Psalms 144

1 [A Psalm] of David concerning Goliad. Blessed [be] the Lord my God, who instructs my hands for battle, [and] my fingers for 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 mercy, and my refuge; my helper, and my deliverer; my protector, in whom I have trusted; who subdues 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 you are made known to him? or the son of man, that you take account of 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 to vanity: his days pass as a shadow.

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

5 O Lord, bow your heavens, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.

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

6 Send lightning, and you shall scatter them: send forth your arrows, and you shall discomfit them.

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

7 Send forth your hand from on high; rescue me, and deliver me out of great waters, out of the hand of strange children;

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

8 whose mouth has spoken vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity.

They are such liars, even telling lies under oath.

9 O God, I will sing a new song to you: I will play to you on a lute of ten strings.

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

10 [Even] to him who gives salvation to kings: who redeems his servant David from the hurtful sword.

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

11 Deliver me, and rescue me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth has spoken vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity;

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

12 whose children are as plants, strengthened in their youth: their daughters are beautiful, sumptuously adorned after the similitude of a temple.

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 Their garners are full, and bursting with one kind of store after another; their sheep are prolific, multiplying in their streets.

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 Their oxen are fat: there is no falling down of a hedge, nor going out, nor cry in their folds.

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 Men bless the people to whom this lot belongs, [but] blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

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