21:1 During David’s reign there was a famine for three consecutive years. So David inquired of the Lord.
21:2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke with them. (Now the Gibeonites were not descendants of Israel; they were a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had made a promise to
21:4 The Gibeonites said to him, “We
21:7 The king had mercy on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, in light of the Lord’s oath that had been taken between David and Jonathan son of Saul.
21:8 So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah whom she had born to Saul, and the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab
21:10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain fell on them,
21:14 They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin at Zela in the grave of his father Kish. After they had done everything
21:15 Another battle was fought between the Philistines and Israel. So David went down with his soldiers
21:18 Later there was another battle with the Philistines, this time in Gob. On that occasion Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of Rapha.
21:19 Yet another battle occurred with the Philistines in Gob. On that occasion Elhanan the son of Jair
22:1
“The Lord is my high ridge,
22:3 My God
my shield, the horn that saves me,
my refuge, my savior. You save me from violence!
22:4 I called
and I was delivered from my enemies.
22:5 The waves of death engulfed me;
the currents
22:6 The ropes of Sheol
the snares of death trapped me.
22:7 In my distress I called to the Lord;
I called to my God.
From his heavenly temple
he listened to my cry for help.
22:8 The earth heaved and shook;
the foundations of the sky
They heaved because he was angry.
22:9 Smoke ascended from
fire devoured as it came from his mouth;
he hurled down fiery coals.
22:10 He made the sky sink
a thick cloud was under his feet.
22:11 He mounted
he glided
22:12 He shrouded himself in darkness,
in thick rain clouds.
22:13 From the brightness in front of him
came coals of fire.
22:14 The Lord thundered
the sovereign One
22:15 He shot
lightning and routed them.
22:16 The depths
the inner regions
by the Lord’s battle cry,
by the powerful breath from his nose.
22:17 He reached down from above and grabbed me;
he pulled me from the surging water.
22:18 He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hate me,
for they were too strong for me.
22:19 They confronted
but the Lord helped me.
22:20 He brought me out into a wide open place;
he delivered me because he was pleased with me.
22:21 The Lord repaid
he rewarded
22:22 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands;
I have not rebelled against my God.
22:23 For I am aware of all his regulations,
and I do not reject his rules.
22:24 I was blameless before him;
I kept myself from sinning.
22:25 The Lord rewarded me for my godly deeds;
he took notice of my blameless behavior.
22:26 You prove to be loyal
you prove to be trustworthy
22:27 You prove to be reliable
but you prove to be deceptive
22:28 You deliver oppressed
but you watch the proud and bring them down.
22:29 Indeed,
The Lord illumines
22:30 Indeed,
by my God’s power
22:31 The one true God acts in a faithful manner;
the Lord’s promise is reliable;
he is a shield to all who take shelter in him.
22:32 Indeed,
Who is a protector
22:33 The one true God
he removes
22:34 He gives me the agility of a deer;
he enables me to negotiate the rugged terrain.
22:35 He trains
my arms can bend even the strongest bow.
22:36 You give me
your willingness to help enables me to prevail.
22:37 You widen my path;
my feet
22:38 I chase my enemies and destroy them;
I do not turn back until I wipe them out.
22:39 I wipe them out and beat them to death;
they cannot get up;
they fall at my feet.
22:40 You give me strength for battle;
you make my foes kneel before me.
22:41 You make my enemies retreat;
I destroy those who hate me.
22:42 They cry out,
they cry out to the Lord,
22:43 I grind them as fine as the dust of the ground;
I crush them and stomp on them like clay
22:44 You rescue me from a hostile army;
you preserve me as a leader of nations;
people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects.
22:45 Foreigners are powerless before me;
when they hear of my exploits, they submit to me.
22:46 Foreigners lose their courage;
they shake with fear
22:47 The Lord is alive!
My protector
The God who delivers me
22:48 The one true God completely vindicates me;
he makes nations submit to me.
22:49 He delivers me from my enemies;
you snatch me away
you rescue me from violent men.
22:50 So I will give you thanks, O Lord, before the nations!
I will sing praises to you.
22:51 He gives his chosen king magnificent victories;
he is faithful to his chosen ruler,
to David and to his descendants forever!”