Psalms 144

1 A Psalme of David. Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth mine hands to fight, and my fingers to battell.

I praise Yahweh, who is [like an overhanging] rock [under which I] ([get refuge/am protected])! He trains my hands so that I can use them to fight battles; he trains my fingers so that I can [shoot arrows in a war].

2 He is my goodnes and my fortresse, my towre and my deliuerer, my shield, and in him I trust, which subdueth my people vnder me.

He is the one who protects me; he is [like] a fortress [DOU] in which I am safe, he protects me [like] [protect soldiers] [MET], and he gives me refuge. He defeats [other] nations and [then] puts them under my power.

3 Lord, what is man that thou regardest him! or the sonne of man that thou thinkest vpon him!

Yahweh, [we] people are [very insignificant/unimportant], so why (are you concerned/do you care about us) [RHQ]? [It is amazing to me that] you pay attention to humans.

4 Man is like to vanitie: his dayes are like a shadow, that vanisheth.

[The time that we live is as short] as [SIM] a puff of wind; our time to live disappears like a shadow does.

5 Bow thine heauens, O Lord, and come downe: touch the mountaines and they shall smoke.

Yahweh, (tear open/open up) the sky and come down! Touch the mountains in order that smoke will pour out from them!

6 Cast forth the lightning and scatter them: shoote out thine arrowes, and consume them.

Cause lightning to flash with the result that [your enemies] will run away! Shoot your arrows [at them] and cause them to (run away/scatter).

7 Send thine hand from aboue: deliuer me, and take me out of the great waters, and from the hand of strangers,

[It is as though my enemies surround me like] a flood; reach your hand down from heaven and rescue me from them [SYN]. They are men from other countries

8 Whose mouth talketh vanitie, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

who [SYN] [always] tell lies. [Even in a courtroom where they swear to tell the truth] they tell lies.

9 I wil sing a new song vnto thee, O God, and sing vnto thee vpon a viole, and an instrument of ten strings.

God, I will sing a new song to you, and I will play my ten-stringed harp [while I sing] to you.

10 It is he that giueth deliuerance vnto Kings, and rescueth Dauid his seruant from the hurtfull sworde.

You enable kings to defeat [their enemies]; and you rescued me, your servant David, from [being killed by] my enemies’ swords.

11 Rescue me, and deliuer me from the hand of strangers, whose mouth talketh vanitie, and their right hand is a right hand of falshood:

[So I ask you to] save me from [being killed by] the swords [that those] evil [people carry]. Rescue me from the power [MTY] of those foreigners who [SYN] [always] tell lies, and [who raise] their right hands [in courtrooms when they solemnly declare that they will tell the truth].

12 That our sonnes may be as the plantes growing vp in their youth, and our daughters as the corner stones, grauen after the similitude of a palace:

I wish/hope that our young sons will grow up to be like strong plants [SIM], and I wish/hope that our daughters will [grow up to] be [straight and tall] like the pillars [SIM] that stand in the corners of palaces.

13 That our corners may be full, and abounding with diuers sorts, and that our sheepe may bring forth thousands and ten thousand in our streetes:

I wish/hope that our barns will be full of many different crops. I wish/hope that the sheep in our fields will give birth to tens of thousands of baby lambs.

14 That our oxen may be strong to labour: that there be none inuasion, nor going out, nor no crying in our streetes.

I wish/hope that our cows will give birth to many calves without having any miscarriages or deaths when they are born (OR, that no enemies will break through our city walls and take us (into exile/to their own countries)). I wish/hope that [there will not be a time when the people in] our streets cry out in distress [because foreign armies are invading].

15 Blessed are the people, that be so, yea, blessed are the people, whose God is the Lord.

If good things like that happen to a nation, the people will be very happy. The people whose God is Yahweh are the ones who will be happy!