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. Blessed be the LORD, my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

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.

He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.

3 Lord, what are human beings that you should care about them? What are people that you should concern yourself with them?

O LORD, what is man, that You regard him, the son of man that You think of him?

4 Humanity is like a breath; their lives are like a passing shadow.

Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

5 Part your heavens and come down. Touch the mountains so that they give off smoke.

Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke.

6 Scatter your enemies with flashes of lightning! Let your arrows fly and send them running in confusion!

Flash forth Your lightning and scatter them; shoot Your arrows and rout them.

7 Stretch down your hand from heaven and set me free. Rescue me from raging waters, from the oppression of foreign enemies.

Reach down from on high; set me free and rescue me from the deep waters, from the grasp of foreigners,

8 They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.

whose mouths speak falsehood, whose right hands are deceitful.

9 God, I will sing a new song to you, accompanied by a ten-stringed harp,

I will sing to You a new song, O God; on a harp of ten strings I will make music to You—

10 to you, the one who gives victory to kings. You saved your servant David from death by the sword.

to Him who gives victory to kings, who frees His servant David from the deadly sword.

11 Set me free. Rescue me from the oppression of foreign enemies. They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.

Set me free and rescue me from the grasp of foreigners, whose mouths speak falsehood, whose right hands are deceitful.

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.

Then our sons will be like plants nurtured in their youth, our daughters like corner pillars carved to adorn a palace.

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.

Our storehouses will be full, supplying all manner of produce; our flocks will bring forth thousands, tens of thousands in our fields.

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.

Our oxen will bear great loads. There will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity, and no cry of lament in our streets.

15 The people who live like this will be happy. Happy are those whose God is the Lord.

Blessed are the people of whom this is so; blessed are the people whose God is the LORD.