the earth, Foundations of the heavens are troubled, And are shaken, for He hath wrath! ⁹ Gone up hath smoke by His nostrils. And fire from His mouth devoureth, Brands have been kindled by it. ¹⁰ And He inclineth heaven, and cometh down, And thick darkness 'is' under His feet. ¹¹ And He rideth on a cherub, and doth fly, And is seen on the wings of the wind. ¹² And He setteth darkness Round about Him—tabernacles, Darkness of waters—thick clouds of the skies. ¹³ From the brightness before Him Were brands of fire kindled! ¹⁴ Thunder from the heavens doth Jehovah, And the Most High giveth forth His voice. ¹⁵ And He sendeth forth arrows, And scattereth them; Lightning, and troubleth them; ¹⁶ And seen are the streams of the sea, Revealed are foundations of the world, By the rebuke of Jehovah, From the breath of the spirit of His anger. ¹⁷ He sendeth from above—He taketh me, He draweth me out of many waters. ¹⁸ He delivereth me from my strong enemy, From those hating me, For they were stronger than I. ¹⁹ They are before me in a day of my calamity, And Jehovah is my support, ²⁰ And He bringeth me out to a large place, He draweth me out for He delighted in me. ²¹ Jehovah recompenseth me, According to my righteousness, According to the cleanness of my hands, He doth return to me. ²² For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not done wickedly against my God. ²³ For all His judgments 'are' before me, As to His statutes, I turn not from them. ²⁴ And I am perfect before Him, And I keep myself from mine iniquity. ²⁵ And Jehovah returneth to me, According to my righteousness, According to my cleanness before His eyes. ²⁶ With the kind Thou shewest Thyself kind, With the perfect man Thou shewest Thyself perfect, ²⁷ With the pure Thou shewest Thyself pure, And with the perverse Thou shewest Thyself a wrestler. ²⁸ And the poor people Thou dost save, And Thine eyes on the high causest to fall. ²⁹ For Thou 'art' my lamp, O Jehovah, And Jehovah doth lighten my darkness. ³⁰ For by Thee I run—a troop, By my God I leap a wall. ³¹ God! Perfect 'is' His way, The saying of Jehovah is tried, A shield He 'is' to all those trusting in Him. ³² For who is God save Jehovah? And who a Rock save our God? ³³ God—my bulwark, 'my' strength, And He maketh perfect my way; ³⁴ Making my feet like hinds, And on my high places causeth me to stand, ³⁵ Teaching my hands for battle, And brought down was a bow of brass by mine arms, ³⁶ And Thou givest to me the shield of Thy salvation, And Thy lowliness maketh me great. ³⁷ Thou enlargest my step under me, And mine ankles have not slidden. ³⁸ I pursue mine enemies and destroy them, And I turn not till they are consumed. ³⁹ And I consume them, and smite them, And they rise not, and fall under my feet. ⁴⁰ And Thou girdest me 'with' strength for battle, Thou causest my withstanders to bow under me. ⁴¹ And mine enemies—Thou givest to me the neck, Those hating me—and I cut them off. ⁴² They look, and there is no saviour; Unto Jehovah, and He hath not answered them. ⁴³ And I beat them as dust of the earth, As mire of the streets I beat them small—I spread them out! ⁴⁴ And—Thou dost deliver me From the strivings of my people, Thou placest me for a head of nations; A people I have not known do serve me. ⁴⁵ Sons of a stranger feign obedience to me, At the hearing of the ear they hearken to me. ⁴⁶ Sons of a stranger fade away, And gird themselves by their close places. ⁴⁷ Jehovah liveth, and blessed 'is' my Rock, And exalted is my God—The Rock of my salvation. ⁴⁸ God—who is giving vengeance to me, And bringing down peoples under me, ⁴⁹ And bringing me forth from mine enemies, Yea, above my withstanders Thou raisest me up. From a man of violence Thou deliverest me. ⁵⁰ Therefore I confess Thee, O Jehovah, among nations. And to Thy name I sing praise. ⁵¹ Magnifying the salvations of His king, And doing loving-kindness to His anointed, To David, and to his seed—unto the age!'

The Last Words of David

23¹ And these 'are' the last words of David:—'The affirmation of David son of Jesse—And the affirmation of the man raised up—Concerning the Anointed of the God of Jacob, And the Sweetness of the Songs of Israel: ² The Spirit of Jehovah hath spoken by me, And His word 'is' on my tongue. ³ He said—the God of Israel—to me, He spake—the Rock of Israel: He who is ruling over man 'is' righteous, He is ruling in the fear of God. ⁴ And as the light of morning he riseth, A morning sun—no clouds! By the shining, by the rain, Tender grass of the earth! ⁵ For—not so 'is' my house with God; For—a covenant age-during He made with me, Arranged in all things, and kept; For—all my salvation, and all desire, For—He hath not caused 'it' to spring up. ⁶ As to the worthless—As a thorn driven away 'are' all of them, For—not by hand are they taken; ⁷ And the man who cometh against them Is filled with iron and the staff of a spear, And with fire they are utterly burnt In the cessation.'

