Psalms 144

1 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].

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 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.

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 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.

Lord, what is man, that you keep him in mind? or the son of man that you take him into account?

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

Man is like a breath: his life is like a shade which is quickly gone.

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

Come down, O Lord, from your heavens: at your touch let the mountains give out smoke.

6 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).

With your storm-flames send them in flight: send out your arrows for their destruction.

7 [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

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

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

I will make a new song to you, O God; I will make melody to you on an instrument of ten cords.

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

It is God who gives salvation to kings; and who kept his servant David from the wounding sword.

11 [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].

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 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.

Our sons are like tall young plants; and our daughters like the shining stones of a king's house;

13 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.

Our store-houses are full of all good things; and our sheep give birth to thousands and ten thousands in our fields.

14 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].

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 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!

Happy is the nation whose ways are so ordered: yes, happy is the nation whose God is the Lord.