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.
Of David. Blest be the Lord my rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for 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.
My rock and my fortress, my tower, my deliverer, my shield, behind whom I take refuge, who lays nations low at my feet.
3 Lord, what are human beings that you should care about them? What are people that you should concern yourself with them?
Lord, what are mortals that you care for them, humans, that you think of them?
4 Humanity is like a breath; their lives are like a passing shadow.
They are like a breath, their days as a shadow that passes.
5 Part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains so that they give off smoke.
Lord, bow your heavens and come down: touch the hills, so that they smoke.
6 Scatter your enemies with flashes of lightning! Let your arrows fly and send them running in confusion!
Flash forth lightning and scatter them, your arrows send forth and confound them.
7 Stretch down your hand from heaven and set me free. Rescue me from raging waters, from the oppression of foreign enemies.
Stretch out your hand from on high; pluck me out of the mighty waters, out of the hands of foreigners,
8 They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.
who speak with the mouth of falsehood, and lift their right hand to swear lies.
9 God, I will sing a new song to you, accompanied by a ten-stringed harp,
O God, a new song I would sing you, on a ten-stringed harp make you music.
10 to you, the one who gives victory to kings. You saved your servant David from death by the sword.
For to kings you give the victory, and David your servant you save.
11 Set me free. Rescue me from the oppression of foreign enemies. They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.
Snatch me from the cruel sword, rescue me from the hand of foreigners, who speak with the mouth of falsehood, and lift their right hand to swear lies.
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.
May our sons in their youth be as plants well tended: our daughters like cornices carved as in palaces.
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.
May our barns be bursting with produce of all kinds. In the fields may our sheep bear by thousands and ten thousands.
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.
May our cattle be fat, our walls unbreached, may no cry of distress ring in our streets.
15 The people who live like this will be happy. Happy are those whose God is the Lord.
Happy the people who fares so well: and so fares the people whose God is the Lord.