David's Mighty Men

⁸ These 'are' the names of the mighty ones whom David hath: sitting in the seat 'is' the Tachmonite, head of the captains—he 'is' Adino, who hardened himself against eight hundred—wounded at one time. ⁹ And after him 'is' Eleazar son of Dodo, son of Ahohi, of the three mighty men with David; in their exposing themselves among the Philistines—they have been gathered there to battle, and the men of Israel go up— ¹⁰ he hath arisen, and smiteth among the Philistines till that his hand hath been weary, and his hand cleaveth unto the sword, and Jehovah worketh a great salvation on that day, and the people turn back after him only to strip off. ¹¹ And after him 'is' Shammah son of Agee the Hararite, and the Philistines are gathered into a company, and there is there a portion of the field full of lentiles, and the people hath fled from the presence of the Philistines, ¹² and he stationeth himself in the midst of the portion, and delivereth it, and smiteth the Philistines, and Jehovah worketh a great salvation. ¹³ And three of the thirty heads go down and come unto the harvest, unto David, unto the cave of Adullam, and the company of the Philistines are encamping in the valley of Rephaim, ¹⁴ and David 'is' then in a fortress, and the station of the Philistines 'is' then in Beth-Lehem, ¹⁵ and David longeth and saith, 'Who doth give me a drink of the water of the well of Beth-Lehem, which 'is' by the gate?' ¹⁶ And the three mighty ones cleave through the camp of the Philistines, and draw water out of the well of Beth-Lehem, which 'is' by the gate, and take 'it' up, and bring in unto David; and he was not willing to drink it, and poureth it out to Jehovah, ¹⁷ and saith, 'Far be it from me, O Jehovah, to do this; is it the blood of the men who are going with their lives?' and he was not willing to drink it; these 'things' did the three mighty ones. ¹⁸ And Abishai brother of Joab, son of Zeruiah, he 'is' head of three, and he is lifting up his spear against three hundred—wounded, and he hath a name among three. ¹⁹ Of the three is he not the honoured? and he becometh their head; and unto the 'first' three he hath not come. ²⁰ And Benaiah son of Jehoiada (son of a man of valour, great in deeds from Kabzeel), he hath smitten two lion-like men of Moab, and he hath gone down and smitten the lion in the midst of the pit in a day of snow. ²¹ And he hath smitten the Egyptian man, a man of appearance, and in the hand of the Egyptian 'is' a spear, and he goeth down unto him with a rod, and taketh violently away the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian, and slayeth him with his own spear. ²² These 'things' hath Benaiah son of Jehoiada done, and hath a name among three mighty. ²³ Of the thirty he is honoured, and unto the three he came not; and David setteth him over his guard. ²⁴ Asahel brother of Joab 'is' of the thirty; Elhanan son of Dodo of Beth-Lehem. ²⁵ Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, ²⁶ Helez the Paltite, Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, ²⁷ Abiezer the Annethothite, 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 sons of Benjamin, ³⁰ Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash, ³¹ Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite, ³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 'of' the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, ³³ Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite, ³⁴ Eliphelet son of Ahasbai, son of the Maachathite, Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, ³⁵ Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, ³⁶ Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani the Gadite, ³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, bearer of the weapons of Joab son of Zeruiah, ³⁸ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ³⁹ Uriah the Hittite; in all thirty and seven.

A Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors

57¹ To the Overseer.—'Destroy not.'—A secret treasure of David, in his fleeing from the face of Saul into a cave. Favour me, O God, favour me, For in Thee is my soul trusting, And in the shadow of Thy wings I trust, Until the calamities pass over. ² I call to God Most High, To God 'who' is perfecting for me. ³ He sendeth from the heaven, and saveth me, He reproached—who is panting after me. Selah. God sendeth forth His kindness and His truth. ⁴ My soul 'is' in the midst of lions, I lie down 'among' flames—sons of men, Their teeth 'are' a spear and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword. ⁵ Be Thou exalted above the heavens, O God, Above all the earth Thine honour. ⁶ A net they have prepared for my steps, Bowed down hath my soul, They have digged before me a pit, They have fallen into its midst. Selah.

⁷ Prepared is my heart, O God, Prepared is my heart, I sing and praise. ⁸ Awake, mine honour, awake, psaltery and harp, I awake the morning dawn. ⁹ I thank Thee among the peoples, O Lord, I praise Thee among the nations. ¹⁰ For great unto the heavens 'is' Thy kindness, And unto the clouds Thy truth. ¹¹ Be thou exalted above the heavens, O God. Above all the earth Thine honour!