Psalms 144

1 Blessed be YHWH my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

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 My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under 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 YHWH, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of 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 vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

[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 thy heavens, O YHWH, and come down: touch the mountains, 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 lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy 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 above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children;

[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 speaketh vanity, 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 will sing a new song unto thee, O Elohim: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.

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 giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.

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

11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:

[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 sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished 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 garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:

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 no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.

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 Joyful is that people, that is in such a case: yea, joyful is that people, whose Elohim is YHWH.

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!