David's Song of Deliverance

22¹ David sang this song to the Lord on the day the Lord rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul.

² He sang: "The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; ³ my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. ⁴ I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. ⁵ "The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me. ⁶ The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. ⁷ But in my distress I cried out to the Lord ; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears. ⁸ "Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger. ⁹ Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him. ¹⁰ He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet. ¹¹ Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind. ¹² He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dense rain clouds. ¹³ A great brightness shone around him, and burning coals blazed forth. ¹⁴ The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded. ¹⁵ He shot arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were confused. ¹⁶ Then at the command of the Lord, at the blast of his breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare. ¹⁷ "He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters. ¹⁸ He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me. ¹⁹ They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the Lord supported me. ²⁰ He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me. ²¹ The Lord rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence. ²² For I have kept the ways of the Lord ; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. ²³ I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. ²⁴ I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. ²⁵ The Lord rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence. ²⁶ "To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. ²⁷ To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. ²⁸ You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them. ²⁹ O Lord, you are my lamp. The Lord lights up my darkness. ³⁰ In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. ³¹ "God's way is perfect. All the Lord 's promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. ³² For who is God except the Lord ? Who but our God is a solid rock? ³³ God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect. ³⁴ He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights. ³⁵ He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow. ³⁶ You have given me your shield of victory; your help has made me great. ³⁷ You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping. ³⁸ "I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered. ³⁹ I consumed them; I struck them down so they did not get up; they fell beneath my feet. ⁴⁰ You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet. ⁴¹ You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me. ⁴² They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the Lord, but he refused to answer. ⁴³ I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trampled them in the gutter like dirt. ⁴⁴ "You gave me victory over my accusers. You preserved me as the ruler over nations; people I don't even know now serve me. ⁴⁵ Foreign nations cringe before me; as soon as they hear of me, they submit. ⁴⁶ They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds. ⁴⁷ "The Lord lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted! ⁴⁸ He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he brings down the nations under me ⁴⁹ and delivers me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents. ⁵⁰ For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. ⁵¹ You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever."

The Last Words of David

23¹ These are the last words of David: "David, the son of Jesse, speaks- David, the man who was raised up so high, David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, David, the sweet psalmist of Israel. ² "The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue. ³ The God of Israel spoke. The Rock of Israel said to me: 'The one who rules righteously, who rules in the fear of God, ⁴ is like the light of morning at sunrise, like a morning without clouds, like the gleaming of the sun on new grass after rain.' ⁵ "Is it not my family God has chosen? Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me. His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail. He will ensure my safety and success. ⁶ But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away, for they tear the hand that touches them. ⁷ One must use iron tools to chop them down; they will be totally consumed by fire."

David's Mighty Men

⁸ These are the names of David's mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Three -the three mightiest warriors among David's men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle. ⁹ Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled. ¹⁰ He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the Lord gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder! ¹¹ Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, ¹² but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory. ¹³ Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty-an elite group among David's fighting men) went down to meet him there. ¹⁴ David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem. ¹⁵ David remarked longingly to his men, "Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem." ¹⁶ So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord . ¹⁷ "The Lord forbid that I should drink this!" he exclaimed. "This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me." So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three. ¹⁸ Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three. ¹⁹ Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three. ²⁰ There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. ²¹ Once, armed only with a club, he killed an imposing Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it. ²² Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors. ²³ He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard. ²⁴ Other members of the Thirty included: Asahel, Joab's brother; Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem; ²⁵ Shammah from Harod; Elika from Harod; ²⁶ Helez from Pelon ; Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; ²⁷ Abiezer from Anathoth; Sibbecai from Hushah; ²⁸ Zalmon from Ahoah; Maharai from Netophah; ²⁹ Heled son of Baanah from Netophah; Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah (in the land of Benjamin); ³⁰ Benaiah from Pirathon; Hurai from Nahale-gaash ; ³¹ Abi-albon from Arabah; Azmaveth from Bahurim; ³² Eliahba from Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen; Jonathan ³³ son of Shagee from Harar; Ahiam son of Sharar from Harar; ³⁴ Eliphelet son of Ahasbai from Maacah; Eliam son of Ahithophel from Giloh; ³⁵ Hezro from Carmel; Paarai from Arba; ³⁶ Igal son of Nathan from Zobah; Bani from Gad; ³⁷ Zelek from Ammon; Naharai from Beeroth, the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah; ³⁸ Ira from Jattir; Gareb from Jattir; ³⁹ Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.

A Prayer for Rescue from Persecutors

57¹ Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until the danger passes by. ² I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me. ³ He will send help from heaven to rescue me, disgracing those who hound me. Interlude My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness. ⁴ I am surrounded by fierce lions who greedily devour human prey- whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords. ⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth. ⁶ My enemies have set a trap for me. I am weary from distress. They have dug a deep pit in my path, but they themselves have fallen into it. Interlude

⁷ My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your praises! ⁸ Wake up, my heart! Wake up, O lyre and harp! I will wake the dawn with my song. ⁹ I will thank you, Lord, among all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. ¹⁰ For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. ¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.