Psalms 144
1 Blessed be the Lord my God, who teacheth my hands to fight, and my fingers to war.
A Psalm. Of David. Praise be to the God of my strength, teaching my hands the use of the sword, and my fingers the art of fighting:
2 My mercy, and my refuge: my support, and my deliverer: My protector, and I have hoped in him: who subdueth my people under me.
He is my strength, and my Rock; my high tower, and my saviour; my keeper and my hope: he gives me authority over my people.
3 Lord, what is man, that thou art made known to him? or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?
Lord, what is man, that you keep him in mind? or the son of man that you take him into account?
4 Man is like to vanity: his days pass away like a shadow.
Man is like a breath: his life is like a shade which is quickly gone.
5 Lord, bow down thy heavens and descend: touch the mountains and they shall smoke.
Come down, O Lord, from your heavens: at your touch let the mountains give out smoke.
6 Send forth lightning, and thou shalt scatter them: shoot out thy arrows, and thou shalt trouble them.
With your storm-flames send them in flight: send out your arrows for their destruction.
7 Put forth thy hand from on high, take me out, and deliver me from many waters: from the hand of strange children:
Put out your hand from on high; make me free, take me safely out of the great waters, and out of the hands of strange men;
8 Whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity.
In whose mouths are false words, and whose right hand is a right hand of deceit.
9 To thee, O God, I will sing a new canticle: on the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings I will sing praises to thee.
I will make a new song to you, O God; I will make melody to you on an instrument of ten cords.
10 Who givest salvation to kings: who hast redeemed thy servant David from the malicious sword:
It is God who gives salvation to kings; and who kept his servant David from the wounding sword.
11 Deliver me, And rescue me out of the hand of strange children; whose mouth hath spoken vanity: and their right hand is the right hand of iniquity:
Make me free, and take me out of the hands of strange men, in whose mouths are false words, and whose right hand is a right hand of deceit.
12 Whose sons are as new plants in their youth: Their daughters decked out, adorned round about after the similitude of a temple:
Our sons are like tall young plants; and our daughters like the shining stones of a king's house;
13 Their storehouses full, flowing out of this into that. Their sheep fruitful in young, abounding in their goings forth:
Our store-houses are full of all good things; and our sheep give birth to thousands and ten thousands in our fields.
14 Their oxen fat. There is no breach of wall, nor passage, nor crying out in their streets.
Our oxen are well weighted down; our cows give birth safely; there is no going out, and there is no cry of sorrow in our open places.
15 They have called the people happy, that hath these things: but happy is that people whose God is the Lord.
Happy is the nation whose ways are so ordered: yes, happy is the nation whose God is the Lord.
