Psalms 144
1 “By David.” Blessed be the Lord my Rock, who exerciseth my hands for the battle, my fingers for the war:
A psalm of David. Praise the Lord—he is my rock. He trains me for battle, he gives me skill for war.
2 My kindness, and my strong-hold; 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 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.
3 Lord, what is man, that thou takest cognizance of him: the son of a mortal, that thou regardest him!
Lord, what are human beings that you should care about them? What are people that you should concern yourself with them?
4 Man is like the breath: his days are like a passing shadow.
Humanity is like a breath; their lives are like a passing shadow.
5 O Lord, bend thy heavens, and come down: touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
Part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains so that they give off smoke.
6 Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: send out thy arrows, and confound them.
Scatter your enemies with flashes of lightning! Let your arrows fly and send them running in confusion!
7 Stretch out thy hands from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of the children of the stranger.
Stretch down your hand from heaven and set me free. Rescue me from raging waters, from the oppression of foreign enemies.
8 Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and whose right hand is the right hand of falsehood.
They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.
9 O God, a new song will I sing unto thee: upon the ten-stringed psaltery will I sing praises unto thee.
God, I will sing a new song to you, accompanied by a ten-stringed harp,
10 [Thou art he] that giveth victory unto kings: who riddeth David his servant from the evil-bringing sword.
to you, the one who gives victory to kings. You saved your servant David from death by the sword.
11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of the children of the stranger, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and whose right hand is the right hand of falsehood.
Set me free. Rescue me from the oppression of foreign enemies. They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.
12 So that our sons may be like plants, grown up in their youth: our daughters, like corner-pillars, sculptured in the model of a palace.
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.
13 May our garners be full, furnishing all manner of store: our sheep bringing forth thousands and ten thousands in our open pastures.
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.
14 May our oxen be strong to labor: may there be no breach, nor migration, nor loud complaint in our streets.
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.
15 Happy the people, that fare thus: happy the people, whose God is the Lord.
The people who live like this will be happy. Happy are those whose God is the Lord.
