Psalms 144
1 A psalm of David. Praise the Lord—he is my rock. He trains me for battle, he gives me skill for 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 He is the one who faithfully loves me, protects me, and defends me. He is the one who rescues me, shields me from danger, and keeps me safe. He defeats nations and places them under my rule.
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 are human beings that you should care about them? What are people that you should concern yourself with them?
Lord, what is man, that you keep him in mind? or the son of man that you take him into account?
4 Humanity is like a breath; their lives are like a passing shadow.
Man is like a breath: his life is like a shade which is quickly gone.
5 Part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains so that they give off smoke.
Come down, O Lord, from your heavens: at your touch let the mountains give out smoke.
6 Scatter your enemies with flashes of lightning! Let your arrows fly and send them running in confusion!
With your storm-flames send them in flight: send out your arrows for their destruction.
7 Stretch down your hand from heaven and set me free. Rescue me from raging waters, from the oppression of foreign enemies.
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 They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.
In whose mouths are false words, and whose right hand is a right hand of deceit.
9 God, I will sing a new song to you, accompanied by a ten-stringed harp,
I will make a new song to you, O God; I will make melody to you on an instrument of ten cords.
10 to you, the one who gives victory to kings. You saved your servant David from death by the sword.
It is God who gives salvation to kings; and who kept his servant David from the wounding sword.
11 Set me free. Rescue me from the oppression of foreign enemies. They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.
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 Then our sons will grow up like plants in their youth and become mature, and our daughters will be like beautiful pillars carved to support a palace.
Our sons are like tall young plants; and our daughters like the shining stones of a king's house;
13 Our storehouses will be full of all kinds of crops; our flocks of sheep will grow by thousands, increasing by tens of thousands in the pastures.
Our store-houses are full of all good things; and our sheep give birth to thousands and ten thousands in our fields.
14 Our cattle will grow fat. No one will break down our city walls, there will be no exile, no cries of mourning in our town squares.
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 The people who live like this will be happy. Happy are those whose God is the Lord.
Happy is the nation whose ways are so ordered: yes, happy is the nation whose God is the Lord.
